Germany’s most beautiful lake
There’s no way around it: Eibsee in the Bavarian Alps is absolutely stunning.
With crystal-clear waters and unparalleled views of Germany’s highest mountain, Zugspitze (2,962 metres), Eibsee is a sight for sore eyes.
The first time we visited the German lake was in early October on a blissful evening, and we returned the following day on a misty morning that turned sunny.
Since then, we have been back twice, in both summer and spring during our stays in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and we must say it’s one of our favourite places in the world.
In this guide, we’ll help you get the most out of your visit, including what to do at Eibsee, the best photo spots, how to get there and more. Enjoy!
Where to stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
- Budget: Atlas Sporthotel – One of the cheapest options for ensuite double rooms in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Free parking.
- Value for money: Biohotel Garmischer Hof – Amazing views, organic food and a spa and wellness centre. Our favourite hotel in GaPa.
- Luxury: Bader Suites – Luxurious, spacious apartments with everything you need. We loved staying here.
- Family: Leiners Boutiquehotel für Familien – All-inclusive children’s hotel with an indoor pool, playrooms and childcare. Where we stayed with our kids.
Search for the best hotels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen here.
Table of contents
- What to expect at Eibsee
- Hiking around Lake Eibsee
- Parking at Eibsee
- How to get to Eibsee by public transport
- How to get to Eibsee by car and from Munich
- When to visit Eibsee
- How long to spend at Eibsee
- Best viewpoints and photo spots at Eibsee
- Swimming at Eibsee
- Paddleboarding and boat hire at Eibsee
- Visiting Eibsee with kids
- Food and drink at Eibsee
- Combining Eibsee with a trip to Zugspitze
- What to bring to Eibsee
- Where to go next
- Minimise your impact
- FAQ about visiting Eibsee
Our personal recommendations for the best areas and places to stay
Read moreWhere is Lake Eibsee?
Lake Eibsee is located in Grainau, roughly 13 kilometres southwest of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and 90-100 kilometres southwest of Munich, the Bavarian capital.
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What to expect at Eibsee
Just 13 kilometres (a 15-minute drive) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Eibsee is easily reached by your own wheels, public transport or (if you’re fit) by hiking.
The temperature drops a little bit up here as the lake is at 973 metres, compared to Garmisch-Partenkirchen at just over 700 metres, but it’s not too bad.
When you arrive at Eibsee, the first thing you’ll notice is how incredibly beautiful this area is. We’ll let the photos do the talking.
Everything you need to know including the best experiences, when to visit, where to eat and where to stay
Hiking around Lake Eibsee
The hike around Eibsee is one of the most enjoyable and accessible lake walks we’ve done in the Alps.
The trail is mostly flat, well maintained and easy to follow, so it’s suitable for families, casual walkers and just about anyone who enjoys being outdoors.
One of the things we love most about it is that it’s a loop trail.
There’s no need to retrace your steps, and the scenery constantly changes as you make your way around the lake.
The full Eibsee Circular Route is approximately 7.5 kilometres long and takes around 1.5 to 2 hours to complete without many stops.
Realistically, though, you’ll probably need longer. We certainly did!
Between the crystal-clear water, tiny islands, mountain reflections and ever-changing views of Zugspitze, we found ourselves stopping every few minutes to take photos or simply admire the scenery.
The path winds through forested sections, along wooden boardwalks, past small beaches and beside several quiet coves where the water almost looks tropical on sunny days.
Some of our favourite viewpoints were on the northern side of the lake, where the views towards Zugspitze are particularly impressive.
You can, of course, walk only part of the trail and turn around whenever you like. However, if time allows, we’d strongly recommend completing the full circuit.
Each section of shoreline offers a slightly different perspective, and you’d miss some of the lake’s best views by only walking a short stretch.
To begin the loop from the main car park, either follow the signs towards the lakeshore or walk through the car park to the less obvious trail entrance, which takes you anti-clockwise.
Many visitors naturally head clockwise, but the route works equally well in either direction.
If you walk towards the Unterseebrücke (Untersee Bridge), you’ll soon reach the northern shore, where Germany’s highest mountain dominates the skyline across the water.
That’s the anti-clockwise route, and this way, you’ll get to the most iconic mountain views first.
Eibsee opening times and rules
Entrance to the lake itself is open 24/7/365 (as far as we can tell), but parking at the Eibsee car park is only allowed between 5:00 and 22:00 (night parking is prohibited).
You can read more about parking at Eibsee further down.
Eibsee and its shore are a landscape protection area (Landschaftsschutzgebiet Eibsee), and a sign by the lake sets out what is allowed and what isn’t.
Walking, running, cycling, photography, swimming, snorkelling, windsurfing, stand-up paddling and rowing are all fine. You can bring your own boat or board as long as it has no motor.
