An emerald lake below alpine walls
Berchtesgaden lies in the far southeast of Bavaria, surrounded by Austria on three sides and by the Alps on all of them. Berchtesgaden National Park centres on the Königssee, a clear, fjord-like lake where electric boats glide to the red-domed church of St Bartholomä. The Watzmann, Germany's third-highest mountain, towers over the valley. Visitors can also tour the historic salt mine or ride up to the Kehlsteinhaus, the Eagle's Nest, now a mountain restaurant, while the Obersalzberg Documentation Centre explains the area's history. Salzburg is only half an hour away.