Lermoos

Lermoos is a village in the Außerfern, Northwest Tyrol in Austria. It sits at 1,004 m on a sunny shelf above a wide flat moor basin, staring straight across at the Zugspitze. It is one of seven villages in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, and it is the one most people picture when they picture an Austrian ski village: small, wooden, clustered around a lift station, with a mountain view that does most of the work.

Lermoos has roughly 1,150 residents and belongs to the district of Reutte. The village splits into Unterdorf and Oberdorf, plus the smaller quarters of Gries, Obergarten, Untergarten and Widum. Unterdorf is the main street and where most of the shops and restaurants are; Kirchplatz sits on a small rise above it with the church and a couple of the older hotels.

The view is the reason to come. Lermoos faces the Wetterstein massif and the Zugspitze (2,962 m, Germany's highest), with the pyramid of the Ehrwalder Sonnenspitze (2,417 m) off to the east and the Mieminger chain behind it. Its own mountain, the Grubigstein (around 2,230 m), rises directly behind the village and carries the ski area and bike park. Between Lermoos and the mountains lies the Lermooser Moos, a flat former marshland of hay meadows and drainage ditches shared with Ehrwald and Biberwier. It is unusual scenery for the Alps and it is what gives the village its wide-open foreground.

People have been passing through here for a very long time. The Roman road Via Claudia Augusta crossed the basin on its way over the Fernpass, and the first written mentions of the settlement date to the 1070s, though some sources push it back a decade or so earlier. The location on the Fernpass route made Lermoos a trading and staging post, and after the Second World War it grew into the biggest tourism destination in the Außerfern. The village now offers something like 4,200 beds including campsites and racks up over half a million overnight stays a year, weighted heavily towards winter.

There is a nice bit of history attached to the old Drei Mohren inn, now the MOHR life resort. In 1813 the Bavarian crown sold the Blindsee, Mittersee and Weissensee to the Mohren innkeeper, and King Ludwig II used to stop here on his way between Hohenschwangau and the Fernpass or the Schachen. He apparently liked being rowed out onto the Weissensee on full moon nights. His room is still preserved.

Worth being clear about the comparison with Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 24 km north: Garmisch is a town, Lermoos is a village. Garmisch sits at the foot of the Zugspitze, Lermoos looks at it from across a valley, which is arguably the better deal if you want the mountain in your photos. Lermoos is quieter, cheaper to sleep in, and has maybe a dozen restaurants in total. If you want nightlife beyond a handful of ski bars, you are in the wrong valley.

• Lermoos^{[dead link]} municipal website
• Tiroler Zugspitz Arena regional tourism site, covering all seven villages, lift opening dates, trail conditions and events
• 47.4013410.881541 Tourist office Lermoos, Unterdorf 15, ☏ +43 5673 20000-300. Also the meeting point for most of the free guided walks.  (updated Jul 2026)

Road distances from Lermoos: Ehrwald 4.6 km, Fernpass 10 km, Reutte 20 km, Nassereith 20 km, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 24 km, Imst 31 km, Innsbruck 72 km, Kempten 74 km, Munich 115 km.

The nearest airport is Innsbruck, about 75 km by road over the Fernpass. Munich is the bigger option at roughly 140 km, and has far more connections plus a direct train link most of the way. Memmingen also works if you are flying budget, though you will want a car from there.

Lermoos has a station on the Außerfernbahn, a single-track line running from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Reutte and on to Pfronten and Kempten, crossing the border twice. Some services run through from Innsbruck. Trains are roughly hourly and stop at six stations inside the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: Ehrwald, Lermoos, Lähn bei Bichlbach, Bichlbach-Berwang, Bichlbach Almkopfbahn and Heiterwang.

From Munich, take the regional train to Garmisch and change; the whole trip is around three hours. From Innsbruck you can either go over the Fernpass by bus or ride the train the long way round via Garmisch.

One useful quirk if you are coming from Germany: the Deutschlandticket is valid on this line from Pfronten via Reutte to all six Arena stations, and also from Munich via Garmisch and Griesen. That makes getting here absurdly cheap. It does not cover Austrian local buses once you are here, so do not assume it works for the ski bus.

• 47.4051710.8788251 Lermoos Bahnhof (northwest edge of the village). About a ten minute walk to Unterdorf, slightly uphill.  (updated Jul 2026)

Regional buses connect Lermoos with Reutte and, over the Fernpass, with Imst and Innsbruck. Local lines link the villages inside the Arena and the lift valley stations. Check current timetables through VVT Smartride, since services thin out considerably outside the main seasons.

