Diego Delso, CC BY-SA

Lake Königssee

A fjord-like lake 190 m deep below the Watzmann east face, crossed all year by electric boats to the onion-domed chapel of St. Bartholomä, which no road or shore path reaches.

2 mi²Area
623 ftMaximum depth
1,978 ftElevation

At a glance

190 m deep and about 8 km long, below the Watzmann east face
Electric boats all year to St. Bartholomä, 35 minutes each way
A pilgrimage church at St. Bartholomä, reachable only by water
The Königssee echo, played on a flugelhorn by the boatman against a rock wall
From Salet, 15 minutes on foot to the Obersee and the 400 m Röthbach falls
Return boat to St. Bartholomä: €23.40, as displayed in October 2026

Where to stay

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Schönau am KönigsseeClosest
3.1 mi as the crow flies
Also close to Berchtesgaden National Park
See hotels
Berchtesgaden
5.6 mi as the crow flies
Also close to Berchtesgaden National Park
See hotels

Which tour to choose?

Tour	Duration	Adult price
Seelände > St. Bartholomä	1 h 30 min	€23.40 (2026)
Seelände > Salet	2 h

Facts checked on October 14, 2026

Tickets and prices

Prices in 2026
Shuttle, Adult	€23.40

Source: Bayerische Seenschifffahrt

How the visit runs

Board at the Seelände
Buy your ticket at the counter, in cash or by card, or online: an online ticket gives direct access to the gangway for departures from the Seelände. Free lockers, in limited number, wait behind the ticket office.
The echo wall
On the way, the boatman stops at the Echowand and plays the flugelhorn against the rock. In principle it happens on every trip, but the operator does not guarantee it.
St. Bartholomä 35 min by boat
Visit the pilgrimage church, the former hunting lodge and the park exhibition, then walk to the Eiskapelle, about an hour on foot from the landing.
On to Salet and the Obersee about 50 min from the Seelände
In summer, until mid-October, boats continue to Salet; from the landing, the Obersee is 15 minutes on foot, with a view of the Röthbach falls.
Back on any boat
You can break the trip at St. Bartholomä and return on any boat. The return trip takes about 90 minutes, boarding included, before any visit or wait; count about two hours for Salet.

St. Bartholomä, Salet or Kessel: the three landings

Landing	From the Seelände	Season	Fare	Why stop
St. Bartholomä	35 min	All year, except 24 December and when the lake freezes	€11.70 one way, €23.40 return	Pilgrimage church, former hunting lodge, park exhibition, path to the Eiskapelle
Salet	About 50 min	Summer, until mid-October		Obersee 15 minutes on foot, view of the Röthbach falls
Kessel			€9.00 one way	Request stop for hikes to the Gotzenalm, the Königsbachalm and the Kahlersberg

Source: Bayerische Seenschifffahrt, Königssee pages; fares as displayed in October 2026, VAT included.

Before you go

Timing: the operator advises leaving for St. Bartholomä before 10:00 and starting back by 14:30; on some days tickets sell out by early afternoon.
Peak season: queues form mainly from July to mid-September, and on public holidays and long weekends in fine weather.
Reductions: there are none for guest card holders, students or seniors.
Dogs on the boats must all wear a muzzle, whatever their size, unless they travel in a closed carrier; guide dogs are exempt and fighting dogs are refused. Hikers’ dogs need the muzzle on the way back too.
Dogs in the park stay on a lead.
Your own boat: private boats, kayaks, inflatables, paddleboards and air mattresses are banned. Rowing boats for four can be hired by the hour at the Seelände, from mid-May to early October in fine weather.
Drones, fires and tents are banned in the national park, and nobody may sleep outdoors.
Smoking is not allowed on the boats.
Parking: the large Seelände car park is run by the municipality of Schönau and is paid; the operator recommends a day ticket.

What is allowed

Topic	Rule	Source
Wild camping (bivouac)	Not allowed	Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden
Camping	Not allowed	Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden
Fires	Not allowed	Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden
Dogs	Restricted	Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden
Drones	Not allowed	Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden

Rules checked with the site manager on October 14, 2026. They can change at short notice: check before you go.

When to go

Busiest period July to September

How to get there

KönigsseeGateway towns

Königssee bus stopabout 5 minLake Königssee
Buses 840, 841 and 843 from Berchtesgaden station stop a short walk from the Seelände.
Seelände car parkabout 5 minLake Königssee
Paid car park run by the municipality of Schönau, close to the landing and the ticket office.

