A family day on the Gasteiner Höhenweg

For the last adventure of our There’s No Place Like Home series with Salzburg Verkehr, we pulled a big one out of the pot: Bad Gastein. Since we knew it would be a long day, we checked Salzburg Erfahren to find a stroller-friendly option and landed on the Gasteiner Höhenweg, a route that promised both views and good coffee along the way.

Of course, no adventure is complete without a small detour. We hopped on the wrong bus at first… but it turned out to be the best mistake. Instead of backtracking in frustration, we got an unexpected peek at the famous Bad Gastein waterfall (not included in our planned route) and even squeezed in a quick pizza stop before heading the right way.

Once on the trail, the Höhenweg delivered: sweeping views, charming stops, and a steady stream of families and hikers of all ages. The route is a true people’s trail, easy enough for kids, but scenic enough for adults to feel like they’ve earned their coffee breaks. Speaking of which: the hike leads you quite literally from coffee to coffee. Just be aware that the kitchen at the destination café closes at 16:00, we missed it by a few minutes, so no late Jause for us this time.

At the end of the route, there’s a playground with an incredible view, And one important note: dogs must be kept on leashes at all times on this trail.

The destination point is Bad Hofgastein, which makes the return much shorter and easy to connect back to the train. That’s the beauty of doing this trip with the Öffis, it’s seamless and stress-free, and you can spend the day in the mountains without worrying about getting back to your car.