| Coordinates | 47.3297, 12.7381 |
|---|---|
| Category | Hiking, Hiking, Scenic |
| Nearest city | Zell am See |
| Region | Salzburg, Austria |
| Sources | geonames |
Schmittenhöhe Hiking & Travel Guide
Schmittenhöhe is a mountain in Salzburg, Austria. The nearest service base is Zell am See, roughly 5 km away.
Schmittenhöhe at a Glance
- What it is: mountain (Hiking)
- Where it is: Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria — coordinates 47.3297, 12.7381
- Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
- Time needed: two to four hours
- Best season: late spring to early autumn
Quick Facts
| Place type | Mountain |
| Primary category | Hiking |
| Also good for | Hiking, Scenic |
| Region / state | Salzburg |
| Country | Austria |
| Nearest city | Zell am See |
| Coordinates | 47.3297, 12.7381 |
| Nearest base town | Zell am See (5 km) |
Why Schmittenhöhe Is Worth Visiting
Schmittenhöhe earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified hiking in Salzburg, Austria,. Its position 5 km from Zell am See also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for hiking, scenic as much as for hiking. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.
About Schmittenhöhe
In plain terms, Schmittenhöhe is a mountain in the Salzburg area of Salzburg, Austria that travellers book around hiking trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for hiking, scenic too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Zell am See - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.
The Story of Schmittenhöhe: History & Background
The Schmittenhöhe is a mountain, 1,965 m (AA) high, on the eastern edge of the Kitzbühel Alps. It is the local mountain of the district capital of Zell am See, from where a cable car was built in 1927 by Adolf Bleichert & Co. that runs to the summit. The cable car system has been renovated several times since. From the summit of the Schmittenhöhe there is a good view of over 30 three-thousanders as well as the lake of Zeller See, the river basin and the whole Saalach valley.
Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "Schmittenhöhe", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.
The Beauty of Schmittenhöhe
What people mean when they call Schmittenhöhe beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. The light does most of the work: mid-latitude light gives the place two looks: clean blue summer noon and a low amber angle in spring and autumn. The seasons restyle everything around it - wildflower spring, deep-green summer, gold-and-rust autumn and, above the snowline, a winter version of the same scene. And the beauty compounds with context: with 8 other verified places nearby, the Salzburg area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.
Getting There
Schmittenhöhe sits at 47.3297, 12.7381 in Salzburg, Austria. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - Schmittenhöhe names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.
Base yourself in Zell am See and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Zell am See is about 5 km (3 mi) each way, so allow Zell am See as your anchor for the day.
Best Time to Visit
Late spring to early autumn (May to September) brings the warmest and most reliable conditions across Austria. Shoulder months just before and after that window trade a little weather for noticeably lower prices and thinner crowds.
Schmittenhöhe Season by Season
- Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
- Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
- Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
- Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds
Things to Do
Planning what to actually do at Schmittenhöhe comes down to the setting it sits in:
- Arrive with the exact coordinates (47.3297, 12.7381) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
- Walk the shortest signed loop first, then decide how far to push on with the lightest pack
- Check sunrise/sunset times before setting out; carry water for double the distance you plan
- Photography stops at the first viewpoint are usually the best framed ones
- Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route
None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at Schmittenhöhe is one anchor at the trailhead or first viewpoint, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.
A Perfect Day in Schmittenhöhe
Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Zell am See and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and Schmittenhöhe is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.
Midday. From Schmittenhöhe, Zell am See is only 5 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.
Afternoon. Keep going to Kaprun (7 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.
Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour Schmittenhöhe is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.
Evening. Sleep at Zell am See unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.
Know Before You Go to Schmittenhöhe
- Save the pin (47.3297, 12.7381) offline - reception in Salzburg is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
- Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
- Carry more water than the plan says; shade is usually optional on these routes
- Tell someone the turnaround time - help arrives slower than it looks from the trailhead
Nearby Places Worth Combining
Schmittenhöhe does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:
- Zell am See — city, about 5 km (3 mi) away
- Kaprun — city, about 7 km (4 mi) away
- Hahneckkogel — hiking, about 9 km (5 mi) away
- Wildkarkogel — hiking, about 9 km (5 mi) away
- Hochkogel — hiking, about 9 km (6 mi) away
- Schönwieskopf — hiking, about 10 km (6 mi) away
- Schwalbenwand — hiking, about 11 km (7 mi) away
- Hohes Kampeck — hiking, about 11 km (7 mi) away
Planning More of Your Trip
See everything in Austria on the Austria country hub, browse the full Hiking Austria collection, or take in the whole Salzburg region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Schmittenhöhe worth visiting?+
Yes, if you are in the area for more than a single day. Schmittenhöhe is a verified mountain in Salzburg, Austria that most drive-by lists miss, and the official-record provenance behind this page means the location, name and access facts are checked rather than guessed. Give it two to four hours.
