Downhill Rides, Hiking Trails and Jazz!

Saalfelden Leogang: a Holiday Destination for Sports Enthusiasts, Relaxation Seekers and Culture Lovers

Action-packed, relaxing, enriching--a summer in Saalfelden Leogang can be many things. Guests can choose from a wide repertoire of sports, cultural events and wellness offerings. “We consider ourselves the most diverse holiday region in Austria. But we have to earn this reputation, which is why we’ve developed as wide-ranging an events calendar as possible. In this way, we strive to satisfy the differing preferences of our guests,” says Marco Pointner, CEO of the Saalfelden Leogang Tourism Bureau.
Hikers and Climbers on the Summit of Happiness
Saalfelden Leogang is famous for its extraordinary landscape, one which harmoniously integrates rugged mountain ranges with rolling alpine meadows. In summer, visitors as well as locals enjoy this diverse landscape along the many hiking and walking trails--which together total 520 kilometers (325 miles). For those who want to feel the wind in their face, we’ve developed a Running- and Nordic Walking Trail complex with 18 paths consisting of 120 kilometers, two trekking routes and a mountain-running trail. Those who prefer even higher altitudes can find fulfilment on the 1,000 sport-climbing and 10 fixed-rope routes in and around Saalfelden Leogang.

Hot Spot for Bikers of all Skill Levels
720 kilometers of mountain bike trails of every level of difficulty, and 480 kilometers of cycling trails in the Pinzgau Saalfelden Leogang Valley will entice advanced bikers as well as beginners to experience tours they’ll never forget. And anyone who wishes to capture their own daredevil stunts should certainly try the HOT SHOTS Trail in the bike park: the 3.5-kilometer Flow Trail is specifically geared to the needs of GoPro users, virtually guaranteeing videos of biking experiences with maximum excitement.
Europe's largest bike park is also located in Saalfelden Leogang, and serves as a venue for the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup--the only Mountain Bike World Cup in Austria. What’s more, the Bike Park hosted the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships (the biggest mountain bike event in the world) in 2012. And the countdown is on, because Saalfelden Leogang will once again welcome the World Championships in 2020. So the downhill medal-winners will be crowned here again after eight years.
In addition, Saalfelden Leogang is part of the largest E-Bike region in the world, and is the ideal place for long bike rides for every age group.

The Perfect “Tee-Party”
For golf fans, there are two 18-hole golf courses--Brandlhof and Urslautal—right nearby. The unique landscape and the natural obstacles is the ideal training-ground to perfect your golfing skills. And when you’re done with that, you can reward yourself with a gourmet meal at one of the two club restaurants, and relax afterwards in one of the top golf hotels in the region, including The Forsthofgut, The Krallerhof, The Löwe, The Ritzenhof, The Rupertus and The Schörhof, all of which are just a couple of fairways—sorry, kilometers—away from Saalfelden Leogang.

Pure Adrenaline on the Flying Fox XXL
For those looking for a good dose of action, the Flying Fox XXL just the thing: One of the longest and fastest steel ziplines in the world, its 1,600 meters render a tingly thrill for the bold of heart. The acceleration is breath-taking: riders hit a Superman-like 130 km/h over the treetops, all the while enjoying an unforgettable view of the mountains.

Gentle Melodies Amid Rugged Stone Giants
Saalfelden Leogang has made a musical name for itself primarily through the annual staging of the International Jazz Festival. In the final week of August 2017, big names as well as up-and-comers of the international jazz world find their way to the Pinzgau town of Saalfelden--for the 38th time—and captivate audiences with superb/experimental sounds.
In addition to the Jazz Festival, there are the concerts on the Asitz, Leogang’s local mountain, which are very popular with music fans. From June to August, five concerts featuring different styles take place there. “Soundtracks on the Asitz” is the name of this series of events, which fills the charming backdrop of the Asitz with summer music. Plus, visitors can take part in an interactive workshop from August 8th to 13th, wherein experienced seminar speakers pass on their wide-ranging knowledge of folk music and demonstrate their technical skills to the participants.

ALPINE:CULTURE--Where Tradition Meets Modernity
There’s no shortage of rustic mountain huts in the region--and that’s where the event series “ALPINE:CULTURE” will take place from July to September. Under the slogan “Tradition Meets Modernity,” various artists will be holding weekly artistic and cultural projects as well as workshops in those alpine pastures, which can be visited for free and without registration. Whether musical events, lectures or craft and painting workshops, “ALPINE:CULTURE” is a must for those who’d like to develop their creative skills in the romantic and rustic mountain landscape.

Mineral Exploration in Saalfelden Leogang
In the Late Gothic Forge, a tower built in the early Middle Ages, or in Ritzen Castle, visitors are fully immersed in the history and traditions of the region. In the Leogang historical mining exhibit, participants also learn from resident curator Hansi Pichler, how the people of Pinzgau once mined silver and copper ores.
Avid museum-goers should unquestionably visit the Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang. This year the museum will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and invites guests to mark the occasion on May 21, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with “Twenty-Five Years of Exploration” or the exhibition of specially-selected pieces of Gothic Collection of Rudolph Leopold of Vienna. Another highlight this year is the special exhibits from the Freising Diocesan Museum, which visitors can view from May until the end of October.
In addition, those interested in culture have the opportunity to pay a visit to Ritzen Castle Museum: Ritzen Castle is one of four remaining castles in Saalfelden, and is holding a number of special exhibitions this year from May to October. For example, Konrad Nusko & the Ranggler (“Wrestlers”), The Consequences of the Reformation, and The Saalfelden Firefighters.

Saalfelden Leogang “Wellness-Oasis”
As a member of the “Salzburg Regional Alpine Health” organization, Saalfelden Leogang is able to provide its visitors health benefits to take with them when their holiday is over. There are, for example, numerous wellness hotels that offer their guests relaxation techniques that they can continue at home: so, for example, guests of the WaldSPA at the Nature-Hotel Forsthofgut are able to “store up” energy from their Ayurvedic treatments and Powersleeping course, or have their “Lebensfeuer” measurements taken at the Hotel Ritzenhof. The Spa-Hotel Puradies, open since December 2016, is a resort that pampers its guests with extraordinary wellness offerings. Spacious saunas, private spa suites, an exclusive beauty area and restaurants in the alpine style invite visitors to linger and dream.

For a hiking experience of a special kind, Saalfelden Leogang has eight fitness trails that were developed with the aid of the “Lebensfeuer” measurements mentioned above. The activity of the sympathetic nerve--which is responsible for performance, movement and stress--as well as the recovery nerve (vagus) are recorded; hence, each trail has a different effect on hikers and works either to balance, activate or regenerate. After a long day of biking or hiking, guests in the many wellness and spa hotels can look forward to enjoying regional delicacies, especially the various organic meat and sausage products that are not only healthy, but also delight the palate.

In addition, there are educational workshops focusing on traditional European healing and medicinal-plant hikes available, during which participants learn all about the local herbs and their healing powers--knowledge that they can easily take home. This healing knowledge of the Pinzgau region is so extensive that it has been named as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.