Starnberg is a small city of about 20,000 people close to Munich. As everyone probably knows, Munich is the capital of Bavaria, which is a state in the Federal Republic of Germany. There is also the county of Starnberg which until recent years, was the only German county whose political head came from the Liberal Party.

It has good public transport and autobahn connections to Munich, which can be reached in about 40 minutes by train or car, assuming normal traffic conditions and that you are going to the central station. Starnberg stretches over many kilometres because it has several suburbs: Wangen, Percha, Hanfeld, Söcking, Leutstetten and Perchting.

The most winning feature of Starnberg is not its closeness to Munich, but the beautiful lake named after it. Lake Starnberg (in German Starnberger See or formerly Würmsee) with the city situated at its northern tip, is one of the main tourist attractions in the area. Carved out of the ground by glaciers thousands of years ago, it is now a wonderful place for recreation. On sunny days you can see the Alps sitting almost directly beyond the lake, which is most certainly crowded with sailing boats on such a day. Most probably visitors will get this view at the lake promenade first, where they can take a hike to one of the recreation grounds for swimming, rent a small boat or take a boat cruise around the lake.

The lake area was always a playground of Bavarian kings and aristocracy and thus there are a lot of small castles and beautiful houses to see. Now more ordinary folks live in Starnberg, and they enjoy one of the most beautiful surroundings in Europe, a fact that makes them rich, too, even if not in financial terms.

Starnberg offers all kinds of shops, though most people prefer to go to Munich for shopping, as it is slightly cheaper there. There are all levels of schools from elementary to high school and even the Munich International School lies in a suburb of the city. There also is an adult education centre (VHS) and a vocational school (Berufsschule). Higher education can be found in Munich with its many colleges and universities.

One restaurant worth mentioning is the Starnberger Alm which is known for its exquisite cuisine and its huge variety of German wines. Everything there is reasonably priced.

One of the best ice cream cafés around Munich is the Dolomiti, close to the railway station, where you really should try the Zitronenwasser. It's fresh lemon juice with one ball of lemon ice in it. There's nothing more refreshing on hot summer days.

Although there has been a McDonald's around for some time now, the place where kids went before McD arrived should get a mention here. It's a kebab joint called Derby located at the station. You can get burgers and fries there, too.

Finally, you will most likely visit one of the many beer gardens around. Sitting under old trees and enjoying a fresh Bavarian beer is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. In der Au is the only real beer garden in the city, but if you leave town you can also check out Obermühltal (with live jazz/dixie music on weekends), Maising (at the shore of a small and beautiful lake) and Leutstetten.

The nicest places to sit by the lake are probably the Undosa in Starnberg (a rather expensive place for old folks), or at a greater distance the Midgardhaus in Tutzing and the Fischmeister in Ambach. The Fischmeister is supposed to be one of the best places to visit anywhere in the world, according to the young German authors Christian Kracht and E Nickel in their book Holidays Forever. All of these places are within easy reach when you go on one of the lake's boat cruises.