Sport & leisure during your winter vacation in Salzburg

Sports facilities in the city & province of Salzburg

Both in the city of Salzburg itself and in the surrounding region you have the opportunity to do sports. Ski on the mountains, discover untouched snowy landscapes and enjoy the wintry atmosphere with numerous sporting opportunities:

• Skiing and snowboarding
• ski tours
• ice skating
• Snowshoeing & Winter hiking
• tobogganing
• and much more.

Skiing & Snowboarding

With its countless ski resorts, the Salzburg Alps are particularly popular with winter sports enthusiasts who prefer skiing or snowboarding. Salzburg is an ideal starting point for a day trip to the surrounding mountains and valleys, where young and old can enjoy the variety of perfectly groomed slopes.

Here you will find a selection of the most popular ski resorts in the area:

 

Gaissau-Hintersee ski area

The charming Gaissau-Hintersee ski area in Salzburger Land is just a 30-minute drive away. 30 kilometers of slopes with all levels of difficulty and 8 lifts invite you to enjoy adventurous descents in addition to fair ski pass prices. There are also 2 practice areas with lifts for the little ones and ski clubs also get their money's worth with racing and training runs.

Snow Space Salzburg

Snow Space Salzburg in Flachau, Wagrain and St. Johann is one of the five largest ski areas in Austria and, with the Flachauwinkl/Zauchensee ski link, comprises more than 210 km of fun on the slopes. The total of 13 lifts extend over 12 peaks and 5 valleys and offer maximum fun on varied pistes and several well-known freestyle and freeride spots in addition to two World Cup runs.

The Salzburger Sportwelt can be reached in around 55 minutes by car from Hotel Hölle. If you prefer to travel by public transport, the ski area can be reached by train to the ICE train station in St. Johann im Pongau and then by bus.

Ski tours

If you prefer to reach the summit away from the pistes and lifts, a ski tour is the perfect choice. Beginners, advanced skiers and experts all get their money's worth here, as Salzburger Land offers numerous routes for every level of ability. Here you will find selected tours that we particularly recommend:

Ski tour to the Wieserhörndl

Along the pistes of the Gaissau-Hintersee ski area, the easy tour starts in Sommerau at 725m and reaches the Wieserhörndl at 1567m after an easy ascent of 900m. On this 3-hour tour, the Anzenbergalm and the Latschenalm are excellent places to stop for refreshments.

Salzburg ski tour classic: Schlenken 1648m

The starting point Rengerberg - Wurzerbauer at an altitude of 1006m, where the tour begins, is easily accessible by car. The tour is of medium difficulty and takes you up to the summit of the 1648m-high Schlenken via the south-facing slope, which offers a panoramic view over the Salzkammergut mountains after an ascent of just under 900m and around 3 hours.

Ice skating

Not only does the city of Salzburg shine in all its glory during the winter season thanks to the numerous Advent markets, ice skating enthusiasts also get more than their money's worth. Open-air ice skating rinks and ice rinks are spread throughout the city, inviting you to enjoy romantic dates, impressive artistic skating or sporty training sessions.

Ice arena in the Volksgarten

An indoor rink and a covered outdoor rink, each measuring 60 x 30 m, as well as the ice magic in the Volksgarten with its two ice rinks invite you to take part in a variety of ice sports activities. The ice rinks are open 7 days a week and services such as skate hire, skate sharpening and curling hire round off the offer.

Wals/Grünau ice rink

The Wals/Grünau ice rink is located in Austria's largest village, Wals-Siezenheim, and is open Wednesday to Sunday and even daily during the school vacations. Skate hire is available on site.

Mozartplatz

The winter lounge run by Treml Punsch is located in the middle of Salzburg's old town, where there is a wonderful open-air ice rink.

EUROPARK

The 450m² open-air ice rink is located on the piazza directly in front of the shopping center. During the shopping center's regular opening hours, use of the ice rink is completely free of charge and is a real experience with atmospheric music.

Snowshoeing & Winter hiking

Trudging silently along the snow-covered paths through Salzburg's winter landscape makes sports such as winter hiking and snowshoeing increasingly popular. Not far from the city center there are all kinds of tours for a contemplative hike through the winter, which we have summarized for our guests:

• Easy and short tour to the Zwölferhorn
• Along the Bärensteig to the Lidaun
• Winter hike to Salzburg's local mountain

Tobogganing

For pure action and adrenaline in winter, nothing is better than tobogganing. On a wooden sledge, you speed down the groomed slopes until you finally reach the bottom of the mountain. Whether big or small: tobogganing is an absolute experience for the whole family in Salzburger Land:

Faistenau: Natural toboggan run near Faistenauer Schafberg

It's just a 45-minute ascent through the magical winter forest to the Grögernalm, where the toboggan hut invites you to enjoy a snack and a warm drink. Afterwards, you can hire a sledge for a fee and look forward to a fun toboggan run downhill.

Bramberg am Wildkogel: the longest floodlit toboggan run in the world

The Wildkogelarena in Neukirchen & Bramberg comprises 14 kilometers of floodlit natural toboggan run and, in combination with rustic refreshment stops along the descent, invites you to enjoy adventurous night tobogganing.