I’d like to continue sharing Bavarian gems with you, and today I want to show you Chiemsee, another beautiful lake. With an area of 80 square kilometres, it is the largest lake in Bavaria, and it’s also known as the ‘Bavarian Sea’.
Chiemsee is located just a one hour drive away from where we leave. We decided to go there on one of the warm September weekends, and it turned out to be the last day this year when we got a chance to wear shorts and tops.
Starting point
There are several towns on the shores of Chiemsee. So, if you just enter ‘Chiemsee’ in Google Maps, it may get confused. If you are traveling from Munich for a day trip, I think Gstadt am Chiemsee can be a good starting point. Gstadt has a large beach area for swimming, a couple of cafes and restaurants, a pier and a post office. There is also a Tourist-Info point in Gstadt.
Seasonal treats
September in Bavaria is the season for apples. We saw many apple trees at Chiemsee.
You can do many things at Chiemsee
There are many activities one can engage in at Chiemsee. Visiting its islands is the most popular one. There are three islands — Herreninsel, Fraueninsel and uninhabited Krautinsel. Herreninsel has a palace built by King Ludwig II in 1878 called Herrenchiemsee. Frauenchiemsee houses a Benedictine nunnery, built in the 8th century, as well as a small village.
If you decide to stay at the shore, you can enjoy a lunch or a dinner ‘with a view’ in one of its cafes or restaurants.
You can stay in one of the resorts and enjoy wellness and spa.
There are several boat rentals at Chiemsee. You can get row or paddle boats there.
Of course you can also swim in the lake, lie on the beach or perform all kinds of water sports. For instance, we saw people kayaking and stand up paddling .
…or just enjoy doing nothing
We didn’t do anything special this time, just walked along the shore, looking at the beautiful lake. We had a calorie-bomb-of-an-ice-cream in a cafe and bought a 1 kg of cherry tomatoes at a self-service kiosk.
We’ll surely come back someday to explore the islands!
Photos taken in September 2020
