Königssee (or “Kings Lake”) is a simply gorgeous lake in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden. It’s beauty is enough to win over the most cynical of teens and tweens!
We visited in May 2024 with our tween boys. We only managed to get out to the lake on our last day in Berchtesgaden as thunder storms were predicted for the previous days!
There are some short walks to viewing points on the lake from Schönau am Königssee. It isn’t possible to walk right round the lake as the surrounding mountains rise sheerly from the lake shore. As such, the most popular way to visit the lake and do some good hiking is to catch a boat across the lake to either St Bartolomä or Salet (or both).
Getting to Königssee
Booking a boat trip on Königssee
You can, and should, book tickets in advance. Boats leave every 10 minutes during summer months but they do get very full. We arrived at around 10.30am and the next walk-up tickets available were not until after 1pm. Tickets can be booked here. Note, it is only possible to specify the time of your outbound trip. To come back, you just wait at the jetty for the next boat (and they keep sending them until everyone is back).
You can show your ticket on your phone as you board but make sure you have downloaded it before arriving at Schönau as there is very limited internet signal.
When you arrive at Schönau, there will be a notice board confirming the last boats coming back from both St Bartolomä and Salat. Don’t miss these as otherwise you will have to try to arrange (and pay through the nose for) a private transfer back otherwise (there is not a walking option!).
St Bartolomä or Salet?
The boat trip takes around […] to St Bartolomä. It is then around 15 minutes further to Salet.
Both stops offer options for a drink or food and the possibility of some great hikes. I would suggest researching the hikes from each and then deciding which would suit you and your tweens / teens best.
We decided to continue to Salet and then hike to and around Obersee, see further below. However, there was a great sounding hike from St Bartolomä to an ice cave which was tempting…. Next time!
Food and drink options at Salet
We didn’t stop off at St Bartolomä so I can’t comment on the […]. Turn right when you reach the jetty at Salet (following signs towards Obersee – and probably everyone else getting off the boat). There are 2 options for food and drink here.
The closest restaurant, […], is self-service during busy times. You order hot food at a counter inside and wait for your meals – its very quick! You can then help yourself to desserts (recommendation for the apple pie!) and cold drinks. There is also a counter to order hot drinks and beers.
We initially discounted this restaurant as we thought the one further round the shore looked nicer (and we were hoping for some of a sit down meal). However, […]
