Discover Tegernsee

At Lake Tegernsee, water, trails and a long monastic history come together. The lake, marked hiking trails and cultural offerings provide different ways to shape your stay. If you are travelling with family or in a group, you can weigh up shared interests such as swimming, outdoor activities, history or events when planning your days.

The lake, swimming spots and boat trips

Lake Tegernsee covers around nine square kilometres, is six kilometres long and about one and a half kilometres wide. Its water is of drinking-water quality, and there are numerous swimming spots around the lake. A round trip on one of the distinctive Tegernsee boats is one way to explore the lake and its surroundings. This gives you a choice of different ways to enjoy the area: spending time at a swimming spot or taking in views of the lake and its surroundings on a boat trip.

Hiking trails for different distances

The Tegernsee mountains offer more than 650 kilometres of marked hiking trails. One specific example is the Tegernsee Höhenweg, a section of the 34-kilometre panoramic trail around Lake Tegernsee. This easy hike follows a ridge about 100 metres above the lake, passing through forest and meadows to Gmund and the Gasse area. The information about the Höhenweg describes a particular hike, while the 650 kilometres refer to the network of trails in the Tegernsee mountains.

Monastic history and regional culture

Since 1999, the Tegernseer Tal Museum has explored the culture and history of a region of Old Bavaria with a rich tradition across 17 rooms. Around 850 exhibits dating from the 14th to the 20th century bring the historical themes to life. St. Quirinus Parish Church also reflects the town’s monastic history: until 1803, it was the abbey church of Upper Bavaria’s most important Benedictine abbey.

According to tradition, Adalbert and Otkar founded Tegernsee Abbey in 746. In the Middle Ages, it was an important spiritual and cultural centre. Together, the museum, church and monastic history reveal different aspects of the region’s past—from exhibits and the church’s former role to the traditional account of the abbey’s founding.

Art and winter events

The Tegernsee Art Exhibition has been held annually since 1949. The Tegernseer Tal Montgolfiade has also been part of the local winter programme for more than two decades. It attracts numerous balloonists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland every year and offers passenger flights with views across the Tegernsee mountains as far as the main Alpine ridge. If you would like to combine your trip with one of these events, check the specific dates in advance.

Getting here and taking in the region

The RB 57 operated by Bayerische Regiobahn runs from Munich Central Station via Holzkirchen to Tegernsee. Check the current timetable when planning your specific journey. In the wider region, the Wallbergbahn is one of the Tegernsee holiday region’s major attractions. It takes visitors up the Wallberg, where panoramic views extend across Lake Tegernsee and the Alps. The railway appeals to locals, visitors from the surrounding area and holidaymakers, including families with children, experienced mountain hikers, nature lovers and paragliders.

Find accommodation to suit your travel plans

When looking for accommodation in Tegernsee, it helps to first identify your priorities: would you like your stay to focus mainly on the lake and boat trips, hiking, culture or events? Then compare the location of each accommodation option with the places and trails you plan to visit. This lets you compare options based on your specific travel plans rather than choosing based on a general search term alone.

Discover more destinations: Bayreuth, Munich, Oberallgäu, Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen, Ostallgäu, Coburg, Augsburg, Donau-Ries

See the main travel overview: Bavaria.