Munich is a charming city, but there’s also a lot to explore in the nearby area. After a few days of gloomy European weather, the sun finally came out, and so it was time to hit the road and explore a bit of the nature surrounding Munich. Lake Starnberg proved to be a wonderful retreat with breath-taking natural scenery of a mirror lake and plenty of quiet places to chill out, take in the views, and ponder life. It’s a large lake, and I only got to see a few stops along the way, but with all of them there were short piers taking you into the waters. When the water heats up in the summer this would be ideal for swimming, but even though the water was still freezing cold, I saw a few brave German locals who jumped right in to get a bit of freshness shock. For those, like me, who didn’t, the piers were a good place to lay back, sip wine, and do a bit of picnicking.
The official tourism website writes about the lake:
The second largest lake of Bavaria is a mere 30-minutes ride southwest of Munich and a main recreation area for Munich inhabitants. You can reach it also by S-Bahn (suburban train). The lake is around 20 kilometres long, five kilometres wide and up to 127 metres deep. It is bordered by moraine hills with higher mountains of Benediktenwand and the Wetterstein mountain range in the backgound. Walkers can explore the beauty of the landscape and the various sights on the path that follows long stretches of the shore. In the 17th and 18th centuries the lake was already very popular with the Munich court. The Wittelsbach rulers built and purchased palaces here and celebrated exuberant festivities.
Here’s my lousy attempt at a panorama:
You could, and perhaps should, also take a moment to sit and sip some alcohol in one of the nearby beer gardens…
Location:
A wonderful getaway from Munich. There are also the small towns of Starnberg and Berg if you’re looking for more things to do, as well as a few picturesque castles not far away. Many options for a day trip.