Bad Aibling

  Bad Aibling, Germany
Friday, May 4, 2007

Hi,

I'm so glad you've found my travelogue.  I grew up in Bavaria and still have family there, so once a year I try to go back and see my family and at the same time try to connect it with some small excursions to re-visit some of my most favorite places of all time.


Let's start with my hometown of Bad Aibling.  Bad Aibling is located between Munich and Salzburg (Austria), both cities can be reached within 45 minutes.  Bad Aibling is a really cute & small spa town.  People are very proud of their mudbaths that have a healing effect on all kinds of illnesses, aches and pains.  B&B's and hotels can be found all over town and in all budget classes.

Every season there's something going on that would make your vacation a memorable one.  Summer & Fall are the time for beer-fests, with Octoberfest taking place in Munich during the month of September (I know it's very confusing - sorry).  During the holiday season the city glows with beautiful lights, cozy Christmas markets and one of Germany's highest rated sauna landscapes.  Skiing is very popular due to the close proximity to the Alps.  However if you're looking for a ski vacation then I would suggest that you actually pick a real ski destination in Austria or Switzerland.  But if you would like to make it only a day then I think Bad Aibling is still a great location to stay.  One last clarification:  You'll see me mentioning Austria quite a bit, that's because the border is so close to Bad Aibling that people go there to get cheaper gas. 

Let's start with what's there to see in the area around Bad Aibling.  I've been to all of these places, however not on this trip.  Any attractions in close proximity that I visited on this trip will receive their own entry.

Must do's & Budget tips for Bad Aibling:
-check out the sauna & thermal bath at the Bad Aibling Freizeitanlage
-eat a delicious piece of cake at the cafe "Alte Meierei" - true masters & artists of their craft
-have a truly Bavarian meal at the Gasthof Kriechbaumer in Ellmoosen
-check out the farmer's market (fridays)
-enjoy a 10.00 EUR champaign breakfast at the Romantikhotel Lindner (until 11:00 am)
-take a romantic stroll through the Christmas market (during xmas season)
-get an overview of the city by taking a roundtrip on the Moorexpress bus (1.00 EUR)
-visit the Beergarden of Maxlrain castle and their golf course

Lakes










Lake Koenigssee is famous for it's crystal clear, emerald green waters and the multiple echo's.  If you take a boat tour the guide will proudly demonstrate the echo by performing a trumpet solo. The trademark of lake Koenigssee is the pilgrimage chapel St. Bartholomae dating back to the 12th century as well as the hunting castle next door, which serves nowadays as a restaurant.











Lake Chiemsee.  This trip is a "must do by car".  To get there follow the Autobahn A8 for a scenic route until you see the exit "Prien a. Chiemsee".  Follow the signs to the lake (right on Seestrasse) and once there, park directly at the lot on the lake.  From there take the ferry to the different islands or enjoy some fresh seafood.  Visit the Christmasmarket on the smaller island "Fraueninsel" - it is enchanting.  A visit to Fraueninsel is worth a trip during any season though.  You could combine a trip with a drive to Seeon and enjoy the view of the Seeon monastery and a romantic dinner at the Rauchhaus (see restaurant section).  On your way back take the country road.  Drive through the tiny village of Hittenkirchen and look in your rearview mirror - the view over lake Chiemsee will take your breath away.
Ask for the way to the scenic view chapel in Rohrdorf to get a nice overlook of the Rosenheim area.

Scenic byway
As if the famous German "Autobahn" wasn't tourist attraction enough, the Autobahn # A8 between Salzburg (Austria) and Munich holds some spectacular scenic views of the Alps and typical Bavarian villages along the way. 

If you rather stay on smaller (& slower) roads, follow the serpentine road from Sachrang to  Kufstein (Austria) and enjoy the view over the city of Kufstein.  It's quite a spectacular one, with the river curling around the town, the fortress high on the rock and the Alps surrounding the valley.  










Look at a map and go for a drive to Fischbachau, it will take you even closer to the alps.  You'll have scenic views gallore and if you pull into the parking lot of the "Wolfseehalle" you'll even discover a tiny fortress.

Early morning sunrises in the area can be quite spectacular.  I've included two pictures from a drive towards Bad Feilnbach.  














B&B suggestion:
That would have to be "Pension Schlosserhof", a nice 500 year old farm house that has only three guest rooms, a tv room (though not very many English channels - duh!), a guest kitchen and bicycle rental.  










