Hiking in Bavaria close to the Austrian border and exploring medieval castles

When I think about Germany (I live in Berlin) I often forget that it also has a lot of stunning landscapes to explore. One of them is definitely the Alps in Bavaria and the border to Austria. 

During the summer I decided to go hiking there with a couple of friends. We first stayed at a friends house in Ergoldsbach, a small city in the region of Berchtesgaden (Bavaria). Honestly the city doesn't have much to do, we stayed a bit outside of it, where there was more forest and nature to enjoy. August is a great month to travel Germany, the days are long and warm and mostly sunny, perfect for campfires in the garden and stargazing.

From Ergoldsbach we drove close to the Austrian border by car. We started our hike at the beautiful Königssee, a huge mountain lake with clear blue waters, surrounded by hiking routes. Our hike took about 3-4 hours and ended at the Carl-von-Stahl house, a mountain cabin at 1.700 m with a stunning view over the mountains, directly after the Austrian border. The hike was a lot of fun and led us across a river with very cold water to dip our feet in, across beautiful green valleys with cute cows and higher and higher into the mountains. 

At the mountain cabin we had some very tasty, rustical food and spent the night in a dorm of wooden beds. It was extremely beautiful to wake with the sun and have the view into the misty mountains, lit by the morning light. From there we took another hike to the next mountaintop to enjoy the view. After that we hiked down again and went for a sim in the clear waters of the Königssee. The lake is very touristic, so we looked for a less frequented spot. A perfect refreshment after the hiking!

Burghausen is a town in the east of Bavaria, close to the border to Austria. The name already implies its main attraction, Burg means castle. Burghausen has the longest castle in the world, stretching along a hill for 1051 metres. Nowadays the castles is mainly used for housing and museums. 

The walk along the castle transports you into a different time. It is located on top of a hill because of strategic reasons which has the perk of offering an amazing view on both sides. To the right you have the view on the Lake Wöhrsee and the beautiful hills of the surrounding landscape, on the left you look directly onto the colorful old town and the river Salzach. On both sides of the castle there are stairs that lead to the corresponding areas. When I was there in the summer I went swimming a lot in the beautiful lake, took endless bike rides in the countryside and enjoyed walking through the pastel-colored buildings of the historical centre. Make sure to visit the main square. Every building is painted in a different color. There are also several small towns and churches with amazing views on the Alps to visit close by.

Since it is located close to Burghausen, I took a day trip to the Austrian town Salzburg. It also has a beautiful historical centre that is crossed by the river Salzach. 

First I took a walk along the river. There is a very nice walking and biking path along it, where lots of locals go for runs, bike rides or walks. The walk gives you a beautiful view on some of the more prominent buildings of Salzburg and the castle Festung Hohensalzburg. Similarly to Burghausen, the historical centre of Salzburg is also very clean and colorful. There are endless nice Cafés inside the decorated pastel colored buildings and lots of cute little streets to explore. 

After the historical centre I walked up to the castle Festung Hohensalzburg that overlooks the city. The castle is the symbol of the city and one of the biggest castles in Europe. The outer part is open to the public without a guide. From here you have an amazing view over the entire city and the hills covered in dark green forest close by.