DISCOVER SEEFELD

Seefeld is a village in the Tirol province of Austria. It is a popular destination for walking holidays in the summer, and winter sports in winter.

Geographically, it's situated on a south-facing plateau north of the River Inn. It is on the watershed between the Inn and the Isar.

The plateau (which also has villages such as Leutasch and Mösern) is bordered by a steep drop off to the Inn valley to the south, the Wetterstein and Mieminger mountain ranges to the west, and the Karwendel mountain range to the east. To the north, the valley continues through the towns of Scharnitz and Mittenwald into Germany.

WALKING IN SEEFELD

The village is so popular with walkers because of its plateau location - there are many attractive walks which don't depend on climbing up and down mountains. However, the walks into the mountains are beautiful too, especially since the Karwendel is a huge nature reserve.

Recommended walks include down through the Schlossbachklamm to Hochzirl (then the train back), and from the cable car stations down into the Eppzirlertal (if you're fairly fit). There are possibilities for multi-day walks through the Karwendel towards the Achensee.

SKIING IN SEEFELD

Seefeld is an important centre for cross-country skiing. The Nordic events at both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics were hosted at Seefeld. The 1985 World Cross-Country Skiing Championships also took place here. World Cup competitions have been located here a number of times.

The alpine skiing area is small and most appropriate for beginners. The terrain itself is quite good and there is good access to other facilities (walks, shops and the Olympia swimming complex).

MOUNTAINS OF SEEFELD

It has two main mountain areas (for walking or skiing) - one is the round hill "Gschwandtkopf" and the other is a series of mountains (known incorrectly as "Roßhutte" after the large mountain restaurant half-way up).

These mountains dominate the Seefeld plateau - from left/north to right/south, they are the Seefelderjoch, Seefelderspitze, Härmelekopf and Reitherspitze.

LANDMARKS OF SEEFELD

Notable other landmarks include the Seekirchl, a small, onion-domed church, and the Pfarrhugel, an extension of the Gschwandtkopf into the town centre forming a small attractive hill. There's also a lake called the Wildsee.

The village has existed as a farming village for centuries. Tourism began in the early 20th century, but has only grown to its present size since the mid-1970s.

SEEFELD HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION

AUSTRIA TOURS AND TRAVEL