Like a fiord in the heart of Europe with its alpine waters and green hillsides, Königssee deserves its name. In our travel to Austria and after visiting the lovely Salzburg we went south, crossing the border with Germany, in order to have a trip to the tallest waterfall in Europe (470 m): the Röthbachfall. The only way to get to this waterfall is by crossing all the Königssee from one side to the other using electric boats and then walking for more than one hour, crossing another lake, the Obersee.
Our day began early in the morning. We didn’t want to take a long queue to get the tickets for the electric boats, so it is recommended to be at the ticket offices before 9 o’clock in summer to avoid waiting too much. Sometimes it is normal to wait more than 2 hours to get a boat, so your entire plans for the day could go to the rubbish.
From Salzburg to Königssee you will cross some beautiful towns like Berchtesgaden with its Bavarian mural paintings in their typical alpine houses. But don’t stop in the morning unless you want to lose time in the queues for the boat. Leave it for the afternoon or another day. This region is a place to stay for 3 or 4 days as it has plenty of things to do and visit. We recommend spending one entire day only in Königssee.
The boats are electric just not to pollute the water of this lake, which is considered the cleanest and most beautiful lake in Germany.
You can choose different boat trips depending on how far you want to get. We went as far as we could, directly to Salet, but a stop in St. Bartholomä is worth it! This is a small pilgrim church dated from 17th century which deserves a visit and some photos.
Once in Salet it begins a path towards the Obersee lake and the magnificent waterfall. This is a place to enjoy nature, breath fresh air, being far away from crowds because not many people buy the boat ticket to Salet, and enjoy a sunny summer day. We had some food in our backpacks in order to have a picnic at the foot of the waterfall.
This path is a typical alpine track through a forest. It is not a steep track and only after reaching the Obersee lake you will find some rock carved stairs, a bit slippery, in order to reach the end of the glacier valley and the tallest waterfall in Europe.
The last part of the path is the steepest part. Once at the end of it we had some lunch surrounded by cows that looked at us with curiosity. In front of us the Röthbachfall. After having lunch one cow tried to lick our camera, a funny moment to end our trip and come back to take the return boat.
Mapping The Map 
Wow, that is quite the journey but it is such a beautiful area. I would love to visit for myself one day. That video made me laugh, I guess the cow was hungry?! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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The cow was hungry, sure! It was lunch time 🙂 It is a good place to spend a day.
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Ah that’s where I used to go on holiday when I was little. Brings back so many beautiful memories. Love your photos.
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What a casuality! It was beautiful and we would like to go there again with kids in the future. You were lucky to enjoy this place when you were little 🙂
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I hope you will be able to go with your kids ☺️ We should head back there so I can show my two boys the beauty of the Königssee and surroundings.
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This place is so gorgeous! Actually, it has to be one of the most beautiful in Germany. We are going to be in Bavaria later this year but will not have the time time to visit. That fact kills me a little bit but i will have to go back to the area in the future. #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Yes Ruth, from Bavaria or from Salzburgerland in Austria you can visit it. It is a fantastic place. I hope you can go there next time 🙂 and if so you can ask us more about this place.
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Ohhh I love Konigssee and could go back over and over again! Didn’t you just love when they did the horn blowing and it echoes back!? Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Yeeees! I didn’t explained that but that was funny too 🙂 Maybe I should update the post with it.
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I was too pregnant to do much hiking when we visited this lake, but the boat ride itself and the monastery are fun and the views from the last stop really are amazing even if we couldn’t climb up that high. We saw some kids swimming, but boy is that water cold! #weeklypostcard
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Hi Eileen! So you will have to return to complete the trail! The views from the boat were incredible. It’s a really nice place. Thank you for your comment!
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This looks like such a peaceful place. I’d love to spend a few days exploring the area. #TheWeeklyPostcard
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It is 🙂 If you can spend some days there, do it. A part from it you can visit Salzburg, salt mines, ice caves, …
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Interesting description of this amazing place. Lovely pics too
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Thank you! Glad you like it.
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What a beautiful place! Especially, that unique looking church right on the water! I know it’s just cow, but I don’t know if I would want to be so close to one that it could lick my camera! However, I did laugh out loud when I saw it! #theweeklypostcard
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Hi Hilary, I am happy to read you like this place and laughed with the video 🙂 I love animals and sometimes I get too close to them. In a future post about the same travel I will attach another video with animals that will make you laugh too :). Thanks for reading and comment.
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What a beautiful area and it looks so calm and peaceful. I’ve never heard of Kings Lake, but it is definitely on my radar now.
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Hi Lara, glad you liked it! We discovered this place using Google Earth and looking at Panoramio photos on the map. We had never read or seen anything about this place. But once there, we realized that it deserved a post because people like you would like it. So thanks for confirming this 🙂
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Beautiful! I admit a soft spot for mountains and lakes, so this appeals to me. Love the idea of a picnic – and what a view! Thanks for sharing it on #TheWeeklyPostcard!
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Hey, thanks for your comment! 🙂 Glad you liked it. We also enjoy this kind of landscapes, so you will see them in future posts also.
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Wow! This place is magical. It is like a place from a fairy tale!
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Yes! Completely agree 🙂
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