A trip to Lake Starnberg takes holidaymakers to picturesque Upper Bavaria. Located between the Alps and Munich, the body of water is the second largest lake in Bavaria, where travel dreams come true. Numerous freely accessible bathing areas are lined with shallow shores where young and old can romp around. There are favourable wind conditions on site.

That’s why water sports enthusiasts are also magically attracted to the 127-metre-deep water. Around the water, a 46-kilometre-long lake circular trail invites you to extensive bike tours and relaxed walks. Lake Starnberg enchants with its sophisticated charm that no one can resist.

Make yourself at home in these vacation rentals

Travel portals such as www.starnbergersee.de inspire people to stay in a place where every single villa, every single castle is even more beautiful than the other. Inviting holiday homes, holiday apartments and chic hotels are an important part of the holiday region and fit seamlessly into the picture-perfect landscape. Many of these accommodations score with a small private beach or their own jetty. Holiday homes have their own gardens, on whose terraces you can start the day with a leisurely breakfast. Whether modern or traditionally Bavarian, whether in Münsing, Starnberg or another city on Lake Starnberg – you will feel at home here.

This is a place where holiday dreams come true

Lake Starnberg wouldn’t be Lake Starnberg if you couldn’t fulfill all your travel wishes in this place. Enjoy a warm summer’s day on a dream beach. You can hardly find a more beautiful place for this than “Paradise”. Lake Starnberg is not only the perfect starting point for a boat tour, on which you can combine visits to the most beautiful villages in the region. If you want to experience the cool water while sailing, surfing or fishing, you couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful destination.

A visit to the only island in Lake Starnberg

The natural landscapes that enrich Lake Starnberg with precious jewels are of particular splendour. For example, there is the Rose Island. The only island of the entire lake is now under landscape and monument protection. Don’t miss a visit to the island, which is located near Feldafing on the west bank. Prehistoric finds such as pile dwellings still bear witness to the fact that the island was probably settled as early as 3,700 BC. Today, the summer house of the former King Maximilian II, which bears the name “Casino”, is enthroned on the Rose Island. The Rose Island lives up to its name. The rose garden built on the island is of fascinating beauty. Here, countless tall-stemmed roses thrive under the Bavarian sun – the perfect ambience to say “I do” on the island from May to October.

Andechs Monastery combines cultural history and pure enjoyment

The cultural-historical side of Lake Starnberg is illuminated by the Andechs Monastery. This church, located on a holy mountain, is the second largest pilgrimage site in Bavaria. According to surviving writings, believers came to the Christian site as early as the 10th century, until the first pilgrimage to Andechs took place in 1128. But today there is another reason why the pilgrimage site is so popular. The church includes a monastery brewery, where beer is brewed according to an old Benedictine recipe. If you want, you can make yourself comfortable on the outdoor terrace or in the monastery restaurant to enjoy the view of Lake Starnberg with a glass of beer. Andechs Monastery is an excursion destination with many facets. After all, a walk through the adjacent herb garden is part of this visit.

Artistic insights in the Buchheim Museum of Fantasy

If you want to follow in the footsteps of well-known personalities such as the fairytale king Ludwig II or the legendary Empress Sisi, you should definitely include excursions to Possenhofen Castle in Pöcking, Berg Castle or the Votive Chapel in your excursion plans. The Buchheim Museum of Fantasy, located on the western shore of the lake, opens up completely different perspectives. This exhibition, located in Höhenrieder Park, is dedicated to various topics of art. The museum, which is seamlessly integrated into a slope, attracts visitors with a 3,200 square metre area on which expressionist works are presented in all their facets. Pictures and other works by well-known artists such as Erich Heckel or Ernst Ludwig Kirchner can be admired at this place. The Ethnological and Folklore Museum, which is part of the complex, presents impressive handicrafts from all over the world.

Culinary delights at Lake Starnberg

Crown your trip to Lake Starnberg with restaurant visits where you can enjoy typical Upper Bavarian delicacies. Lovers of a juicy portion of fresh meat can choose from spicy roast pork, local suckling lamb or hearty roast young beef. A classic is the so-called Bürgermeisterstückl – delicious meat from the upper leg of beef, which is served with horseradish. Hearts of those with a sweet tooth beat faster at the sight of desserts such as soufflés or a fruity apple cake. You can round off these creations with a delicious beer or homemade juices from the region.

