Chiemsee is the largest lake in Bavaria, Germany. This article covers the municipality (Gemeinde) that consists of the islands of Herrenchiemsee (Herreninsel), Frauenchiemsee and the uninhabited Krautinsel.

Understand

The Chiemsee is under the protection of the international Ramsar Convention, which was founded to preserve ecologically important wetlands. Since 1954 the mudflats in the delta formed where the Tiroler Ache flows into the lake have been a protected retreat for many endangered species of waterfowl and wader.

Get in

By plane

Lake Chiemsee is 120 km from the Munich Airport (MUC ^IATA) and 65 km from the Salzburg W.A. Mozart International Airport (SZG ^IATA).

By train

Prien am Chiemsee is a station on Munich-Salzburg railway line. Direct IC/EC trains stop at Prien station, as well as slower (but cheaper) Meridian trains. Travel time from Munich is about 57 minutes using IC trains, 1 hour Meridian. See DB Bahn website for more details. Narrow gauge Chiemseebahn connects Prien Bahnhof (railway station) to the boat pier. However, the Chiemseebahn only runs in the summer. There is a path alongside the Chiemseebahn permitting an easy walking route to the boat pier.

By car

The Chiemsee is about 90 km south-east of Munich and can be reached via the A8 from Munich to Salzburg (exit Bernau).

Get around

• Chiemsee-Schifffahrt Ludwig Feßler GmbH, ☏ +49 80 51 60 90, fax: +49 80 51 6 29 43. Connects Herreninsel and Fraueninsel with Seebruck, Chieming, Gstadt, Prien/Stock, Bernau/Felden, Übersee/Feldwies 

See

• 1 Chiemsee (m). The largest lake in Bavaria, which is otherwise known as the "Bavarian Sea". The lake does not have appreciable tides like a real sea, but it does have an area of 80 km², and it originated from the primeval Thetis Sea which once covered almost half of Europe.  
• 2 Herrenchiemsee New Palace (island of Herrenchiemsee). 
• Augustinian Monastery (Old Palace). 
• 3 Frauenchiemsee monastery (Benedictine abbey of Frauenwörth). 

Eat

• Café im Neuen Schloss (on the Herreninsel), ☏ +49 80 51 96 88 34. 
• Zur Linde (on the Fraueninsel), ☏ +49 80 54 3 16. Restaurant and hotel. 

Sleep

• Schlosswirtschaft Herrenchiemsee (Schlosshotel), Herrenchiemsee, ☏ +49 8051 69030. 
• Gästehaus des Klosters (Benediktinerinnen Frauenwörth) (Fraueninsel), ☏ +49 8054 - 907-145. A guest house. 
• Inselhotel zur Linde, Fraueninsel im Chiemsee, ☏ +49 8054 - 90366. 
• 1 Hotel-Restaurant Inselwirt, Frauenchiemsee 43, ☏ +49 8054 630. (updated Apr 2015)

Go next

• Rosenheim
• Julius Exter's House, Feldwies.