Discover Bernau am Chiemsee: Lake, Trails and Culture

Bernau am Chiemsee can be reached via the A8 Munich–Salzburg motorway and by train. The town is also well connected by bus and train; holiday guests can use some routes free of charge with the guest card. This gives you a choice of ways to get here when planning your stay. Local attractions range from cycling tours and activities on Lake Chiemsee to viewpoints and historic landmarks.

Cycling tours and trails around Bernau

Bernau is a starting point for cycling tours in the Chiemgau region. Varied routes by bicycle or e-bike follow the shores of Lake Chiemsee and pass through nature. Mountain bikers can head into the surrounding mountains and up to alpine pastures. The routes described mainly differ in their scenery and style of cycling: lakeside and nature routes contrast with mountain and alpine pasture trails.

The Hitzelsberg Tour brings together two more points of interest. On its southern side, it includes a detour to the information boards “From Blossom to Honey” as part of the Bernau Bee Trail. The tour also passes notable old farmhouses as part of the Bernau Farm Trail. Anyone interested in nature and agriculture will find both information about the bee trail and historic farm buildings along this route.

Another option is the Hitzelsberg Family Hike, which offers views of the Chiemgau mountains and starts and ends in Bernau spa park. The spa park itself is set on gentle hills in the heart of the town. This makes it easy to consider a stroll through the centrally located park alongside the hike described here, without treating the two as the same activity.

Chiemseepark and viewpoints

At Chiemseepark Bernau-Felden, you can rent a boat from a boat rental and take it out on Lake Chiemsee. The park’s lido has two beach volleyball courts, a beach soccer pitch, table tennis tables, a bocce court and two playgrounds. The options range from activities on the water to sports and play on land. When planning your trip, you can consider these as different options within the same park.

Viewpoints are also spread across different districts. From the historic water tower in Bernau’s Bergham district, you can see Bernau and Lake Chiemsee, including Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. The viewpoint at the war memorial in Hittenkirchen offers views across Bernau, Lake Chiemsee and Herreninsel. Both places combine views of the lake with their respective districts; the panorama described from the water tower also includes both islands.

History, art and churches

The Schulpark is home to the four stone figures known as the “Greek Sages”. They were commissioned by King Ludwig I and adorned the grand entrance staircase of the Bavarian State Library in Munich from 1843 until after the Second World War. Their history connects their present location in Bernau with their former use at a building in Munich.

Another sculpture is “Welcome”, a bronze figure by Moni Stein, an artist from Unterwössen. The municipality of Bernau 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. The Seiser Column, meanwhile, was already a waymarker between Bernau and Weisham in 1518; since 1958, it has stood at the foot of the church steps beside the Alter Wirt inn.

The Mariengrotte, which is over 150 years old, is located in Kraimoos, a district of Bernau. It was once a popular venue for church celebrations such as May devotions, processions of supplication, open-air masses and first Masses. The forest chapel stands on the circular trail at Hitzelsberg. These places add religious buildings and former church traditions to the area’s historic landmarks.

The churches in Bernau am Chiemsee include the Protestant Church of the Redeemer on Sommerlandstraße in the centre, the Catholic parish church of St. Laurentius in the town centre, and the Catholic church of St. Bartholomäus in the centre of the Hittenkirchen district. St. Laurentius offers views of the Kampenwand and Lake Chiemsee; St. Bartholomäus offers views across Lake Chiemsee. The places listed therefore differ not only in location but also in the views described from each.

Discover more destinations: Chiemsee, Wasserburg am Inn, Feldkirchen-Westerham, Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, Babensham, Rosenheim, Vogtareuth, Halfing.

Back to the main travel overview: Rosenheim.