As the Bavarian fairy tale rolled into a second day, we moved from Salzburg to Germany where the next stop was located – Lake Königssee – dubbed the most beautiful lake in Germany.
We drove through quaint village roads of Austria and without knowing, crossed the borders to Germany when the landscape took us to new heights, literally.
Finding Schonau am Königssee was fairly easy as all the signs are pointing to the most stunning location in the region. We arrived at the beginning of November, at a beautiful sunny afternoon, finding it almost completely deserted, to our pleasure.
First things first, check-in to Hotel Schiffmeister (if you’ve seen American Pie, the name gave us plenty of giggles).
As it was a birthday treat, we paid a little more for the room with a lake view and it was well worth it.
The hotel was a traditional family run business with most of the rooms facing towards the lake. It was also one of the very few hotels in the village with direct lake views.
After I dropped the bags and quickly checked the boat schedule, we run outside to catch the next one. Even in off season, you can get a ride roughly every half an hour with tickets available at the boat terminal.
Tickets can be reserved online but if you’re buying on spot, it’s better to get there earlier in the morning, especially if you’re coming during busy season like summer. All it takes is one bus full of tourists and you might find yourself waiting hours until you can board a free boat.
Dubbed the ‘cleanest lake in Germany’, as you can see below it’s fairly easy to nod on that one.
Tickets ready, beers finished, time to hop on the boat.
The boat doesnt look like much but it’s huge inside. Families boarded with prams and even bicycles. The only notice you should pay attention to is if you’re travelling with a dog – they need to have a muzzle on the boat.
We happened to do the ride on a gorgeous sunny day, which is not guaranteed this time of year. Rest of the time in there the lake was very foggy each morning, with the fog lifting only in the afternoon and it gets dark quickly. You certainly won’t have the problem in summer though.
The boat was very comfy with plenty of stunning views to pass your time during the 30 mins ride. We stopped by the echo mountain, where as demonstrated by our guide, you can only hear one very clear echo.
He took out his trumpet to play a few tunes and everyone applauded enthusiastically. For the next few days we could hear the trumpet from our hotel balcony on the other side of the lake.
Our first and only stop on the ride – St.Bartolomä.
During summer months, the boat will take you all the way down the lake where you can cross on foot to see Obersee, which is another beautiful but much smaller lake.
The wooden building on the right is the Fisherman’s House/Shop – he is the only person with a license to fish in the lake and you can buy the fish directly from him or enjoy a few samples in the restaurant he supplies.
As always hungry (and thirsty) tourists, we aimed straight for the restaurant before it gets too busy.
They had a beer garden with the most stunning views I’ve seen!
Had to sample the local cuisine.
I had local fish (trout) with new potatoes covered in melted butter and my husband enjoyed the traditional schnitzel. Flushed down with the most refreshing beer.
For dessert, I opted for one of my childhood favourites – this dumpling filled with jam and sprinkled with poppy seeds. In Slovakia we don’t serve it with the pudding as they do in Germany, in fact they serve it even with apple strudel.
Food done, we set off on foot to have a short walk around the area before catching the last boat back to the town.
As the sun went down, the boat just arrived and it was time to return to the familiar village of Schonau am Konigssee. Not before last few snaps from this gorgeous remote place.
Pop over here later this week for another part of German adventures, where you will hear about a few of my tourist fails, delicious food & jolly locals.
