The Most Spectacular Summit Viewpoints in Austria

“The best view comes after the hardest climb.” (Or after a cable car ride). We always wonder how it feels like to reach a summit and look down; it is said the feeling is liberating. Austria summit platforms are some of the best spots to experience the freedom and thrill of that moment.

Luckily, everyone is able to experience that moment because Austria offers cable car rides to the top. If you’re more of a hiking enthusiast, then you also won’t be disappointed.

On the way to the top, you can watch the green pastures below turn into rugged rocks, as the lift passes by craggy cliffs. And once you reach the top: take a deep breath, enjoy the view and don’t forget to take some unforgettable snaps!

1. Dachstein Mountain, Upper Austria/Styria

Located centrally within Austria on the border of Upper Austria and Styria, Dachstein mountain stands at 2,995 meters high with a spectacular viewpoint: the Dachstein Sky Walk.

Another two spectacular viewing platforms on the Dachstein mountain are the 5fingers platform with stunning views over Lake Hallstatt and the “Stairway to Nothingness”.

To reach the stairway, you have to first cross the Dachstein suspension bridge – definitely a challenge for those with fear of heights but it guarantees adrenaline rush at the highest levels!

Stairway to Nothingness

2. Pyramidenkogel Platform, Carinthia

Dare to try. Pyramidenkogel is the highest wooden viewing tower in the world (100 m). That’s not the best, you can take an actual slide back down.

The summit is located in Carinthia in Austria’s sunny south and looks like a corkscrew.

Pyramidenkogel

3. IceQ, Sölden, Tyrol

Perfect for a romantic date or a hot cup of coffee in the middle of winter. Perhaps it’s the best place to have a coffee with a view. Ice Q restaurant in Sölden-Hochgurgl is the highest gourmet restaurant in Austria located at an altitude of 3048 meters above sea level.

You’ll be able to see as far as the Italian Dolomites in the south and the Zugspitze (Germany’s highest mountain) in the north.

Scenes from the James Bond movie “Spectre” where shot and the movie set location has been turned into a dedicated museum “007 Elements”.

IceQ

4. Glocknerblick Viewing Platform, SalzburgerLand

Enjoy stunning views of Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner from this summit. A 140 meters-long suspension bridge in Bad Gastein connects you to the platform.

The bridge itself is a very popular attraction in Stubnerkogel. You won’t forget the beautiful mountain scenery of the Gastein valley both in summer and winter.

Glocknerblick Viewing Platform

5. Adlerhorst Viewing Platform, Tyrol

Adlerhorst viewing platform is modelled on an eagle’s nest and made from wrought-iron metal sitting on top of Gschöllkopf mountain.

The summit is situated along Tirol’s award-winning long-distance hiking trail, Eagle Walk.

Enjoy a 360-degree view of lake Achensee and the surrounding mountains.

Adlerhorst Viewing Platform

6. Kitzsteinhorn Mountain, SalzburgerLand

A whole year of winter wonderland awaits you in the Zell am See – Kaprun region. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the “Summit World 3,000” have amazing views of the adjacent Hohe Tauern National Park and many fun experiences.

Take a walk through the 360-meter-long mountain tunnel of the mystic National Park Gallery, or enjoy a guided hiking tour with a National Park Ranger or go tobogganing in the middle of summer!

Top of Salzburg, Summit World 3,000 - Kitzsteinhorn

7. Top of Tyrol, Stubai, Tyrol

Get ready to feel like you’re suspended in air above 3,000 m. Stubai Glacier is on Top of Tyrol viewing platform has views of 109 (!) mountains.

Top of Tyrol, Stubai Glacier

8. UNESCO World Heritage Skywalk, Salzberg, Upper Austria

World culture fans are going to enjoy the breath-taking Alpine panorama of the UNESCO World Heritage region of Hallstatt Dachstein Salzkammergut, from the viewing platform on the Salzberg.

‘World Heritage Skywalk’ hovers 350 meters above the roofs of the picturesque village of Hallstatt and offers a unique panoramic view over Lake Hallstatt and the impressive mountain scenery.

UNESCO World Heritage Skywalk

9. Coral Viewing Platform, Tyrol

Dedicated to the primordial ocean that covered the land here 200 million years ago, the “Triassic Park” in the Steinplatte local viewing platform is shaped like a coral, one of the fossils commonly found in the area.

We recommend the safe-conscious visitors to stay on the non-transparent coral-branch parts of the platform, but if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, step out onto the large-meshed grid between the branches.

Coral Viewing Platform

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