• ©© Niederösterreich Werbung/Robin Uthe

The most beautiful journey through time on foot: railway hiking on the Semmering

Why the railway hiking trail on the Semmering is so popular, where it runs and how you can reach it easily - by, that's right, by train.

©© Louis Geister

The Semmering does something to you. When I travel over it by train, I have to put my work to one side and look out of the window. And when I walk along the railway hiking trail with guests, I'm my own best customer because I enjoy every step so much.

IRENE BECKMANN, Wanderführerin und aufgewachsen am Semmering
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    Tour options
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    Stations along the way
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    km experience from Semmering to Payerbach
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    unforgettable views

When to hike?

Irene Beckmann knows Kalte Rinne and 20-Schilling-Blick, Kinderbahnhof and Doppelreiter viewing point like the back of her outdoor jacket. "But she couldn't tell you when the trail is at its most beautiful: when the snow lilies and lily of the valley are in bloom? When the dew glistens on the fire lilies? Or when you can nibble raspberries from the bushes along the path?"

  • ©Wiener Alpen, Foto: Bene Croy

    Information Center at Station Semmering

    Bahnhofstraße 24, 2680 Semmering-Kurort
  • Semmering railroad hiking trail, railroad hiking, Vienna Alps in Lower Austria
    ©Wiener Alpen/nicoleseiser.at

    Ghega Museum

    Kalte Rinne Straße 45, 2673 Breitenstein

The unique history of the Semmering Railway World Heritage Site

Every step forward on the railway trail is also a step back into the glittering past of the Semmering Railway UNESCO World Heritage Site. Audio tours and information boards bring back to life the 20,000 workers who cleared the way for a technical masterpiece with pickaxes and gunpowder between 1848 and 1854. Every view of Carl von Ghega's "brick railway" with its majestic viaducts still fills us hikers with awe today. Because at the time of its construction, the 41-kilometre Semmering Railway was a global sensation: it was the first mountain railway in Europe, overcoming a rugged landscape and gradients that had previously been considered impossible.

I have a love of the Semmering Railway in my blood because my great-grandparents lived in the railway keeper's cottage on the line. But nobody can escape the fascination of the railway hiking trail, even if it's their first time here.

IRENE BECKMANN, Wanderführerin und aufgewachsen am Semmering

A tour for the whole family

The classic railway hiking trail leads from Semmering railway station to Payerbach or Gloggnitz and is suitable for anyone who is good on their feet; only the section between Fleischmannbrücke and Kalter Rinne requires a little surefootedness. With good equipment - i.e. sturdy hiking boots, rain and cold or sun protection as well as a backpack with some provisions and drinks - the railway hiking trail can be walked at any time of year, provided there is no snow.

  • ©Wiener Alpen in Niederösterreich
    • DifficultyDifficult
    • Distance13,34 km

    Railway Hiking Trail Breitenstein - Gloggnitz

    Hiking tour Starting from Breitenstein Train Station
  • ©Wiener Alpen in Niederösterreich
    • DifficultyDifficult
    • Distance20,07 km
    • Duration5:04 h

    On the Bahnwanderweg from Semmering to Payerbach

    Hiking tour Starting from Semmering Train Station
  • ©Wiener Alpen/nicoleseiser.at
    • DifficultyModerate
    • Distance10,59 km

    Railway hiking trail: Breitenstein-Payerbach

    Hiking tour Starting from Breitenstein train station
  • ©Wiener Alpen in Niederösterreich
    • DifficultyModerate
    • Distance11,85 km
    • Duration3:13 h

    Railway Hiking Trail: Semmering-Breitenstein

    Hiking tour Starting from Semmering train station
  • ©Wiener Alpen in Niederösterreich
    • DifficultyModerate
    • Distance5,91 km

    Railway Hiking Trail: Panorama Route Breitenstein-Klamm

    Hiking tour Starting from Breitenstein Train Station

2Tips

  • ©Wiener Alpen in Niederösterreich

    1| Wanderung von Semmering nach Breitenstein

    Der Abschnitt von Semmering nach Breitenstein ist der beliebteste – und das aus gutem Grund. Gleich am Start bietet das Informationszentrum am Bahnhof Semmering Einblicke in die Geschichte der Semmeringbahn. Unterwegs erklären Info-Tafeln mit Audioguide die Besonderheiten der Bahn, und beim Viadukt „Kalte Rinne“ informiert das Ghega-Museum über den Erbauer. Zwei außergewöhnliche Aussichtspunkte runden die Wanderung ab: die Doppelreiter-Aussichtswarte mit Blick auf die Semmeringer Grandhotels und der 20-Schilling-Blick, benannt nach der historischen Geldschein-Kulisse, die das Viadukt "Kalte Rinne" und die Pollereswand zeigt.

  • ©Kunsthaus Mürz / Nici Seiser nixxipixx.com

    3| Wandernadel sammeln

    Wo Carl Ritter von Ghega einst die Semmeringbahn als technische Meisterleistung realisierte, eröffnen sich heute atemberaubende Aussichtspunkte und besondere Plätze entlang des Bahnwanderwegs. Hier kann man nicht nur die beeindruckende Landschaft genießen, sondern auch Punkte für die Wandernadel „Bahnwanderweg“ sammeln. Die App Summit Lynx steht kostenlos im App Store und bei Google Play zum Download bereit.

Travel comfortably by train (or shorten your journey)

How do you get to the railway hiking trail? By train, of course!

From Vienna or Graz, you can reach Semmering railway station in just over an hour. Because the hiking route always stays close to the railway line, you don't have to walk the whole way if your calves get tired. You can take a shortcut at Wolfsbergkogel or in Breitenstein or Klamm .

Hiking from station to station - the distances:

Semmering railway station - Wolfsbergkogel railway station1.5 km
Semmering railway station - Breitenstein railway station9.5 km
Semmering railway station - Klamm railway station15.5 km
Semmering railway station - Gloggnitz railway station23 km
Semmering railway station - Payerbach railway station21 km

FAQ about the railway hiking trail