Where exactly is Schmittenhöhe?+
Schmittenhöhe is in Salzburg, Austria, at coordinates 47.3297, 12.7381. Use the coordinates rather than the name alone - place names repeat across regions, and a map pin beats a keyword search.
How far is Schmittenhöhe from the nearest city?+
Schmittenhöhe is about 5 km (3 mi) from Zell am See, which is an easy out-and-back day trip - most visitors base themselves in Zell am See and make the run in well under an hour each way.
What is the best time to visit Schmittenhöhe?+
late spring to early autumn. Book the shoulder months either side of that window for the same scenery at lower prices, and check seasonal closures before fixing dates.
How long do you need at Schmittenhöhe?+
Plan on two to four hours for a first visit - the highlights at a normal pace without rushing. Add another half day if you want to combine it with the nearby places listed above.
Is Schmittenhöhe good for families with kids?+
With kids, judge Schmittenhöhe by the shortest signed loop rather than the headline route - if the first viewpoint holds their attention, extend; if not, leave early and nobody is disappointed.
Does Schmittenhöhe cost anything to visit?+
Most public places like this have no entry fee, but parking, guided programs and seasonal shuttles are the usual small costs. Confirm current fees with the official source cited on this page - they change more often than guidebooks do.
What is near Schmittenhöhe?+
The closest verified neighbour is Zell am See; the nearby list above has the full set with distances, and combining two or three of them is the standard way to fill a day around Schmittenhöhe.
Is Schmittenhöhe open to visitors, and do you need a permit?+
Public places listed here are visitable by default; the permit exceptions are usually specific activities (backcountry camping, drones, commercial photography) rather than the visit itself. Check the cited official source for anything activity-based.
Should you visit Schmittenhöhe in bad weather?+
Rain reshapes rather than ruins the day - viewpoints become cloud-scapes and trails get muddy. Keep Schmittenhöhe as a fair-weather item on your trip and swap in the covered alternatives from the regional list when the forecast turns.
What makes Schmittenhöhe different from other places like it?+
Its exact combination: a mountain in Salzburg, Austria with verified coordinates and, where listed, an official designation. The difference is usually the setting and the access pattern rather than the category label - the facts table on this page shows that specifically.
Can you visit Schmittenhöhe as a day trip?+
Yes - at two to four hours on site, a day loop is realistic: morning at Schmittenhöhe, one nearby stop, and home by evening. The Perfect Day section above has the hour-by-hour version.
What is Schmittenhöhe known for?+
In the wider record, mountain-class place: The Schmittenhöhe is a mountain, 1,965 m (AA) high, on the eastern edge of the Kitzbühel Alps. This guide adds the practical layer - verified coordinates, access, seasonality and what to combine it with.
What is the most beautiful thing about Schmittenhöhe?+
The honest short answer is in The Beauty of Schmittenhöhe section above, but distilled: what people mean when they call schmittenhöhe beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. Come for the light and the setting rather than a single checklist object.
Is Schmittenhöhe crowded?+
Schmittenhöhe sits below the headline-name tier in its region, so crowding is an event-and-weekend problem rather than a standing one. Weekday mornings in the shoulder season are the quietest version of the visit.
What is the history of Schmittenhöhe?+
The sourced background above places documented events for Schmittenhöhe around 1927 at the earliest point its article dates; for the full timeline with references, the linked Wikipedia article is the primary trail and this guide keeps the practical travel layer on top of it. ## Source Verification This guide's facts come from official public datasets: [Geonames record 2765835](https://www.geonames.org/2765835). Location data is reviewed in per-state batches before publication.
Nearby destinations
Zell am See
City · Salzburg
Kaprun
City · Salzburg
Hahneckkogel
Mountain · Salzburg
Wildkarkogel
Mountain · Salzburg
Hochkogel
Mountain · Salzburg
Schönwieskopf
Mountain · Salzburg
Schwalbenwand
Mountain · Salzburg
Hohes Kampeck
Mountain · Salzburg