Route description
Ascent to Jennerbahn Mid-Station
The hike starts at the car park by lake Königssee, past the base station of Jennerbahn lift (signposted from the car park). You ascend on forest trails, past the overhead railway. After about 30 minutes, you reach Jennerbahn mid-station. If you want, you can shorten the hike by taking the lift up to the mid-station.
High Route from Jennerbahn to Königsbach Alp
From Jennerbahn mid-station, a relatively flat high route along Königsbach stream leads you up to Königsbach alp, which takes around one hour. Königsbach alp is serviced from May to October, and invites you for a rest. The trail leads past lovely alps, where you can often find grazing animals in the summer. The high route is full of beautiful views of the east face of Watzmann mountain, an infamous climbing route.
Descent to Kessel Pier
The junction to the pier is well signposted. You descend on a small hiking path. Sturdy shoes are absolutely necessary here. The descent features stunning views over the lake and St. Bartholomew's Church. Ships cross lake Königssee on a regular basis. Nevertheless, you should look up the timetable online before you start on the hike.
Boat Back to Königssee (Town)
A boat takes you back from Kessel to Königssee in around 15 minutes. During the trip, you can look at Watzmann mountain's east face from up close. The ride also goes past the spot with the famous Königssee Echo.
Where to eat
- Königsbach alp at 1,200m/3,937ft is serviced from May to October, and even features a nice little sun deck.
- The town of Königssee has numerous pubs as well as an Italian ice cream parlour.
Interesting facts
- You're traveling a distance of 10 km on this easy trail. The average length of all hikes in Bavaria is 43 km.
- You're facing an uphill climb of 1320 vertical meters on this hike. This makes the hike one of the 10 hikes with the most ascent in Bavaria. The highest point of the track is 1,290 m above sea level.
- Don’t hesitate to take your kids along on this easy hikes.
- Make sure to bring sturdy footwear on this track. Hiking boots are highly recommended. There are places to buy beverages and food along the track. However it’s always recommended to bring enough water and food along with you.
Highlights of the tour
- Panoramic view of Watzmann east face
- Vies over lake Königssee and St. Bartholomew's church during the descent
- Boat ride over lake Königssee back to the starting point of the tour
Variations
You can easily extend the hike by not descending to Kessel from Königsbach alp, but hiking on to Gotzen alp (1,110m/3,642ft).
If you start by taking a boat to Kessel, you can hike the tour the other way around.
Equipment
Sturdy shoes are required.
Getting here
By car
From the north, follow motorway A8 München-Salzburg to exit Bad Reichenhall, then follow B20 to lake Königssee. From the south, go on Tauern motorway, exit at Salzburg Süd, then follow B305 to Berchtesgaden and continue on B20 to lake Königssee.
By Rail
Berchtesgaden is easily accessible, with ICE trains from Dortmund, Essen, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz, Mannheim, Stuttgart and Munich; as well as from Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Göttingen, Kassel, Fulda and Würzburg calling here.
