Semmering

May to October is best for walking and for train journeys on the line. Autumn colour is good in the forest. Winter brings snow and skiing on the Hirschenkogel. The pass can be cool and foggy, even when Vienna is sunny.

• Semmeringbahn is the mountain railway, built in the 1850s, with viaducts and tunnels, and it still carries trains.
• Kurhaus Semmering is a historic building in the resort centre.
• Park-Villa Maxi Böhm and Pollerosshaus are examples of the villa architecture.
• Kunst+Technik Skulpturenpark is a sculpture park with art and technology.
• Hochstraßenmuseum is a museum on the old pass road.
• Hirschenkogel is the local mountain, with a ski area and a hiking route.
• Doppelreiterwarte is a lookout tower on the hills above.
• The parish church of the Holy Family stands in the village.

• Ride a train over the Semmering line.
• Walk the railway trail.
• Hike to a lookout tower.
• Ski on the Hirschenkogel.
• Look at the Belle Époque villas.

• Payerbach and the Rax cable car are about 25 minutes away by car.
• Mürzzuschlag in Styria is about 20 minutes away by car.
• Neunkirchen and Wiener Neustadt are about 35 to 45 minutes away by car.
• Baden bei Wien is about 1 hour away by car.
• Vienna is about 1 hour 15 minutes away by car.

• By air: Vienna Airport is about 1 hour 30 minutes away by car.
• By train: Direct trains from Vienna run on the Southern line and take about 1 hour 20 minutes. Check times on ÖBB.
• By car: Take the S6 Semmering expressway, or the old pass road for the scenic route.

The resort is small. Walking is the main way to move around, and slopes can be steep. A car or taxi helps for hotels at the edges. Regional trains link the pass villages.

A car helps for the mountains. The pass can be foggy or icy in winter. Winter tyres or chains are required in snow. Motorways and expressways in Austria need a vignette.

Lower Austrian and Styrian food includes Wiener Schnitzel, Knödel, dumplings, and Palatschinken, thin pancakes. Look for game and local mountain cheese. Hotels serve traditional coffee house cakes.

Semmering is very safe. Watch the weather on mountain walks. Tap water is clean and safe to drink. The emergency number is 112. The mountain rescue number is 140.

The pass was a trade route for centuries. Carl von Ghega built the Semmering railway between 1848 and 1854, the first great mountain railway in Europe, and the line opened the area to visitors. Viennese families built villas and hotels, and the resort flourished before the First World War. Today the railway, the villas and the forest are the main attractions.

Quick practical facts for Austria at a glance: