Bernried on Lake Starnberg combines a protected landscape, church art and several routes.

Protected Landscape and Church Art

South of Bernried on Lake Starnberg lies Bernrieder Park. It covers about 80 hectares and is protected as a landscape and historic monument. The park thus adds a distinctive landscape and heritage element alongside the town’s historic churches.

St. Martin’s Parish Church was renovated from 1652 to 1663. It has a chancel screen slab from the Carolingian period and a Gothic winged altar from a Munich school dating to around 1500. Bernried’s Hofmark Church was built in 1362. Its crypt chapel contains a Gothic Vesperbild, a Pietà and an example of 14th-century Bavarian woodcarving. The churches in Bernried thus bring together different historical periods and forms of sacred art. Another distinctive feature of the town is the Klosterhof, an ensemble with magnificent old plane trees.

Routes with Different Layouts

The eastern loop, “Reflective Waters,” of the Heilige Landschaft Pfaffenwinkel Pilgrimage Hiking Trail passes through Weilheim to Bernried, then continues via Seeshaupt, Penzberg, Benediktbeuern and the Osterseen lakes before returning to Peißenberg. The eastern loop connects Bernried with several stops before returning to Peißenberg.

The Art Loop of the Oberbayern Wasserradlwege takes a different route: it provides a cross-connection from Gauting via Starnberg, along Lake Starnberg and through Bernried, then via Seeshaupt through the Osterseen lake district and on to Murnau. When planning, the difference between the eastern loop and this cross-connection therefore matters more than their shared connection to Bernried alone.

Another option is the Nordic Walking Technique Route in Bernried. It is 1.4 kilometres long and rated easy. If you are considering this route, check the current route conditions locally.

Art Nearby and Other Places in the Starnberg Destination

North of Bernried, in Höhenrieder Park on the shore of Lake Starnberg, is the Buchheim Museum. It displays an Expressionist collection of paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints, as well as arts and crafts from around the world, Bavarian folk art, cultural objects from Africa and other non-European countries, and works by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. In the Laboratory of Imagination, children and adults can try out artistic techniques for themselves. Check with the museum whether this activity is available on the date of your visit.

The Starnberg destination also has other distinct regional points of interest. The Bismarck Tower near Assenhausen was inaugurated on 1 July 1899. The heritage-listed Feldafing lido is still largely in its original 1927 condition; its seasonal opening may change. Swimming and bathing in Lake Starnberg at Bucentaurpark are prohibited by order of the Lake Navigation Authority because of the adjacent shipyard harbour. Check this regulation again before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Gauting, Seefeld, Tutzing, Krailling, Weßling, Wörthsee, Berg, Allmannshausen.

Back to the main travel overview: Starnberg.