Photo: Mtt1734 · CC BY-SA 4.0Chiemsee to Berchtesgaden
Cross from Munich to Chiemsee, Königssee, Ramsau and Bad Reichenhall on a four-day drive along Bavaria’s eastern Alps.
- Allow
- 4 days
- Route
- 339 km
- Drive time
- 3 hr 42 min
- Stops
- 6
East of Munich, the Autobahn is only the delivery mechanism. The road trip begins on a Chiemsee boat, tightens into the Berchtesgaden basin and pauses at Königssee, where the car is left behind again for boats and trails beneath the Watzmann.
Stay near Berchtesgaden for two nights and treat Königssee as an early, weather-sensitive day. This area borders Austria and contains mountain and historical sites with separate access systems; do not stack them all into one drive.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 deMunich
Begin eastbound after the urban part of the trip is complete.
Munich (German: München, Bavarian: Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is not a state of its own, and it ranks as the 11th-largest city in the European Union (EU).
Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery · AttributionPrien & Chiemsee
Bavaria’s largest lake and Herrenchiemsee palace turn a roadside lake into a full boat-and-island day.
Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, Germany, near Rosenheim. It is often called "the Bavarian Sea". The rivers Tiroler Achen and Prien flow into the lake from the south, and the river Alz flows out towards the north.
Photo: Wikiuser100 · CC BY-SA 3.0Berchtesgaden
A historic market town beneath the Watzmann is the route’s best multi-night base.
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, 30 km (19 mi) south of Salzburg and 180 km (110 mi) southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Berchtesgaden National Park stretches along three parallel valleys.
Photo: Mtt1734 · CC BY-SA 4.0Königssee
Electric boats cross a steep-sided Alpine lake where the road ends and the national park takes over.
The Königssee is a natural lake in the southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Most of the lake is within the Berchtesgaden National Park.
Photo: Jörg Braukmann · CC BY-SA 4.0Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden
A riverside church, mountain backdrop and nearby gorges make a compact village-and-walk day.
Ramsau is a German municipality in the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 1,800. It is a district located in the Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, close to the border with Austria, 35 km south of Salzburg and 150 km south-east of Munich. It is situated north of the Berchtesgaden National Park.
Photo: Luitold · CC BY-SA 3.0Bad Reichenhall
Salt heritage, spa architecture and a walkable center provide a gentle final overnight before Munich.
Bad Reichenhall is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufen (1,771 m) and Mount Zwiesel (1,781 m)). Together with other alpine towns, Bad Reichenhall engages in the Alpine Town of the Year Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Mountain parking fills early. Check current boat, cable-car and road status, and use buses from your base when local guidance recommends them.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.