Churches
You can visit any church you come across, but there are some that hold more detail than others.  The "Mariä Himmelfahrt" church in Bad Aibling is very baroque with lots of beautiful murals, a huge organ on the top balcony, shrines with the remains of a saint and built on top of hill that is supposed to be a mass grave for people that died of the plaque a LONG time ago. 
See the "Wallfahrtskirche Weihenlinden" in the nearby village of Weihenlinden.  Initially this church was nothing but a chapel and then the village decided to build a church around the chapel.  There's a lot of artwork in both chapel and church and if you find the side altar you might even discover the little grotto that shows Mary weeping for Jesus, illuminated only by one small candle.  That's the reason why my husband dubbed it the "creepy church" :).  Weihenlinden is a pilgramige church and a lot of offerings and thank you notes were left here for the saint of the church - Holy Mary.   Here's a site I found from someone visiting these churches

Castles
Well there are castles and fortresses everywhere.  Just to mention a few that I remember off the top of my head: Herrenchiemsee (Lake Chiemsee), Festung Aschau (Aschau), Schloss Nymphenburg (Munich), Burghausen (Burghausen), Haag (Haag), Neubeuern (Neubeuern), Festung Salzburg (Salzburg - Austria), Schloss Mirabell (Salzburg, Austria), Castle
Hellbrunn (Salzburg, Austria) and of course the fairy tale castle Schloss Neuschwanstein (Schwangau) - but just like churches there are a few that stand out.  Many people want to see the fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein (the inspiration for the Disneyland castle).  It's very pretty on the outside because of it's setting, but mostly unfinished on the inside.  The owner of the castle was King Ludwig II, who also owned 3 other castles in the area.  I would suggest to visit another one of his castles instead.  If you're in Munich visit castle Nympenburg or if you take a trip to Lake Chiemsee (highly recommended) then see the castle Herrenchiemsee on the main island.  A trip to Salzburg (Austria) should definitely satisfy your thirst for castles!  There are 3 and all very much worth seeing:  Castle Mirabell and its beatiful gardens, the fortress because of the gorgeous view over the city and castle Hellbrun and its zoo because of the magical watertricks that happen here with no electricity (You will get wet!). 






Salzburg
Now I already mentioned the castles in Salzburg, but there's a lot more to see than those.  Try some of their delicious treats the "Mozartkugeln" pralines or the refreshing "Almdudler" drink (no alcohol), check out their beautiful christmas market during the holiday season and go visit the birthhome of Mozart and go shopping in the cute Getreidegasse. 











Great restaurants & Beergardens in scenic locations

Berghotel Aschbach
Aschbach 3
83620 Feldkirchen Westerham
Tel. 08063/8066-0 (phone)

Enjoy your meal with a unique alpine panoramic view on the outdoor patio or during the colder month's enjoy the cozy setting in the fireplace room.

Rauchhaus Seeon
Altenmarkterstr. 6
83370 Seeon i. Chiemgau
Tel. 08624/829922

A very romantic restaurant, which is completely lit by candels and next to a beautiful lake sourrounding a monastery.

Gasthaus Kriechbaumer
Ellmosen 60
83043 Bad Aibling
Tel. 08061/37535

Not a scenic location, just simply the best food you'll ever eat.  Their portions will make your jaw drop, order a "senior" plate to get a smaller portion.

Waldgaststaette Filzenklas
Fuchsholz 1
83104 Tuntenhausen
Tel. 08067/203

A nice Beergarden in the woods.

Braeustueberl Maxlrain
Stachoeder Weg 2
83104 Maxlrain
Tel. 08061/1515

Enjoy a beer in the beergarden of castle Maxlrain











Munich
Munich has plenty to offer, but it's not my main focus I prefer wide open landscapes to cityscapes.  But of course I'm going to mention Octoberfest which is taking place every year in September (again I know very confusing) on Theresienwiese.  Climb the Bavaria statue on the Theresienwiese for a nice view of the area.  I already mentioned castle Nymphenburg earlier.
Enjoy a beer at the beergarden located under the Chinese tower in the middle of the English Garden (think of Central Park).  











Spa's
It is hard to describe German Spa's.  I find "public pools" a more accurate description, because they are open to everyone, but have nothing to do with the image that might come to mind when thinking of a public pool in the states.  Spa treatments will be offered in separate spa areas, but the main building is usually not a quiet place, it's full with wave baths, surf areas and slides. Spa's can be quite pricy, but usually there's some sort of discount available, i.e. early bird or late night savings.  With this said I now present:

Therme Erding
Thermenallee 1
85435 Erding
Tel. 08122/2270-0

Gorgeous spa with mineral pools, waterfall, grottoes and palm trees and oxygen garden - not a lot of kids here.  Go in the morning to take advantage of the early bird savings!

Prienavera
Seestr. 120
83209 Prien a. Chiemsee
Tel. 08052/609570

Nice view of the lake and castle, but watch out the number of visitors is limited!

Alpamare
Ludwigstr. 14
83646 Bad Toelz
Tel. 08041/509999

Big establishment with heated outdoor pools. Especially beautiful when it snows.  Plenty of fun & slides for kids and grown up kids.  Go for the cheaper evening rates.

Bad Aibling Therme
Lindenstrasse 32
83043 Bad Aibling
Tel.: 08061 / 9066 - 200

Brand new - built in 2007 - this seems to come closest to the spa idea as I don't think this place is very interesting for kids.

And that's it for now - I think it's more than enough to justify a stay in beautiful Bad Aibling.  Feel free to email me if you need more info.  I'm moving on to talk about the locations I visited during my 2007 visit.

Please see the photo gallery for additional pictures to give you an overview of the area.