Explorer Hotel Berchtesgaden – Active holidays at Königssee

Even if thick rain clouds do happen to hang around the mountain peaks, you don't have to be bored. Here are a few very different suggestions for interesting options without outdoor activities:

• Mine tour: The Berchtesgaden Salt Mine takes you deep into the mountain. The mine train, the long wooden slides, and a boat trip across the underground Mirror Lake are a particularly atmospheric experience.

• Historical site: The Obersalzberg Documentation Center offers an impressive, modern exhibition on the Nazi history of the region, including a walk-through bunker tunnel.

• Wellness: At the Watzmann Therme spa, you can simply leave the rainy mountain world outside the panoramic window and relax in the brine bath or sauna area.

• Pure nature – but indoors! The Haus der Berge (House of the Mountains) is the information center of the Berchtesgaden National Park. At the award-winning indoor exhibition "Vertical Wilderness," you can interactively explore the habitats of the Bavarian Alps across four levels.

Experience Culture & Crafts: A tour of Berchtesgaden Royal Palace with its art treasures, or something more hands-on: a visit to the Grassl Gentian Distillery (Germany's oldest gentian distillery) with a tasting.

All of these destinations are located in Berchtesgaden, which you can reach from Schönau in just under 15 minutes by bus. Bus line 843 runs from the Unterstein stop in Schönau to Berchtesgaden Zentrum (Berchtesgaden Center).

Explorer Hotels are passive houses , built so efficiently that they heat themselves almost entirely – solely through solar energy, the heat generated by the guests, and without conventional heating systems. We also use green electricity and work extensively with local partners, for example, regarding the regional products on our generous breakfast buffet. Click here for the latest Explorer Hotels sustainability report .

Currently (2026), the round trip to St. Bartholomä costs €23.40 for adults, and to Salet €29.80.
Children between 6 and 17 years old receive a 50% discount, i.e., €11.70 / €14.90. Children up to 5 years old travel free.

Discounts for people with disabilities also apply, depending on proof of eligibility and the fare. Further information on the timetable and prices can be found here: https://www.seenschifffahrt.de/de/koenigssee/tickets-preise/fahrpreise.

The spectacular view! Who isn't familiar with the famous vista of Lake Königssee and the baroque pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomä, behind which the imposing east face of the Watzmann mountain rises steeply? The crystal-clear, emerald-green Lake Königssee lies almost like a fjord, surrounded by sheer cliffs up to 1,900 meters high.

There are no lakeside paths or even roads. Therefore, you can only reach St. Bartholomä, for example, by boat or via alpine trails. Particularly quiet electric boats are used for the boat trips: perfect for experiencing the impressive multiple echoes on the rock faces during the journey! The nearby Obersee lake is also worth a visit, along with the Röthbachfall waterfall, the highest waterfall in Germany.

Yes, the Königssee ice arena will reopen to visitors in the 2026/27 season! The traditional bobsleigh and luge track had been closed since summer 2021 due to flood damage and, after reconstruction, will soon once again host top-class national and international bobsleigh and skeleton competitions.

According to the Königssee Ice Arena website, tickets will be available from October 1, 2026. However, a visit to the ice arena is worthwhile even without a competition: experience the thrill of the ice track with guest rides in a racing bobsled or luge, or take a guided tour behind the scenes of this spectacular ice sports facility.