A Bavarian country trip | All media content | DW | 15.06.2018

Visit the new DW website

Take a look at the beta version of dw.com. We're not done yet! Your opinion can help us make it better.

Go to the new dw.com

We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration.

More info OK
  1. Inhalt
  2. Navigation
  3. Weitere Inhalte
  4. Metanavigation
  5. Suche
  6. Choose from 30 Languages

Travel

A Bavarian country trip

Bavaria is Germany's most popular tourist destination. In addition to highlights such as Neuschwanstein Castle, the Zugspitze Peak and Munich, visitors also value the diversity and charm of the rural regions.

  • Butterblumen beim Sonnenuntergang (picture-alliance/dpa/L. Mirgeler)

    The countryside

    The Tölzer Land region, located south of Munich and stretching as far as the Austrian border, captivates with its real Bavarian picture-book idyll. Making it a perfect destination for a day trip.

  • Sommerwetter am Walchensee (picture-alliance/dpa/M. Balk)

    One mountain, two lakes

    The Herzogstand is over 1,700 meters (5577 ft) high and offers a fantastic view of Kochelsee (left) and Walchensee (right) lakes. It was the favorite mountain of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. These days the mountain summit can be easily reached by cable car, which means that in the summer months tourists flock up to the top. Too many now, according to some locals.

  • Sommer am Walchensee in den bayrischen Alpen (picture-alliance/chromorange/B. türk)

    Bavarian Caribbean

    Walchensee lake is up to 190 meters deep and one of Bavaria's most scenic water sports areas. Turquoise colored water and white sandy beaches - ensure that the lake is also known as the Bavarian Caribbean. And it is absolutely quiet: there is no motor-boating allowed on the lake.

  • BG Tölzer Land | Oberbayern: Walchensee, Windsurfer (picture-alliance/DUMONT Bildarchiv/R. Eisele)

    A water sports hotspot

    Walchensee lake is an ideal spot for divers, surfers and kiters. On a summer day, if you drive along the shore, you can see the surfers queuing up at the entry points. The sheltered location in a valley basin with steeply towering mountains ensures pleasant mild temperatures on the one hand, and ideal thermal conditions on the other.

  • Bundesstraße 11 zwischen Kochel am See und Walchensee (picture-alliance/dpa/M. Schrader)

    Over the hill

    If you want to cross from Walchensee to Kochelsee lake, you have to take the path over the Kesselberge mountains. The Kesselberg Road winds in narrow curves over the mountain for over 9 kilometers (5.6 mi). Motorcyclists love this track. Unfortunately there were so many accidents that motorcycles were banned from riding on weekends and overtaking is forbidden on the entire track.

  • Kochelsee in Bayern mit Bootsschuppen im Uferbereich (picture-alliance/chromorange/B. Türk)

    Nature and art

    Lake Kochelsee lies 200 metres below Lake Walchensee and is nestled in a vast marshland. Nature and art are closely linked here. At the beginning of the 20th century, the lake was the meeting point of the "Blauer Reiter" group of Expressionist artists. The Franz Marc Museum at Kochelsee is worth a visit. It is dedicated to the work of the great artist and his contemporaries.

  • Muenter-Haus in Murnau (picture-alliance/C. Koenig)

    Summer in Murnau

    During the summer months Franz Marc and his artist friends moved to the neighboring town of Murnau. The young Expressionists met in the home of Wassily Kandinsky and his partner Gabriele Münter. Today the residential house is a museum and memorial place.

  • Oberbayern: Bad Tölz, Marktstraße (picture-alliance/DUMONT Bildarchiv/R. Eisele)

    Bad Tölz spa town

    The spa town on the Isar River gave the region its name - Tölzer Land. With just under 18,000 inhabitants, Bad Tölz is one of the largest cities in the region. From Munich the train takes about an hour to reach Bad Tölz, and from here it heads for the mountains. The pretty old town and the nature around it make Bad Tölz a perfect starting or finishing point for day trips.

  • Isar Wildwasser (picture-alliance/dpa/F. Mächler)

    Wild Isar River

    A refreshing alternative to a mountain hike is a tour along the Isar. The river shows its original, wild character only in a few places. You can get a small idea of the untamed beauty of this river on a rafting tour between Bad Tölz and Lenggries.

  • Fronleichnamsprozession in Walchensee, Juni 2018 (DW/A. Termèche)

    Tradition obliges

    Always impressive - Bavarians in festive costume. If you happen to be in Bavaria on Corpus Christi, the chances of meeting them are not bad. Corpus Christi is one of the highest holidays in the Catholic church year. Like here in Walchensee faithful Catholics march through their villages and towns all over Bavaria in festive processions.

  • Kaiserschmarrn (DW/A. Termèche)

    Crowning finish

    What would a day in the mountains be without a visit to a mountain tavern? You don't have to worry about the basic supply of alpine delicacies. A hearty or sweet snack is readily available even at an altitude of 2,000 meters. It tastes best after a strenuous climb. An added bonus is that you can then confidently ignore calorie counting. So go ahead and enjoy, you've earned it.


  • Butterblumen beim Sonnenuntergang (picture-alliance/dpa/L. Mirgeler)

    The countryside

    The Tölzer Land region, located south of Munich and stretching as far as the Austrian border, captivates with its real Bavarian picture-book idyll. Making it a perfect destination for a day trip.

  • Sommerwetter am Walchensee (picture-alliance/dpa/M. Balk)

    One mountain, two lakes

    The Herzogstand is over 1,700 meters (5577 ft) high and offers a fantastic view of Kochelsee (left) and Walchensee (right) lakes. It was the favorite mountain of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. These days the mountain summit can be easily reached by cable car, which means that in the summer months tourists flock up to the top. Too many now, according to some locals.

