Paddling to the fishmonger on a SUP board - a short tour from Gstadt to Fraueninsel on Lake Chiemsee is well worth the effort. After around 1.7 kilometres, you reach the island, which is only 15.5 hectares in size. The eastern side is dominated by handicrafts and boatyards. If you want to land and try a fish speciality, land on the west side directly in the island fishermen's harbour or around the old monastery. From the Schraml bathing area in Prien, it is easy to paddle to the island of Herrenchiemsee. If you head for the Schlosskanal, you can enjoy the view of the New Palace built by Ludwig II. The adrenaline rushes through the veins of paddlers as they paddle down the Alz from the Chiemsee. The journey is leisurely as far as Truchtlaching, from where only experienced river paddlers should tackle the rest of the stage to Altenmark: After the SUP slide, a few rapids and wild passages await.
The best way to explore the Chiemsee, known as the "Bavarian Sea", by bike is on the Chiemsee circular trail (approx. 53 km). Over many kilometres, it leads from one highlight to the next close to the shore. The route alternates between gravel and tarmac sections. Gravel bikers, touring cyclists and mountain bikers will find the perfect tour here. Near Gstadt, bikers can enjoy an unforgettable view across the Fraueninsel to the Chiemgau mountains with the striking Kampenwand. In the tourist centre of Prien, you can catch a glimpse of the Chiemsee steam railway from 1887 and the sandy beach of the beach bar in Übersee is perfect for a sundowner (or drink).
Info for bike and SUP on Lake Chiemsee
- General travel information: for a holiday on Lake Chiemsee are available from the tourist office: chiemsee-alpenland.de
- SUP hire (selection): A large selection of rental boards are available from the sup-club-chiemsee.de and chiemsee-surfschool-gstadt.de
- Bike hire stations can be found under: bike-hire-chiemsee.com and chiemsee-kaufmann.de
- SUP tip: Tour on the Alz. Click here for the detailed tour description
- Bike tip: Two-day cycle tour around Lake Chiemsee or "By bike around Lake Chiemsee and the Hacken and Rottauer Filz nature reserve"; in the DK tour portal:
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Further tour tips for SUP and bike
Stephan Gölnitz
Deputy Editor in Chief surf
Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.
