Thumsee Lake & Surrounding Forest Loop
Just 3 km south-west of the town centre, the Thumsee is a small, reed-fringed glacial lake that most day-trippers from Salzburg never find — which means its grassy banks stay blissfully uncrowded even on August weekends. The water is cold, clear and, in the right light, an improbable shade of turquoise.
Swimming, Paddling and Picnicking
The lake is officially designated a bathing lake (Badesee) and has a small sandy entry point on its northern shore where locals spread towels from June to September. Water temperatures peak around 20 °C in July — bracing rather than warm, but utterly refreshing after a morning's hiking. A rowing-boat hire shack operates in summer, and drifting across the Thumsee with the Staufen ridge reflected in the water is one of those simple pleasures that costs almost nothing.
There is no commercial beach infrastructure — no parasols for hire, no burger stand — which is entirely the point. Pack a picnic from the Thursday Wochenmarkt: smoked trout, Bergkäse, dark bread and a bottle of local Zwickelbier and you have the perfect Bavarian afternoon.
The Forest Loop Trail
A well-signed 5 km loop trail circles the lake and then climbs briefly into the mixed spruce-and-beech forest above its southern shore, passing a small waterfall and a wooden bench platform with a view back over the water to the Hochstaufen. The path is wide, well-drained and manageable in ordinary trainers outside of winter.
The forest section is particularly magical in early October when the beeches turn copper and gold, and the Hochstaufen's limestone face often carries its first dusting of snow — a combination that makes every photograph look implausibly dramatic. Birdwatchers should listen for the distinctive drumming of the black woodpecker, common in these spruce stands.
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