Off the list are cars outside the car parks, open fires, barbecues, camping, litter, motor boats, scuba diving, drones and fishing.
The tourist board has a few additions of its own. No tents or sleeping outdoors and no loud music from speakers, dogs stay on a lead, rubbish goes home with you, you use the toilets provided and you park only in the official car parks.
Price of visiting Lake Eibsee
Visiting Lake Eibsee is free! You only pay for parking.
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Parking at Eibsee
There are two paid car parks right next to Lake Eibsee, the Eibsee car park and the one by the Zugspitze cable car.
The Eibsee car park is open from 5:00 to 22:00. The one by the cable car also allows parking at night, but not sleeping in your vehicle.
Check out the latest prices and parking rules on the official website here.
How to get to Eibsee by public transport
Eibsee is easily reached by public transport.
You can take the blue Eibsee bus (bus 323, or bus 314 in the low season) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen directly to Eibsee in about 40 minutes.
The last return during summer is at about 20:00. For the rest of the year, the last bus returns to town at about 19:10.
From late May to mid-September, extra buses run at the busiest times of day, so there’s one every half hour.
See the current bus timetables (in German) here.
In addition to the buses, there’s a cogwheel train called Zugspitzbahn from Garmisch-Partenkirchen that takes visitors to within about 300 metres of the lakeshore.
How to get to Eibsee by car and from Munich
From Garmisch-Partenkirchen it’s about 13 kilometres by road through Grainau, a drive of around 15 minutes.
The cable car operator warns that there’s only one road in to the lake and that the car parks can fill up quickly, especially in summer, with long traffic jams as a result. Its advice is to take the cogwheel train or the bus instead.
Munich is about 95 kilometres away, and the A95 autobahn takes you from Munich towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Without a car from Munich, take the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then the bus or the cogwheel train from there. Our Garmisch-Partenkirchen guide covers the trip from Munich under “How to get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen”.
The Deutschland-Ticket only covers the cogwheel train between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Grainau, so you’ll need a separate ticket for the rest of the way to Eibsee. If you stay overnight in Grainau, the Grainau guest card makes the bus and the cogwheel train between Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Grainau and Eibsee free.
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When to visit Eibsee
The best time to visit Eibsee depends on what kind of experience you’re after, but it’s hard to go wrong any time of year.
For the most beautiful light, visit around sunrise or sunset.
The mountains surrounding the lake often glow in soft golden tones, and the water can be wonderfully calm with perfect reflections.
These quieter hours also mean fewer people on the trails and at the viewpoints.
If you’re wondering about the best time to visit Eibsee in terms of seasons, summer is ideal for swimming, paddleboarding and spending long days outdoors.
When we visited in the summer, we couldn’t resist taking a dip in the lake. Even in the warmer months, it’s refreshingly cool!
Autumn might just be our favourite season at Eibsee. We visited for the first time in October and were treated to clear skies, colourful foliage and far fewer visitors than during the peak summer months.
The combination of turquoise water, golden leaves and snow-dusted mountain peaks in the distance was pretty magical.
Winter transforms Eibsee into a completely different landscape. Snow-covered forests and mountains give the lake a fairytale feel, especially after fresh snowfall.
Swimming is allowed all year, so in theory you can go in whenever the lake isn’t frozen over, which it usually is from late December to late March.
The water in winter is seriously cold, and that’s as much as we’ll say about winter swimming.
Spring is often overlooked but can be a lovely time to visit, with melting snow on the surrounding peaks, emerging greenery and generally quieter trails before the summer crowds arrive.
No matter when you visit, we’d recommend arriving as early as you can.
Eibsee is one of Bavaria’s most popular natural attractions, and the lakeshore can get surprisingly busy on sunny days, especially during summer weekends and holidays.
How long to spend at Eibsee
Even a few minutes is worth it, we’d say, just to see the lake with Zugspitze behind it.
With 1-2 hours you get a quick look and a bit of a walk, which is a good option if you’ve got other plans that day.
The whole loop is around 7.5 kilometres and takes 1.5 to 2 hours if you don’t stop much. We stop every few minutes for a photo, so we take a good while longer, but then our way of visiting isn’t necessarily common.
If you’re combining it with Zugspitze, the cable car leaves right by the lake. Early morning at the lake and Zugspitze later in the morning works well, or the other way round.
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Best viewpoints and photo spots at Eibsee
Eibsee is one of those places where it’s hard to take a bad photo. That said, some spots are better than others.
The shore just west of the Unterseebrücke is one of our favourites.
Once you’ve crossed the bridge (going anti-clockwise from the main car park), you’ll find a stretch of shoreline with rocks jutting out into the water and an unobstructed view back towards Zugspitze.
It’s the kind of composition that looks almost too good to be real.