• From Munich: A95 then B2 to Garmisch, B23 towards Griesen, across the border and onto the B187. About two hours in normal traffic.
• From Augsburg or Stuttgart: A7 to Füssen, then the B179 south through Reutte.
• From Innsbruck or Italy: A12 to Imst, then the B189/B179 north over the Fernpass. The Fernpass road itself is toll-free, but you need a vignette for the Austrian motorways either side of it.

The Fernpass is the problem. It is one of the main Alpine crossings for German holiday traffic and it jams badly on summer weekends and at the start and end of German school holidays. Tyrol runs anti-rat-run driving bans on minor roads through the Reutte and Imst districts on weekends and public holidays from roughly May to November, 07:00-19:00, specifically to stop satnavs routing people through villages. The B179 itself is not covered by those bans, but it does occasionally get closed outright for protests connected to the proposed Fernpass tunnel. Check the Tyrol traffic info before you set off on a summer Saturday, and if you can travel midweek, do.

Parking at the Grubigsteinbahn valley station is free.

The village is small enough that you can walk from one end to the other in about fifteen minutes, and the lift base station, most hotels and all the restaurants are inside that radius.

The guest card is the thing to know about. Every overnight guest gets the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena guest card from their host, either as a plastic card or digitally. It gives free travel on the regional buses (not trains), free entry to a list of guided hikes and events, and discounts on a long list of other things. Ask for it at check-in if nobody offers.

Buses run roughly hourly between Lermoos, Ehrwald, Biberwier and the valley stations of the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn and the Ehrwalder Almbahn, which is what you want for the big hikes. In winter the same network runs as a ski bus.

The Z-Ticket is the summer add-on and it is good value if you plan to use the lifts more than a couple of times. Valid 3 to 13 days between mid-May and early November, it covers one ride on the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn, one round trip daily on the Ehrwalder Almbahn and the Grubigsteinbahnen, the Marienbergbahn and Biberwier summer toboggan run once a day, the Berwang and Bichlbach lifts, the Postbus and Rundbus daily, one boat trip on the Heiterwanger See and Plansee, and daily entry to the Lermoos panorama pool, plus 20% off various sports providers. There is a reduced rate in the shoulder seasons if you are booked for at least seven nights and show your guest card when buying.

Bikes can be rented in the village and several hotels lend them out. Lermoos sits on the Via Claudia Augusta cycle route, which follows the valley floor and is flat and easy.

• 47.3985610.888191 Pfarrkirche St. Katharina (Parish church of St Catherine), Kirchplatz (on the rise above Unterdorf). The parish church dates in its present form from the 18th century. There is a small plague chapel just above it, and a scattering of wayside chapels around the village. free.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.3969310.889542 Drei Mohren Museum, Innsbrucker Straße 40 (at the MOHR life resort), ☏ +43 664 5019014, +43 5673 2362. By appointment only. A small private museum opened in 2006 in the old manor house, covering the history of the Drei Mohren inn: 300 years of legal practice, a century as the post station, old salt ledgers and documents, and the preserved room of King Ludwig II. Genuinely more interesting than the word "museum" suggests. free with guest card.  (updated Jul 2026)
• Ansitz Felsenheim. One of the old village residences, worth a look from outside if you are wandering. (updated Jul 2026)

The local mountain and the reason the lifts exist. In summer the Hochmoosexpress runs up to the Brettlalm mid-station at the Gschwandtkreuz, and the ten-person Grubig II gondola continues to the Grubighütte at around 2,050 m. From the top station the panorama takes in the whole Wetterstein wall, the Ehrwald basin and the Mieminger chain. The summit itself is about an hour's walk from the Grubighütte.

• 47.40148410.8788753 Grubigsteinbahnen, Juch 3 (valley station, western end of the village), ☏ +43 5673 2323. Summer roughly 08:30-17:00, Grubig II shorter. Free parking at the valley station. Grubig II keeps shorter hours than the lower section, which matters in the shoulder seasons.  (updated Jul 2026)

The Tuftlalm (also called the Lermooser Alm, about 1,495 m) is the classic short walk from the village and probably the single best thing to do here if you only have a morning. The path starts near the train station and takes 1¼ to 1½ hours with roughly 500 m of climbing. The hut runs its own farm and serves a short menu of local food, and there is a viewing platform a few minutes further on that looks straight down over Lermoos with the Zugspitze behind.

