Discovering Alpsee: Bavaria’s Pristine Alpine Lake
The Alpsee is located approximately 4km southeast of Füssen in Bavaria, near the famous Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. The beautiful lake is nestled in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, close to the Austrian border.
Alpsee, from the hill trail leading to Neuschwanstein Castle
Alpsee’s natural beauty
Alpsee is one of Germany’s cleanest lakes. The turquoise, still water is pristine and reflects the stunning mountains that surround it. Alpsee is actually protected as a conservation area and is popular for migratory birds, like swallows, and migrating toads and frogs.
Alpsee is also home to some rare plants in the sedge swamps, straw meadows, peat meadows and perennial herb nature trails. Orchids, globeflowers, marsh clovers, water lilies, yellow iris and bird’s-eye primrose are just some of the beautiful plants that grow at Alpsee.
The Bavarian royal family would spend summers at Hohenschwangau, the yellow castle that sits just below the more well-known Neuschwanstein Castle. Here, they would row, fish and bathe during the summers in Alpsee’s pristine water.
Things to do at Alpsee
There are several hiking paths encircling Alpsee, with amazing views of the lake, forests and mountains. I walked from Alpsee up to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles - the walk up to Hohenschwangau takes about 10-15 minutes, and the walk up to Neuschwanstein takes around 30-40 minutes with a steeper incline. Both of these walks are surrounded by beautiful forests and views of the Bavarian Alps, making them really enjoyable - just bring some comfortable shoes!
I wrote an article about these castles that I visited earlier this year, which you can read here if you’d like to learn more about the history and architecture and the role this area played in Bavarian history.
Alpsee is also a popular spot for swimming during the summer months, and you can rent rowboats and paddle boats to explore the lake at your own pace (this wasn’t available when I visited in February). If you have a fishing permit you can also enjoy a relaxing day of fishing at the lake which is home to freshwater fish, like trout.
For visitors in winter, you can try ice skating on the lake (when permitted) and cross-country skiing on the nearby trails that look over Schwangau.
View from Hohenschwangau Castle, above Alpsee
Practical tips for visiting Alpsee
I visited in February earlier this year and it was chilly and fresh. It wasn’t too busy by the lake, it was busier up by Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, and I didn’t see any boats out on the lake (boats can be rented from May to October and in good weather, between 10am-7pm).
There’s also accommodation around the lake, although I was only there for the day, staying at a hotel in nearby Füssen.
Parking is available nearby if you drive to Alpsee - I took the bus from Füssen (it was an extremely busy bus ride, packed with visitors headed for the castles).
There are some traditional Bavarian restaurants at Alpsee and places to get snacks. I ate at the restaurant on the way down from Neuschwanstein and the food was quite average, perhaps one of the restaurants at the bottom would have been better. But you won’t go hungry if you decide not to bring a picnic.
Neuschwanstein gets huge numbers of tourists each year, and I’d recommend that anyone who visits also takes a walk over to Alpsee. If you have the time, definitely stay in some of the local accommodation and take a hike around the lake to really take in the beauty and scale of Alpsee.
