Paradise has a name - Berchtesgaden. A romantic horse-drawn sleigh ride in the fresh, clean air through a winter wonderland covered in deep snow or a torchlit walk followed by refreshments at a local inn really are something quite special. The area south of Berchtesgaden is a national park and the jewel in its crown are the emerald-green waters of Lake Königssee. The "sea of rocks" nature conservation area, which forms a natural border ridge between Bavaria and Salzburg, is a limestone plateau covered in karst formations, steeply sloping gorges, wide sink holes, limestone channels and numerous caves.Berchtesgaden national park
Berchtesgaden national park is a picture-book conservation area. Germany's only alpine national park borders the Austrian state of Salzburg and covers an area of 210 square kilometres. It is characterised by large tracts of forest, lush alpine pastures and steep towering crags. UNESCO has designated the national park a biosphere reserve. Located within it is the Watzmann massif as well as the 1,874 metre high Jenner peak, the top of which can be reached by cable car as well as on foot. Also of note is Wimbachgries, a geological peculiarity that was created by the collapse of an anticline above the Watzmann and Hochkalter massifs. Rare plants, marmots, chamois and ibex have found sanctuary in the national park. If you're lucky you may also spot a golden eagle flying high up in the sky.Lake Königssee
The emerald-green Lake Königssee in its magnificent mountain setting is the most popular destination in the Berchtesgadener Land region. The famous fjord-like alpine lake is eight kilometres long, up to 1,250 metres wide, 190 metres deep and lies 602 metres above sea level. It lies between the Watzmann, Jenner and Gotzenalm massifs and covers an area of 5.2 square kilometres. Lake Königssee and its surrounding area form the heart of the Berchtesgaden alpine national park.The "sea of rocks"
The "sea of rocks", the mountain border between the German state of Bavaria and the Austrian state of Salzburg is a high limestone plateau in the northern Alps. Bordering this region to the north is the Watzmann massif, to the north-east the Hagen mountains and to the east the Hochkönig mountain range. Covering an area of 160 square kilometres, it is the largest mountain range in the Berchtesgaden alps. On the Bavarian side the "sea of rocks" is part of the Berchtesgaden national park and on the Austrian side it is part of the high alps nature conservation area. The landscape is defined by dachstein limestone and karst formations. There are also around 800 limestone caves amongst this "sea of rocks".