Kulinarische Radtour 8: Altmünster - Offensee

Altmünster town hall - Altmünster railway station - Lagerhaus - Mitterndorf - Traunkirchen - Ebensee - surfing facility on the Traun - Offensee - Seeau
30 km (total distance 59 km, outward journey 30 km, return journey 29 km)

Elevation gain: 418 m

From Altmünster town hall we cycle up Marktstraße and turn left and then immediately right again towards Altmünster railway station. Continue straight on to Hasenau. At the warehouse, we turn left into Pichlhofstraße and follow the road to the former Höllerwirt inn. There we keep right, pass the kindergarten and the school and always stay on the main road. After passing the Eben/Nachdemsee fire station, we cycle half-left in the direction of Traunkirchen. We already have a wonderful view of the valley ahead of us with the village of Mitterndorf and, of course, the majestic Traunstein to our left.

We soon reach Traunkirchen railway station via Mitterndorf and the Waldcampus Österreich. We cycle left under the railway subway to the B145, cross over to the other side of the road at the pedestrian crossing and cycle first right and then half-left on the old road to Traunkirchen. After just a few metres, you will see Gruber's Gasthaus on the right-hand side of the road. But first we continue to Klosterplatz, the centre of Traunkirchen. Here you will find the handicraft museum of the gold bonnet and headscarf groups of the district of Gmunden and the parish church with the famous fisherman's pulpit, an absolute must-see in Traunkirchen (see Tour 4). After passing through Traunkirchen, we now stay on the cycle path along the Traunsee. We soon reach the Lion Monument, which was designed by a Traunkirchen teacher (see Tour 8). The cycle path now leads us to Ebensee at the southern end of Lake Traunsee. Unfortunately, the busy road next to the cycle path is a reality. To get to Ebensee, however, we have to cross this road to the other side. This is best done either via the pedestrian crossing or by using the subway, which we reach via the car park entrance on the left-hand side. Now we can cycle safely to Ebensee. We cycle into the village, pass the road to the valley station of the Feuerkogel and the Langbathsee lakes in a straight line, which comes towards us from the right, and shortly afterwards reach the Traun bridge on the left. However, we cycle straight on along Ischler Straße and have now left the traffic behind us. After 3.5 kilometres, we reach the Rudolfsbrücke bridge, which connects the Ebensee districts of Langwies and Steinkogel.

Before we cross the bridge, however, we should continue for about 500 metres to visit a tourist attraction on the Traun. This is the so-called Riverwave, the largest artificial standing surf wave in Europe. Operator Max Neuböck has fulfilled a dream in Ebensee, becoming the first owner of an artificial river wave in Austria.

From the facility, we cycle back to the Rudolfsbrücke bridge, cross it and keep half-left on Steinkogler Straße past the Steinkogl railway station until we reach the turn-off to Offensee on the right, which is well signposted. We cross the B 145 on a bridge and now have a climb of 9 kilometres to the lake ahead of us. This may seem like a long climb, but once you reach your destination, you'll forget all your exertions. The Offensee is a gem, tucked away in the mountains away from the hustle and bustle of traffic. We cycle round the lake on the right-hand side in an anti-clockwise direction and take a well-earned rest at the Seeau snack station. If you have your swimming gear with you (which is highly recommended), the lake invites you to take a refreshing dip.

Return to Ebensee in the opposite direction. Now you have the advantage of cycling on a 9 km long descent to the main road.

As soon as we reach the B 145, we cross it and turn right into Steinkogler Straße. The "Roitherwirt" is already signposted here. We follow these signs until we reach the Roitherwirt inn, where we can take another break.

From the inn, we keep half-left, follow the narrow road towards Ebensee, cross the railway line and cycle comfortably to Ebensee railway station. There we stay on the road and cycle through the village of Ebensee until we reach the Traun bridge, where we cross the Traun. Immediately afterwards, we turn right and reach the B 145 again, where we have to cross over or under the busy main road in the same way as on the way here. Now we cycle along the Traunsee, pass the Lion Monument again and cycle through Traunkirchen. Before we reach the B 145 again, Gruber's Gasthaus is on the left-hand side of the road, where you can stop for a bite to eat.

The cycle path next to the B145 takes us directly back to Altmünster. If you feel like stopping off again, you can do so at the Spitzvilla or at the Bräuwiese (bathing area with a nice kiosk and garden).


Shortly after entering Altmünster, we come to the Trawöger-Dorfner fish fry, which also invites you to take a well-earned rest after a long tour.

Then it is best to cycle on to the start of the Esplanade in Altmünster and cycle through the subway to Altmünster. This is the safest way to cross over or under the main road. After a short uphill stretch, we reach our starting point again at the municipal office in Altmünster.