What it is
The Traunsee is around 12 kilometres long and up to 191 metres deep, and the Traunstein rises steeply from its eastern shore to 1,691 metres. The Esplanade runs along the lake from the Rathausplatz, lined with old hotels and villas from Gmunden's days as a fashionable summer resort, benches and lawns that slope down to the water.
From the landing stages, boats sail to Traunkirchen and Ebensee in the season, among them the Gisela, built in 1871 and the oldest coal-fired paddle steamer still in service in the world.
Getting there by bus
Lines 161 and 513 stop at Bezirkshauptmannschaft, right on the Esplanade, and at Franz-Josef-Platz. The Rathausplatz stop, served by most town lines, is at the northern end of the promenade.
The whole Esplanade can be walked in about 15 minutes, and continues towards the Toscana park and Schloss Ort.
