Hikes & routes: Lake Königssee, Wimbach Gorge and the Watzmann East Face
Lake Königssee
A fjord-like lake between sheer rock walls; its bed lies 413 metres (1,355 ft) above sea level. You reach it from Schönau on the electric boats; the famous echo at the Echowand is part of the trip.
The church with the wine-red onion domes stands on a peninsula in the middle of the national park, and no road leads there. You arrive by boat: 35 minutes, €23.40 return.
Boat to the St. Bartholomä landing stage, adults, as of 20 Sep 2026
Seelände – St. Bartholomä
€23.40
Seelände – Salet, with a stop at St. Bartholomä possible
Best time to visit: spring in the valley, winter on the summits
The boat sets the pace
St. Bartholomä and the Obersee are in practice only reachable by boat. The Königssee boat service, not the park, sets timetables and the season, so check before you go.
Tickets & entrance fees: the park is free, the boat is not
The Königssee boat costs money
St. Bartholomä and the Salet-Alm by the Obersee are in practice only reachable by boat. The boat service is an independent company; check fares and timetables there.
Hikes & routes: Lake Königssee, Wimbach Gorge and the Watzmann East Face
The Obersee and the Fischunkelalm
Beyond Lake Königssee lies the smaller Obersee, with the Fischunkelalm pasture on its shore. You get there via the Salet-Alm, the last boat stop, then on foot.
“Altitude range: 2,300 m (bed of Lake Königssee 413 m above sea level, Watzmann 2,713 m above sea level).” Weather, snow and trail conditions vary dramatically within the park, so you cannot plan for “the park” as a whole.
Hikes & routes: Lake Königssee, Wimbach Gorge and the Watzmann East Face
The Watzmann East Face
At almost 1,800 metres (5,906 ft) it is one of the highest rock faces in the Eastern Alps, according to the Bavarian Environment Agency. It rises above St. Bartholomä, which you reach by boat across Lake Königssee.
From the bed of Lake Königssee at 413 metres (1,355 ft) to the Watzmann at 2,713 metres (8,901 ft). This range holds habitats from the submontane to the alpine zone, in a very small space.
The Watzmann traverse and the East Face are alpine undertakings with matching demands and equipment. If you only want to see the lake, stay down below. That is no limitation; it is what most visitors do.
Hikes & routes: Lake Königssee, Wimbach Gorge and the Watzmann East Face
Wimbach Gorge (Wimbachklamm)
A gorge in the western part of the park near Ramsau, walkable on boardwalks. Beyond it opens the Wimbachgries, a valley that keeps filling itself with scree.
Starting point of the Königssee boats and valley station of the Jenner cable car. From here on, the lake is car-free.
How to get there: train to Berchtesgaden, then bus and boat
From Schönau, by boat only
From Schönau, the electric boats of the Königssee boat service cross the lake, for example to St. Bartholomä. Boats there have run on electric motors since 1909.
How to get there: train to Berchtesgaden, then bus and boat
Parking at Königssee: the main car park on Seestraße
The large Königssee car park at Seestraße 3 in Schönau charges fees all year, daily from 7:00 to 19:00. A car costs €3 for up to 1 hour, €7 for up to 3 hours and €9 for a 24-hour day ticket. The boat landing and the Jennerbahn cable car are a few minutes' walk away; motorhomes use a separate site on Schornstraße.
Where to stay: mountain huts and villages on the park edge
Schönau, Ramsau and Berchtesgaden
The three villages on the edge of the park are the obvious bases. Berchtesgaden has the railway station, Schönau the access to Lake Königssee, Ramsau the access to Wimbach Gorge.
Gateway to the western part of the park with Wimbach Gorge and Lake Hintersee.
How to get there: train to Berchtesgaden, then bus and boat
Ramsau and Hintersee in the west
Ramsau is the gateway to the western part of the park, with Wimbach Gorge and Lake Hintersee. The Hintersee itself lies on the park boundary, the gorge inside the park.
Rail access to the region; from here, buses run to Schönau, Ramsau and into the Wimbach Valley.
How to get there: train to Berchtesgaden, then bus and boat
By train to Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof (main station) is your gateway to the park; from there, buses run to Schönau on Lake Königssee, to Ramsau and into the Wimbach Valley. With the guest card of the valley municipalities, local buses are free from the day you arrive.
The park authority's national park centre in Berchtesgaden with the exhibition “Vertical Wilderness” (Vertikale Wildnis). 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the station; bus routes 839 and 841 stop outside.
Visiting Berchtesgaden National Park: overview
The national park centre in Berchtesgaden
The national park centre is in Berchtesgaden, 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the station; bus routes 839 and 841 stop outside. You only pay to enter the exhibition “Vertical Wilderness” (Vertikale Wildnis), a rising walk from the bed of Lake Königssee to the summits. The foyer, cinema, temporary exhibitions and the panorama trail with views of the Watzmann, Hochkalter and Jenner are free.
