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Schneeberg and the Schneeberg Railway: A mountain railway with history

The Schneeberg is a popular destination for tourists and hikers in Austria, with its majestic peaks and historic Schneebergbahn. The Schneebergbahn, a cog railway that has been in operation for over 120 years, offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape during the journey to the summit. At the foot of the mountain, picturesque villages and hiking trails invite you to explore the beauty of this alpine region.

Short info:

  • Where is the Schneeberg? It is a mountain massif of the Rax-Schneeberg group in Lower Austria
  • Where is the valley station of the cog railway? Bahnhofplatz 1, 2734 Puchberg am Schneeberg
  • How do I get there by public transport? Daily, every hour with the Southern Railway towards Graz to Wiener Neustadt main station. There, change to the next regional train to the final station Puchberg am Schneeberg. Tip: There are direct weekend trains to Puchberg from Vienna
  • How high is the Schneeberg? At 2076 m it is the highest mountain in Lower Austria
  • How much time should I plan for? day trip
  • How much does the Schneebergbahn cost? Here you will find all tariffs. With the Lower Austria Card a ride is free.
  • When does the train run? Here you will find the operating hours.

Over 100 years ago, people knew about the wonderful view from the Schneeberg. On clear days, Vienna (65 km as the crow flies) can be seen clearly. Reason enough for Emperor Franz Joseph, to build the Schneeberg railway in 1897. Since then, the cog railway has run from Puchberg am Schneeberg up to 1796 m. We park in one of the 4 parking spaces at the station square to explore the Schneeberg for ourselves.

The cog railway (Schneebergbahn)

The Schneebergbahn also leaves directly from the station. It is definitely recommended that you buy tickets in advance. The number of seats is limited to 119. On nice weekends it is guaranteed to be full. You also have to plan the descent in advance. Once you have got your seat, you can set off.

The salamander, as the diesel railcar train is called due to its spotted paintwork, makes it to the top in about 40 minutes. There are several short stops on the way there. All trains stop at the middle station (“Baumgartner” stop) to avoid oncoming trains. So if you want to get off to see the famous Schneebergbuchteln to buy, you have enough time to do so. In any case, we treated ourselves to some on both the ascent and descent. We reach the mountain station, the Berghaus Hochschneeberg, on time

Berghaus Hochschneeberg

Here you will find the mountain station of the cable car, a small shop, a ticket office, a restaurant and you can even spend the night here. Just a stone's throw away is the Empress Elisabeth Memorial Church, also known as Elisabeth Church or Elisabeth Church. The church was built by order of Emperor Franz Joseph I in memory of Empress Elisabeth in 1901. Also at the mountain house is a very large children's playground, which is of course also perfect as a waiting stop for the next train.

hikes on the Schneeberg

More than 80 km of hiking trails and alpine climbs lead from the Berghaus Hochschneeberg. This makes the Schneeberg one of the most beautiful hiking areas in Lower Austria. Here you can find, for example:

  • Paradise of Views (60 min easy walk)
  • The plateau hike (7 km) to the summit of the Schneeberg to the Fischerhütte and back to the mountain station
  • Railway hike along the Schneebergbahn (180 min to Puchberg)

The Plateau Hike

From the Hochschneeberg mountain hut, the trail goes past the Empress Elisabeth Memorial Church and then directly past the children's playground. The family-friendly path first leads past the Damböckhaus. There is food and drink available here.

The gravelled and slightly stony path now winds its way further along the ridge to the fisherman's hut, where you can also have a nice rest. If you go a little further up, an imperial stone commemorates the ascent of the Schneeberg by Emperor Franz I in 1805 and 1807. You should allow a good hour for the entire tour without breaks.

Tip: We also want to take the train down to Puchberg, but we still have too much time. Luckily, we come up with the idea of exchanging our tickets. If there are seats available, this is easy to do at the ticket counter upstairs.

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