St. Gilgen across the water

St. Gilgen sits at the western end of the Wolfgangsee, and the boat crossing from St. Wolfgang takes about fifteen minutes in season. The two villages face each other across the water but belong to different provinces: St. Wolfgang is Upper Austria, St. Gilgen is Salzburg, and the Land border runs down the middle of the lake.

The village is smaller and quieter, built around a square with a fountain and a house that belonged to Mozart's mother, who was born here. The lakeside promenade is wide and mostly shaded, and the boat station gives the view back east along the water to St. Wolfgang and the Schafberg behind it — the reverse of the classic frame, and one hardly anyone shoots.

Above the village the Zwölferhorn cable car climbs to 1,522 metres. It runs in summer and in winter with a closed period between, so check the season before counting on it; the summit is a grassy ridge rather than rock, easy to walk on and gentler than the Schafberg.

The crossing itself is worth photographing. The boats run roughly May to October, decks are open, and the light on the water in the last hour of the afternoon is the best of the day.