Oh my god. This place is STUNNING. We went on a Friday afternoon, the sun was shining, the birds…read morewere chirping and the water was an incredible neon blue. I've never seen anything like it... Ethereal and mysterious and peaceful. The area was crowded, but not enormously so. We walked around the water for a bit, then grabbed a lite lunch at the little cafe on the water (not great, but what tourist restaurant is?). There are tons of little hikes in the area, but we just walked along the Blau river away from the town and discovered this super quiet walk through the forest. Such a magical day. If you're in the area, Blautopf is a must-do.

Alpsee was absolutely beautiful and one of our favorite scenic stops in the Füssen/Schwangau area…read more The lake is surrounded by mountains and forest, with gorgeous clear water and views toward Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles. We stopped here while visiting the castles and I'm so glad we took the time to see the lake. It was peaceful, incredibly picturesque and a nice break from the much busier castle areas. There is also a walking trail around the lake if you have more time. The full loop is about 5.2 km and takes roughly 1.5 hours, but you definitely don't have to walk the entire thing to enjoy the views. Pet friendly for walking around the lake, which is another big plus! Dogs are also welcome in the kiosk area of the Alpseebad, although not on its swimming lawn. Absolutely worth stopping at when visiting Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau. The scenery is gorgeous and it's a great place for photos!

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!

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

Pretty lake. Nice place to walk around and collect your thoughts…read more There are a few cafés, restaurants, small shops and a playground nearby.

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.