There was a suggestion last year, that we should have a sticky thread with Achensee information. It's finally happening!
Please either PM me or post below to add your own recommendations and tips. I want to try and keep this yibble-free, or it will be too unwieldy to find any useful information. I therefore reserve the right to prune and/or edit where necessary. That said, it will be much more helpful with people's own ideas on where to go, or not go.
This is a link to the Achensee Tourist Information website.
Here is a map of the Achensee and surrounding area, or look at the
panorama maps.
If you have, or can borrow, a copy of Sally Dore's
Achensee Handbook, and its update, published by
FOCS a few years ago, it will be invaluable.
GETTING THEREFlights to AustriaEasyjet,
Ryanair and
jet2.com offer cheap flights from various parts of the British Isles.
Easyjet fly from Edinburgh and Stansted to Munich.
Easyjet fly from Gatwick to Salzburg.
Easyjet fly from Gatwick to Innsbruck.
Easyjet fly from Liverpool and Bristol to Innsbruck in the winter only.
Ryanair fly from Stansted and Dublin to Salzburg.
Jet2.com fly from Leeds Bradford to Salzburg in the winter only.
TravelSupermarket also gives details of flights from the British Isles.
Many of the package tour companies offer flight only deals, too.
There are also scheduled flights into
Innsbruck,
Munich and
Salzburg airports.
Trains to AustriaThe fastest route by train uses the overnight sleeper from Paris to Munich. It is also possible to travel through Switzerland, but it will probably involve an overnight stay there. Look
here for more information.
Travelling to the AchenseeTrains from Munich or Salzburg to Innsbruck stop at Jenbach, and take about two hours. The bus from Jenbach to the Achensee starts near the Zillertalbahn booking office at the station. The journey will probably be free if you show the driver your accommodation booking confirmation. The buses run once an hour from about six in the morning until seven in the evening. All buses go to Maurach, where it may be necessary to change, depending on whether you want to go to
Pertisau (on the Western shore) or up the eastern side of the lake towards
Achenkirch.
The alternative route from Munich is to take the train to Tegernsee, and catch the
bus to Pertisau there. There is a Bavarian
one day travel ticket for up to five people which covers the journey from the airport to Tegernsee.
Package ToursInghams and
Crystal offer holidays based in Pertisau (Briesau).
WHERE TO STAYHotels & Self-catering ApartmentsThere are lots in
Pertisau,
Maurach and
Achenkirch.
Youth HostelThere is a
youth hostel at Maurach.
CampingThere are four campsites around the lake. There is
one site on the outskirts of Maurach, and not very far from Seespitz. A
second site can be found on the eastern shore about halfway between Buchau and Scholastika. The
third one is opposite the boat landing at Scholastika. The
fourth is near Buchau.
TRAVELLING AROUND THE ACHENSEEBusThere is a regular
bus service from Jenbach to Pertisau and Achenkirch. With the guest card from your hotel or apartment, these are free between Maurach, Pertisau and Achenkirch. There was (and may still be) a vintage bus which took visitors from Pertisau to the Gramaialm.
TrainThe
mountain railway is very much as it was in EBD’s time. It usually runs from the beginning of May until the end of October.
BoatThe
boats on the lake are no longer steam powered. Most of the services are operated by two large new boats, but the St. Josef (which would have been around in EBD’s time) can still be seen on the lake.
Cable CarThere are two cable cars which operate during the summer months. There are many more in the winter for the benefit of the skiers. The
Karwendelbahn goes to the Bärenbadalm from Pertisau. The
Rofanseilbahn is the easy way to get to the “Sonnalpe”!
ErlebniscardThis
card can be bought from either of the two cable car ticket offices, or the Tourist Information Centre (cash only) in Pertisau. It is valid for seven consecutive days, and gives unlimited rides on the mountain railway, the lake steamers and both the cable cars. It also includes free entry to several of the local museums. The price for 2009 is 52 euros. It is available from the beginning of May until the end of October. Even if you want to travel on the train, boat and cable cars only once each, it is worth the money.
BicycleBicycles can be hired from various places in Pertisau, Maurach and Achenkirch. They may also be available from your hotel or apartment.
WalkingBe warned – EBD shrank the Achensee to make the Tiernsee. You can walk around it in a day – it is only 23km. But if you want to walk from Pertisau to Buchau and back before breakfast, you’ll need to get up very early! There are lots of walks among the mountains, too. Most of the paths are very well signed, usually with an indication of how long they think it will take for you to walk there. It’s probably a good idea to get a map, too. If you don’t already have any, it’s usually possible to hire walking poles, or borrow them from your hotel or apartment. Remember how quickly the weather can change, and make sure you have adequate protective clothing, as well as sensible footwear. I don’t think there are always doctors waiting around to rescue damsels in distress!
Car HireIf you haven’t hired a car to drive from the airport, you can hire one in
Maurach or
Achenkirch.
PLACES MENTIONED IN THE BOOKSBoth the
Achensee Handbook (mentioned above) and the introduction to the GGBP edition of
The School at the Chalet have good maps showing CS locations.
Around the lakePertisau is Briesau in the books.
The Fürstenhaus is probably the Kron Prinz Karl. There is a Hotel Post just along the lake shore halfway between the Fürstenhaus and the Alpenhof, which is believed to be the site of the Chalet School.
Achenkirch is Tiernkirch in the books.
Gaisalm, Scholastika, Seehof, Buchau, Eben, Maurach and Seespitz don’t have name changes for the books.
The dripping rock is between Pertisau and Gaisalm – it can only be reached on foot. although it can be seen from a boat on the lake.
The Sonnalpe is the area around the top of the Rofanseilbahn (cable car) from Maurach.
The Feilkopf is the Mondscheinspitze. There is a bus service, if you don’t want to walk.
The Bärenbadalm and Bärenkopf keep the same names, and the alm can be reached by the Karwendelbahn (cable car) from Pertisau.
Further afieldJenbach is Spärtz in the books. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the station up to the church.
The Zillertal is on the other side of the Inn valley from Jenbach, and can be visited by
train or bus.
Innsbruck can be reached by train from Jenbach. The
Hotel Europe is opposite the station. The Mariatheresien Strasse, Museum Strasse, Goldens Dachl (Golden Roof) and Hofkirche are all in the centre of the town. The Mariahilfe and St. Nicholas’ Church (where Bernhilda got married) are on the other side of the Inn.
Fulpmes and the
Stubaital are both real places.
Salzburg and
Kufstein can both be reached by train from Jenbach.
SHOPPINGThere are two Spar shops in Pertisau. The
bigger one is between the boat landing stage and the Tourist Information Office. The
smaller one is near to the Karwendelbahn, in the Pfandler hotel. There is also a
Schlecker (similar to Superdrug) further up the road from the Tourist Information.
There is a
Spar shop and a larger
MPreis in Achenkirch.
Maurach has a larger
Spar shop and an
MPreis, and several other shops, too.
If you are self-catering, it might be worth going to the large
MPreis just up the road from Jenbach station, before getting the bus up to Pertisau, if you are going to arrive after the local shops have shut.
The Post Offce in Pertisau is combined with the Tourist Information Office. There are Post Offices in
Maurach and
Achenkirch, too.
There are also numerous souvenir shops everywhere.
ETA more clickable links and Post Office information.
ETA2 to fix some broken links.
ETA3 to fix some more broken links.
ETA4 to fix another broken link