Salzburg Airport to Obertauern
About 90 km south over the Radstädter Tauern pass, an hour and a half by road. No railway reaches it; transfers and hire cars are the realistic options.
A resort built on a mountain pass rather than in a valley, which is why it holds snow when everywhere lower has given up. The lifts form a ring around the village and you ski the circuit clockwise or anticlockwise depending on the sign.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Obertauern, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €160). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €34) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €34 | €160 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €68 | €160 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €136 | €160 | Bus |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €16, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Shuttle
Most winter arrivals here are on a package and the transfer comes with it. Independent bookings are straightforward; the vans usually run via Radstadt and climb the pass road at the end.
Where to catch it: Arrivals hall meeting point.
Best for budget travellersPrivate transfer
The pass is the reason to consider it. Obertauern sits at 1,740 m and the approach climbs steeply; in heavy snowfall the road needs chains and occasionally closes. A driver who runs it daily will know the state of it before you land.
Where to catch it: Met in arrivals, flight tracked.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsBus / shuttle
Possible but long — three hours or so with two changes. The final bus up the pass runs to a winter timetable that thins in the evening, so a late landing can leave you stranded in Radstadt.
Where to catch it: City bus 2 to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, train south to Radstadt, then the Postbus up to the pass.
Best for solo & budget travellersCar rental
Winter tyres are mandatory and chains are worth having in the boot for this one specifically. The village is linear and walkable, and a free ski bus runs its length, so the car is for getting there rather than getting around.
Where to catch it: Arrivals hall counters.
Best for travellers who want to exploreObertauern & Salzburg in photos
Getting from SZG to Obertauern
Built on the pass, not in the valley
Almost every Alpine resort sits at the bottom of something. Obertauern sits on top — strung along the Radstädter Tauern pass at 1,740 metres, with the lifts forming a ring around the village and the road running straight through the middle of it.
The consequence is snow. Obertauern holds cover when resorts three hundred metres lower are struggling, and the season regularly runs into late April. The consequence for getting there is the same geography in reverse: everything involves climbing a pass, and the pass is what can go wrong.
No railway, so the choice is narrow
No line reaches Obertauern. The public route is city bus 2 from the terminal to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, a train south to Radstadt, and then a Postbus up the pass — around three hours with two changes, for €16 to €28.
The weak link is the last leg. The bus up the pass runs to a winter timetable that thins out in the evening, and a late landing can deposit you in Radstadt with no onward service. Since a good share of Salzburg's winter flights arrive in the afternoon or later, check that day's schedule before treating this as a plan rather than an option.
The transfer most people arrive on
Shared minibuses run €34 to €55 and take about an hour and forty-five. Most winter visitors here are on a package and the transfer is bundled with it; booking independently is straightforward, and the vans usually run south via Radstadt before making the climb.
A private car is €160 to €230 for the vehicle. The argument is specifically about the pass road: it is steep, it needs chains in heavy snowfall, and it does close occasionally. A driver running it daily knows its state before your aircraft has landed, and will have decided whether to go early or wait. That knowledge is what separates arriving from sitting in Radstadt.
Driving yourself, with two caveats
Rates start around €40 a day. The route is the Tauern motorway south and then the pass road up from Radstadt — fine in clear weather and demanding in snow.
The seasonal tyre obligation covers November to mid-April. On this road specifically, carrying chains is worth doing rather than gambling: the signs mandating them do appear, and a car without them at the bottom of the climb is a car that turns round. Ask the rental desk whether chains are in the boot; they are not always included by default.
After you arrive
The village is linear — essentially buildings along both sides of the pass road — and a free ski bus runs its length. Lifts leave from several points along that line, and because the area is a circuit you can start anywhere and come back to where you began.
That layout means a car is for getting there rather than getting around. Most hotels have parking and you will use it twice. It also means the village is compact enough that where you stay matters less than in a sprawling resort; almost everything is within a few minutes' walk or one bus stop.
The two directions of the circuit
A local quirk worth knowing on arrival. The lift system forms a ring, and the resort signs it in two directions — green for one way round, blue for the other. Skiing the circuit clockwise and anticlockwise gives genuinely different days, and following the wrong colour is the standard first-morning mistake.
It matters for transport in one small way: because the ring closes, you can start from whichever lift is nearest your hotel rather than travelling to a single main base station. That is unusual and it removes the morning bus journey most resorts require.
Who it suits
Obertauern is a skiing resort rather than a town — there is no old centre, no cathedral, nothing much to do off the mountain besides eat and drink, and it empties in summer. What it offers is reliable snow on a compact, well-connected circuit with almost no drag lifts left, which for a week of actual skiing in a warm winter is a strong case.
What to book
Book a transfer from around €34, or a private car shared by four if you are landing after dark in midwinter. Take the train-and-bus route only if you arrive in daylight and have checked the last pass bus. Hire a car if you want it, but put chains in the boot before you leave the desk.
SZG to Obertauern — FAQ
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