• Königssee (Lake), Germany

A natural lake in Germany’s southeast near the Austrian border, 158 km southeast of Munich and 39 km south of Salzburg Austria. The beautiful Cristal clear Turquoise lake considered one of the most beautiful in Germany, is part of the magnificent Berchtesgaden National Park, 5 km south of the town of Berchtesgaden and near  Schönau am Königssee. The Fjord shaped lake is surrounded by the steep slopes of the Berchtesgaden Alps, and the impressive Watzmann massif in the west.
Traveling in the lake area, visit the 17th century St. Bartholomew Baroque pilgrimage church, at the western shore of the lake, on the Hirschau peninsula. The church is known for its two Red Onion domes and for the nice stucco covered building. On the southern tip of the lake past Salet, hike for 15 minutes to visit the small Obersee Lake and further south, its 470 meters high Röthbach Falls, the highest in Germany. Electric passenger ships sailing from the lake’s northern tip at Seelände will take you to the church within half an hour, and to Salet within one hour.
The highly popular picturesque lake offers beautiful scenery and is perfect for swimming and renting a paddle boat in the Summer. There are quite a few hiking trails around the lake with viewpoints both to the lake and to the surrounding Alps. Information and maps of the available trails can be found in the various tourist information centers in the area. Among the most popular and with the best scenery hiking trails are the 2 km trail to the Painters’ Corner, Malerwinkel, and 2 km further east to the Rabenwand viewpoint. Also popular are the trail from St. Bartholomew Church to Obersee Lake, the 45 minutes trail along Obersee Lake to the great viewpoint of Fischunkenalm, and the trail from the Fischunkenalm 1 hour further southeast to the Röthbach Falls.
Note that there is a hiking trail to a beautiful natural pool and a waterfall near the lake, but the location is quite dangerous and a visit there is not recommended. Spend at least one day in the Königssee Lake area, a time frame which will allow you only short hikes.

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St. Bartholomew aerial view, a roman catholic church at the Konigssee Lake in Bavaria, Germany

Konigsee lake with St. Bartholomew church surrounded by mountains, Berchtesgaden National Park, Bavaria, Germany