The countryside bordering the Staffelsee near Murnau is full of variety. This lake is just under eight square kilometres in area, and has a depth of up to 38 metres. With a total of seven, tree-covered islands, it has more than islands than any of the other lakes in the Alpine foothills. The attractive scenery of the Staffelsee area - described by Heinrich von Kleist as "a poet's dream", offers many opportunities for hiking. One of the numerous trails, 20 kilometres long, follows the shore of the lake. It is also worth visiting the island of Worth, the largest of the seven islands, with its picturesque bays, small palace and neo-Romanesque church. Nearby the church an archaeological park documents the settlement history on the island and shows the ground plans of the former monastery and the earlier church buildings.

The Staffelsee and Murnau were a source of inspiration for many artists, as documented in the Murnau home of Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky, which is now a museum. The Staffelsee is ca. 65 km south of Munich and can be reached via the A95 motorway from Munich to Garmisch. Paths round the lake: Staffelsee circuit (20 km); large Staffelsee loop (12 km): from Murnau along the southern shore to the end and over the top of the hill to return along the Murnauer Moos; small Staffelsee loop (8 km): from Murnau along the southern shore as far as Berggeist and then over the top of the hill to return along the Murnauer Moos There is a connecting boat service from May until October available in Staffelsee Germany. 

Wikipedia articles for Murnau am Staffelsee

• Murnau am Staffelsee
• Unterwerk Murnau
• Unterwerk Murnau
• Seehausen am Staffelsee
• Riegsee
• Spatzenhausen