Travel report: The Munich Lakes Tour
From our guests Anette and Dieter
"The Munich Lakes Tour"
As soon as we read this headline in the brochure, a few images immediately flashed through our minds: blue lakes with sailing ships, mountains, wooded heights, onion domes, beer gardens, pastures...
We were not disappointed!
Anette and Dieter decided on a cycling vacation around the Munich lakes. They visited the Ammersee, the Kochelsee and the Tegernsee.
Show more Show less
Start at Lake Ammersee instead of Munich
We chose Dießen am Ammersee as our starting point for this cycle tour, rather than lively Munich. We stayed at the Hotel zum See, a bed-and-breakfast hotel, where we were given a friendly welcome and they were on hand to answer our questions.
Show more Show lessThe accommodation
The hotels we chose were once again well chosen - we found our stay at the Hotel Seeblick in Bernried particularly pleasant - and the Hotel Alpenhof Postillion in Kochel am See was particularly enjoyable.
However, all the other hotels also offered an excellent, varied breakfast buffet every day, so we always had a good basis for the challenges of the day. Although our overnight stay at the Hotel Sheraton in Munich, for example, was also very well-kept, it was more impersonal there due to the size of the hotel.
The cycle paths
The suggested cycle paths were mostly asphalted, which naturally made for a relaxed ride. However, on most of the climbs or in the wooded areas, we cycled on paths with coarse rocks - whereby I in particular had to concentrate very hard and found this rather tiring. My husband would certainly have preferred to cycle through these sections faster, but he always waited patiently for his hesitant wife. But when we were compensated for the effort by the descents, we were able to laugh with the sun again.
Sometimes the signposting of the cycle paths was not ideal - this also has to do with the counties - but we could always rely on my husband's sense of direction and the position of the sun - so we reached our destination every day.
Show more Show lessWe were not only lucky with the good and comfortable overnight stays, but also with the weather! It was sunny every day during this time and the temperatures were very pleasant. Of course, the Bavarian beer gardens, which always had an isotonic drink on tap for us, were very tempting. That's the way to live!
The route chosen by the organizer also took us to cozy and well-kept villages whose market squares always invited us to linger.
In Weilheim, there were even celebrities sitting next to us: the well-known actor Friedrich von Thun enjoyed the summer weather and the idyllic market square, just like us and several other guests, to study his new role over a cup of coffee.
As the ride from Kochelsee to Bad Tölz was relatively short, we made a detour to Lake Tegernsee. Here, too, we were slowed down a little by some rapid climbs, even our e-bikes reached the limit of their performance, but the view of Lake Tegernsee from the heights near Holz made up for it.
Show more Show less
Hindrances on the way to Bad Tölz
In Wiessee, my saddle suddenly broke. We found the helpful senior manager at the Franz Schmid bike store in Dr.-Scheid-Straße 19 (also a bike rental shop!), who repaired the saddle very calmly and matter-of-factly and even recharged the batteries so that we could make our way home unscathed!
As the return journey to Bad Tölz by bike was too strenuous for me, we decided to take the BOB (Bayerische Oberlandbahn) back. In Wiessee, we found a boat that would take our bikes - and so we rode across Lake Tegernsee to Gmund and then to the train station.
But our return journey was not to go smoothly: the train driver couldn't take us on board because of the many passengers already on board, as our bikes would have blocked the escape route. So we had to leave the train again - and wait for the return train to Tegernsee, where we would be the first on the train and have space. This great tip was given to us by a very friendly, helpful conductor - and we were glad that you always meet nice people on such journeys.
Show more Show lessIn Tegernsee, however, we had to wait around 45 minutes for the train to leave. But this friendly train attendant also had the recommendation to shorten the waiting time with a non-alcoholic wheat beer in the nearby beer garden. In the meantime, he kept an eye on our bikes. Thus fortified, we could then look forward to our return journey in a relaxed manner.
Then the usual change in Schaftlach to get on the train to Lenggries, which went via Bad Tölz. Time was running out, it was getting dark. In Bad Tölz we had to find our way to the hotel in the dark, which was quite far from the station. We couldn't find a particularly suitable cycle path in these light conditions. The path - along a busy main road - led downhill, probably towards the Isar, which was definitely the right direction. I let it go, riding like the devil to get off this road - in complete contrast to my habit of letting the brakes get hot on downhill roads. In the end, everything worked out perfectly, we found the hotel and then enjoyed a nightcap at Gasthaus Binderbräu. These are the kind of things you don't forget so quickly.
Stage to Munich
The next morning, we set off from Bad Tölz towards Munich - a very nice ride via Wolfratshausen, Grünwald, often passing the Isar River and Hellabrunn Zoo.
Show more Show lessIt was Saturday and "our" VfB Stuttgart was playing against Regensburg. We were able to get Wi-Fi in the courtyard of the Deutsches Museum and so we watched the game in the shade on the tablet we had brought with us in our luggage - nerve-wracking, but a win for VfB Stuttgart.
In this good mood, we then drove the last leg of the journey to the Sheraton Hotel. Here we stayed in a very spacious room with an anteroom next to the bedroom, high up on the tenth floor, with a great panoramic view of the city of Munich.
The last stage: From Munich via Andechs to Ammersee
The last day of cycling first gave us the route out of Munich - the cycle path along the busy arterial road is easy to cycle on and is also well marked - but then it gets lost. In any case, we found our way to Andechs and pushed our bikes up to the monastery - but on this warm and sunny Sunday, there were a lot (too many) people out and about. There were very long queues at the drinks counter and therefore longer waiting times. It was quicker in a smaller beer garden nearby. It would also have been advisable not to take the cycle path through the forest down to Herrsching - you couldn't make any progress because of all the walkers - but to follow the road from Andechs. Well, we'll be smarter next time!
Show more Show lessConclusion
Now this cycle tour is over, the past. Everything worked out: the beautiful landscape, the lovely people, the caring and foresighted service from the organizer for all eventualities, the well-chosen accommodation. This is now our third trip with the company RADWEG-REISEN, now in association with the organizer Eurobike - we will continue!
Show more Show less
