From rushing and wild to lonely and quiet: Bavaria's rivers and lakes are as diverse as the state itself and simply ideal for a cool break. Here, six Bavarian ambassadors reveal their favorite places on the water. And they tell you what they like to do there. Our video already gives first impressions.
Table of contents
1. Tatjana Falk: Paddling through the Isar Wilderness
2. Tatjana Falk: With the kids to the Maisinger lake
3. Sophie Mische: Cycling to the ice cold mountain lake
4. Andreas Hemmeter: Kitesurfing in Franconian breeze
5. Andreas Hemmeter: Relaxed canoe trip on the Altmühl river
6. Teresa Deufel: Aperitif with Lake Constance view
7. Hanse Wenzl: The silence at the Great Arbersee
8. Muk Röhrl: Traveling on the Danube by ship
Since 2008, wilderness educator Tatjana Falk has been offering courses in her nature and wilderness school Waapiti in Starnberg near Munich an. She also prefers to spend her free time outdoors in unspoiled nature. For example, canoeing on the Isar River.
The section of the Isar River between Königsdorf and Lake Sylvenstein in particular is a pure nature experience for Tatjana. "On the tour, you will travel along sections of the river that you wouldn't expect to find in Germany. The landscape is wild and breathtakingly beautiful," the educator enthuses. She particularly likes the Isar at its very source, in the Bavarian Alps. There it is wild and full of branches, interrupted again and again by sand and gravel banks where you can swim, relax and be all to yourself. Tatjana's second favorite spot is where the Isar flows into the Sylvenstein reservoir. "Red deer that live in the mountains often come down to the water here."
Further in direction Munich Tajana recommends a stopover in Schäftlarn Monastery. Pull your canoe ashore and stop at the Klosterbräustüberl! The Angus beef on the menu is bred in the meadows right next door. Tip for those who don't have their own canoe: You can rent one at many places along the Isar.
From her tour across the Isar River Tatjana tells here even more.
This is how you get to the Isar by train: Plan arrival.
As a wilderness educator, Tatjana mainly travels with children. She knows what kids enjoy - and therefore has the perfect excursion tip for families: a day at Lake Maising. It's best to start with a hike, because there's already a lot to discover on the way to the lake: "Families can start in Starnberg and walk through the Maisinger Schlucht gorge to the lake. The path leads along the Meisinger Bach stream and is in the shade the whole time. The gorge and stream are one big adventure playground for the little ones," she says. "Children can play well on the banks of the stream because there is not much of a current. Instead, there are lots of gravel and sand banks where they can play with alluvial stones and sand, build castles or construct boats out of branches, bark and leaves. They also encounter native wildlife there in the form of fish, frogs or dragonflies." The hike through the gorge takes about an hour.
Once at the lake, the children can splash around to their hearts' content, because the lake is a real bathing lake. "Footbridges and stairs have been built all along the shore, so it's easy to get into the water even with children. Great fun and a great way for young and old to cool off."
Here she tells even more about the hike.
How to get to Maising by train and bus: Plan arrival.
When 22-year-old Sophie Mische isn't sitting at the potter's wheel in her workshop, she loves to spend her time in nature around her hometown of Ofterschwang in the Allgäu region. Here she finds inspiration and gathers ideas for her ceramic art. Tips for vacationers? She would have quite a few! The lakes, for example. There are so many near Ofterschwang. Freibergsee, Christlessee, Großer Alpsee, Auwaldsee.... Sophie knows them all and has her very own favorite lake for every mood and every atmosphere.
Would you like to cool off on a hot summer day? Then Sophie cycles to the Großer Alpsee lake near Immenstadt, just 45 minutes away. There, you can not only (sun)bathe in the lido with its beautiful sunbathing lawn, but also rent SUPs or fun pedal boats in the shape of cars. "If you have the stamina and the strength, go ahead and go further out on the lake," advises Sophie. "It's a real experience with beautiful views!"
If she's in a really sporty mood, Sophie gets on her bike and rides along the Iller cycle path in the direction of Oberstdorf. "The route is really beautiful. It follows the Iller the whole time and offers great views," she enthuses. Perfect for a stopover: about halfway along the route is the village of Fischen. "There are three super ice cream parlors and various eateries there for those hungry for something hearty," reports the young artisan. Near Oberstdorf the bike path then leads past the Christlessee lake. The ravishing little lake surrounded by mountains warms up to a maximum of five degrees. Not really ideal for swimming, but the Christlessee has other advantages. For example, a small lakeside café where you can comfortably stop and eat. By the way: The Kässpatzen are served in Sophie's handmade bowls.
You can find more mountain lake tips here.
This is how you get to Immenstadt by train: Plan arrival.
The Weissenburg toolmaker is the inventor of "Mei Leni," a portable backrest. Because you can comfortably lean against it when visiting a beer garden or festival tent, Bavarian festival culture is now even more fun. The small town of Weißenburg is not far from the Franconian Lake District, where Andreas prefers to spend his free time. The enthusiastic kitesurfer and wakeboarder is particularly drawn to the Kleine and Großer Brombachsee lakes.
Sometimes the toolmaker just calls it a day at noon and dashes to his favorite lake in the Franconian Lake District, the Großer Brombachsee. He then pumps up his kite on the long sandy beach between Enderndorf and Allmannsdorf. Kitesurfing is Andreas Hemmeter's great summer passion. Especially at the Great Brombach Lake. "Nowhere else in Bavaria do you have such good and constant wind," he enthuses.
This is how you get to the Großer Brombachsee by train: Plan arrival.
