Königssee with a literal translation to “King’s Lake” does all justice to its name. Königssee is one of the main attractions in South Germany. It is a beautiful location with one of Germany’s cleanest lakes trapped between the Berchtesgaden Alps in Bavaria. It looks spectacular throughout the year. You can enjoy the lush greenery during spring and the view is entirely different in Winter.Königssee in WinterThe mountains are covered with snow and it looks like a white blanket covering the mountains. This destination is a nature lovers paradise. It has a 360° nature view.The view of the lake
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How to reach Königssee
Transportation in Germany is the finest and all the locations are well connected by trains and buses. Purchase the Bayern Ticket(BT). Read our post on Regional day tickets in Germany to have a clear view.Train
The final destination for Königssee is Berchtesgaden Hbf. From Ulm, board the Deutsche Bahn (DB) train which had two changeovers in Munich Hbf and Freilassing (changeovers may vary depending on the departure locations). Download the DB mobile app for convenience. Bus
Once you reach Berchtesgaden Hbf, board bus number 841 which takes approximately 10-12 minutes to reach Schönau a. Königssee. Expect a long queue to board the bus during peak season. So be prepared to wait a little longer especially during summers. BT includes the bus journey as well.Tip: Bayern ticket(BT) does permit you to travel in IC, ICE, EC, IR or similar high-speed trains. Ensure you check the connections before boarding.
Tickets
Boat tickets
The boat ride is the main attraction in Königssee which takes us to 2 locations; the endpoint Salet and St. Bartholomä. Boats ply every 20 mins transporting 40-50 people at once.
Prices
Königssee to Salet costs 19€ per person which includes the St. Bartholomä island as well. If you want to visit only St. Bartholomä then it costs 15€ per person. More information about the tickets and timings are available on the Königssee website.
Online booking
Booking tickets online is hazel free and it saves time. If you re planning to book tickets online, then make sure you don’t miss any terms and conditions thoroughly.
Salet, Obersee
Why visit Salet first?
To avoid the waiting time, we recommend you to directly visit Salet first (endpoint) and then visit the St. Bartholomä. This is exactly what we did to skip the queue.The view from the boat
Journey time
The journey is 1 hour if you wish to travel directly to Salet from the start point-Königssee as we did. And from St.Bartholomä is 25 mins away from Salet, Obersee.The OberseeThere is a small hiking path that leads to another small lake Obersee. It is just a flat muddy path with greenery all-around and would take 20 mins to reach Obersee from the drop-off point. The walk is fun with a group of friends. You can click loads of pictures along the way.It was lunchtime and we found a beautiful location to have food. There are many scenic points in and around this place that we leave for you to explore. This place has restaurants and free WC.
St. Bartholomä
St. Bartholomä is a church located almost halfway down from the start point. It takes 25 mins from Salet and 35 mins from Königssee.St.Bartholomeo island
Echo point
Königssee is known for its famous echo point. The guide took out the trumpet to demonstrate the Königssee’s echo from the steep rocks. The demonstration lasted for over a minute. Don’t forget to tip at the end. It was something different and nice to hear the echo from the mountains.Once we reached St. Bartholomä, we walked around and explored the place. We spent time admiring nature and dipping ourselves in the cleanest water. This place also has a few restaurants, beer gardens, and free WC.Enjoying in St. BartholomewThe view from this place was amazing, like never before. After spending more than 2 hours we decided to head back. But the waiting time for the return boat was long and it took more than 45 mins. If you love boating, check out Titisee in the Black Forest.
Trek to Malerwinkel
From Ulm, it takes about 4.5-5.00 hrs to reach Königssee. Since we left early in the morning, we were done with the boat ride by 16.30-17.00 in the evening. Since we had four more hours for the sunset and the weather was also quite favourable, we decided to trek to Malerwinkel.The view from MalerwinkleThe start point of the trek is near the parking lot. The trekking path was narrow and was green as far as the eye could see. After walking a certain distance, we lost our way and we were in the middle of nowhere. We could not find any signboards and also lost internet connectivity. But we knew that we had to cross a waterfall to reach Malerwinkel. So with the help of the waterfall sound, we tried to navigate. And yes, we were on the right route now.The path was a little steep in the beginning and got better as we went ahead. After trekking for almost 1 hour we reached Malerwinkel. We could see the entire lake from the top and also spotted the boats sailing in the lake. It was all worth it.If you want to spend a weekend trekking, boating and relaxing, then Königssee is one of the best places to enjoy. When are you visiting Königsee?Overall experience:⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5.
FAQs
Where is Königssee located?
Königssee is located on the border of Germany and Austria.
When is the best time to visit Königssee?
Königssee is the best destination to visit all-round the year. But the peak season is June-October.
What is the main attraction in Königssee?
The boat ride is the main attraction.
How long is the boat ride?
The boat ride lasts for an hour.
What is the echo point?
On the way to St.Bartholomeö, there is an echo point where you can hear the echo from the mountains.Is it better to visit Salet and then St.Bartholomeö?Yes, it is better as you can avoid the queue.
What to do at St.Bartholomeö?
It is a small island where you can enjoy exploring nature and maybe even dipping in the water.
Where is Salet?
Salet is the endpoint. It takes 1 hour to reach from the start point.
What to do at Salet?
It has many viewpoints and is a very scenic location.
Are there restaurants and washrooms?Yes, free washrooms are located in Salet and St.Bartholomeö.
Date of visit: September 2018
”Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” – Anonymous
It was lunchtime and we found a beautiful location to have food. There are many scenic points in and around this place that we leave for you to explore. This place has restaurants and free WC.
