Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen: Trails, Culture and Living Traditions

Trails with a range of different themes

The Tölzer Land Healing Climate Park comprises 37 routes across a network of more than 340 kilometres between Bad Heilbrunn, Bad Tölz, Kochel am See, Wackersberg and Lenggries. The hiking options also include six signposted Nordic walking routes ranging from 2 to 8.6 kilometres. If you are looking for a shorter route, the Benediktusweg offers a meditative circular trail around Benediktbeuern Abbey in the Loisach-Kochelsee Moor. Twelve stops share the teachings of Saint Benedict; QR codes and audio files provide further insights.

In Wolfratshausen, too, a walk combines exercise with local history: the easy Loisachweg is 3.34 kilometres long, running through town along the Loisach and passing traces of the rafting trade, the Kastenmühl weir and the Floßlände landing stage. The stated walking time is 49 minutes. The Rafting Audio Trail also explores this historic craft through audio and video files. For a different kind of trail, the MeinBankerlweg leads from the old town to well-known filming locations from the series “Hubert und/ohne Staller”. The route is about six kilometres long; a shorter alternative of about four kilometres is also available.

Town history and local culture

A walking tour of Wolfratshausen’s historic town centre explores the town’s thousand-year history and that of its residents. Stops include St. Andreas Parish Church, built in 1484, the Humpelbräu and the old artisans’ houses. At the Wolfratshausen Museum, small and large objects donated by local residents offer insights into domestic culture, arts and crafts, traditional crafts, commerce and the town’s contemporary history.

Recent regional history is also the focus of the BADEHAUS Memorial Site in Waldram, a district of Wolfratshausen. An audio guide takes you through the permanent exhibition or on a historical walking tour of the area. If you are interested in traditions and religious customs, you can experience the Leonhardifahrt in Bad Tölz. It is considered the largest Leonhardifahrt in Upper Bavaria and one of Germany’s most beautiful horse pilgrimages; every year, it attracts tens of thousands of spectators. The procession follows a set order through Marktstraße to Kalvarienberg and the Leonhardskapelle. A service is held there, during which participants are blessed. The procession then circles the Leonhardi Chapel, built in 1718, twice before returning to Marktstraße.

Nature experiences and excursions

At Blomberg, an adventure trail invites visitors to try activities and solve puzzles at various stations. Wooden telescopes focus attention on features of the natural environment, and there are stories for children. The trail is accessible from spring to autumn. Trains operated by Bayerische Oberlandbahn run hourly from Munich Central Station to Blomberg; from Bad Tölz station, bus routes 9612 and 9591 go to the “Blombergbahn” stop.

If you prefer to explore by bike, consider the road cycling tour to Lake Walchensee: it starts in Wolfratshausen and goes via Bad Heilbrunn, Lake Kochelsee and the Kesselberg pass to Lake Walchensee, then returns to Wolfratshausen via Bad Tölz. Another special excursion idea is a raft trip from Wolfratshausen to Munich, a tourist attraction for visitors from across Europe. For a trip by public transport, Express Bus X970 connects Bad Tölz, the Isar Valley, Geretsried, Wolfratshausen and Starnberg; you can get off at various stops to visit local sights. Wolfratshausen is also connected to Munich by S-Bahn line S7. According to the municipality, Munich is about 25 kilometres to the north and can be reached within 30 minutes.

The excursion destinations are spread across different locations and offer a range of experiences. As a tourism brand, Tölzer Land represents all 21 towns and municipalities in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen. For more ideas, see the pages on Geretsried, Icking, Bad Heilbrunn, Jachenau, Eurasburg, Gaißach, Benediktbeuern, Kochel am See, Schlehdorf, Münsing, Wolfratshausen, Wackersberg, Sankt Heinrich, Bichl, Greiling, Königsdorf, Reichersbeuern, Sachsenkam, Lenggries, Egling, Bad Tölz and Dietramszell.

For an overview of the wider region, see: Bavaria.