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King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee

We will be travelling from Regensburg to Garmisch Partenkirchen in December and staying in GaP 2 nights. I wondered if Herrenchiemsee is worth seeing in Winter. I see it is open. I've been to Neuschwainstein and Linderhof and loved visiting them. Still working on transportation logistics whether we'll rent car from Regensburg, train to Garmisch, then rent a car, or take train back to Munich airport and rent a car from there. (We want a car once we get to Garmisch as we're then heading towards Lindau area and then further west.)

Posted by
10264 posts

We were there in the fall, rather than the winter so I can't say what it would be like in December. We enjoyed it very much. We had gone to Neuschweinstein on a previous trip. One note of possible interest to some - while were were there in 9/10 they were filming scenes for the Three Musketeers film staring Orlando Bloom.

Posted by
2914 posts

Hi Kathy,
If you loved visiting Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, I think you'll love Herrenchiemse also. As for our favorite interior between these three, it's a toss up between Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof. Plan on a few hours to visit, as it entails taking a 15 min. boat trip to reach the island, a level 15 to 20 min. walk to reach the palace and then the 30 min. tour. We did this in late October and there were 5 people on the English tour, including us. Very nice. No crowds (barely anyone that day) anywhere. Paul

Posted by
193 posts

We were there in March when winter was still trying to show off. It was cold, cloudy and I think we even had a bit of snow. Having been to Neuschwainstein before, we decided on Herrenchiemsee and, despite the weather, was a great idea. While we didn't get to see the gardens, which I imagine are beautiful in the spring and summer, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Our guide's English was excellent and her knowledge of the palace and Ludwig's history was impressive.
It was a fairly easy drive from Munich. It may be important to note that there wasn't much for food or drink during the time we were there. The little shop inside the papace was open, but I'd pack some snacks and have a hearty breakfast before heading to to Herrenchiemsee.

Posted by
201 posts

Thanks so much. Based on the comments, we'll definitely stop and visit. Since it's below Regensburg on the way to Garmisch, I guess it will make the most sense to pick up the car from Regensburg and head there along the way. Do you think it's necessary for advance reservations at that time of year?

Posted by
2914 posts

Hi Kathy, I don't believe you can reserve tickets in advance for Herrenchiemsee. http://www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm When we visited, in mid October, and as I said earlier, there was no one there at all. 5 on our tour. People waiting for the next tour... zero. No one wandering around, inside the gift shop, even along the walk from the lake to the palace, we may have seen a person or two. Paul