The flat moor between Lermoos, Ehrwald and Biberwier is criss-crossed with gravel tracks and it is the best place in the region to just walk on the level. It is also where locals go to watch the Bergfeuer in June, and where the cross-country tracks are laid in winter. Early morning and late evening light are worth getting up for, since the whole Wetterstein wall catches it.

Not in Lermoos, but it is the thing on the skyline and you will want to go up. The Tiroler Zugspitzbahn leaves from Ehrwald, 4.6 km away and reachable by bus, and climbs 1,725 m to 47.42121710.9863142 Zugspitze in about ten minutes in a single panoramic cabin. It turns 100 in 2026. The summer season usually runs mid-May to early November; adult return tickets are somewhere in the region of €43-66 depending on the option. The Austrian side is generally less crowded than the Bavarian approach from Garmisch and the Eibsee, and you can walk between the two summit terraces once you are up there.

Two of the most photographed mountain lakes in Tyrol, reached from Ehrwald rather than Lermoos, but close enough to count as a day out from here. Take the bus to the Ehrwalder Almbahn valley station (free parking there too if you drive) and ride up. From the top station it is about 1½ to 2 hours each way to the Seebensee at 1,657 m, on a wide track that turns into a proper path, and it is an easy walk by alpine standards. Adding the Coburger Hütte (1,917 m) and the Drachensee above it means another 45 minutes up a steep, narrow, rocky series of switchbacks, and that section needs sure feet and decent boots.

The full loop back over the Tajatörl takes 5-6 hours and dodges most of the crowds. Do go early. This is one of the busiest trails in Tyrol on a fine summer weekend and the path between the two lakes can feel like a queue.

The Grubigstein ski area runs from the village at 1,004 m up to about 2,100 m with 8 lifts and roughly 27 km of pistes plus a couple of kilometres of marked ski routes. Around 10.8 km is graded easy and 12.6 km intermediate, with a bit over 3 km of black runs and some mogul terrain for anyone who wants it. It is not a big area and strong skiers will exhaust it in a couple of days, but it is more varied than the numbers suggest and the views across to the Zugspitze from the top are hard to beat. There is a natural snowpark below the Gamsjet chair, a children's park down in the valley area, and the Blueline XXL family run from top to bottom. Night skiing runs Wednesday evenings roughly 18:00-20:30 on the floodlit run at the Familyjet.

Day tickets cover all 37 lifts across Ehrwald, Lermoos and Biberwier. Buy any multi-day ticket and you get the Top Snow Card, valid across the whole Tiroler Zugspitz Arena plus Garmisch-Classic, Grainau, Mittenwald and the Zugspitze glacier: ten areas, roughly 205 km of piste, 89 lifts. That is the real argument for basing yourself here, since you can ski a different mountain most days and the glacier extends the season at both ends. Children up to 5 ski free on presentation of ID.

The 2.8-km natural run from the Brettlalm mid-station down to the Hochmoosexpress base is the longest in the Arena. It is floodlit on Wednesday evenings, usually 18:00-21:30, with sledge rental on site. There is a second run at the Grubigstein.

Five easy tracks run through the Moos, part of about 120 km of free trails across the wider region. Flat, scenic and about as gentle an introduction to the sport as you will find. There is also an ice rink near the lift station, and snowshoe hikes and torchlight walks run free with the guest card on set dates.

The Bikepark Lermoos-Biberwier, now branded the Bike Arena Zugspitz, is one of the better ones in Tyrol if you like natural, rooty, rocky trails rather than manicured flow lines. Two gondolas take you to 2,030 m and there are over 20 trails with more than 1,000 m of descent available. Season is roughly mid-May to early November, 08:30-17:00, though Grubig II runs shorter hours and some trails are only reachable via the Grubigalm chair in the shoulder season. Helmet and protectors are compulsory and riding is only permitted on marked trails. There is a skill area right next to the valley station for warming up.

• Forest Two. About 3.3 km from the Grubigalm, the easier of the two park runs, small jumps and long views.
• Forest One. About 2.8 km, rated S3, steeper and technical with drops, steps, roots and rock. Genuinely nasty when wet.
• Singletrail Grubigalm. The gentler option, continuously downhill across the alpine meadows.
• Blindsee Trail. 8.2 km enduro classic dropping from the Fernpass side. The one people come for.

