Lake Starnberg
The Starnberger See stretches 19.45 km from Starnberg in the north to Seeshaupt in the south and is 3 to 5 km wide. With 56.36 km² it is the fifth-largest lake in Germany by area — and, being up to 127.8 m deep, the second-largest by volume, holding some 3 billion cubic metres of water.
Its shores and shallow bays have been protected as a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 1976. The town of Starnberg lies at the northern tip, where the station, the boat pier and the lake promenade meet.
Starnberg Lake Promenade & Undosa
Starnberg’s lakeside promenade runs right beside the railway station and the boat pier, so the lake begins the moment you step off the train. Its landmark is the Undosa, a wave bath that operated from 1905 to 1981; its site now houses a lake restaurant — see Eat & drink.
Rose Island
The Roseninsel off Feldafing is the only island in the lake — just 2.56 hectares. King Maximilian II of Bavaria had a villa, the “Casino”, built here in 1853, surrounded by a rose garden designed by Peter Joseph Lenné. Long before the kings, people lived here in pile dwellings: the prehistoric site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps”.
The island is reached by a small private ferry from the Glockensteg in Feldafing (adult single fare €5, cash only), from early May to 15 October. The nearest S-Bahn station is Feldafing (S6).
Boat trips
Passenger ships of the state-owned Bayerische Seenschifffahrt sail from April to mid-October (in 2026 until 18 October inclusive), calling at Starnberg, Berg, Leoni, Possenhofen, Tutzing, Bernried, Seeshaupt and Ambach. The fleet includes the catamaran MS Starnberg, the MS Seeshaupt and the electric EMS Berg. Round trips from Starnberg:
- Grand round trip of the whole lake — about 3 h 40
- Northern round trip — about 2 h
- Southern round trip — about 1 h 30
- Short round trip — about 1 h
October 2026: because of low water, Berg, Possenhofen, Bernried and Ambach are temporarily not served. Please check the current timetable before you go.
Timetables, tickets and themed cruises: boat trips in Things to do.
King Ludwig II Memorial Cross
Simple wooden cross standing in the shallow water below the Votive Chapel, marking the place where Ludwig II and Dr. von Gudden were found dead in 1886. More about Ludwig II at Berg.
Viewpoints over the lake
The Ilkahöhe (726 m) above Tutzing is considered the finest viewpoint over the lake and the Alps; on the east shore, the Bismarck Tower at Assenhausen (1899) stands in a park above Berg. More in Around the lake.
Sources: Wikipedia (Lake Starnberg) · Wikipedia (Starnberger See) · Wikipedia (Undosa) · Wikipedia (Roseninsel) · StarnbergAmmersee.de (Roseninsel) · Bayerische Seenschifffahrt. Checked 8 October 2026.