Vilsalpsee

Now and then they disappear for a fraction of a moment and then suddenly reappear. The Vilsalpsee offers them and a few other bird species an idyllic home at 1,165 meters above sea level and thus marks the highest breeding ground for grebes in Austria.

Since the end of the 1950s, the area around the lake has been a nature reserve, which is why access by car is only permitted until 10 a.m. and then again from 5 p.m. If you can't manage these times, you still have the option to arrive on foot, by shuttle bus or even by a leisure train (the "Tannheimer Alpen-Express") or by horse-drawn carriage. From the paid car park, it takes about an hour to walk to the lake.

Some hikers then follow the path that circles the lake. It is a relatively easy to manage path without particularly steep inclines, which takes about 90 minutes and eventually leads to the impressive Bergaicht waterfall. As you make your round, the many mountains keep an eye on you: Gaishorn and Rauhorn, the Sulzspitze, Blässe, Geierköpfl, the Rote Spitze, and the Kugelhorn. Due to rockfalls in the past, it may be that the full circuit is not passable. It is best to check with the nature reserve management.

Despite the altitude, you can still work up a sweat here in the summer, and then a jump into the cool waters is the saving grace. But don't forget that this is an alpine lake and different laws apply than to the various lowland waters. This means: Fresh temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius, even in midsummer. That's true refreshment.

If that's too cold for you, you can of course explore the lake in alternative ways. For this, it is best to head to the northern shore, where a boat rental offers both pedal boats and rowboats. While traveling on the water, you can see that the lake harbors a great variety of fish species, which makes many anglers' eyes shine. Because in the depths, there are carp, pike, rainbow trout, and char, as well as tench, dace, whitefish, salmon trout, and quite a few more.