Richterhöhe
Lookout above Schloss Leopoldskron
Swimming spot
Almkanal
⏱️2 h
🥾easy
🌤️Summer
🚌Transit
About
The Almkanal is no lake and no lido, it's a canal that has run through Salzburg since the Middle Ages. In summer people sit on the banks, dangle their feet in or jump straight in. The water comes off the Untersberg and is cold to match. No entry fee, no changing cabin, no kiosk: you find a patch of grass and lie down.
Insider tip
Anton
Local from Salzburg
I head for Gneis, the bank is flat there and you can actually fit a towel. If you want the fortress in view, go to the stretch by the Leopoldskroner Weiher. And keep September in mind: the canal is drained for three weeks, and all that's left is gravel.
Duration & difficulty
No ascent, no route, you just go. From the old town you reach the first swimming spots in twenty minutes by bike. Two hours are gone fast when the water is right.
Best season
June to August, that's when the water is just about warm enough. In September the canal is drained for three weeks for cleaning.
Location & access
Runs right across the south of the city. The popular stretches are in Gneis and by the Leopoldskroner Weiher, reachable by bus 5 or by bike.
