Hochfelln
At 1,674 metres, Hochfelln earns its nickname as the viewing pulpit of the Chiemgau. On a clear day, more than 200 Alpine peaks spread out in every direction, and the Chiemsee — the so-called Bavarian Sea — glints far below to the north. It's the kind of panorama that makes you reach for your phone, then quietly put it away.
The summit holds more than a view. There's the Taborkirche chapel, the Hochfellnhaus restaurant, and a seven-metre iron cross that was carried up here in pieces by hand long before any cable car existed. The mountain rewards both the committed hiker and the visitor who simply rides up for lunch.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who return tend to split the journey: hike up through the Bachschmiedkaser and Bründlingalm stops — both offer refreshments and a reason to pause — then take the cable car back down. If the Thorau Almen pastures are grazed (June through September), the traditional alm meals at those stops are worth timing your ascent around.
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Book directly at the providerHow Hochfelln came to be
In 1886, citizens of the Chiemgau region hauled a seven-metre, 3.5-tonne iron cross up to the summit piece by piece — no cable car, no machinery — as an act of gratitude to King Ludwig I. The effort alone tells you something about the place's hold on the people who live below it.
A regional priest later proposed adding a chapel and a mountain refuge to the summit, and the Taborkirche and Hochfellnhaus eventually followed. The cable car — a two-section system taking roughly 15 minutes in total — opened around 1970, making the panorama accessible to those who couldn't manage the four-to-five-hour round hike. The summit cross still stands as it was placed, unchanged.
Who and what shaped it
Landmark buildings
Plan your visit
On the map
When to go
The summit runs noticeably cooler and windier than the valley, even in midsummer — a light layer and something windproof are worth packing whatever the forecast says below. Snow can linger into spring; the most reliable window for hiking is April through October.
Right now
Background & history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · specs from Wikidata (CC0) · weather from Open-Meteo · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · photos from Wikimedia Commons / Unsplash with per-image credit. No third-party reviews or social posts reproduced.