Hotels near Konigssee Malerwinkel Rundweg

Almost everyone who reaches Konigssee joins the queue for an electric boat. The Malerwinkel Rundweg does not need one, which is precisely why it earns a place in a car-free, budget-minded guide. The loop covers 3.8 km with 170 m of ascent and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from the Parkplatz Konigssee, tracing the northern shore to the viewpoint painters used for the classic look down the lake towards the Watzmann. Official sources do not grade the difficulty, but in practice it suits families walking at an unhurried pace.

Getting here is simpler than most itineraries suggest, because bus 840 runs all the way through from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof with no change: Mirabellplatz at 2 minutes, Justizgebaude at 6, Marktschellenberg Kugelmuhle at 49, the ZOB at Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof at 69, and Konigssee at 81. You do not need bus 841 or bus 842. Line 841 and the 843A and 843B ring routes are local Berchtesgaden alternatives, and the 842 runs to Obersalzberg and the Kehlstein instead. The summer 2026 Berchtesgaden bus timetable is valid from 24 May to 24 October.

If you do want a boat afterwards, a 2026 adult return to St. Bartholoma is EUR 23.40 and to Salet EUR 29.80, one way EUR 11.70 and EUR 14.90, with under-5s free, ages 6 to 17 at half price and families paying EUR 1 per additional child. The boat summer timetable runs 25 April to 11 October 2026. None of that is covered by the Salzburg Card, and neither is bus 840, whose cross-border fare is not published as one official figure.

Pro Tip: Walk the Malerwinkel loop first and decide about the boat at the end. Outside the 25 April to 11 October 2026 boat season the walk is the whole visit anyway, and it costs nothing.