Gmunden: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
For centuries all the salt of the Salzkammergut passed through Gmunden: it came down the Traun from Hallstatt and Ebensee, and the officials who ran the whole salt country sat here. The money built a town of fine squares on the lake shore, and the 19th century added villas for royals in exile. This walk goes from the potters at the top of town down to the square and out to the castle in the lake. About two and a half hours, all flat; the castle courtyard is free.
A short history of Gmunden
Gmunden sits at the northern end of Lake Traun, where the River Traun flows out of it, and its history is above all about salt. Salt mined in Hallstatt and Bad Ischl came here by boat, and for centuries Gmunden was the administrative and trading centre of salt in the Salzkammergut. It received town rights in 1278. In the 19th century it became a resort for the aristocracy and for people of culture, and Brahms spent summers here. In 1894 a tramway opened in the town, one of the steepest in Europe. On an island in the lake, linked to the shore by a bridge, stands Schloss Ort, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Green-and-white pottery has been made in the town for centuries.
The ten best sights in Gmunden
1Seeschloss OrtCastle on a rock in the lake, joined to the shore by a long wooden bridge; the courtyard is free
2Kammerhof museumsThe old salt office: town history, Brahms memorabilia and a museum of historic toilets
3Town hallIts carillon of ceramic bells, made in Gmunden, plays several times a day over the square
4Parish churchBaroque Three Kings altar by Thomas Schwanthaler
-
5Villa Toscana
Villa of the exiled Tuscan grand-ducal family, in a lakeside park
6Ebensee concentration camp memorialMemorial and walk-in tunnel of a Mauthausen subcamp, 25 minutes south
7Kaiservilla, Bad IschlFranz Joseph's summer house; guided tours, about 35 minutes south
8EsplanadeLakeside promenade from the town square to the Toscana park
-
9Traunsee boats
Boats from the town-hall pier round the lake, including an old paddle steamer on set days
10Grünberg cable carUp the hill on the east shore for the view, the treetop walk and the path to the Laudachsee
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Gmunden →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Gmunden:
Free walking tours in Gmunden
The salt town on the lake
For centuries all the salt of the Salzkammergut passed through Gmunden: it came down the Traun from Hallstatt and Ebensee, and the officials who ran the whole salt country sat here. The money built a town of fine squares on the lake shore, and the 19th century added villas for royals in exile. This walk goes from the potters at the top of town down to the square and out to the castle in the lake. About two and a half hours, all flat; the castle courtyard is free.
- Gmundner Keramik · Gmunden has made pottery for centuries, and its trademark is the "green-flamed" pattern of green streaks on white. The flames are still applied by hand, which is why no two cups are exactly alike.
- Parish church · The high altar of the Three Kings was carved in 1678 by Thomas Schwanthaler, of a family of sculptors from Ried who filled the churches of Upper Austria with baroque figures.
- Town hall · The bells of the town-hall carillon are not bronze but ceramic, made by the Gmunden potters. They play tunes several times a day, and the sound is softer than any church bell.
- Kammerhof · Salzkammergut means "the estate of the salt chamber": the whole region belonged to the imperial treasury for its salt, and was run from this building. Today it holds the town museums, among them a collection of historic toilets.
- Seeschloss Ort · In 1878 Archduke Johann Salvator bought the castle; a few years later he gave up his title, called himself Johann Orth after it, and went to sea. In 1890 his ship vanished off Cape Horn and he was never found.
- Villa Toscana · When Italy was unified the Grand Dukes of Tuscany lost their throne, and part of the family settled in Gmunden. The villa was built for the widowed Grand Duchess Maria Antonia, and its park on the point is now open to all.
Lake, mountain and geese
The Traunsee is a lake of two shores: gentle hills on the west, and on the east the Traunstein falling straight into the water. This route takes the boat and the cable car, then drives into the quiet Alm valley behind the mountains, where a royal family in exile once hunted and a Nobel laureate studied geese. It suits a family day; the treetop walk and the wildlife park are the children's parts. About 60 km by car, plus the boat; check the boat timetable first, as it runs fewer trips outside summer.
- Traunsee boats · The paddle steamer Gisela was built in 1871 and still steams on the lake on set days, burning coal. She is named after a daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph.
- Grünberg · Look south from the top at the ridge across the lake: the Erlakogel and its neighbours make the profile of a woman lying on her back, known as the Sleeping Greek Woman.
- Treetop Walk · The walkway opened in 2018 and runs over a kilometre through the crowns of the trees to a tower; from the top you see the length of the lake to the mountains of Ebensee.
- Laudachsee · Under the Traunstein's north face, this small lake is the opposite of the big one below: the Traunsee reaches 191 m, the deepest lake in Austria.
- Cumberland Wildpark · When Prussia took Hanover in 1866 the King of Hanover went into exile, and his family, the Dukes of Cumberland, lived in Gmunden. The wildlife park stands on their former hunting land in the Alm valley and keeps their name.
- Almsee · The greylag geese on and around this lake are part of a study begun by Konrad Lorenz, the Nobel-winning father of animal behaviour science, whose research station is just down the valley in Grünau.