Beyond the Tuftlalm and the lakes above Ehrwald:

• Daniel (2,340 m), the highest peak in the Ammergau Alps, is the big local objective. The usual circuit goes from Lermoos up past the Tuftlalm, along the Alpenrosenweg to the Grüner Ups and the Upsspitze, then across to the Daniel and back down via the Tuftlalm. Figure 12-13 km, around 1,320-1,400 m of ascent, and 7-9 hours depending on your legs. Rated T3+, with two short exposed sections over rock slabs near the Upsspitze that get slippery and unpleasant in the wet. July to October is the sensible window. The summit view of the Zugspitze is the best in the region.
• Grubigstein summit. Gondola to the Grubighütte, then about an hour on foot.
• Three Lakes hike. Links the Blindsee, Mittersee and Weissensee below the Fernpass. Easy, shady, and two of the three are swimmable.
• Moosle's Forscherpfad. The children's option: 2.5 km with seven stations, a treehouse and a lookout tower facing the Zugspitze.

Guided walks run through the summer and several are free with the guest card, including a full-moon hike and a herb and orchid walk. Register at the tourist office a day or two ahead.

• 47.4042410.874961 Panoramabad Lermoos (western end of the village). Mid-May to mid-Sept, daily from about 09:30, weather permitting. Outdoor pool with three basins, a water slide and, as advertised, the panorama. free daily entry with the Z-Ticket.  (updated Jul 2026)
• Tiroler Zugspitzgolf (eastern edge of the village). 9-hole course on the eastern edge of Lermoos in Ehrwald. green fee reduction with guest card. (updated Jul 2026)
• Paragliding. A flying school operates from the Grubigstein for tandem flights.
• Lake swimming. The Blindsee below the Fernpass is the pretty one, the Mittersee is the warmest, and the Heiterwanger See is the big one with boat rental.

• Bergfeuer. Mountain fires at the summer solstice, usually the third Saturday in June, when fire patterns are lit across the slopes around the Ehrwald-Lermoos-Biberwier basin. On the UNESCO World Heritage Site intangible cultural heritage list since 2010. Best watched from the paths out in the Moos, and the Grubig I gondola runs late into the evening that day. Weather dependent, with a backup date the following week.
• Lermooser Teufllauf. A Krampus procession through the village to the Grubigsteinbahn base station at the end of November, with bells, fire and some fairly alarming masks. Not really a children's event despite appearances.

A small supermarket and a bakery cover daily needs, and there are two banks with ATMs on Unterdorf. For a proper shop, go to Ehrwald or Reutte. Some huts, including the Brettlalm, are cash only, so carry some. There is one petrol station in the village.

The village has maybe a dozen places, and in high season you should book. Several close one day a week and the day varies, so it is worth a phone call rather than a walk.

