Schliersee in November: why the quietest month is the best time to get away

When guests ask us the best time to switch off for a few days at Schliersee, our answer surprises most of them: November. Not in spite of the weather, but because of the quiet. Here is what the month has to offer at the lake, how we would spend three days and what to pack.

In summer you share the lakeside path with swimmers, cyclists and day trippers from Munich. In November you often have the 7.4 kilometres almost to yourself. The path is nearly flat, takes a good hour and a half at a brisk pace, and starts four minutes' walk from our front door.

There are no private motorboats on the lake, all year round. But November is especially still. In the morning there is often mist on the water; it lifts around midday, and then the Brecherspitz stands out sharp above the lake.

The month has one more advantage that you only notice once you are here: nobody is in a hurry. Not even us. In November there is time at reception for the long version of every recommendation.

We deliberately never built a spa with a shared relaxation room. Instead, six of our twenty rooms have their own Finnish sauna. You set the temperature and duration yourself, gentle and at a lower temperature if you prefer, and you use it whenever you like: after the lakeside walk, before dinner, in the morning before breakfast.

In summer a sauna in your room is a nice extra. In November it is the reason to come. Outside it is damp and dark early; inside, the warmth is a few steps from the bed. Afterwards you sit out on the balcony, or the loggia on the top floor, and look straight at the lake and the mountains.

The Wellness rooms measure 30 to 40 square metres and sleep up to four. There is a lift to every room, including those under the roof.

Day one: arrive without a car

The train from Munich Central Station takes about 50 minutes to Schliersee with no change, running every hour or every half hour. From the station it is a seven-minute walk to us. If you come by car, parking at the house is free.

In the afternoon, a first stretch along the shore, then the sauna, then dinner at the Xaver. The kitchen under Tobias Krüger cooks with fish from the Fischerei Schliersee and meat from Holnburger in Miesbach, with beer from Hopf and from Tegernsee.

Day two: the short walk to the castle ruin

Breakfast is served daily from 7:30 to 10 am. Afterwards, our favourite easy walk from the front door: along the lake to Fischhausen, up to the ruin of Hohenwaldeck castle and back over the Oberleiten meadows. Two to three hours, with a fine view over the whole lake.

If it rains, we send our guests to the monte mare pool and sauna, the Markus Wasmeier open-air museum, the Slyrs whisky distillery or to the Winklstüberl in Fischbachau for cake. All our ideas for wet days are in our guide to Schliersee on a rainy day.

Day three: the view from the Weinberg

Before you leave, walk the few minutes up the Weinberg, the small hill right behind the house. From the top you look over the village to the lake, and on a clear November day it is the finest view we can show you in half an hour. If you have time to spare: the Tegernsee is only eleven kilometres away.

• Waterproof shoes with a good grip. In autumn the paths are often wet and covered in leaves.
• Warm layers rather than one thick coat. By the lake it is cool in the morning and warm in the midday sun.
• A head torch if you walk in the afternoon. It gets dark early.
• A book. What else is November for?

• The restaurant, bar and beer garden are closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Thursday we open at 5 pm, from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays at 11:30 am. The kitchen cooks until 9 pm.
• Whether an alpine hut is open in November is shown on its own website. Ask before you set off; we are happy to help at reception.
• Advent begins at the end of November. Which Christmas markets around the lake open when is in our guide to the Christmas markets at Schliersee.