What is one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL places in Germany, is also probably one of its most visited. So we have gathered into one post; all the information you will need to make your trip to Königssee absolutely memorable and wonderful with all those Instagram photos clicked to perfection!

Here’s our guide on things to do, the most photographic spots and more at Königssee.

The Königssee, located in the little Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden, is an emerald green lake in the Berchtesgaden National Park and is referred to as Germany’s most beautiful Alpine lake. The Germans sure named it right – König literally translating into King! So the king of all lakes!! We couldn’t agree more!

Crystal clear, emerald green water surrounded by the towering mountains of the Bavarian Alps, whose mornings see the fog rising up from the lake, this is the setting that probably inspired great nature poets!!

Arriving by car or public transport is both absolutely possible, however we would recommend arriving in your own vehicle, since Berchtesgaden is not all that well connected, and getting the right connections on public transportation, is no easy task. There is a huge (affordable) parking lot on site with a day ticket day ticket costing only €2.50 . That’s a great price, you will be spending the whole day there anyway.

From the parking lot it’s only a five minute walk to the Königssee. We don’t suggest that you end your visit there though. It’s totally worth visiting Obersee,  Fischunkelalm and Röthbach Waterfalls.

At Königssee, you have the option to buy a ticket for the boat tour that will take you to the other end of Königsee from where you can hike to these spots.

When to Visit

From April to October

This is the time there are daily boat tours that take you to Saint Bartholomeus and Salet, at the other end of Königssee (a 20 min walk away from Obersee). The boats only take you to the latter from April to October. In between those months you can still visit Saint Bartholomä but the boats won’t go until Salet.

The first boat goes out at 8am in the morning (with boats every 15 minutes), the last one arrives back at 5pm.We reccomend that you take one of the first boats out, if you don‘t want selfie sticks poking in your face or a crowd in your Insta popular ‘leaning out of the boat window’ picture.

During the shoulder season (November – March) the boats start at 9am and the last one arrives back at 4pm.

Mind you, we got on the second boat, because there were already people waiting in a queue at 7.30am at the ticket counter. The counter only accepted cash before, but now in the wake of COVID they also take card (but make sure you have some cash or bar geld, as the Germans call it.) and a round ticket to visit both the stops (St Bartholomä and Salet) costs 19 Euros per person.

You can also book tickets online.

The ticket comes with the boat number that you should board, so make sure to make it to front of that line for a window seat on the right side in the direction of the ride (to get that perfect shot of St Bartholomä from the boat; which is infact the prettiest).

Things to Do

Okay we recommed that you ride all the way to Salet and make your stop at St. Bartholomä on your return trip. This way you will have some alone time at the popular photo spots of  Obersee and  Fischunkelalm.

A 15-20 mins walk in the direction of the signboard at Salet, you will arrive at Obersee. Pristine blue waters that so clearly reflect the majestic alps is something you will want to soak in. You will also find some totally climb-able rocks (even the clumpsy and incoordinated like me) to get some great shots!!

DON’T MISTAKE THE BOAT HOUSE YOU SEE HERE FOR THE ONE YOU SAW ON INSTAGRAM. That will require you to make an extra 45 min hike (which we totally recommend by the way!).

The other side of Obersee, does provide some breath taking views, a beer garden and that Instagram famous boat house you were after😊!! This is also where you make the detour to hike up to Röthbach.

PS: Thee popularity also means that you won’t be the only ones rushing here, so arrive early and make sure to take in the mountains and the views, if ever you have to wait in line for your turn.

The highest waterfall in Germany, does provide for a beautiful hiking trail. It’s not really one waterfall that awaits you, but a group pf 3-4 of which the highest one you can easily locate at 430m high. You can also get some picturesque views of Obersee here.

Hopping back on the boat, got us to the stop that had this ever so cute church landscaped in the gorgeous Alps and the Königsee. This Roman Catholic pilgrimage church is named after St. Bartholomew, patron of the alpine farmers and dairymen of Bavaria, and is stop we recommend you make 😊

Offering another popular viewpoint is the trail of Malerwinkel, which you can take by heading left around the lake from the boat dock and passing behind some boathouse buildings. A hike of around 20 mins will bring you to the view point.

Okay, I will be honest! We never really went there. One: it was too long a hike to make after all the previous hiking (we were there for a day, remember?). Two : It really seemed to dangerous (we even read some death reports) for two non – swimmers, especially with one of us being as clumsy as me!!

We travel for the fun of it, we blog because we love sharing our stories and we honestly didn’t think it was worth risking our lives for a couple of Instagram likes!! (How often do we counsel our patients regarding decisions that resulted in broken limbs, don’t even ask!! ) So we decided to take our own advice this time.

Things you need to Remember when visiting Königsee

1.Keep your boat tickets on you even as you get down at Salet, because you won’t be let in on a return boat, without the ticket!!

2.Make sure that you don’t miss the last return boat!!! It’s going to be an expensive affair calling the the local water guard for a return trip (I mean if 200 Euros isn’t cheap!)

3.The Königssee is part of the Berchtesgaden national park and it is not allowed to fly a drone. So do yourself a favour, and leave it at home.

4.Bring Cash!! Neither the boat ticket counter, nor the local restaurants accept card.

5.Wear good and comfortable, hiking-suited shoes!!

Königsee is only one part of the beautiful Berchtesgadener Land, there is so much more there to explore and see. However our one day trip had us returning home after so much.

Until next time, dear beautiful Alps….

We really hope you are inspired enough to make a trip here and that you find this guide helpful!!

Your feedback is much appreciated, so leave them in the comments down below😊