Bernau am Chiemsee – Cycling Tours, Lake Chiemsee and Culture

Getting here and getting around

Bernau am Chiemsee can be reached via the A8 Munich–Salzburg motorway and by train. Bernau is also well connected by bus and train. Holidaymakers can use some routes free of charge with their guest card. When planning connections for your stay, check which routes are suitable for your journey and covered by the guest card.

Cycling tours and time by Lake Chiemsee

Bernau is a starting point for cycling tours in the Chiemgau. A variety of routes by bicycle or e-bike run along Lake Chiemsee and through the countryside. Mountain bikers can head into the surrounding mountains and up to alpine pastures. This means you can explore different kinds of scenery and cycling: lakeside and nature routes on the one hand, mountains and alpine pastures on the other. The descriptions do not specify a shared difficulty level or standard route length, so you can choose a tour based on the surroundings you would like to see and the type of bike you prefer.

Chiemseepark Bernau-Felden adds waterside activities to these cycling tours. The park includes a lido with two beach volleyball courts, a beach soccer pitch, table tennis tables, a bocce court and two playgrounds. Visitors can also rent a boat from a boat rental and take it out on Lake Chiemsee. The park and boating can therefore be considered as separate highlights for a stay by the lake, while cycling tours also lead into the countryside and surrounding mountains.

Spa park, viewpoints and local history

The Kurpark Bernau am Chiemsee is set on gentle hills in the heart of the town centre. The Hitzelsberg family hiking trail also starts and ends here, offering views of the Chiemgau Alps. On its southern side, the Hitzelsberg trail passes information panels entitled “From Blossom to Honey” as part of the Bernau Bee Trail and, as part of the Bernau Farm Trail, passes noteworthy old farmhouses. The Bee Trail and Farm Trail focus on different things: the panels on one trail explore the journey from blossom to honey, while the other section passes historic farmhouses.

The viewpoints also differ in their location and views. From the historic water tower in the district of Bergham, the view stretches across Bernau and Lake Chiemsee, including Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. The viewpoint by the war memorial in Hittenkirchen offers views across Bernau, Lake Chiemsee and Herreninsel. Each place thus offers its own perspective on the landscape: Bergham explicitly includes both islands, while the view from Hittenkirchen mentions Herreninsel.

The Schulpark is home to the four stone figures known as the “Greek Sages”. Commissioned by King Ludwig I, they adorned the imposing entrance staircase of the Bavarian State Library in Munich from 1843 until after the Second World War. Another work of art is “Welcome”, a bronze sculpture by Moni Stein, an artist from Unterwössen. The municipality acquired it in 2017 at the initiative of Bernau resident Ursula Bethe; it stands at the entrance to the new town hall to welcome residents and guests.

Further historic landmarks can be found in various districts. The Mariengrotte in Kraimoos, a district of Bernau, is over 150 years old and was once a popular venue for church celebrations, including May devotions, prayer processions, open-air Masses and first Masses. The Seisersäule had already stood as a wayside marker between Bernau and Weisham in 1518. Since 1958, it has been located at the foot of the church steps next to the Alter Wirt inn.

Churches also help define the local area: the Protestant Church of the Redeemer is on Sommerlandstraße in the centre of Bernau am Chiemsee. The Catholic St. Bartholomäus Kuratie Church is in the centre of the district of Hittenkirchen and offers a view of Lake Chiemsee. The Catholic parish church of St. Laurentius is in Bernau town centre; from there, you can enjoy views of the Kampenwand and Lake Chiemsee.

Discover more destinations: Prien am Chiemsee, Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, Gstadt am Chiemsee, Kolbermoor, Frasdorf, Brannenburg, Oberaudorf, Raubling.

For the overview of the wider region: Rosenheim.