Laufen – Discover the Old Town and the Salzach

Laufen combines a historic Old Town on a peninsula in a bend of the Salzach with riverside paths and distinctive buildings. The Europasteg offers a direct experience of the town’s location between two places and two countries: the 131.2-metre-long bridge crosses the Salzach for pedestrians and cyclists between Laufen and Oberndorf in Austria. The national border is marked on the bridge. Since 2006, at the site of the original bridge, it has once again connected Laufen’s lower town with Alt-Oberndorf. The cycle route from Laufen to Salzburg can also follow the well-signposted Mozart Cycle Path all the way.

Old Town and Church Art

Among the Old Town’s special sights is the Old Town Hall with its Baroque façade. The Parish and Collegiate Church of the Assumption offers a different perspective on the town’s history. It is considered the oldest late Gothic hall church in southern Germany. The building is defined by three naves of equal height, with massive pillars supporting the vaulted ceilings. The church and cloister contain nearly 200 marble epitaphs dating from the 14th to the early 19th century. Their materials and broad timespan give the spaces a layered historical presence.

A guided tour of the church ends with a visit to the collegiate treasury. If you would like to include this visit, check the tour date before your trip. The Town Hall, church and cloister offer different reasons to explore the Old Town attentively: the Baroque façade, the architecture of the hall church and the long series of marble epitaphs.

Routes between the riverbank and the countryside

The Artists’ Hiking Trail connects different sides of Laufen in a single route: it follows the Salzach riverside path downstream, crosses the bend in the river to the Europasteg, then returns to the starting point through the town park. Along the way, park benches honouring Laufen’s artists bear their names. These offer small reminders of the town’s artists as you follow the route. The pilgrimage trail begins and ends at the Salzachhalle in Laufen.

A longer walk leads from Laufen to Triebenbach Castle and back. The circular route is 11.8 kilometres long, takes 3.5 hours and is rated easy. It first follows the Salzach through lush floodplain forest; on the way back to Laufen, it passes through glacial Nagelfluh rock. The riverbank, forest and rock give this walk a different focus from the routes through the Old Town and town park.

When choosing your accommodation, the plans for your stay may be decisive: would you mainly like to experience the Old Town and a church tour, or also set aside time for the several-hour circular hike? Compare the locations of potential accommodation with the activities that matter to you during your stay.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Bayerisch Gmain, Berchtesgaden, Ramsau Bei Berchtesgaden, Anger, Piding, Eck, Saaldorf-Surheim, Bischofswiesen.

For the main travel overview: Berchtesgadener Land.