  • Sommer am Walchensee in den bayrischen Alpen (picture-alliance/chromorange/B. türk)

    Bavarian Caribbean

    Walchensee lake is up to 190 meters deep and one of Bavaria's most scenic water sports areas. Turquoise colored water and white sandy beaches - ensure that the lake is also known as the Bavarian Caribbean. And it is absolutely quiet: there is no motor-boating allowed on the lake.

  • BG Tölzer Land | Oberbayern: Walchensee, Windsurfer (picture-alliance/DUMONT Bildarchiv/R. Eisele)

    A water sports hotspot

    Walchensee lake is an ideal spot for divers, surfers and kiters. On a summer day, if you drive along the shore, you can see the surfers queuing up at the entry points. The sheltered location in a valley basin with steeply towering mountains ensures pleasant mild temperatures on the one hand, and ideal thermal conditions on the other.

  • Bundesstraße 11 zwischen Kochel am See und Walchensee (picture-alliance/dpa/M. Schrader)

    Over the hill

    If you want to cross from Walchensee to Kochelsee lake, you have to take the path over the Kesselberge mountains. The Kesselberg Road winds in narrow curves over the mountain for over 9 kilometers (5.6 mi). Motorcyclists love this track. Unfortunately there were so many accidents that motorcycles were banned from riding on weekends and overtaking is forbidden on the entire track.

  • Kochelsee in Bayern mit Bootsschuppen im Uferbereich (picture-alliance/chromorange/B. Türk)

    Nature and art

    Lake Kochelsee lies 200 metres below Lake Walchensee and is nestled in a vast marshland. Nature and art are closely linked here. At the beginning of the 20th century, the lake was the meeting point of the "Blauer Reiter" group of Expressionist artists. The Franz Marc Museum at Kochelsee is worth a visit. It is dedicated to the work of the great artist and his contemporaries.

  • Muenter-Haus in Murnau (picture-alliance/C. Koenig)

    Summer in Murnau

    During the summer months Franz Marc and his artist friends moved to the neighboring town of Murnau. The young Expressionists met in the home of Wassily Kandinsky and his partner Gabriele Münter. Today the residential house is a museum and memorial place.

  • Oberbayern: Bad Tölz, Marktstraße (picture-alliance/DUMONT Bildarchiv/R. Eisele)

    Bad Tölz spa town

    The spa town on the Isar River gave the region its name - Tölzer Land. With just under 18,000 inhabitants, Bad Tölz is one of the largest cities in the region. From Munich the train takes about an hour to reach Bad Tölz, and from here it heads for the mountains. The pretty old town and the nature around it make Bad Tölz a perfect starting or finishing point for day trips.

  • Isar Wildwasser (picture-alliance/dpa/F. Mächler)

    Wild Isar River

    A refreshing alternative to a mountain hike is a tour along the Isar. The river shows its original, wild character only in a few places. You can get a small idea of the untamed beauty of this river on a rafting tour between Bad Tölz and Lenggries.

  • Fronleichnamsprozession in Walchensee, Juni 2018 (DW/A. Termèche)

    Tradition obliges

    Always impressive - Bavarians in festive costume. If you happen to be in Bavaria on Corpus Christi, the chances of meeting them are not bad. Corpus Christi is one of the highest holidays in the Catholic church year. Like here in Walchensee faithful Catholics march through their villages and towns all over Bavaria in festive processions.

  • Kaiserschmarrn (DW/A. Termèche)

    Crowning finish

    What would a day in the mountains be without a visit to a mountain tavern? You don't have to worry about the basic supply of alpine delicacies. A hearty or sweet snack is readily available even at an altitude of 2,000 meters. It tastes best after a strenuous climb. An added bonus is that you can then confidently ignore calorie counting. So go ahead and enjoy, you've earned it.


More in the Media Center

Dos and don'ts at Oktoberfest

Dos and don'ts at Oktoberfest 23.09.2022

Exploring Central and Eastern Europe — a travel diary

Exploring Central and Eastern Europe — a travel diary 29.09.2022

Why traveling in summer 2022 was chaotic

Why traveling in summer 2022 was chaotic 26.09.2022

Discovering Europe by bike

Discovering Europe by bike 07.09.2022

Read also

How German travelers spent the summer of 2022

How German travelers spent the summer of 2022 26.09.2022

Many German tourists skipped vacations abroad over the past two years — but this changed in the summer of 2022. What does this mean for the domestic tourism industry?

Friedrich Merz (CDU), CDU-Bundesvorsitzender und Unionsfraktionsvorsitzender, nimmt an der Sitzung des Bundestags teil. Thema war die Energiepolitische Perspektive für Bürger und Unternehmen. +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

German opposition leader sorry for Ukraine 'welfare tourism' jibe 27.09.2022

The leader of Germany's Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, was slammed by other parties over comments he made that many Ukrainians were "taking advantage" by traveling in and out of Germany.

A beer tent is seen before Munich mayor Dieter Reiter is tapping the first keg at noon to officially open the world's largest beer festival, the 187th Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

Oktoberfest Quiz — Do you know all things beer, bratwurst and dirndl? 29.09.2022

The world's largest beer festival got cancelled twice during the pandemic, but this year it's back! You think you know what it's all about? Test your knowledge with these five questions.

Back to Oktoberfest

Back to Oktoberfest 23.09.2022

In 2020 and 2021, the Oktoberfest could not take place due to the pandemic. This year, there are more guests than ever before. DW reporter Dhruv Rathee also jumped into the fray at the "Wiesn".