From time to time Andreas also takes the whole family to the long sandy beach with its beautiful, small bays where you can relax wonderfully. Because the shore is shallow, children can also play and splash safely. There is more action in the sailing harbor near Enderndorf. The large, three-story ferry Trimaran also docks there, with room for 750 passengers. Andreas reveals his favorite place to stop: "You can get good food with a really nice view at Strandhaus Enderndorf."
Have you always wanted to try kitesurfing? Andreas recommends the kitesurfing school in Allmannsdorf for your first attempts. However, there are two or three other providers of kite and surf courses in the area. You can also rent the equipment there.
When Andreas isn't kiting, he likes to whiz across the water at Wakepark Brombachsee. How much fun that is, he tells here in the video. And there are even more water tips from him here.
Even though Andreas likes to be on the move in a sporty way, he also likes to take things at a more leisurely pace. For example, on a canoe trip through the Altmühltal. The Altmühl is the river with the lowest gradient in Bavaria and is one of the particularly slow-flowing rivers in Germany. This makes it ideal for a relaxed trip by canoe. "We usually start in Pappenheim," Andreas tells us. "There we rent the canoe and just go downstream as long as we have fun. Then we call the boat rental company to pick us up again. And it's a really nice tour. There are some regional boat rentals on the Altmühl where you can easily rent a canoe, boat or kayak." Nice for a little picnic break along the way: the many sandbars you encounter along the way.
What other activities Andreas recommends in the Altmühltal, he tells here.
This is how you get to Pappenheim by train: Plan arrival.
Teresa Deufel produces organic wines on the family farm from grapes grown on the Lindau slopes on the Lake Constance grow up. Teresa loves her home - and of course the Lake Constance. Here she shows you her favorite places on the water.
In summer, Teresa is often on the road before sunrise. It can get quite hot in the vineyard at midday. Fortunately, the cooling - that is: the Lake Constance - never far. Its shores are a great place to relax. For example, at the Lindenhof lido, an old natural swimming pool from the 1970s. There's a funny little kiosk there. "Sitting on the shore in the evening with a currywurst and a glass of wine or beer is also a simple pleasure, but totally nice," the young winemaker enthuses.
Theresa likes to go to the Haus am See to celebrate. The restaurant and hotel is run by a friend of hers, Valentin Knörle. The small hotel is located right on the lake and has fantastic cuisine. On the other hand, when Theresa wants it a little quieter, she retreats to one of her two favorite spots. One is in the middle of her vineyard. There is a hut there from which one has a great view over the whole lake. The other favorite place is all hers: it's on the shore of Lake Constance, directly behind her house.
More of Teresa's favorite places around Lake Constance can be found here here.
This is how you get to Lindau by train: Plan arrival.
During the traditional "Wolfauslassen" in November, Johann "Hanse" Wenzl leads a group of men and women who parade through Langdorf in the Bavarian Forest amid much cowbell clanging. In the summer months, on the other hand, Hanse is out and about in his homeland. At the Großer Arbersee lake, for example. Here he reveals why he likes it there so much.
The perfect day at the Großer Arbersee begins for Hanse Wenzl either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. When only a few people are out and about and it's nice and quiet. Hanse prefers to cover the 15 kilometers from his hometown of Zwiesel by mountain bike. However, he is not allowed to jump into the water to cool off after the strenuous ride: The Arbersee, an ice-age cirque lake in the middle of the mountain forest, is located in a nature reserve. In a section of the lake, however, pedal boating is allowed, a good tip because - Hanse finds - the Arberseewand presents itself much more impressively from the water. Directly on the shore is the Arberseehaus, a restaurant owned by the Hohenzollern Princely House. "The cuisine emphasizes regionality and the view of the lake from the terrace is wonderful," Hanse reveals.
This is how you get to the Großer Arbersee by train: Plan arrival.
"The most beautiful view of the Großer Arbersee is from the Mittagsplatzl," recommends the Zwiesel native as a parting shot. The vantage point is about a 90-minute hike from the lake. It is most beautiful here early in the morning at sunrise or in the evening with a cool beer.
When Hanse is not hiking or mountain biking, he likes to canoe across the Black Rain. You can see how beautiful this tour is in the video. And here he tells about it in even more detail.
Muk Röhrl runs the Röhrl Inn in Eilsbrunn in eastern Bavaria, the oldest inn in the world. When he's not taking care of his guests, he likes to go hiking or biking. For example, along the Danube, Europe's second longest river, which covers 440 kilometers in Bavaria alone - and flows by just four kilometers from Muk Röhrl's inn.
A part of Muk's favorite bike route between Eilsbrunn and Regensburg leads directly along the Danube. First Muk cycles along the Schwarze Laaber to Sinzing on the Danube. There he joins the Danube Cycle Path as far as Regensburg. "Here in the area, there are also really many other bike paths," he enthuses. In Regensburg itself, with its old town declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the innkeeper likes to stroll through the alleys on nice days. "The old town then has a very Mediterranean flair," says Muk.
In Regensburg also start boat trips on the Danube. "A great experience for the whole family is a trip on the Siebnerin, a historic wooden ship that looks like the salt trading barges that used to travel on the Danube," Muk recommends. In terms of scenery, on the other hand, the boat trips to the Danube breakthrough and to Weltenburg Monastery are just sensational.
One of the most beautiful viewpoints of the Danube for Muk is twelve kilometers from Regensburg away. There, high above the river, rises the Valhalla, a monumental memorial in the form of a temple. Between the huge columns you can always find a place to enjoy the unique view of the Danube valley.
Muk reveals his favorite places on the Danube Cycle Path here.
This is how you get to Regensburg by train: Plan arrival.
Cover image: Potter Sophie Mische got up early. And hiked to the Geisalpsee © www.bayern.by - Gert Krautbauer
