Deep in the south of Germany, close to the highest point in the country, Zugspitze, you can cross the border with Austria on foot. In fact you can walk over the border from the German state of Bavaria into Austrian Tyrol as many times as you wish. (Just don’t forget to switch your mobile data off as needed – if you’re using a German SIM card you’ll be roaming as soon as you cross the border.)
It’s a beautiful area, with panoramic views of the Eibsee lake, whose water is basically the Alpine equivalent of the emerald clear water found at the best Thai beaches. The shoreline of the lake winds into beautiful secluded arcs, especially on the northern side, and there are as much as 8 islands of various sizes that were created by debris falling from the mountain slopes on the southern (Zugspitze’s) side of the lake.
From the parking lot near the lake it takes about a couple of hours of leisurely hiking (as leisurely as sipping beer while hiking, as couple of German women we encountered were doing), to reach the Eibseeblick – a spot where you are rewarded with a beautiful peek of the Eibsee lake through the pine forest.
A collector’s item also awaits the traveller – you can get a cute gnome-themed stamp (Stempel in German) to commemorate reaching the best spot to enjoy the view. The cute poem advising the weary traveller to be considerate towards those who climb the path after them adds a kind of philosophical flavour to the experience.
Another reward is the delight of coming across this graciously preserved historical border sign upon entering Austria. The top part reads Republik Österreich, and the bottom Geöffnet von 6-21. Apparently Austria used to be open only from 6 am to 9 pm. (It’s open 24/7 nowadays.)
There’s also a couple of rusted signs resembling barber posts a few metres away, one in the blue/white colours of Bavaria, the other in red, yellow, and black colours – signifying either Germany or Austria. For some reason, these reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.
If you continue a bit further (10-15 minutes), you can easily reach the Hochthörle Hütte. The hut does not open until May although they provide a toolkit attached to the wall – I’m guessing to be used by people who came by bicycle. There was also this interesting statue of an apple core – perhaps a tribute?…
Weather permitting, you will have a close-up view of the towering wall of the Wetterstein Alps. As it happens, we were there on a relatively cloudy day and so we couldn’t really get a good view.
On the other hand, because it was still the end of March we came across quite a bit of snow on the way to the hut.
The vegetation was quite lush, with lots of beautiful moss, and some flowers already blooming.
If you don’t care for hiking vertically, there’s a flat loop trail about 7 km long that goes around the entire lake. The views and vegetation vary as you go around with some areas being more arid.
If you’re in need of coffee and cake, try the Eibsee Hotel restaurant. Pro tip: if you don’t see any cake around, inquire. Around 5 pm they rolled the cakes’ display away in preparation for dinner service but you can still order it, and they have a decent selection.
Recommended for a day-trip, off-season (early spring or late autumn) when it’s not so crowded. In general, this is not a very secluded place – expect some noise from the old Zugspitze lift, ugliness at the parking lot where some construction is going on, and perhaps even the occasional 80-90s music booming over the lake.
The yew from which the lake gets its name (Eibe) apparently is not as widespread as it used to be, and despite being beautiful the area around the lake does show signs of human development. This sign indicating a “protected zone” just seems like a sad contradiction, ouch.
It’s still worth a visit – it’s amazing to watch the waters of the lake changing colour, and the high altitude border crossing is a cool experience – just be sure to manage your expectations, and if you prefer tranquility try to visit off-season.