EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

A small railway, the Chiemgaubahn, runs from Prien up towards the Chiemgau Alps. It terminates at the mountain resort of ASCHAU , directly below the Kampenwand (1669m), one of the most popular hiking areas in the whole Alpine region. From the northern end of the village, a cable car (DM16/¬8 single, DM24/¬12 return) ascends to the summit; otherwise, it's a walk of about three and a half hours. Just east of the cable-car station, the immense Schloss Hohenaschau (guided tours May-Sept Tues-Fri at 9.30am, 10.30am & 11.30am; April & Oct Thurs only, same times; DM5/¬2.50) rises above a hilltop. The interior includes a fine Baroque Schlosskapelle and the Preysingsaal , an extraordinary reception room covered in white stuccowork, with gigantic statues of the local dynasty's ancestors.

Aschau's tourist office is in the Kurverwaltung, Kampenwandstr. 38 (Feb-April Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30-5pm, Sat 9am-noon; May to mid-Oct Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat 9am-noon, Sun 10am-noon; mid-Oct to Jan Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30-5pm; tel 0 80 52/90 49 37, fax 90 49 45, www.aschau.de ). There are plenty of private rooms (less than DM60/¬30-DM99/¬49) and hotels ; Alpengasthof Brucker , Schlossbergstr. 12 (tel 0 80 52/49 87; DM80-99/¬40-49) is a particular bargain, and it also has a good restaurant. Residenz Heinz Winkler , Kirchplatz 1 (tel 0 80 52/1 79 90; DM300/¬150 and over), a supremely elegant modern hotel within a historic coaching inn, is one of the top gourmet addresses in the whole of Germany.