Bestseller9.5 h
9.5 hFrom Munich: Herrenchiemsee Palace and Boat Trip Day-Tour
★ 4.9 · 150 reviews
- 9.5 hours, Train from Munich with guide
- 40-minute guided palace tour
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$66$6.95 / hour
Check availability→ The island palace on Chiemsee
Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip: the palace on the lake
A Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip takes 9.5 hours. You travel by train with a guide to Chiemsee, cross by boat to the island and tour the palace King Ludwig II built in the image of Versailles. It costs $66 per person, and 150 reviewers rate it 4.9. Below: what the price leaves out, how the day runs and who it suits.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book the Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip if you want a royal palace, a lake and a boat ride in one day, with a guide handling every connection: $66, 9.5 hours, a 40-minute guided tour of the palace. Budget a little more on top: the boat and the palace entrance are not in the price, and you pay for both at the operator’s office before the tour starts.
The Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip at a glance
- Price
- $66per person
- Length
- 9.5 hoursthe whole listed day
- Getting there
- Train, then boatabout 1.5 hours by train, about 20 minutes on the water
- In the palace
- A 40-minute guided tourthe Hall of Mirrors is named in the description
- Break
- One houron the itinerary
- Paid on top
- Boat and palace entranceat the operator’s office, before the tour
- Lunch
- Not included
- Meeting point
- Dachauer Str. 4, Municharrive 15 minutes early
- Guide language
- English
- Reviews
- 150rated 4.9
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationcheck the deadline on the listing
The lake
Chiemsee, the “Bavarian Ocean”, and its two islands
Why the lake matters as much as the palace on this day.
The listing calls Chiemsee «the Bavarian Ocean» and describes it as the largest fresh-water lake near Munich. Two islands sit in it. Herreninsel carries the palace that King Ludwig II built in 1878 in the image of Versailles. Fraueninsel, its neighbour, is home to a Benedictine convent. A Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip is built around the first island, and the description takes in the second as well.
You leave Munich by train with your guide, roughly an hour and a half, and the highlights name an old-fashioned «lake train» on the way to the water. Then comes the crossing to the island, about 20 minutes by boat. Kathy from the United States described the chain step by step: «The tour started by taking the train to the long distance train (50mins) then a short steam engine train to the boat dock where we visited two islands.»
Inside the palace, the description singles out two things worth knowing before you go: the Hall of Mirrors and the elevated dining table.
How the day runs
Train, boat, palace and island: the day in order
The Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip as the listing lays it out, from the meeting point to the ride home.
- Meet in Munich
The group gathers at Dachauer Str. 4. The listing asks you to arrive 15 minutes before the start. Your guide speaks English.
- Pay for the boat and the palace
Before you set off, you pay the boat fare and the palace entrance at the operator’s office. Neither is part of the $66.
- By train to Chiemsee
About 1.5 hours on the train with your guide, with the old-fashioned lake train named in the highlights.
- Across to Herreninsel
About 20 minutes by boat across Chiemsee to the palace island.
- The palace
A 40-minute guided tour of the palace, with the Hall of Mirrors and the elevated dining table among the rooms the description names.
- An hour of your own
The itinerary lists a one-hour break on the island.
- Fraueninsel
The description and highlights include the Benedictine convent on Fraueninsel; the itinerary does not list it separately. Reviewers describe visiting both islands.
- Back to Munich
Boat and train take you back to the city. The listing gives 9.5 hours for the whole day.
On the island
Herreninsel and the lake shore, frame by frame
Three frames from the places a Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip takes you.
The long avenue
A straight lawn between two rows of tall trees and low clipped hedges, running down to a small patch of blue water at the far end.
White walls, red roofs
A long white building with steep red roofs behind a row of pruned trees, under a heavy grey sky.
The jetty and the mountains
A weathered wooden jetty in clear blue water, small boats out on the lake and a line of mountains along the far shore.
Every trip, current fare
What each long day costs, and what the price covers
The Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip next to four other full days out of the city. Lunch is not included on any of them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herrenchiemsee and Chiemsee | $66 | per person | 9.5 hours | Guide by train, 40-minute guided palace tour. Boat and palace entrance paid on top, before the tour. | Dachauer Str. 4 | 4.9 · 150 |
| Königssee and its boat ride | $146 | per person | 9 hours | Van with pickup and a hotel drop-off. Boat tickets paid in cash to the guide. | Hotel pickup by van | 4.6 · 232 |
| Neuschwanstein, our top pick | $89 | per person | 10 hours | Train or bus, guided walk around the castle grounds. Entry to the castle is optional, paid on the day. | Dachauer Str. 4 | 4.7 · 4,387 |
| Neuschwanstein and Linderhof | $85 | per person | 10–10.5 hours | Air-conditioned bus. Castle tickets only on the option with castle tickets. | Karlsplatz 21 | 4.6 · 16,984 |
| Salzburg | $89 | per person | 9.5 hours | Guide by train, orientation walk, about 3 hours to explore. Bring your passport. | Dachauer Str. 4 | 4.7 · 1,805 |
The price
What the price pays for, and what you add on top
Where the money goes on a Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip.
