Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [279]
The Paradeschlafzimmer (State Bedroom) features a canopied bed perching altarlike on a pedestal behind a golden balustrade. This was the heart of the palace, where morning and evening audiences were held. But it’s the king’s bedroom, the Kleines Blaues Schlafzimmer (Little Blue Bedroom), that really takes the cake. The decoration is sickly sweet, encrusted with gilded stucco and wildly extravagant carvings. The room is bathed in a soft blue light emanating from a glass globe at the foot of the bed. It supposedly took 18 months for a technician to perfect the lamp to the king’s satisfaction.
Admission to the palace also entitles you to a spin around the König-Ludwig II-Museum, where you can see the king’s christening and coronation robes, more blueprints of megalomaniac buildings and his death mask.
To reach the palace, take the ferry from Prien-Stock (€6.50 return, 15 to 20 minutes) or from Bernau-Felden (€8, 25 minutes, May to October). From the boat landing on Herreninsel, it’s about a 20-minute walk through pretty gardens to the palace. Palace tours, offered in German or English, last 30 minutes.
FRAUENINSEL
A third of this tiny island is occupied by Frauenwörth Abbey, founded in the late 8th century and one of the oldest in Bavaria. The 10th-century church, whose free-standing campanile sports a distinctive onion-dome top (11th century), is worth a visit. Opposite the church is the AD 860 Carolingian Torhalle ( 08054-7256; admission €1.50; 10am-6pm May-Oct). It houses medieval objets d’art, sculpture and changing exhibitions of regional paintings from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Return ferry fare, including a stop at Herreninsel, is €7.60 from Prien-Stock and €8 from Bernau-Felden.
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Activities
The swimming beaches at Chieming and Gstadt (both free) are the easiest to reach, on the lake’s eastern and northern shores respectively. A variety of boats are available for hire at many beaches, for €6 to €20 per hour. In Prien, Bootsverleih Stöffl ( 2000; www.stoeffl.de; Strandpromenade) is possibly the best company to turn to.
The futuristic-looking glass roof by the harbour in Prien-Stock shelters Prienavera ( 609 570; Seestrasse 120; 4hr pass adult/concession €9.90/5.50, day pass €11.90/6.50; seasonal, usually 10am-9pm), a popular pool complex with a wellness area, water slides and a restaurant.
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Sleeping
The tourist offices can set up private rooms (per person from €18) in town and in farmhouses.
Panorama Camping Harras ( 904 613; www.camping-harras.de; per person/tent/car €5.50/3.60/1.80) This camp site is scenically located on a peninsula with its own private beach, catamaran and surfboard hire. The restaurant has a delightful lakeside terrace.
DJH hostel ( 687 70; www.prien.jugendherberge.de; Carl-Braun-Strasse 66; dm under/over 27yr €19/23; closed Dec-early Feb) Prien’s hostel organises lots of activities and has an environmental study centre for young people. It’s in a bucolic spot, a 15-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof.
Hotel Bonnschlössl ( 965 6990; www.alter-wirt-bernau.de; Ferdinand-Bonn-Strasse 2, Bernau; s €47-55, d €81-103; ) Built in 1477, this pocket-sized palace hotel with the faux-turrets once belonged to the Bavarian royal court. Rooms are stylish if slightly overfurnished, and there’s a wonderful terrace with a rambling garden.
Hotel Garni Möwe ( 5004; www.hotel-garni-moewe.de; Seestrasse 111, Prien; s €50-67, d €73-101; ) This traditional Bavarian hotel right on the lakefront is excellent value, especially the loft rooms. It has its own bike and boat