Tegernsee is a lake town in the Bavarian foothills, at the eastern edge of the Tegernsee valley, with the lake in front and steep, forested mountains behind. The Benedictine monastery that gave the place its name was founded in the eighth century, and its church and cloister still dominate the shore, though the buildings are now partly a secondary school and partly a brewery tavern, the Bräustüberl, where locals and visitors share long tables and big pretzels in the courtyard. It is a lively place on a sunny afternoon, with a crowd of beer drinkers, cyclists and bikers.
The town has about thirty-eight hundred inhabitants, and the neighbouring village of Rottach-Egern, a little over two kilometres away, is bigger and smarter. Fuel, cafes and shops are easy to find, though parking in summer is a struggle. The lake itself is clean and relatively warm for an alpine lake, and the promenade is a pleasant place to walk. The Wallberg, a mountain above Rottach, has a cable car, and a long toboggan run in summer.
The ride along the Bavarian Alpine Road follows the lake and then climbs into the mountains, with long, flowing bends, glimpses of blue water, and meadows full of cows. The road surface is good, and the traffic is thick on summer weekends, with buses and cars crawling along the shore. Early morning, before the day trippers arrive, is the time to ride, when the mist lies on the lake and the peaks stand out clear. Further south, the road leads to Kreuth and the Achenpass on the Austrian border, a winding, forested route that is a pleasure on a quiet day.
The valley was long a retreat of the Bavarian royal family, whose summer residence was in Tegernsee, and in the twentieth century it became a favourite of writers and artists. Ludwig Thoma, the satirist, lived and died in Rottach, and his house is a memorial. The lake is surrounded by well-to-do villas, and prices are high, but the beer at the Bräustüberl is reasonable and the view is free. Take time for a walk along the shore, and leave the bike for an hour.