The Harz Mountains are a low mountain range and include parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. It is the highest mountain range in all of northern Germany. The Harz Mountains have a length of over 100 kilometers and a width of 30 to 40 kilometers. Over 8,000 kilometres of hiking trails and a number of sights attract countless tourists all year round. We have summarized some of the highlights.

The Brocken

At 1,141 metres above sea level, the Brocken, also known as the Blocksberg , is not only the highest mountain in the Harz Mountains, but also in the whole of northern Germany. It is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the Harz Mountains and attracts more than two million visitors every year.

There are many different hiking trails that lead to the highest point of the mountain, such as the well-known eight-kilometer Goetheweg. It got its name because it was once assumed that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe chose this route in 1777 for his ascent to the Brocken. The almost twelve-kilometre-long Heinrich Heine Trail was named after the well-known German poet who visited the Harz Mountains in 1824.

Visitors who are not quite so good on foot can also easily reach the summit of the Brocken with the Brocken cable car. The passenger trains are pulled up the mountain by historic steam locomotives in about an hour and 30 minutes.

In good weather, the visitor is rewarded with a breathtaking view over the impressive mountain landscape. On the summit is also the Brocken Museum, which brings the visitor closer to the history of the Brocken and its surroundings. The Brocken Garden, which has existed since 1890, is also worth a visit. On over 1,000 square meters there are over 1,500 plant species from all over the world that only grow in the high mountains.

Tip: If you have a smaller budget, renting a holiday home or apartment in the Harz Mountains is particularly recommended.

The Harz National Park

Another great destination for hiking in the great outdoors and wilderness is the Harz National Park. It is one of the largest forest national parks in the whole of Germany. In 2006, the national park in Saxony-Anhalt with an area of about 8,900 hectares and the Lower Saxony National Park with an area of about 15,800 hectares became the transnational Harz National Park with a total area of 24,700 hectares.

About 95 percent are overgrown with spruce and beech forests and more than 7,000 plant and animal species have become native to the national park. This is largely due to the fact that nature is still left to its own devices here. Over 600 kilometres of hiking trails offer visitors the opportunity to explore the great outdoors and, with a bit of luck, observe deer, deer, wild boar and raccoons in their wild. The black stork, woodpecker, kingfisher, boreal owl, pygmy owl and capercaillie have also been spotted many times. Visitors are somewhat less likely to see the raccoon dog and the European lynx, as these animals are considered extremely shy and therefore pose no danger to humans at all.

The European lynx was even considered almost extinct since the 19th century. After it was decided in 1999 to reintroduce the European lynx, around twenty lynxes were released into the wild in the national park between 2000 and 2004. As early as 2002, the park was able to look forward to the first proven offspring. The Harz National Park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Sankt Andreasberg high ropes course

If you are also looking for adrenaline and adventure while hiking , the Sankt Andreasberg high ropes course is the place to be. With an area of over 6,000 square meters, more than 120 varied obstacles and over 100 stations in the great outdoors, the park is one of the largest high ropes courses in the whole of Germany.

The garden is suitable for beginners and advanced hikers, as the obstacles are freely selectable and have a height between 0.8 and 18 meters. It consists of nets, ropes, climbing walls, suspension bridges and beams. The visitor is secured twice or three times and trained specialist staff is available everywhere.

The absolute highlight of the park is the Flying Fox, a 300-metre-long zip line that whizzes down into the valley at high speed over the Help of God Pond.

The Hexentanzplatz Zoo in Thale

Fun for the whole family is offered by the zoo at Hexentanzplatz. It has been in existence since 1973 and offers a protected home to more than 70 species of animals and trees over 200 years old. Inhabitants such as otters, martens, peregrine falcons, kestrels, wild boars, red foxes, eagle owls, golden eagles and storks can be observed in the wild.

The special highlights of the park are the large and natural wildlife enclosures. On 5,200 square meters, the bears have enough space and can perform their usual activities such as climbing, digging and bathing. Visitors have the opportunity to observe the brown bears over a higher bridge. The wolf territory is located on an area of about 3,200 square meters. Visitors can overlook the entire complex from a suspension bridge. The lynx hill has an area of about 1,100 square meters and offers the lynx areas to hide and climb. The enclosure is separated by fences and glass walls and visitors can observe the animals at ground level.

The zoo also offers a 4,000-square-metre golf course with a total of 18 holes on two courses, each with nine holes. Particularly interesting for children is the petting enclosure with goats, sheep and rabbits.