After a romantic drive down part of the Austria’s Romantic Road…we headed off across the border into Germany for 24 hours to visit Berchtesgaden and Konigssee. I have good memories of staying around this area in 2003 with my family while on our European road trip and again when G and I visited a few years ago.
Leaving the snowy pastures of Austria behind us…we arrived to some more snowy pastures in Germany and our first stop was the pretty village of Berchtesgaden.
The town is rather compact and had a tiny little Christmas market…
…so we just wandered around taking everything in…
…this florist got me into a right old pickle…I wanted so many items but left empty handed (this is what happens when you read to many personal finance and decluttering books!)…
…pretty in pink to make the boys wink…
…the town has beautiful painted buildings that are gorgeous.
^^look at the shadows!
G found me a pair of slippers…
…I was VERY tempted! My ugg slippers just haven’t done the distance for the price point!
Berchtesgaden isn’t that big so you don’t need to spend too much time exploring and we didn’t as G wanted to head to a hotel that we had stayed in many moons again when it was under the Intercontinental branding but now sits with under the Kempinski hotel chain.
We took a few different routes to get the hotel as there were road works and snow to contend with but eventually we made it to the Hotel Kempinksi Berchtesgaden and the views were just as good as we’d remember them.
The hotel hasn’t changed much from our last visit, maybe a few different changes here and there and it looks a bit sleeker (sharp edges, darker etc…not necessarily my favourite interiors or original but hey ho!)…unfortunately the service was not as good on this visit but not a surprise really as the Kempinksi hotel chains have never impressed me much…remember that awful gluten free afternoon tea in Berlin.
^^Me…oh look at all that snow…let’s go and see how deep it is…up to my knees and the snow ends up inside my toasty warm boots…doh…Kelly…doh! I didn’t learn from this mistake either…I did it again!
We had a cuppa and a piece of cake and then toddled off down to Lake Kongingssee which was where we were spending a night. G and I had spent a day down at the lake doing a Segway tour a few years back and always said we would return as it was super duper pretty; under a blanket of snow it was breathtakingly gorgeous.
After checking into our cute little accommodation right at the front of the lake (a hotel I vowed to stay in when we visited the last time…it wasn’t flash but it was cute and original!)…
…. we purchased tickets for a boat trip on the lake just as the sun was setting…it was perfect timing bar the three annoying Mean Girls whom we had the misfortune to share the boat trip with (I think G was thinking about jumping off the boat and swimming back…they were THAT bad, THAT loud and gave me a look of move, I want your seat while standing over me…my nana’s evil glare that I’ve inherited plus my wtf face had them moving back towards the front of the boat fast where they continued to take photos for the ‘gram…it’s all for the ‘gram girls…all for the ‘gram while they bitched about their friend who had stayed at the hotel!). Thankfully the lovely tour guide got on the blower and it quietened them down slightly and we were able to enjoy the views.
^^The boats are electric!
As we left the dock…we sat back and took in the views over the village on the lakes edge….
Can you see the reindeers…or maybe they were just deer’s…I can’t remember now?!?
Lake Königssee is Germany’s cleanest lake and is a beautiful shade of emerald green…we sliced swiftly through the crystal clear waters while admiring the views
Due to the winter season, the boat trip only visited one stop to the famous church on the lake, St. Bartholomä Church which was stunning.
Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside as they were holding a performance but walking around the church I could hear the beautiful carols…the calmness of the lake and the snowy landscape felt truly serene.
Ahhhh….Germany, you are still one of my favourite countries in Europe!
Travel Tips for 24 Hours in Germany: Berchtesgaden & Königssee
- A rental car will make life easier to get around to different destinations – if hiring in Germany and you plan to enter Austria, make sure you buy the special tax disc from the petrol station while in Germany.
- We stayed at Hotel Schiffmeister on Lake Konigssee; it needs updating but it’s cheap and cheerful and the location is gorgeous!
- The Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden is the best luxury hotel in the Berchtesgaden area; it’s not cheap however you can still experience the spectacular spa even if you’re not staying at the hotel as they offer spa day passes so you can experience the hotel without the fancy pants price tag! We weren’t fussed with the service when we popped in…gutted that this isn’t an Intercontinental hotel anymore.
- You can find more information about the boat trip on Lake Konigssee on their official website.
xx
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