Hi,
We are arriving in Munich at 9:45am. on a Monday (Oct.) and were wondering if we would have time to see Herrencheimsee Castle on our way to our hotel inRamsau(Berchtesgaden). We'd like to get to our hotel by 3 or 4pm. I guess the question is...how much time is needed to see it? I know about the jet lag, etc., but we've travelled to Munich before and it doesn't seem to bother us too much. Thank you.

Paul

It's a bit tricky since you have to take a boat over, then walk a fair distance. There isn't really all that much to see there and you can do it easily in an hour. It's the logistics of it all that takes time.

Meanwhile, don't get me wrong when I say there isn't much to see --- what there is, is quite impressive.

Train to Prien, then either take shuttle tourist train down to docks or walk - about half mile i think then take frequent boats to the island - not sure you could get to hotel by 3 or 4 but not long after.
Yes i agree not much there but what's there is great - in many ways to me the finest of 'Mad' Ludwig's castles. The boat ride on the Chiemsee, girdled by Bavarian Alps is part of the fun. Go for it - or a short day trip from Berchtesgaden as well.
About hourly trains Munich-Prien - but getting to Berchtesgaden from Prien, though not far takes more time by train than it seems it should as Berchtesgaden is on a sideline off the main Munich-Prien-Salzburg mainline.

Thank you for the reply's. We will have a car and really are interested in just Ludwigs Castle.

Paul

You do not have to walk to the palace once you reach the island. You can actually pay a fee to ride one of the frequent horse-drawn carriages right up to the front entrance.

I disagree that there isn't much to see...why?

Because this is the largest of all the Ludwig builds >200 rooms) and it is THE most elaborately decorated (inside) of all the castles/palaces. The furnishings are elaborate and rich to say the least and the Hall of Mirrors is even larger than its namesake at Versailles.

The place may not be as fanciful on the outside as Neuschwanstein (since it is really more of a "palace" than a "castle" but once you get inside you'll be glad you went IMO.

Hi pja1. You should have plenty of time to stop at Herrencheimsee, I think you just get off of the autobahn, there are signs for Herrencheimsee if I'm not mistaken. Once in Prien you just follow signs down to the boat dock, there is plenty of parking available right there, hop on the next boat, walk or ride the carts to the castle and enjoy. Have a great time.
Susan

Hello,

We have done this same trip and it is quite easy. Drive to prien to the boat dock (about halfway between Munich and Berchtesgaden). Take the boat over to the island (20 minutes). From there about a 15-20 minute walk or take the horse drawn carriage to the castle. The tour takes about an hour if you include the museum. If not, it lasts about 35 minutes.

The drive form Munich to Berchtesgaden is about 2.5- 3 hours, so a stop at Herrencheimsee is a great choice as it is not out of the way. You should easily be at your hotel by 3 or 4.

Donna

Thank you all for the advice. We will see how we do time wise but plan on stopping to see Herrencheimsee as we are based in Ramsau 3 nights and plan to drive to Hallstatt on one of our 2 full days here before driving the Grossglockner (hopefully open), staying in Heiligenblut 1 night, then heading to Alta Badia in Italy.

Paul

If you have the stamina to do this after the flight, go for it! When we fly into Munich, I can't wait to hit a bed (any bed) for my nap! If your flight lands at 9:45, I would expect that you should be free of customs and have your rental car by 11. Without any big traffic delays, we can generally drive from MUC to Berchtesgaden in a little under 2 hours.
As the earlier posters stated, Prien is right off the autobahn and you will drive by the Cheimsee whether or not you exit there. If the weather is lousy, I would skip Cheimsee and save it for the next trip!

Thank you EmilyC. My feeling was we're going past anyway so.. why not stop. We've flown to Munich a few times and drive to Salzburg or the Innsbruck area from the airport and usually stay up until 9 or 10 pm. We've never been to Berchtesgaden and never stopped at Cheimsee though (go figure) and are looking forward to it.
Paul