Just north of the bridge, in the same area, you’ll see the small lake known as Untersee. It’s quieter than the main lake and easy to miss if you’re walking quickly.
The smaller, stiller water makes for lovely reflections, and it feels a little more tucked away than the busier stretches of the circular trail.
The famous “Instagram rock” needs no introduction if you’ve spent any time looking at photos of Eibsee.
It’s a large pointed stone you can sit or stand on at the water’s edge, with a view of Braxeninsel and Zugspitze in the frame behind you. It’s stunning.
After crossing the bridge (still going anti-clockwise), continue walking for about 10-15 minutes more and look for a small “hidden” trail that branches off into the woods towards the lake.
Get there early if you want it to yourself. And, as always, take care of the area. Sadly, graffiti has marred the appearance of the stone.
The northern shore is where we’d recommend spending most of your time if you’re a photographer.
The rocks extend into the lake in places, letting you wade out a little for a different perspective, and Zugspitze looms to the south as you look across the water.
The small islands, including Ludwigsinsel and Sasseninsel, sit beautifully in the middle distance and make for a natural focal point from almost anywhere along this stretch.
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Swimming at Eibsee
You can swim in Eibsee, unlike many other popular alpine lakes, such as Lago di Braies and Lago di Carezza, where swimming is not allowed.
The water is crystal clear, and the setting is absurd in the best possible way.
That said, don’t expect a tropical dip. Even at the height of summer, Eibsee remains surprisingly cold due to its alpine setting, limited direct sunlight, and the snowmelt and mountain streams that feed it.
We’ve jumped in ourselves and can confirm it’s refreshing in the way that makes you gasp first and grin afterwards.
There are plenty of spots along the shore where you can get into the water easily enough, for example “Strandblick“, “Kleine Bucht” or the shores near the Unterseebrücke (where we went in ourselves). On Google Maps, the bridge is called “Eibsee-Brücke“.
If you’re planning to swim, bring a towel and something warm to put on afterwards. And check your sunscreen beforehand: many common brands contain chemicals that are harmful to freshwater ecosystems, so it’s worth seeking out a reef-safe or mineral alternative before you go.
Paddleboarding and boat hire at Eibsee
One of the loveliest things to do at Eibsee is to experience it from the water.
Whether you bring your own paddleboard, kayak or inflatable boat, or hire equipment on-site, getting out on the lake offers a completely different perspective.
During the warmer months, you can hire paddleboards and a variety of boats from Bootsverleih (Sportbetriebe am Eibsee), just to the left as you arrive from the car park.
Keep in mind that opening hours are weather-dependent, and the rental station may close earlier than scheduled in bad weather or when few people are visiting. Reviews of the service are somewhat mixed…
For the latest prices, opening hours, and details about the different boats and paddleboards available for hire, check the rental company’s website.
Visiting Eibsee with kids
The loop is flat for most of the way, the path is in good shape and there’s no risk of losing it, so a stroller should be doable. The first stretch over the Unterseebrücke and the bit just beyond it would be fine.
We can’t say for certain whether some sections further round are rootier or stonier. The lake’s own site says the loop works with a stroller in summer (and a sledge in winter), and Grainau’s tourist board says much the same.
You don’t have to finish the loop either. Turn round when it suits you.
Along the shore there are plenty of spots where children can dip their feet or swim, according to the tourist board.
The boat hire has pedal boats, and some of them come with a slide.
Next to the Eibsee Alm, a mountain inn a short walk above the cable car station, there’s a big adventure playground with a Tarzan swing and a climbing tower among other things. In bad weather the Eibsee Alm has a playroom for small children during its opening hours.
In summer there’s an ice cream hut next to the Pavillon restaurant.
Food and drink at Eibsee
There are a few restaurants and cafés near the lake, so you won’t go hungry if you’d rather sit down for a meal than rough it with a packed lunch.
We haven’t eaten at any of them ourselves (we tend to bring our own snacks and make a day of it), but you can check out the food and drink options at Eibsee here.
It’s also possible to eat at the top of Zugspitze if you want to visit on the same day.
Some of the places by the lake are only open during the summer months, so if you do plan to rely on the on-site options, it’s worth checking opening times before you go – particularly outside the main summer season.
Combining Eibsee with a trip to Zugspitze
One of the reasons Eibsee is such a popular destination is its location directly beneath Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain.
As the Zugspitze cable car (Seilbahn Zugspitze) departs directly from Eibsee, combining the two couldn’t be more convenient.
In about 10 minutes, the cable car takes you from the lakeshore to nearly 3,000 metres above sea level, where panoramic views stretch across Germany, Austria and the surrounding Alps.
We think the two experiences complement each other perfectly.
