At the southeastern tip of the Mondsee, where the lake narrows toward the Attersee and the cliffs of the Drachenwand and the Schafberg crowd in on both sides, lies a hamlet with the shortest name you will find on any map: See. Just offshore, in the shallow water where the lake drains, divers found the remains of a prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement, and the finds were so characteristic that archaeologists named a whole Neolithic culture after the lake: the Mondsee culture, known for its decorated pottery and early copper working. The site is part of the UNESCO listing of Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps, and as with most of them, there is nothing to see except the water, which is part of the point.
The Mondsee is one of the warmest lakes in the Salzkammergut, and in summer its shores are busy with swimmers, sailors and stand-up paddlers. The town of Mondsee at the northern end has a grand baroque basilica, made famous by the wedding scene in The Sound of Music, and a lively square with cafés. The Drachenwand, the dragon wall, rises above the western shore, with a via ferrata that attracts climbers from all over.
The riding is classic Salzkammergut. The road along the southern shore of the Mondsee is narrow and twisting, squeezed between the lake and the cliffs, with tunnels and great views, and it leads on to the Attersee, where the road follows the shore through villages and orchards. Over the Scharfling pass, a short climb takes you to St Gilgen and the Wolfgangsee. Traffic can be heavy in summer, with tourists, cyclists and caravans, and the police are vigilant about noise and speed. Spring and autumn are quieter and often clearer.
There are no services at See itself, but Unterach and Mondsee, a few kilometres away, have fuel, shops and restaurants, and Gmunden, about thirty kilometres off, is the largest town in the area. Lakeside inns serve Reinanke, a whitefish from the lake, often smoked or fried, and Kaiserschmarrn, a fluffy shredded pancake with plum compote. After a hot day, a swim in the lake is one of life's simpler pleasures.