Chiemsee and Fraueninsel

Chiemsee covers about eighty square kilometres and is called the Bavarian Sea, a glacial basin with the Alps rising behind it to the south. Two main islands sit in it: Herreninsel with Ludwig II's palace, and Fraueninsel, a fifteen-hectare island holding a Benedictine convent founded around 782 and occupied by nuns continuously since, apart from a short suppression, making it one of the oldest such communities in Germany. The nuns make and sell a marzipan liqueur and other products. The island has no cars, a small fishing settlement and a free-standing bell tower with an onion dome.

What you actually see

• The convent - a Benedictine house running since about 782.
• The car-free island - fishing houses and gardens on fifteen hectares.
• The Torhalle - a Carolingian gatehouse with early wall paintings.
• The lake steamers - boats linking the shore towns and both islands.

When to go

May to September; boats run year-round on a reduced winter timetable. The islands are busiest on summer weekends. Autumn gives the clearest Alpine views.

Honest expectations

Everything is reached by boat on a fixed timetable, which limits how long you can stay. The convent is a working religious house with restricted access.

Nearby

Herrenchiemsee is the neighbouring island; Prien is the mainland base.