Arrival · Information centre at the entrance to the Klausbach Valley
Klausbachhaus
The Hintersee national park information centre in a listed farmhouse, with the exhibition “1,000 Years Up and Down” about the park's alpine pastures. Starting point for many hikes, plus a barrier-free circular trail; free entry.
How to get there: train to Berchtesgaden, then bus and boat
By Alm-Erlebnisbus into the Klausbach Valley
The Alm-Erlebnisbus links Ramsau with Weißbach Nature Park in Austria's Pinzgau region and runs from the Hintersee through the Klausbach Valley. You can only buy tickets from the driver and cannot book in advance; a limited number of bicycles can travel, e-bikes cannot. Children up to and including 14 years travel free.
Alpine pastures are a habitat with exceptionally high species diversity in the park. At the entrance to the Klausbach Valley, the Klausbachhaus shows in its exhibition “1,000 Years Up and Down” how herders and their livestock move from the valley up to the pastures and back again over the year; entry is free.
About 20 minutes on foot from the Klausbachhaus, with information boards and tips. The eagles prefer to fly on sunny days with good thermals.
Hikes & routes: Lake Königssee, Wimbach Gorge and the Watzmann East Face
Klausbach Valley: the valley of eagles
In the Klausbach Valley you have the best chance of seeing a golden eagle in the wild, the park authority says. About 20 minutes from the Klausbachhaus at the valley entrance there is a viewpoint with information boards. The eagles prefer to fly on sunny days with good thermals; in rain and low cloud they barely move.
Mountain forest among huge boulders: a rockfall on the Hochkalter about 3,500 years ago dammed the Hintersee. The footpath between the Hintersee and the Marxenklamm gorge is cleared in winter.
Viewing plateau high above Lake Königssee. The hut is one of the five mountain huts in the park that the Free State of Bavaria leases to hut keepers, and it is staffed in summer.
Hut of the Berchtesgaden section of the German Alpine Club (DAV), open from May to October. The easiest approach leads from St. Bartholomä through the Saugasse: about five hours and 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) of ascent.
Intermediate station with the Halbzeit restaurant. Bike transport ends here; from here the Carl-von-Linde-Weg trail leads across to the Obersalzbergbahn cable car.
Own page
Jenner Cable Car (Jennerbahn)
From Lake Königssee up to 1,800 m (5,906 ft), with a national park exhibition at the top that costs nothing, while the ride costs €47.
A few metres above the house. Not reachable by wheelchair. The Kehlstein circular trail starts at the summit, with views into the rock landscape of the Hoher Göll. Also outside the park boundary.
Own page
Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus)
1,834 m (6,017 ft) above Berchtesgaden, reached only by special buses and a lift inside the rock, and historically anything but a harmless day trip.
The central place of learning and remembrance on the history of the Obersalzberg and the Nazi dictatorship. Entry is included in the Kehlstein ticket for the same day.
Own page
Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus)
1,834 m (6,017 ft) above Berchtesgaden, reached only by special buses and a lift inside the rock, and historically anything but a harmless day trip.
The last stop at the southern end of the lake, served only from about mid-April to mid-October. From here it is about 15 minutes on foot to the Obersee.
Own page
Lake Königssee
Eight kilometres long, 190 m (623 ft) deep and reachable only across the water: what the boat trip costs and how long it takes.
This is where the boats dock and where the pier attendant sells tickets for the return trip. Keep an eye on the last departure; it is listed in the timetable.
Own page
St. Bartholomä (St. Bartholomew's Church)
The church with the wine-red onion domes stands on a peninsula in the middle of the national park, and no road leads there. You arrive by boat: 35 minutes, €23.40 return.
Jägerhaus and Holzstube with the exhibition "Wasser versetzt Berge" (Water Moves Mountains), plus an outdoor area with two play stations. Address: Halbinsel St. Bartholomä 2 + 4, 83471 Schönau a. Königssee.
Own page
St. Bartholomä (St. Bartholomew's Church)
The church with the wine-red onion domes stands on a peninsula in the middle of the national park, and no road leads there. You arrive by boat: 35 minutes, €23.40 return.
In winter, red deer come down from the snowy mountain forests and are fed on Lake Königssee, at St. Bartholomä and at Reitl on the opposite shore. In spring they return to higher ground.
Own page
St. Bartholomä (St. Bartholomew's Church)
The church with the wine-red onion domes stands on a peninsula in the middle of the national park, and no road leads there. You arrive by boat: 35 minutes, €23.40 return.
One of the five huts the Free State of Bavaria owns in the national park, described by the park authority as "at the foot of the Watzmann". Open in summer.
Own page
Watzmann
2,713 m (8,901 ft) high, with an East Face of about 1,800 m (5,906 ft), and the best view of it takes not a single metre of climbing.
Rotheben 14, Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden. Bus 846 also stops here. The national park's Wimbachbrücke information point is at the car park: unstaffed, free entry.
Own page
Wimbach Gorge (Wimbachklamm)
About 200 m of bridges and boardwalks through a gorge where the water bursts out of the rock, for four euros.