From the summit, you’ll be able to look down on Eibsee and see just how beautifully the lake sits among the mountains. Back at lake level, you’ll have an entirely new appreciation for the dramatic peak towering above it.
If you’re planning to visit both, we’d suggest starting your day at Eibsee.
Arrive early, enjoy a peaceful walk around the lake, take some photos while the water is calm, and then head up to Zugspitze later in the morning.
Alternatively, visit Zugspitze first and reward yourself with a relaxing lakeside stroll or even a swim afterwards during the warmer months.
We’ve written a full guide to visiting Zugspitze that covers tickets, getting there, what to expect at the top and more.
What to bring to Eibsee
- Travel insurance (adlink). Never travel without it!
- A good camera – here’s a guide to the gear we use.
- Sunscreen (adlink).
- Hiking shoes.
- Swimwear and a towel if you plan to swim.
- Water and snacks.
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Where to go next
Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, rises straight above the lake, and we’ve written a full guide to visiting it.
The Partnach Gorge (Partnachklamm) is a gorge walk in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and we have a guide to hiking it too.
We also went on a guided canyoning tour from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and wrote about why you should go.
Our Garmisch-Partenkirchen travel guide covers the 26 best things to do in the town and around it.
Minimise your impact
To minimise your impact during your visit to Lake Eibsee, follow these guidelines:
- Bring your own drinking water in a refillable bottle.
- Avoid single-use plastics, including straws.
- Dispose of waste properly. While putting your trash in a nearby trash can is convenient, wrappers and other small items are easily taken by the wind and end up in the lake.
- Check your sunscreen if you intend to swim. Many brands contain oxybenzone and other chemicals that are harmful.
- Take only photos, leave only footprints. Let everything stay in its natural place. No stone-throwing.
- Be considerate of other visitors.
- Respect wildlife.
FAQ about visiting Eibsee
Is Eibsee worth visiting?
Yes, and it’s one of our favourite places in the world.
There’s no entrance fee and Zugspitze (2,962 metres, Germany’s highest mountain) rises right across the water. The loop round the lake is about 7.5 kilometres and mostly flat.
You can swim here too, which you can’t at Lago di Braies or Lago di Carezza.
How much does it cost to visit Eibsee?
The lake itself is free. Both car parks charge, and the prices are on the official parking page linked in the parking section.
The bus and the cogwheel train need a ticket, unless you have the Grainau guest card.
How do you avoid the crowds at Eibsee?
Come as early as you can. The shore gets busy on sunny days, most of all on summer weekends and holidays.
Sunrise and sunset bring fewer people and the best light. In October we had far fewer people around us than in summer, and spring is quiet before the summer crowds arrive.
Where is the “Instagram rock” at Eibsee?
Go anti-clockwise from the main car park, cross the Unterseebrücke and walk another 10-15 minutes or so. A small “hidden” trail branches off into the woods towards the water.
The rock is a large pointed stone at the water’s edge with Braxeninsel and Zugspitze behind it.
Go early if you want it to yourself. Graffiti has spoiled the stone, though.
Can you fly a drone at Eibsee?
No. Eibsee is a landscape protection area and drones are banned.
The sign by the lake says so, and so does the tourist board.
Are dogs allowed at Eibsee?
Yes, on a lead. That’s the tourist board’s rule for the lake.
Is Eibsee good for kids?
Yes, it should work well. The loop is mostly flat and the tourist board says it can be done with a stroller.
The shore has plenty of spots where small feet can go in, and the boat hire has pedal boats, some with a slide.
By the Eibsee Alm there’s a big playground.
Thanks for reading our Eibsee guide
Thanks for reading our Lake Eibsee travel guide. We hope it has been useful!
What do you think about Eibsee? Is it the most beautiful lake in Germany?
If you’ve already visited Eibsee, it would be awesome to hear your best tips in the comments.
If you haven’t been yet, please don’t hesitate to ask us anything. We’re happy to help you with your travels.
Our favourite travel resources:
- Booking.com for hotels and apartments.
- Momondo for the best flight deals.
- AirHelp for flight delay compensation.
- GetYourGuide for great tours everywhere.
- Airalo for reliable eSIM.
- Discover Cars for transparent car hire.
- SafetyWing for travel insurance. We also like True Traveller. Compared here.
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In general I really like your posts. They are very thorough and complete, and we are using some of your recommendations so thank you. However, your ‘minimize impact’ section ranges from silly to preachy. Don’t throw stones or wear sunscreen if you are going into water?!
Hi Tom, thanks for your kind words!
We’re sorry you find our tips on minimising impact silly or preachy.
Our aim is solely to help visitors keep the beautiful places they visit healthy and thriving, and although it can seem like small things, avoiding harmful chemicals in lakes or keeping from rearranging stones is not without impact. Both can also have negative consequences for other visitors.
Thanks again 🙂