Herrenchiemsee Palace

Report on Herrenchiemsee Palace by guest writer: Rebecca Pentelow

Chiemsee (Lake Chiem)

ALL ABOARD!: Taking a ferry to the islands on the
Chiemsee makes for a great day-trip from Munich.

Situated only 60 km from Munich, the beautiful Chiemsee lake, sometimes referred to as the 'Bavarian sea' is home to several small islands, including perhaps Germany's most fascinating island, Herrenchiemsee.

Easily accessible by train, there is also a boat trip around the islands, allowing tourists to stop at both of the main islands, Herrenchiemsee and Frauenchiemsee, as well as a small holiday town on the other side of the lake, called Gstadt.

Herrenchiemsee island

Herrenchiemsee is home to one of Ludwig II's palaces, also known as Herrenchiemsee palace.

Although perhaps not as opulent as Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's most famous castle, Herrenchiemsee is based on the French Palace of Versailles, and a great deal of the interior artwork is dedicated to the French king, Louis XIV.

Though it was never finished, Herrenchiemsee still boasts impressive gardens, including a fountain modelled on the original Bassin de Latone; and a hall of mirrors 98 metres long, a third longer than the original in Versailles.

Work stopped for good in June 1886, when Ludwig was found dead in Lake Starnberg the day after he’d been taken to Berg Castle. Suicide, the government said. I’m not so sure: How did King Ludwig II die?

Much of the castle is open to tourists, including the recreation of the Ambassador's Staircase, which is particularly interesting as the original was destroyed in 1752.

INSPIRED: Ludwig II's Herrenchiemsee Palace is a modelled
closely on French King Louis XIV's palace of Versailles.

Herrenchiemsee is also known on the island as the 'New Palace,' due to the presence of an Augustine Monastery which was later converted into the 'Old Palace.'
The monastery was founded in around 765, and is also well worth a visit, especially for those looking to brush up on their history. In 1949, all eleven leaders of the western German states sent delegates to this small island to draft the 'Grundgesetz', or German constitution. An only slightly modified version of this 'Grundgesetz' would later go on to become the 'Verfassung,' or the German constitution as it is known today, and a museum dedicated to its creation can be found within the Old Palace.

Frauenchiemsee island

FROZEN ISLAND: That's me standing on a pier on the
Fraueninsel (Women's Island) in winter.

Although perhaps not as historically relevant as Herrenchiemsee, its smaller sister island, Frauenchiemsee, is also well worth a visit. See my Fraueninsel in winter page for the island and its Christmas market.

Home to an active Benedictine convent as well as several hundred permanent residents, it boasts the famous Kloster Liquor, which is produced by the nuns, as well as several small businesses run by the local residents, for example a small hand-made pottery store.

The details for visiting Herrenchiemsee Palace

See below for a map of the Linderhof grounds.

-by Stuart

Location: On an island on the Chiemsee (Lake Chiem), east of Munich.
Phone: +49 (0) 80 51 68 870
Website: www.herrenchiemsee.de
Open: Herrenchiemsee Palace is open daily from April to 24 October, 9am to 6pm (last tour around 5pm), and from 25 October to March, 10am to 4.45pm (last tour around 4pm). You can only see inside on a guided tour, which takes about 40 minutes. It’s closed on New Year’s Day, Shrove Tuesday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Cost: A combination ticket for the New Palace, the King Ludwig II Museum and the Augustinian Monastery is €14, concession €13, and under-18s go free (2026 prices). You can buy online or at the desks by the jetty on the island. This doesn't include the cost of the ferry to the island, mind you.

Directions: "Doing" Herrenchiemsee by public transport ain’t hard. Take a train from Munich Hauptbahnhof (main train station) to Prien.
It takes about an hour. Remember you can get a Bayern Ticket for a group of up to five people to cut down costs, but you can take one of the RE (Regional-Express) trains with it. You can check connections at the Deutsche Bahn website here.

The you can walk to the ferry pier on the lake (takes about 25min), or get a quaint little green steam train from the station at Prien for only a couple of euros. Note: the little train doesn’t run during winter.
The boat from Prien to visit both Herreninsel island and Fraueninsel island costs €8 for adults and €4.10 for kids. You can buy tickets from the green train stop at the station or from the ticket office near the pier. You can check boat connections here.
Advice: Leave early in the morning if you can! There’s a lot to see around the palace and on the Fraueninsel, so if you want to get you full money’s worth you’d best make an early start. Check out the official Herrenchiemsee website here for more help on planning your day.

Take an organized tour

Are you looking for an organized tour of Herrenchiemsee Palace? Here's a couple I recommend from my booking partners. You have the option of either visiting both islands or focussing on the Herreninsel.

Here's a map of Herrenchiemsee Palace and the island it sits on. The map comes from the Bavarian Palace Department. There's a legend so you can see exactly where everything is. Click on it for a much larger version.



Prien, where you catch the boat out to the island, is on the main line from Munich to Salzburg. If you’re tempted to stay on the train, here’s my Salzburg day trip.

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