Pilgrim walks in Großgmain

On this first Alpine stage, the lovely/beautiful landscape and the culturally rich towns with their proud past amaze us. We pass the scenic pilgrimage basilica Maria Plain, the magnificent buildings of the monastery town Salzburg, and spend the night in the pilgrimage site Großgmain. A variant is the route from Marzoll to the salt town Bad Reichenhall, with its numerous churches.

The stage Großgmain – Unken is one of the most beautiful sections of the Austrian Way of St. James. We mostly walk close to the water through the scenic Saalach valley, through a partly uninhabited natural landscape with meadows and fields. Forests and mountains accompany us all around. At the destination Unken, the first mountains over two thousand meters (> the Loferer Steinberge) are within reach.

The Salzburg Way of St. James leads through the Salzburg Lake District to the festival city of Salzburg. It continues via Großgmain, Bad Reichenhall (small German corner), Unken, and Lofer to the Tyrolean border, where it connects to the Tyrolean Way of St. James. Highlights along the way include the pilgrimage basilica in Maria Plain above the city of Salzburg (Bergheim), Großgmain with the oldest Marian pilgrimage church in Salzburg, and the detour to the pilgrimage church Maria Kirchental near St. Martin near Lofer. Additionally, the Hager Jacob's Chapel and the St. James churches in Obertrum am See, Gois, and Unken are fixed points for pilgrims on the Way of St. James. Furthermore, the enchanting landscape and cultural diversity invite you to marvel, pause, and enjoy. The starting point of the approximately 100-kilometer-long route of the Salzburg Way of St. James is Oberhofen am Irrsee, a border town between Upper Austria and Salzburg, which is also easily accessible by train. The section between Großgmain, Bad Reichenhall, Unken, and Lofer is considered one of the most beautiful stages of the Austrian Way of St. James.