• 47.40313110.8796031 Restaurant-Pizzeria Sevim, Reuttener Straße 4, ☏ +43 5673 20924. Tue-Sun 11:30-22:00, closed Mon. Pizza, pasta and grills, cheap, enormous menu, consistently busy. The terrace is on the main road so it is not exactly peaceful. Reserve a day ahead in season.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40184710.8806972 Café Restaurant Grubigstube, Unterdorf 28 (on the main street), ☏ +43 5673 3258. Tue-Sat 14:00-21:00, Sun from 11:00, closed Mon. Right by the ski hill and the go-to for a lunch that is not schnitzel: burritos and bowls sit oddly but happily alongside a very good Kaiserschmarrn.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39212610.8698463 Brettlalm (Brettlalm am Gschwandtkreuz), Gschwandtkreuz 1 (Grubigstein mid-station), ☏ +43 5673 2573. Self service, big all-weather terrace facing the Zugspitze. Food takes a while when it is busy because it is cooked to order, so do not turn up starving with a lift to catch. cash only.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.41587510.8838694 Tuftl Alm (Lermooser Alm) (1¼-1½ hours on foot above the village), ☏ +43 676 5568202. Daily 11:00-17:00 in season. Short menu, own farm produce, homemade sausage and dairy. Worth the walk on its own. Viewing platform a few minutes away.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 47.4004310.8847265 Restaurant Bauernstube, Innsbrucker Straße 4, ☏ +43 676 7014404. Tue-Sun 16:30-22:00, closed Mon. Evenings only. Schnitzel and mixed grill platters in portions that verge on comedy. Cosy, quick, friendly, and popular enough that you should book.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40145210.8826456 Café Restaurant Sam, Unterdorf 12, ☏ +43 5673 3113. 11:30-21:00, closed Wed. Large place split between indoor rooms and a terrace, pizza and grilled meats, generous portions, staff happy to switch to English.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39846710.8880627 Café Restaurant Hubertushof, Kirchplatz 7, ☏ +43 5673 2161. 07:30-23:00, closed Tue. The terrace has the best view of any restaurant in the village, and there is an unusually good spread of vegetarian and vegan dishes for a Tyrolean village kitchen. Play area for children.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.3988410.8857288 Holzstadl, Hinterfeldweg 3, ☏ +43 5673 20928. 16:00-22:00, closed Thu. Grill platters and Tyrolean staples in a warm wood-panelled room.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39872610.8880939 Ming's Kitchen, Silbergasse 1, ☏ +43 5673 20929. Tue-Sun 11:30-15:00 and 17:30-22:30, Mon evenings only. Asian food and sushi, which sounds like a bad idea in a village of 1,150 people and really is not. Modern room, valley view, family run. Books out, so call ahead. mid-range.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 47.39683910.88606710 Ox & Ehrlich, Mösle 7 (at the Boutique Hotel Bellevue), ☏ +43 5673 20940. Tue-Sat evenings, closed Sun Mon. Steaks, Alpine char, and a kitchen that does more with vegetables than most places around here. Portions are sensible rather than Tyrolean, and the prices reflect the ambition.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.3980310.88782911 Hotel Post, Kirchplatz 6, ☏ +43 5673 22810. The four-star superior hotel's restaurant is open to non-residents and does a proper multi-course dinner. Also worth knowing about for its day spa, which is a decent rainy-day plan.  (updated Jul 2026)

Nightlife here means après-ski and then bed. In summer several of these close or keep short hours.

• 47.40174410.8792971 Lahme Ente, An der Talstation der Grubigsteinbahn (at the lift base station), ☏ +43 660 4747399. Thu Fri from 14:30, Sat from 20:00, Sun 14:30-19:00. The big après-ski tent, and about as loud as you would expect. Beers are pre-poured at peak times.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.4012810.8794782 Juxbar, Juch 2 (near the lift base). Daily 13:00-00:00. Small bar and the more relaxed alternative to the Ente. Ski school groups pile in around four. Good in summer too, which is rare here.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39649110.8865713 Schirmbar am Hochmoosexpress, Mösle 5 (at the Hochmoosexpress). Tue-Sun 13:00-21:00. Umbrella bar right at the lift, cocktails, board games, and a soundtrack that has swung towards heavier stuff since a change of ownership.  (updated Jul 2026)
• Brettlalm bar, at the Grubigstein mid-station. Jagertee with a view, and the last stop before you ski or sledge down.

Lermoos has around 4,200 beds and the bulk of them are apartments and small pensions rather than hotels. Winter is the peak and prices reflect that; late spring and late autumn are cheap but a lot of lifts and restaurants shut.

