If you're headed to Schloss Neuschwanstein, you'll stop first in the town of Schwangu, and before…read moreyou do any hiking up to the castle - you'll see Lake Alpsee! And it's worth visiting Schwangu and the lake in their own right, if you want to stay near Neuschwanstein and see a little/a lot of cool nature. Alpsee is nestled in the foothills of the Alps, so your view will be breathtaking as you stand on the shoreline of the lake, looking at the behemoth mountains! The water is crystal clear, so you can see the rocks and shoal right through the surface. It's heralded as one of the cleanest lakes in Germany. There are swans and other fowl that like to lay claim to Alpsee and they also make for great photos as they glide across the pristine water. There are boats available for rent, great swimming spots in the lake, and hiking trails all around Alpsee. So it's not just Insta-worthy here, there's also a ton to do and see. So definitely don't skip over Alpsee on your Bavarian adventure!

Gorgeous lake! Right next to the museum of the Bavarian Kings. There's a trail and you can kayak as…read morewell. Highly recommend walking down to the lake even if you're not doing the museum.

Absolutely stunning nature, great for swimming, hiking cycling and so on. Definitely a must visit…read morewhen the weather is great!

One of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. If…read moreangels take a vacation from heaven... then they either visit here or Norway. Stunning views, lovely people, wonderful cafes and restaurants.... A worthwhile drive or train ride if you are anywhere in Austria, or even nearby in Switzerland, or Germany.

We enjoyed our hike around the entire lake (Rundweg Kleiner Brombachsee, about 5.5 miles to circle…read moreback to your beginning point) on this very pretty autumn day--air was brisk, leaves were very pretty at places (photos) and being near quiet waters always calms my soul. Brombachsee is one of the lakes in the Fränkisches Seenland, and perhaps it's the best one. We saw many bikers, hikers, walkers with dogs and even some four-wheel (side by side bike contraption with a roof) carriages along this circle route around the lake. We didn't observe a lot of wild life per se, but there were some on the lake. I think I even saw a large owl flying away in the woods. Does one swan make this lake a "swan lake"? Obviously it's past the busy season now, and it seemed a little desolate, but a café and a biergarten were open. There were many swimming beaches along the way, so I imagine during the warm season (typically only for a couple of weeks in Germany) this would be a great lake-swimming location. Also, there was Wakepark in one of the coves where you can enjoy riding wakeboards being pulled by a leash with some jumping stands. I didn't pay attention to the price posting. It looked very cold with air temperature of only about 46F, so it probably would be better during summer time. I imagine it'll be very crowded then. There were plenty of parking spaces available near the biergarten/camp ground. All-day parking is 5€ there.