In 2005 St. Gilgen was promoted as the „Mozart Village“.
There are 5 houses worldwide dedicated to Mozart, but this one takes the interesting approach of focusing mostly on the family.
Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has never visited the town, his grandfather worked here, his mother was born in St. Gilgen and his sister „Nannerl“ moved here after her marriage.

The ferry ride across the lake is a highlight by itself. The morning is the best time for a tranquil stroll along the wooden boathouses and to visit the impressive Gothic church. An extravagant pulpit, a fine organ and countless statues and paintings will attract your attention. St. Wolfgang`s most famous hotel is the „Weisses Rössl“. It was the setting for Ralph Benatzky`s operetta „The White Horse“.

The most important building in Bad Ischl is the summer palace of Emperor Franz Joseph I, where he spent more than 50 summers. In the left wing of the building the great-grandchildren of the emperor still live today and the whole area is privately owned. It was one of the first houses which had electricity. It is also the place where the ultimatum was signed that led to the first world war (after the assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne in Sarajevo).

Have your cameras ready - this is postcard territory! The town seems to be glued to the steep mountains rising from the Hallstätter See. Here you can find (and visit) the oldest salt mine in the world. Take the train up the hill and ride back in time a few thousand years! The earliest signs of mining are estimated to be about 7,000 years old! You can see an ancient wooden staircase that is supposedly more than 3,000 years old.

The house on top of the Kehlstein mountain used to serve Hitler for diplomatic meetings. It was given to him as a present for his 50th birthday, after being completed by about 3,000 workers. While most of the buildings at the Obersalzberg were destroyed during or soon after WWII, the “Kehlsteinhaus” has survived. Today it serves as a memorial and a restaurant and offers magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. To get to the house, you have to take a 400 ft. elevator through the mountain!

Salt (German: Salz) gave the name to the whole area: Salzkammergut, Salzburg, the river Salzach. The salt mine went out of service in 1989. It has been open to visitors for over 450 years and is therefore considered to be the world's oldest "tourist salt mine". Visitors can see the old mines, a huge underground lake and the slides that were used by the miners.

A prince-Archbishop with a wicked sense of humour, Markus Sittikus, built Schloss Hellbrunn in the early 17th century as a summer palace and an escape from his functions at the Residenz. The Italianate villa became a beloved retreat for rulers of state, who came here to eat, drink and have fun. The palace gardens with lemon trees and a variety of exotic fauna are enjoyable and the trick fountains are a big draw.