• 47.4066310.870221 Lärchenhof Camping, Gries 12 (beside the BP station on the main road, north end), ☏ +43 5673 2197. About ten minutes' walk from the village. Cheap, clean facilities, and guests get free entry to the nearby outdoor pool. Being beside a petrol station sounds worse than it is, though there is some road and rail noise. around €35-45 for two with a van.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40238610.8884312 Happy Camp, Garmischer Straße 21, ☏ +43 5673 2980. Short walk into the village and handy for the valley cycle routes. Pitches are tight, and the gate shuts at 22:00, which has caught people out.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.37479810.89273 Alpencamp Marienberg, Marienbergweg 15, Biberwier (5 km south), ☏ +43 5673 20237. On the Loisach, below the Marienberg lifts. Very friendly, excellent sanitary block, and usually quieter than the Lermoos sites. around €35 for two with a van.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.41126610.9241054 Camping Dr. Lauth, Zugspitzstraße 34, Ehrwald, ☏ +43 676 7263585. Well placed for the Ehrwalder Alm bus and so for the Seebensee. Restaurant on site, walk downhill to the supermarket. around €35-40 per night.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.42677110.940925 Campingplatz Zugspitz Resort, Obermoos 1A, Ehrwald (next to the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn valley station), ☏ +43 5673 2309. Large and unusually well equipped, with private bathrooms, indoor and outdoor pools and saunas. At 1,225 m, so cool at night. Fifty metres from the Zugspitze cable car. not cheap.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 47.4012510.8863286 Tirolerhof, Garmischer Straße 6, ☏ +43 5673 2642. Family-run, every room has a balcony, breakfast on the terrace with the Zugspitze in front of you. Small and consistently well liked.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40230510.8796127 Hotel Bergland, Reuttener Straße 1, ☏ +43 5673 2913. Central, reasonable prices, decent restaurant and terrace.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39760710.8848778 Hotel Rustika, Oberdorf 16, ☏ +43 5673 2724. Quiet position close to the slopes. Half-board guests report being seated separately from à la carte diners, so ask about tables if the view matters to you.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39291410.8884539 Sporthotel Zugspitze, Innsbrucker Straße 51 (southern end of the village), ☏ +43 5673 2630. Older-fashioned in style, with sauna, gym, table tennis and a very good reputation for service. Tesla Supercharger nearby.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40704710.86894610 Hotel Lärchenhof, Gries 16, ☏ +43 5673 2197. Larger place on the main road with a modern spa. The railway runs behind it, so ask for a room away from the tracks if you are a light sleeper.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 47.3980310.88782911 Hotel Post, Kirchplatz 6 (on the church square), ☏ +43 5673 22810, fax: +43 5673 2281-841. Four-star superior with 59 rooms and suites plus a penthouse, indoor and outdoor pools and a large spa. Open all year. The upper-floor mountain-view rooms are the ones to ask for.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40267210.87639712 Hotel Klockerhof, Widum 12 (up the hill, away from the main road), ☏ +43 5673 2116. Family run and noticeably quieter than most. Half board is the way to book it.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40367610.88095113 Hotel Edelweiss, Danielstraße 7, ☏ +43 5673 2214. Large, well-run, indoor pool and sauna, very strong breakfast.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.39693110.88596214 Boutique Hotel Bellevue, Mösle 7, ☏ +43 5673 20940. The design-led option, with a rooftop pool and sauna looking at the slopes, and Ox & Ehrlich downstairs.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.40286410.88092815 Alpenrose Familux Resort, Danielstraße 3, ☏ +43 5673 2424. A serious family resort with childcare, pools and slides. Worth it only if you have children, in which case it is very hard to beat. expensive.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 47.3969310.8895416 MOHR life resort (formerly Gasthof Zu den Drei Mohren), Innsbrucker Straße 40, ☏ +43 5673 2362. The old Drei Mohren, now a large spa hotel with extensive grounds and fishing rights on several of the local lakes. The museum is on site.  (updated Jul 2026)

Apartments and holiday flats far outnumber hotel rooms here and are usually the best value for a week or more, especially for groups. The tourist office and the regional booking site both list them.

Standard alpine caution applies. Weather in this basin turns fast and afternoon thunderstorms in summer are common, so start early and be off the ridges by early afternoon. The Daniel circuit and the Coburger Hütte approach both have sections where a slip matters, and both get slick in rain. Boots, not trainers, however easy the gondola makes the start of the walk look.

In winter, the off-piste around the Grubigstein is avalanche terrain and the ski area sits low enough that snow conditions vary a lot; check the report before committing to a multi-day pass.

The emergency number is 112. Alpine rescue in Austria is not free, so travel insurance covering mountain rescue is a good idea.

• Ehrwald — 4.6 km, for the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn, the Ehrwalder Alm and the trailhead for the Seebensee.
• Biberwier — 5 km, for the Marienberg lifts and Tyrol's longest summer toboggan run: 1.3 km, 40 bends, 200 m of descent and a tunnel.
• Heiterwang am See and the Plansee — Tyrol's second largest body of water, connected by a 300 m canal. The MS Margarethe and MS Wilhelm run scheduled trips across both lakes from late May to mid-October, calling at three landing stages, and you can rent rowing, electric and pedal boats. Clean enough for swimming and the setting is genuinely fjord-like.
• Reutte — 20 km, for the Highline 179 suspension bridge and the Ehrenberg castle ruins.
• Garmisch-Partenkirchen — 24 km, for the Partnachklamm, the Bavarian side of the Zugspitze and a proper town.
• Fernpass and the Fernsteinsee — 10 km south, on the way to Nassereith and the Inn valley.
• Füssen — around 50 km via Reutte, for Neuschwanstein.
• Innsbruck — 72 km over the Fernpass.
• Berwang, Bichlbach and Namlos — the quieter villages of the Arena, all reachable by train or bus.