Ruhpolding,
Bavaria, Germany
Ruhpolding in the summer is beautiful with mountains, walking, lakes and the Chiemgau activity card.
SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Travel
Flying: Lufthanasa Manchester to Munich
We have also flown to Salzburg
Train: Munich Airport to Ruhpolding - Bahn
We love that Ruhpolding has a train station that means we can easily visit other places.
You can also explore Bavaria by train for a whole day for as little as EUR 27.
Deutsche Bahn: Discover Germany and Europe by train!
Hotel
Ruhpolding - Town House Hotel
Friendly, family run hotel. Very comfortable rooms.
We particularly love the bircher muesli at breakfast - worth travelling a thousand miles for!
This was the fifth time we stayed here for 7 nights.
Visit
Requires overnight stay with a participating host of the Chiemgau Card
Includes the following activities we really love (along with many others):
- Unternbergbahn (Ruhpolding)
- Hochfelln cable car (Bergen)
- Vita Alpina outdoor pool in summer (Ruhpolding)
- Museum of Local History (Ruhpolding)
- Natural History and Mammoth Museum (Siegsdorf)
ACTIVITIES WE ENJOYED SUMMER 2023
Local Fairs
Make sure you look at the Ruhpolding website and see what local fairs are happening. It's great to see the local traditions and the traditional clothes (dirndl and lederhosen.)
HIKING
The footpaths around Ruhpolding are excellently signposted, really clear, and for as far as you would like to wander. We particularly like the walk to Unternberg and then catch the cable car to the top where the views are amazing and there is a super cafe with traditional German food served. There are walks around the top and you can walk up or down the mountain. At the top you will also see lots of Para Gliders jumping off which is always thrilling.
Herrenchiemsee Palace and Lake
This palace is magnificent, the rooms were based upon those at the Palace of Versailles. It was built for King Ludwig II, who also owned Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle.
To get to Herrenchiemsee from Ruhpolding is really easy, you catch the train to Traunstein, then a Munich train, to Prien. Immediately beside Prien train station is the steam train station, and this steam train will take you to the lake. When you get off the steam train there will be a boat to take you across the lake to Herrenchiemsee Palace. It is all extremely well organised.
Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee | Schlösser in Bayern - YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com)
Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung | Schloss und Park Herrenchiemsee | Aktuelles
Crazy Golf
There is a fabulous Crazy Golf Course in the centre of Ruhpolding, always good fun even though we are both pretty rubbish. Glorious views and a small bar selling fabulous German beers and soft drinks too. This time we also played on the Adventure Golf Course, this was free as it is included in the Chiemgau Card. It is a little out of Ruhpolding, but a very pleasant walk along the river to get there.
Cafes in Ruhpolding
Even though we are fed very well at the Wittelsbach Hotel some days we fancied a drink and sometimes a piece of cake, there are lots of lovely cafes to choose from. In the evening we sometimes go to another bar for a change and there are plenty within the village. There are also a couple of supermarkets.
Churches and places to visit
The main Church in Ruhpolding is situated on a small hill, taking an imposing position over the village. It is finely decorated in the Baroque and Rococo styles. There is also an older church that is a pleasant walk along the river to get there.
Beyond Ruhpolding there are lots of lovely towns and villages that you can visit for free using the Chiemgau Card either by bus or train. The timetables for all these are available from the Tourist Office next to the train station.
We have also visited by train Munich and Salzburg from Ruhpolding. A day out in each city is fantastic with lots to see and do.
