Гмунден

May to September is best for swimming, boat trips and hiking. The Traunstein hike is for the summer months. Spring and autumn are quiet, and the autumn colours are good. Winters are cold and often foggy, and the Advent market is a draw. Rain is common all year.

• Traunsee is the lake, with steep mountain shores, walking paths and boat trips.
• Seeschloss Ort is a castle on a small island, reached by a wooden bridge. It is known from a TV series.
• Schloss Traunsee is a castle complex on the lakefront.
• Schloß Cumberland is a villa-style castle above the town.
• Traunstein is the steep limestone mountain above the lake, with a challenging summit trail.
• Laudachsee is a small mountain lake with a hut, reached on foot.
• Traunseetram is a tram line that runs through the town.
• Kammerhofmuseum covers local history and the Gmunden ceramics.
• Stadtpfarrkirche Gmunden is the main parish church of the town.
• Pfarrkirche Traunkirchen is a baroque monastery church across the lake in Traunkirchen.
• The Rathaus has a ceramic carillon that plays several times a day.

• Take a lake cruise on the Traunsee.
• Hike the Traunstein or a lower lake trail.
• Visit a pottery workshop.
• Walk to Seeschloss Ort across the wooden bridge.
• Swim at a lido in summer.

• Altmünster lies on the western shore of the Traunsee, about 15 minutes by car.
• Attersee is a large lake, about 40 minutes by car.
• Mondsee is a lake town where parts of The Sound of Music were filmed, about 45 minutes by car.
• Bad Ischl is a spa town, about 45 minutes by car.
• St. Wolfgang is about 1 hour by car.
• Hallstatt is about 1 hour 15 minutes by car.

• Altmünster, Attersee and Bad Ischl are the closest preferred places in the Salzkammergut.

• By air: Salzburg Airport is about 1 hour 15 minutes away. Linz and Munich are alternatives.
• By train: Gmunden is on a branch line. Trains from Attnang-Puchheim take about 30 minutes. Vienna to Attnang-Puchheim is about 2 hours 15 minutes. Check times on ÖBB.
• By car: Take the A1 motorway to the Regau exit, then the B145 road.

The town and lakefront are small and walkable. Local buses cover the rest. Lake boats connect the shores. Cycling is easy along the lake.

A car is helpful for the other lakes. The lakeside road is busy in summer. Parking near the centre is limited. Motorways in Austria need a vignette.

Lake fish are a local speciality, and Reinanke, a whitefish, is common on menus. The Salzkammergut also offers dumplings, Kaiserschmarrn and local beer. Gmundner Keramik is sold in shops around the town.

Gmunden is very safe. Be careful on the water in changing weather. The Traunstein summit trail is steep and exposed, and not for beginners. Tap water is clean and safe to drink. The emergency number is 112. The mountain rescue number is 140.

Gmunden was a salt-trading town from the Middle Ages, since salt from the mines was shipped across the lake and down the Traun river. The town became a summer retreat for the Habsburgs and nobles in the 19th century. Gmundner Keramik has been made here since the 15th century.

Quick practical facts for Austria at a glance: