The Hoher Göll massif of the Berchtesgaden Alps in the west comprise the Schwarzbachfall Cave and the 76 m (249 ft) high Golling Waterfall, a natural monument.

Golling station is a stop on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway, served by ÖBB trains and the Salzburg suburban S-Bahn network.

It served as seat of the local administration and to control the trade route passing the narrow Salzach Valley between Golling and Hohenwerfen Castle.

The Pass Lueg ravine south of the town was further fortified by the Salzburg prince-archbishops during the Thirty Years' War.

In September 1809, it was the site of heavy fighting, when Salzburg rebels made a stand against united Franco-Bavarian occupation forces during the War of the Fifth Coalition.