Combine in the same day

Berchtesgaden National Park is 1.2 mi away. Staying in Schönau am Königssee puts both within easy reach.

Berchtesgaden National Park

7,546 ft from the floor of the Königssee to the Watzmann summit.1.5 mi awayNational park

Königssee runs for about 5 mi at the foot of the Watzmann east face, a fjord-like lake 623 ft deep, mostly inside Berchtesgaden National Park. No road and no shore path reach its far end: the electric boats from the Seelände at Schönau am Königssee are the way in.

A fjord-like lake below the Watzmann

The figures behind the emerald-green water, from the boat operator and from the German encyclopaedia entry:

Königssee: 623 ft at its deepest and about 5 mi long, with a surface of 2 mi² at 1,978 ft above sea level.
Obersee: the smaller lake beyond it, 167 ft deep and about 0.8 mi long.
The Röthbach waterfall, at the head of the valley beyond the Obersee, drops about 1,312 ft and is regarded as the highest waterfall in Germany.
The lake can freeze in January and February, but the ice is rarely thick enough to walk on; the last time it was opened to walkers was the hard winter of 2005/2006, for several weeks.

State water inside a national park

The lake belongs to the Free State of Bavaria, and most of it lies inside the national park:

Berchtesgaden National Park was created on 1 August 1978 and covers 81 mi², in IUCN category II.
The water of Königssee and Obersee, with the St. Bartholomä peninsula, is administered by the Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen.
Boat services are run by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt GmbH, based in Schönau am Königssee.

St. Bartholomä, a chapel reached only by water

The pilgrimage church with its wine-red onion domes stands on a peninsula, and the boat is the only easy way there. Around it stand a few buildings worth the stop:

The former royal hunting lodge, now an inn with a beer garden; like the church, it costs nothing to enter.
The national park exhibition in the Jägerhaus: five rooms, open all year, ending with a 12-minute nature film in the wooden-panelled cinema room.
A path into the upper Eisbachtal to the Eiskapelle, at the foot of the Watzmann east face, about an hour on foot from the landing.

Up to nineteen boats a day in August, three or four in January

The electric boats run all year, and the timetable swells and shrinks with the season:

Up to 19 boats a day in August, against three or four in January.
At least one departure every 30 minutes in bad weather, and up to one every 10 minutes on fine holiday days.
Space on board is limited, and there are no toilets on the boats; there are toilets at the car park, at the Seelände and in the waiting rooms of St. Bartholomä and Salet.
Without a car, the Bayerische Regiobahn runs from Freilassing through Bad Reichenhall to Berchtesgaden, where buses 840, 841 and 843 continue to Königssee.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the boat ride on Königssee?

35 minutes each way to St. Bartholomä, and about 90 minutes for the return trip with boarding, before any visit. To Salet, about 50 minutes each way and two hours there and back.

How much is the Königssee boat?

€23.40 return and €11.70 one way to St. Bartholomä, and €9 one way to Kessel, VAT included, as displayed in October 2026.

Do the Königssee boats run in winter?

Yes. They run all year except on 24 December and when the lake freezes; Salet is served only in summer, until mid-October.

Can you walk to St. Bartholomä?

Not along the lake: no road or footpath follows the shore. Apart from the boat, only long mountain routes lead there, such as the cable-secured Rinnkendlsteig via Kühroint, which needs at least six hours of walking.

Are dogs allowed on the Königssee boats?

Yes, with a muzzle for every dog unless it travels in a closed carrier. Guide dogs are exempt, fighting dogs are refused and wet dogs may be turned away.

Can you kayak or paddleboard on Königssee?

No. Private boats, kayaks, paddleboards, inflatables and air mattresses are banned because the lake lies in the national park; rowing boats can be hired at the Seelände.

Is Königssee in a national park?

Yes. Most of the lake lies in Berchtesgaden National Park, created on 1 August 1978 over 210 km².

Nearby

Eibsee

8 islets left by a rockfall, in a lake below the Zugspitze.GermanyLake

Lakes in Germany

Sources

7 sources

Bayerische Seenschifffahrt consulted on October 14, 2026
Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden consulted on October 14, 2026
OpenStreetMap consulted on October 14, 2026
Wikidata consulted on October 14, 2026
Wikipedia (en) consulted on October 14, 2026
Wikipedia (fr) consulted on October 14, 2026
x consulted on October 14, 2026