• Arrive early on hot weekends, since the shore at Herrsching fills up, though there is usually space somewhere along the promenade
• Paddle steamers run Easter to October, linking the towns around the shore, so a boat ride is a spring-to-fall plan
• Kloster Andechs hike takes just under two hours on easy forest paths from Herrsching; tired legs can go up by car or bus to the monastery and its beer garden

Bavaria's third-largest lake is a long, narrow stretch of water southwest of Munich. In Herrsching, an eight-kilometer lakeside promenade has lawns, playgrounds, jetties and sports fields along the shore.

From June the water is usually above 20°C, warm enough for a swim. Historic paddle steamers cross between the lakeside towns, and a forest trail of just under two hours climbs to Kloster Andechs.