Side Trip: Starnbergersee

Side Trip: Starnbergersee

The Starnbergersee was one of Europe's first pleasure grounds. Royal coaches were already trundling out from Munich to the lake's wooded shores in the 17th century. In 1663 Elector Ferdinand Maria threw a shipboard party at which 500 guests wined and dined as 100 oarsmen propelled them around the lake. Today, pleasure steamers provide a taste of such luxury for the masses. The lake is still lined with the small baroque palaces of Bavaria's aristocracy, but their owners now share the lakeside with public parks, beaches, and boatyards. The Starnbergersee is one of Bavaria's largest lakes -- 20 km (12 mi) long, 5 km (3 mi) wide, and 406 feet at its deepest point -- so there's plenty of room for swimmers, sailors, and windsurfers. The water is of drinking quality (as with most other Bavarian lakes), a testimony to stringent environmental laws and the very limited number of motorboats allowed.

The Starnbergersee is named after its chief resort, Starnberg, the largest town on the lake and the nearest to Munich. Pleasure boats set off from the jetty for trips around the lake. The resort has a tree-lined lakeside promenade and some fine turn-of-the-20th-century villas, some of which are now hotels. There are abundant restaurants, taverns, and chestnut-tree-shaded beer gardens.

On the lake's eastern shore, at the village of Berg, you'll find the König Ludwig II Votivkapelle Berg (King Ludwig II Memorial Chapel). A well-marked path leads through thick woods to the chapel, built near the point in the lake where the drowned king's body was found on June 13, 1886. He had been confined in nearby Berg Castle after the Bavarian government took action against his withdrawal from reality and his bankrupting castle-building fantasies. A cross in the lake marks the point where his body was recovered.

The castle of Possenhofen, home of Ludwig's favorite cousin, Sissi, stands on the western shore, practically opposite Berg. Local lore says they used to send affectionate messages across the lake to each other. Sissi married the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I but spent more than 20 summers in the lakeside castle, now a luxury hotel, the Kaiserin Elisabeth. Tutzingerstr. 2-6, Feldafing. 08157/93090. www.kaiserin-elisabeth.de

The Buchheim Museum is one of the finest private collections of German expressionist art in the form of paintings, drawings, watercolors, and prints. Among the artists represented are Otto Dix, Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmitt-Rotluff, and other painters of the so-called Brücke movement (1905-13). The museum is housed in an impressive modern building on the lakeside. Some areas of the museum are reserved for African cultic items and Bavarian folk art. The nicest way to get to the museum from Starnberg is by ship. Ask for a combined ticket (EUR 16). Am Hirschgarten 1. 08158/99700. www.buchheimmuseum.de. EUR 7.80. Apr.-Oct., Tues.-Sun. 10-6; Nov.-Mar., Tues.-Sun. 10-5

Just offshore is the tiny Roseninsel, where King Maximilian II built a summer villa. You can swim to its tree-fringed shores or sail across in a dinghy or on a Windsurfer (rentals are available at Possenhofen's boatyard and at many other rental points along the lake).

Where to Stay & Eat

Seerestaurant Undosa. This restaurant is only a short walk from the Starnberg railroad station and boat pier. Most tables command a view of the lake, which provides some of the best fish specials on the international menu. This is the place to try the mild-tasting Renke, a perch-type fish. The Undosa also has jazz evenings and a large café, the Oberdeck, also overlooking the lake. Seepromenade 1. 08151/998-930. Reservations not accepted. AE, MC, V. Closed 2 wks in Feb. Call to confirm hours.

Königswasser. A large, airy atrium welcomes you to this comfortable spot. You can enjoy coffee and cakes or a meal ranging from fresh salad to an Argentinean steak drowned in pepper sauce. The Königswasser has a shelf full of photography books and travel guides that invite you to just sit, relax, and enjoy some time off your feet. It's open past midnight from Wednesday through Saturday and until 6 PM the rest of the week. Maximilianstr. 2b, Starnberg. 08151/444-088. MC, V

Hotel Schloss Berg. King Ludwig II spent his final days in the small castle of Berg, from which this comfortable hotel gets its name. It's on the edge of the castle park where Ludwig liked to walk and a stone's throw from where he drowned. The century-old main hotel building is on the lakeside, and a modern annex overlooks the lake from the woods. All rooms are spacious and elegantly furnished. The restaurant ($-$$$$) and waterside beer garden are favorite haunts of locals and weekenders. The menu in the restaurant changes monthly, and there are four-course meals for EUR 30-EUR 40. Seestr. 17, D-82335, Berg. 08151/9630. 08151/96352. www.hotelschlossberg.de. 60 rooms. In-room: no a/c, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: restaurant, bar, bicycles, public Internet, some pets allowed (fee). AE, MC, V. Full breakfast

Forsthaus am See. The handsome, geranium-covered Forsthaus faces the lake, and so do most of the large, pinewood-furnished rooms. The excellent restaurant ($$-$$$$) has a daily changing international menu, with lake fish a specialty. The hotel has its own lake access and boat pier, with a chestnut-shaded beer garden nearby. Am See 1, D-82343, Possenhofen. 08157/93010. 08157/4292. www.forsthaus-am-see.de. 21 rooms, 1 suite. In-room: no a/c. In-hotel: restaurant, bar, some pets allowed (fee). AE, MC, V. Full breakfast

Hotel Seehof. This small hotel right next to the train station has several rooms with a view of the lake. Rooms are simply done, with light colors and flower prints hanging on the walls. The Italian restaurant attached, Al Gallo Nero (¢-$$$), has dishes ranging from low-price pizzas to high-price fish items that will satisfy any palate. Bahnhofpl. 6, D-82319, Starnberg. 08151/908-500. 08151/28136. www.hotel-seehof-starnberg.de. 38 rooms. In-room: no a/c, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: restaurant, some pets allowed (fee), minibar. AE, DC, MC, V. Full breakfast