Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [278]
ALPAMARE
In the spa section of town, west of the Isar River, you’ll find the fantastic water complex Alpamare ( 509 999; www.alpamare.de; Ludwigstrasse 14; 4hr pass adult/child €27/24, day pass €33/24; 9.30am-10pm). This huge centre has heated indoor and outdoor mineral pools, a wave and surfing pool, a series of wicked water slides (including Germany’s longest, the 330m-long Alpabob-Wildwasser), saunas, solariums and its own hotel. Bus 1 from the train station stops 100m away.
BLOMBERG
Southwest of Bad Tölz, the Blomberg (1248m) is a family-friendly mountain that has a natural toboggan track in winter, plus easy hiking and a fun Alpine slide in summer.
Unless you’re walking, getting up the hill involves a chairlift ride aboard the Blombergbahn ( 3726; top station return adult/child €8/3.50, midway one-way €2.50; 9am-5pm May-Oct, 9am-4pm Nov-Apr weather permitting). Over 1km long, the fibreglass Alpine slide snakes down the mountain from the middle station. You zip down through the 17 hairpin bends on little wheeled bobsleds with a joystick to control braking. You can achieve speeds of up to 50km/h but if you do, chances are you’ll ram the rider ahead of you or fly clean off the track. A long-sleeved shirt and jeans provide a little protection. Riding up to the midway station and sliding down costs €4 per adult (€3.50 concession), with discounts for multiple trips.
To reach Blomberg, take RVO bus 9612, 9591 or 9610 from the train station to the Blombergbahn stop.
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Getting There & Away
The private Bayerische Oberlandbahn (BOB; 08024-997 171; www.bayerischeoberlandbahn.de) runs hourly trains between Bad Tölz and Munich Hauptbahnhof (€10.30, 50 minutes). Alternatively, take the S2 from central Munich to Holzkirchen, then change to the BOB. In Holzkirchen make sure you board the Bad Tölz-bound portion of the train.
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CHIEMSEE
08051
Most foreign visitors arrive at the shores of the Bavarian Sea – as Chiemsee is affectionately known – in search of King Ludwig II’s Schloss Herrenchiemsee. The lake’s natural beauty and water sports make the area popular with stressed-out city dwellers, and many affluent Müncheners own weekend retreats by its shimmering waters.
The towns of Prien am Chiemsee and, about 5km south, Bernau am Chiemsee (both on the Munich–Salzburg rail line) are perfect bases for exploring the lake. Of the two towns, Prien is by far the larger and livelier.
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Information
All the tourist offices have free internet for brief walk-in use.
Bernau tourist office ( 986 80; www.bernau-am-chiemsee.de; Aschauer Strasse 10)
Chiemsee Info-Center ( 965 550; www.chiemsee.de; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun) On the southern lakeshore, near the Bernau-Felden autobahn exit. Information for the whole area.
Prien tourist office ( 690 50; www.tourismus.prien.de; Alte Rathausstrasse 11)
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Sights
SCHLOSS HERRENCHIEMSEE
An island just 1.5km across the Chiemsee from Prien, Herreninsel is home to Ludwig II’s Versailles-inspired Schloss Herrenchiemsee ( 688 70; www.herren-chiemsee.de; adult/under 18yr/concession €7/free/6; tours continuously 9am-6pm Apr–mid-Oct, 9.40am-4.15pm mid-Oct–Mar). Begun in 1878, it was never intended as a residence but as a homage to absolutist monarchy, as epitomised by Ludwig’s hero, the French Sun King, Louis XIV. Ludwig spent only 10 days here and even then was rarely seen, preferring to read at night and sleep all day.
The palace is typical of Ludwig’s creations, its design and appearance the product of the Bavarian monarch’s romantic obsessions and unfettered imagination. Ludwig splurged more money on this palace than on Neuschwanstein and Linderhof combined, but when cash ran out in 1885, one year before his death, 50 rooms remained unfinished.
The rooms that were completed outdo each other in opulence. The vast Gesandtentreppe (Ambassador Staircase), a double staircase