The Erfurter Hütte and the Rofan view

The Rofanseilbahn leaves from Maurach at the southern end of the lake and reaches the Erfurter Hütte at 1,834 metres in about eight minutes. This is the view of the Achensee — the one that fits all nine kilometres of water into a single frame, with the Karwendel wall running the whole way down the far side and the Inn valley behind you.

What makes it usable rather than merely spectacular is that no hiking is required. The hut, its terrace and an open shoulder of grass and rock are within a few minutes of the top station, and the ground drops away steeply enough that a subject standing at the edge has the lake directly below rather than a slope in between.

The viewpoint looks north and west across the water, which means light on the Karwendel wall all morning and a lake that turns from silver to deep blue as the sun comes round. Late afternoon backlights the whole basin and can be very strong; mornings are the safer choice, and the clearest.

In summer this is a walking area with the Rofan's pale limestone all around, and paths on to the Gschöllkopf and its viewing platform. From December it is a small ski area and the same terrace overlooks a frozen-looking blue lake with snow to the shoreline. The lift pauses between the two seasons and its hours change each year — check the operating dates.