Traunsee

Snapshot

The deepest lake in Austria, stretching 12 kilometres between mountain walls in the Salzkammergut. The Traunstein cliffs drop almost vertically into the water on the eastern shore, giving the lake a character closer to a Norwegian fjord than to the gentler Salzkammergut lakes closer to Salzburg.

The Story

Most visitors to Salzburg who make a Salzkammergut day trip head to the Wolfgangsee or Mondsee. Both are beautiful and both are close. The Traunsee is further, roughly 90 minutes from Salzburg by car or by train via Attnang-Puchheim, and because of that distance it receives fewer visitors. That is one of the reasons to go.

The lake is 12 kilometres long and 191 metres deep, making it the deepest in Austria. Its character is set by the mountain walls that enclose it on both sides. The Traunstein on the eastern shore rises sharply from the water’s edge, its cliff face dropping almost vertically into the lake. The effect is dramatic in a way that distinguishes the Traunsee from the more open, pastoral shores of the Wolfgangsee or the Attersee. The Romans called it Lacus Felix, the happy lake, for its calm surface and good fishing.

At the northern end, Gmunden is the main town. Its signature landmark is the Seeschloss Ort, a medieval castle on a small island connected to shore by a 123-metre wooden bridge. The island fortress is first recorded in 909 AD and remains the most photographed point on the lake. Gmunden is also Austria’s ceramic city: Gmundner Keramik has produced its distinctive green-flamed pottery here for over five hundred years, and the technique received UNESCO recognition as intangible cultural heritage in 2021. The Gmundner Keramik manufactory can be visited.

Halfway down the western shore, Traunkirchen sits on a narrow peninsula that juts into the lake. The setting is extraordinary: the village is almost surrounded by water, with the cliff walls of the opposite shore rising behind it. Boat cruises operate seasonally from Gmunden, and the Gmunden-Traunkirchen route is the most direct way to see the lake’s character from the water.

Visiting

• Getting there: Approximately 90 minutes from Salzburg by car; by train, change at Attnang-Puchheim
• Base options: Gmunden (north end) or Traunkirchen (western shore peninsula)
• Cruises: Seasonal boat service from Gmunden; Gmunden-Traunkirchen route recommended
• Key sights: Seeschloss Ort, Gmundner Keramik manufactory, Traunkirchen peninsula, Grünberg cable car above Gmunden
• Swimming: Accessible from lakeside bathing areas
• Cost: Lake access free; cruises and cable car are paid