Things to do
at Schliersee

Schliersee is both a lake and a village in Upper Bavaria, about 60 km south-east of Munich. The lake lies at 777 metres, is 2.5 km long and takes about an hour and a half to walk round. Behind it the land rises in every direction into the Mangfall mountains, part of the Bavarian Pre-Alps, where the highest peak around the Spitzingsee, the Rotwand, reaches 1,884 metres. It is the kind of place many people picture when they search for things to do in Bavaria, without the coach parties of the better-known lakes.

The village is small, but it borders six other municipalities and, to the south, the Austrian Tyrol. That is why so many day trips start here in different directions: the Tegernsee to the west, Fischbachau and Bayrischzell to the east, the Spitzingsee and the mountains to the south. Stay a week and you can go somewhere different each day without ever driving more than half an hour.

We run the Terofal, a hotel in the centre of the village, four minutes’ walk from the water. Everything below has been tested by our guests, and the tips marked as such come from Ute and Markus Leitner, who own the house.

1. Walk round the lake. The path is 7.4 km, practically flat and close to the water nearly all the way. Allow an hour and a half, more with stops. It is the best way to get your bearings on the first afternoon.

2. Climb the Weinberg. This is the first of the owners’ tips, and the one most guests miss: the small hill directly behind the hotel, with the Gothic chapel of St. Georg and an old lime tree on top. It is a short climb, and the view over the rooftops, the church tower and the whole lake is the best you get for so little effort.

3. Take the boat, or row yourself. The Schliersee III, a 20-metre excursion boat, makes a 45-minute round trip, usually from May to September; motor boats have run on this lake since 1897. Next to the landing you can hire rowing, pedal and electric boats. Ute and Markus Leitner’s favourite spot is the sandbank just off the island of Wörth. Ask at the boat hire where you may swim: their rules keep electric boats away from the island and do not allow swimming from the boats. If you would rather stay on land, the Strandbad, the public lido, is on the shore a few minutes from the village centre. (The Seeheimat apartments have their own lakeside lawn, reserved for apartment guests.)

4. Visit the island of Wörth. The small wooded island in the middle of the lake, just over two hectares, has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has an inn. You get there by boat.

5. Ride up to the Schliersbergalm. A cable car climbs the hill on the east side of the village to the Schliersbergalm, where there is a restaurant, a summer toboggan run back down and a view of the whole lake with the island in the middle. It is the most photographed view of Schliersee and the only one at that height you do not have to walk for.

6. Go to the theatre. The Schlierseer Bauerntheater, founded next door to our house in 1892, still plays comedies in Bavarian dialect, performed by local people. The language is broad even for Germans, but the evening works without understanding every line. The Terofal holds 12 tickets for each performance for its guests, which helps on sold-out nights.

7. Walk to the Hohenwaldeck ruin. This is the owners’ favourite easy walk from the door: along the lake to Fischhausen, up through the woods to the ruins of Hohenwaldeck castle above the village, and back along the Oberleiten, the slope above the west shore, with a view across the whole lake. Allow 2 to 3 hours.

8. Spend half a day at the Markus Wasmeier Open-Air Museum. On the edge of Neuhaus, about 3.5 km by road from the village, the former Olympic ski champion Markus Wasmeier has rebuilt more than 22 historic farm buildings from the Bavarian uplands on 60,000 square metres. They are not replicas: each was taken down at its original site, restored and put back up here, to show farm life as it was around the early 18th century. On many days there are demonstrations of old crafts such as baking in a wood-fired oven, brewing, basket-weaving and woodcarving, and there is an inn on site. The season usually runs from April to November, Tuesday to Sunday; check the museum’s website for current hours. In recent years the museum has also held a Christmas market on the second and third weekends of Advent.

9. Visit the SLYRS whisky distillery. Bavaria makes whisky too. SLYRS distils it in Neuhaus, just over 4 km from the village, and runs a visitor centre with tours of the distillery. It is one of the owners’ standard suggestions for a wet day.

From the hotel, Fischhausen-Neuhaus is one stop on the train or a short bus ride, and with the guest card both are free.

10. Go up to the Spitzingsee. About 10 km south by road and 300 metres higher, the Spitzingsee is a mountain lake at 1,084 metres, small enough to walk round in under an hour (3.3 km). It is the base for the best-known peaks of the area: Rotwand, Jägerkamp, Brecherspitz and Bodenschneid among them. In summer there are walks for every level, in winter the lifts of the Spitzingsee ski area. The bus takes about 15 minutes and is free with the guest card; parking at the Spitzingsee is not.

11. Have a Brotzeit on an Alm. An Alm is a high summer pasture where cattle graze from late spring to autumn. Many have a hut that serves simple food: a Brotzeit (bread, cheese, cold meats), soup, cake, a beer or a buttermilk. They are the reward at the end of most walks here. The owners’ favourite is the Freudenreichalm, above Neuhaus on the slopes of the Brecherspitz. Others they recommend are the Gindelalm, Kreuzbergalm, Ankelalm and Obere Firstalm, on foot or by e-bike. Huts open seasonally and many have a rest day, so check before you go.

12. Climb a real summit. For experienced walkers, the owners suggest two harder days, each 4 to 5 hours: from the Spitzingsattel pass up the Brecherspitz and back via the Obere Firstalm (sure-footedness and a head for heights required), and from the Spitzingsee up the Rotwand, 1,884 metres, via the Rotwandhaus hut and back.

The Alps make their own weather, and a wet day comes with most stays. These are the places Ute and Markus Leitner send guests to when it does.

13. A thermal pool or sauna. monte mare Schliersee, by the boat landing in the village, has an indoor pool and a sauna area; the guest card gives you two hours in the pool once per stay. Across the hill, monte mare also runs a lakeside sauna on the Tegernsee. Of course the more private option is a room with its own sauna.

14. Cake in Fischbachau. The Café Winklstüberl in Fischbachau, in the next valley to the east, is known across the region for its home-made cakes and tortes. The owners call it the best cake far and wide, and they are not alone.

15. The old town of Bad Tölz. About 35 minutes west by car, Bad Tölz has a long, steep market street lined with painted façades. The owners recommend driving; by public transport it is a long way round.

16. Munich, by train. The train from Schliersee reaches Munich Central Station in about 50 minutes, without changing. The owners’ suggestion is the Viktualienmarkt, Munich’s food market in the old town, for lunch. Then take the train back to a quiet evening.

The Wasmeier museum and the SLYRS distillery, above, both work in the rain as well.

17. Lake Tegernsee. Behind the mountain to the west, 11 to 15 km by road depending on the village, lies the Tegernsee: four times the size of the Schliersee, with five villages on its shore, more shops and restaurants, and more people. The owners point out what guests tend to overlook: it is only a short drive, it has two golf courses (the Tegernseer Golf Club and the Golfclub Margarethenhof), and Rottach-Egern is the place for shopping. You can also walk there over the hill in 3 to 4.5 hours and come back by bus.

18. The Wendelstein. The Wendelstein cable car leaves from Osterhofen near Bayrischzell, about 12 km from Schliersee, and climbs from 792 to 1,724 metres; the summit, at 1,838 metres, is a short walk further on. The operator posts daily information on which paths and lifts are open. It is one of the owners’ tips, and on a clear day the view reaches far out over the Bavarian lowlands.

19. Bayrischzell and Fischbachau. East of Schliersee, the Leitzach valley runs towards Bayrischzell at the foot of the Wendelstein. In summer it is walking country; in winter Bayrischzell is known for cross-country skiing, and the Sudelfeld ski area is above it.

20. Skiing. The Spitzingsee and Sudelfeld ski areas are each 15 to 20 minutes away. In season a ski bus runs hourly to the Spitzingsee from a stop in the village, free with the guest card. Skis can be hired in the village at Sport Berauer.

21. Tobogganing. The owners’ recommendation: from the Spitzingsattel walk up to the Obere Firstalm, hire a sledge and ride down. Dress warmly, and ski goggles help.

22. Skating. When it is cold enough, the natural ice rink in Schliersee opens; otherwise there is an indoor rink in Miesbach. In a hard winter, when the lake freezes and the authorities allow it, people skate on the Schliersee itself.

23. Cross-country skiing and winter walks. Bayrischzell is the region’s best-known cross-country area, and Schliersee has trails of its own, some of them lit. There are also cleared winter walking and snowshoe routes.

If you are looking for things to do near Munich, Schliersee is one of the few Alpine lakes you can reach completely without a car. The BRB train leaves Munich Central Station hourly, at busy times every half hour, and gets here in about 50 minutes without changing. Trains run from about 6 am until around midnight. From the station it is a few minutes’ walk to the water. On fine summer weekends the car parks fill early, and the train is the quicker choice.

Most of the trains from Munich are coupled with the services to Tegernsee and Lenggries and split on the way. The section for Schliersee and Bayrischzell is usually at the front; the displays tell you.

If you stay the night, the Gästekarte (guest card) your host gives you changes the arithmetic. It is a free ticket on buses and trains in MVV zones 6 to 9: the regional buses including the routes to the Spitzingsee and around the Tegernsee, the Wendelstein ring bus, and the BRB trains south of Miesbach. It also gives free parking at many car parks in the village (not at the Spitzingsee), the two hours at monte mare, and free entry to the local museum and the natural ice rink. Conditions change from year to year; the tourist office has the current list.

And there is one more owners’ tip for the autumn: the Kulturherbst, the village’s autumn programme of cultural events. Dates are on the tourist office website.