KÖNIGSSEE BOAT RIDE

Königssee (the literal translation meaning, “king’s lake,”) is a gorgeous natural lake in Germany. The emerald green water and surrounding mountains attract tons of people each day. The roundtrip ferry ride lasts two hours, but you can get off and go hiking to extend your stay. Boats are constantly picking up and dropping people off, so don’t worry about the crowds. If you do not make it onto one boat, there will be another! Just confirm the timetables for the last boat that day – as you do not want to miss that one.

While Königssee is in Germany, we found our way to the lake via Salzburg in Austria. We took Bus 840 to Berchtesgaden (you can purchase your bus tickets once you hop on) and then you will change to Bus 841 to reach Schönau am Königssee. Do not worry about finding the bus – there will be plenty of tourists and local hikers also making this change to reach Königssee! Once you get off the second bus, you will find yourself surrounded by souvenir shops, restrooms, and a ticket booth to purchase tickets for the ferry ride. We purchased tickets online, which made it very easy to just hop on the queue for the next boat ride.

We would suggest sitting on the right side of the boat on the first leg of the ferry ride, as that side offers the best views in our opinion! Sit yourself by a window where you can move the glass so that there are no obstructive views for you or your camera. There will be a guide providing interesting facts in both German and English (though ours translated a stingy amount of information into English for us). The guide will even play a trumpet to demonstrate the echoes that the mountains provide. The views are absolutely incredible! Please be aware that there will be plenty of selfie sticks around you, as people try to capture the mountain reflections dancing on the water.

After an hour and a couple of stops (mostly where hikers hop off), you will see virtually everyone climb out of the boat. Here you will find restrooms and beautiful spots to admire the view. When you have had your fill of lake views and picturesque strolls, head back to the dock where you were dropped off, and the next boat that arrives will take you back to where you began your lake journey!