Ебен-ам-Ахензее

June to September is best for swimming, sailing and hiking. The lake is warm enough for a swim from July. Autumn is calm and colourful. Winter has ski slopes, cross-country trails and sleigh rides.

• The Achensee is the main attraction, with a shore path and boat trips by steamship in season.
• Museum Sankt Notburga is a church and museum devoted to Saint Notburga, a local patron of servants and farmers.
• Achenseer Museumswelt presents the region's history and the lake.
• Tiroler Steinöl shows how a local rock oil was made.
• Adlerhorst is a viewpoint above the lake.
• Juifen is a peak above Achenkirch with wide views.
• Seewiese Buchau is a lakeside meadow for swimming.
• Barfußweg is a barefoot trail for families.
• Plumsjoch-Hütte, Lamsenjochhütte and Erfurter Hütte are mountain huts on popular hiking routes.
• The Achenseebahn is Europe's oldest cog railway still running on steam, linking Jenbach and the lake.

• Swim and sail on the lake.
• Take a lake steamship.
• Ride the steam cog railway.
• Hike a Karwendel trail.
• Ski or cross-country ski in winter.

• Innsbruck is about 50 minutes away by car.
• Seefeld is about 1 hour away by car.
• Mayrhofen is about 1 hour away by car.
• Kitzbühel is about 1 hour 15 minutes away by car.
• Pertisau and Achenkirch, other lake villages, are 10 to 20 minutes away.

• Innsbruck and Seefeld are the nearest preferred destinations.

• By air: Innsbruck Airport is about 1 hour away by car. Munich is about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• By train: The nearest station is Jenbach, on the Inn Valley line, with a bus or steam train to the lake. Check times on ÖBB.
• By car: The A12 motorway, then the road from Jenbach, reach the lake.

Buses and boats link the lake villages. The village is walkable, and a cycle path follows the lake. Cycling is easy.

A car helps for other lake villages and trailheads. The lake road can be busy in summer. Winter tyres or chains are required in snow. Motorways in Austria need a vignette.

Tyrolean food is hearty. Try Tiroler Gröstl, a pan of potatoes and meat, and Kaiserschmarrn. The lake offers char and trout. Mountain huts serve soups and dumplings.

Eben is very safe. The lake is cold, and storms can arrive quickly. Mountain paths need care in changing weather. Tap water is clean and safe to drink. The emergency number is 112. The mountain rescue number is 140.

Eben grew around a pilgrimage site for Saint Notburga, who lived nearby in the 13th century. The Achensee area was a route for farmers and traders. The steam cog railway opened in 1889 and helped turn the lake into a holiday area.

Quick practical facts for Austria at a glance: