Bernau am Chiemsee: Cycling routes, lake and local history

Getting here and finding your way around

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; holidaymakers can use some routes free of charge with the guest card. If you plan to take advantage of the guest card, it is worth checking which routes are suitable for your journeys. These transport options can play a part in choosing the pace of your holiday, without requiring you to commit to just one way of getting around.

Cycle to the lake and up Hitzelsberg

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 bike trails lead into the surrounding mountains and up to alpine pastures. The different types of tours offer a clear direction for your plans: explore the lakeshore and nature on routes along Lake Chiemsee, or head into the mountains and up to the alpine pastures on mountain bike outings.

Hitzelsberg also brings together several themes. A detour on the southern side of the Hitzelsberg tour leads to the “From Blossom to Honey” information boards, which are part of the Bernau Bee Trail. The Bernau Farm Trail passes by old farmhouses worth seeing. Another option is the Hitzelsberg Family Hike, which offers views of the Chiemgau mountains. You can choose tours according to their individual themes—from information about bees and farms to views of the mountain landscape.

Chiemseepark Bernau-Felden

At Chiemseepark Bernau-Felden, visitors can rent a boat from a boat hire and take it out on Lake Chiemsee. The park also has a lido with two beach volleyball courts, a beach soccer pitch, table tennis tables, a bocce court and two playgrounds. This means there are different activities to choose from: a trip out on the lake, exercise on the sports courts or time at the lido. You can decide which one shapes your day based on your interests.

Bernau’s history and viewpoints

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. The Seisersäule tells a different story: it stood as a roadside marker between Bernau and Weisham as early as 1518 and has been located at the foot of the church steps next to the Alter Wirt inn since 1958. The bronze figure “Welcome” by Moni Stein was acquired by the municipality in 2017 at the initiative of Bernau resident Ursula Bethe. It stands at the entrance to the new town hall and welcomes residents and guests.

The viewpoints also offer different perspectives. From the viewpoint at the historic water tower in Bergham, a district of Bernau, you can see Bernau, Lake Chiemsee, Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. The viewpoint at the war memorial in Hittenkirchen offers views across Bernau, Lake Chiemsee and Herreninsel. The Kurpark is set on gentle hills in the heart of the town; the forest chapel is on the circular trail around Hitzelsberg.

You can discover more local history in Kraimoos, a district of Bernau: the Mariengrotte, over 150 years old, was once a popular venue for religious celebrations such as May devotions, processions of supplication, outdoor Masses and first Masses. The Protestant Church of the Redeemer is in the center of Bernau. The Catholic parish church of St. Laurentius in the town center offers views of the Kampenwand and Lake Chiemsee; from the Church of St. Bartholomew in the center of the Hittenkirchen district, the view stretches across Lake Chiemsee.

Discover more destinations: Ramerberg, Samerberg, Babensham, Rosenheim, Neubeuern, Bad Feilnbach, Feldkirchen-Westerham, Eiselfing.

Go to the main travel overview: Rosenheim.