Salt, emperor and memory
South along the lake the road follows the old salt route backwards, from Gmunden to the mine where it all began. On the way are a church carved for fishermen, the end of the world's oldest pipeline, a camp where prisoners were worked to death, and the villa where the First World War was signed. It is a heavy day as well as a beautiful one. About 90 km there and back; Hallstatt is crowded at midday, so go there first in the morning or last in the evening.
- Traunkirchen church · The pulpit, carved in 1753, is a fishing boat: apostles haul in a net bursting with fish, the miraculous catch of the Gospels, carved for a parish that lived from the lake.
- Ebensee salt works · Brine from the Hallstatt mine has flowed here through a pipeline of hollowed tree trunks since 1607, about 40 km downhill; it is called the oldest pipeline in the world. Ebensee boiled it into salt because the forests around Hallstatt had run out of wood.
- Ebensee camp memorial · From late 1943 prisoners of this Mauthausen subcamp, among them many Jews, dug huge tunnels into the mountain for weapons factories. Thousands died of hunger and exhaustion; the US Army liberated the camp on 6 May 1945. One tunnel is open to walk in.
- Kaiservilla · Franz Joseph spent almost every summer of his long reign here. In July 1914, at the desk in his study, he signed the declaration of war on Serbia and the manifesto "To My Peoples".
- Zauner · The Zauner pastry shop has been in Bad Ischl since 1832, and the court came here for cake. Its own creation is the Zaunerstollen, a bar of hazelnut wafers and nougat in chocolate.
- Hallstatt · Salt has been mined in the mountain above the village for some 7,000 years, and the Iron Age culture of central Europe is named after the graves found here. The churchyard is so tight that bones were moved to a charnel house, where hundreds of skulls carry painted names.
Getting to Gmunden and getting around
- Gmunden station · On the Salzkammergut line to Attnang-Puchheim and Bad Ischl; the tram starts outside
- Traunseetram · The town tram, running from the station through the centre and on to Vorchdorf
- Bus station (Kirchenplatz) · Regional buses round the lake and to the Alm valley
Cheap eats in Gmunden
Gmunden eats from the lake and from the coffee house. The Reinanke, a whitefish, and the char come out of the Traunsee and onto the grill; the sausage stand by the square does a Käsekrainer at any hour; and the cafés on the town-hall square keep the Austrian habit of coffee with a slice of cake in the afternoon. Prices are normal for Austria, a little higher on the water.
- Rathauskaffee Brandl · Coffee house on the town-hall square; coffee and cake about €6-9
- Gruber Würstl · Sausage stand by the square; a Käsekrainer with bread about €5-6
- Backhaus Hinterwirth · Local bakery; a filled roll or a pastry about €2-5
- Eiswerkstatt Hinterwirth · Ice cream near the lake front, about €2 a scoop
- Kulturcafé Lehmann · Café on the Esplanade with a lake view; snacks about €5-10
- Traunsee Fisch & Pasta · Lake fish in a bun or on a plate, about €8-16
Museums in Gmunden
- Kammerhof museums · Town and salt history, Brahms rooms, the toilet museum
- Ebensee Museum of Contemporary History · The region in the 20th century, and the camp, explained
- Kaiservilla · The emperor's summer rooms, hunting trophies and his study
- Salzwelten Hallstatt · Guided tours deep into the salt mine, with miners' slides
Nature and day trips near Gmunden
- Traunstein · Steep, serious climb; for fit hikers only
- Laudachsee · Walk up from the Grünberg to a small lake under the wall
- Almsee · Quiet lake at the end of the Alm valley; flat path along it
- Traunfall · The river's falls north of town, once a danger for the salt boats
- Johannesberg chapel · Tiny chapel on a rock above Traunkirchen; short climb, big view
Things to do in Gmunden with kids
- Treetop Walk · Walkway in the trees and a high tower; reach it by cable car
- Cumberland Wildpark · Deer, wolves, bears and otters along forest paths
- Strandbad · Lake swimming with lawns and a shallow edge
- Traunsee boats · A paddle steamer ride on the lake
- Traunseetram · A ride on the little tram from the station down to the lake
Where to eat in Gmunden
- Orther Stub'n · Inn in the castle on the lake; Austrian food, lake view
- Goldener Hirsch · Traditional Gasthaus in the old town
- Weinstube Spies · Wine tavern with cold plates and Austrian wines
- das forst · Modern Austrian café-restaurant near the Traun bridge
- Dollmanns · Restaurant in the centre; book at weekends
- fishmaster · Fish restaurant by the Esplanade
Frequently asked questions about Gmunden
What is there to see in Gmunden?
The top sights in Gmunden are Seeschloss Ort, Kammerhof museums and Town hall. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Gmunden?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Gmunden without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Gmunden?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Gmunden, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The salt town on the lake.
How do you get to Gmunden and get around?
The main ways are Gmunden station, Traunseetram and Bus station (Kirchenplatz). Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Gmunden, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Gmunden that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Gmunden for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.