Day trips on this site start from $66 per person, and this is the trip that sets that figure. Spread over 9.5 hours, it works out at $6.95 an hour of the listed day. For that you get a guide from the meeting point in Munich to the island and back, and a 40-minute guided tour of the palace.
Two costs come on top, and the listing is plain about both: the boat journey is excluded, and so is the entrance fee to Herrenchiemsee Palace. You pay for them at the operator’s office before the tour. The amounts change, so check them on the listing. Lunch is not included either.
The listings at $22 to $59 are a different kind of outing: the aquarium ticket, the hop-on hop-off bus and the bike ride in town, and the guided visits to the Dachau Memorial Site.
Who it suits
Is this island palace day the right one for you?
Four honest tests, with reviewers’ own words where they help.
- Book it if you want a palace and a lake in the same day
The day pairs a guided palace tour with a boat ride on Chiemsee. Annette from Malta: «the trip by boat is an added bonus.»
- Book it if you would rather someone else handles the connections
Your guide takes the group onto each train and onto the boat. Kathy, quoted above, counted a train, a long-distance train and a short steam train before the dock.
- Think twice if changing trains and boats wears you out
Kathy again: «The only thing that would’ve been nice is if we could’ve been on a bus so that we could avoid so many transfers.»
- Think twice if photographs inside the palace are the point
Maria from Guam: «The tour moved quickly but it was disappointing that we couldn’t take photos in the palace.»
In their words
What 150 reviewers say about the island day
Short quotes from the reviews, word for word.
The Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip carries 150 reviews at 4.9. That is a small number next to the busiest listings on this site, so read it as a strong score from a modest crowd. What reviewers return to is the setting. Dina from the United States: «The castle and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous, and the lake is very picturesque.» Robert from the United Kingdom: «The palace was amazing, lovely boat and steam train rides.»
The break on the island gets a mention too. John from the United Kingdom: «As well as the guided tour of Herrenchiemsee, we had time to ourselves for taking photographs of the castle and on the neighbouring island Fraueninsel, and all went smoothly. A great day.» Annette from Malta noticed the crowds, or the lack of them: «This castle is not that well known hence not as much crowded as all the rest.»
Other lake and palace days
Chiemsee, Königssee or Neuschwanstein?
If the Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip is not quite the day you had in mind, three other full days come close.
- Königssee: the other lake day
Nine hours by van, with pickup and a hotel drop-off, for $146. The boat is paid on top here too, in cash to the guide. In winter, from mid-October to mid-April, it only goes as far as St. Bartholomä. The Königssee guide has the details.
- Neuschwanstein: the king’s best-known castle
Our top pick on this site is the $89 day there: 10 hours by train or bus, with a guided walk around the grounds. Going inside is optional and paid on the day. The Neuschwanstein comparison sets the three ways side by side.
- Linderhof: another of the king’s palaces
The listing calls it «The ‘Royal Villa’ of Ludwig II». It comes with Neuschwanstein on one $85 coach day, on the option that includes it. The Linderhof guide explains what the extra stop costs in time.
Before you book
Five things to check before you pay
Two minutes on the listing makes the Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip run smoothly.
- Money for the boat and the palace
Both are paid at the operator’s office before the tour. The listing gives the current amounts; neither is part of the $66.
- Being on time
Arrive at Dachauer Str. 4 fifteen minutes before the start, as the listing asks.
- The train fare
The listing says your guide takes you by train. It does not spell out the fare, so check the booking page if that matters to you.
- Language
The guide speaks English. No other language is listed for this trip.
- Cancellation
The listing offers free cancellation, and you can reserve now and pay later. Check the deadline before you book.
Our verdict
Our verdict on the island palace day
Book it if you want a palace and a lake in one day without planning a single connection. For $66 you travel by train and boat with a guide, tour the palace King Ludwig II modelled on Versailles, and 150 reviewers rate the Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip 4.9. Budget for the boat and the palace entrance on top.
If Neuschwanstein is the castle you came for, our top pick is the $89 day there.
Book direct
The Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip and three other days
The island palace first, then the other lake day, our top pick and the Salzburg day by train. All four are priced per person.
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- Free cancellation
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Check availability→ Common questions
Munich to Herrenchiemsee day trip: questions, answered
Are the palace and boat tickets included?
No. The listing excludes both the boat journey and the entrance fee to Herrenchiemsee Palace. You pay for them at the operator’s office before the tour, on top of the $66. The amounts change, so check them on the listing.
How long is the Herrenchiemsee palace tour?
The guided tour of the palace takes 40 minutes. The itinerary also lists a one-hour break, and the whole day takes 9.5 hours.
Do you also visit Fraueninsel?
The description says so: it names the Benedictine convent on Fraueninsel. The itinerary does not list the island separately. John from the United Kingdom wrote that his group had time for photographs on Fraueninsel.
How do you get from Munich to Herrenchiemsee on the tour?
By train with your guide, about 1.5 hours, then by boat for about 20 minutes. The group meets at Dachauer Str. 4 in Munich; arrive 15 minutes before the start.
Is lunch included?
No. Lunch is not part of the price on this trip, and none of the day trips on this site include it.
Can I cancel?
Yes. The listing offers free cancellation; check the deadline before you book. You can also reserve now and pay later.
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