Best Landscape Photography Locations in Bavaria

Bavaria, in southern Germany, pairs Alpine landscape with architectural interest: the Bavarian Alps, alpine lakes such as the Königssee, and countryside castles including Neuschwanstein. It sits further from the darkest-sky end of this list than most of the other regions, but the mountain terrain and lake reflections give it a different kind of appeal.

By Robert Bridgewater · Last updated July 29, 2026

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Maria Gern from behind

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 731 m elevation

Weißbach Wasserfall

Waterfall

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 687 m elevation

St. Bartholomä

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 602 m elevation

Monestery Andechs in Winter

Landscape

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 666 m elevation

View point Falkenhorst close to Gundlfing

River

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 443 m elevation

Lake Hintersee, Ramsaul close to Berchtesgaden

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 803 m elevation

Steinbach

Forest

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 594 m elevation

Bavarian Speed of Light

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 561 m elevation

The Schleierfälle Waterfall, Ammer River

Waterfall

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 816 m elevation

Geroldsee winter sunset

Landscape

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 932 m elevation

Freibergsee, Oberstdorf

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 928 m elevation

Alpenglühen, Schmalsee

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 933 m elevation

Ostersee small lake

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 589 m elevation

Zugspitze

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Elevated, dramatic terrain — ridge or summit position · 1,971 m elevation

Sylvensteinsee

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 805 m elevation

Eibsee Island View

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Varied terrain nearby, significant relief · 1,022 m elevation

Walchensee

Landscape

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 852 m elevation

Eiskapelle at Watzmann

Arctic

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 937 m elevation

Kesselberg

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Varied terrain nearby, significant relief · 663 m elevation

View from the Zugspitzplatt

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Varied terrain nearby, significant relief · 2,577 m elevation

Eibsee Inlet

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 982 m elevation

Kloster Andechs vor Zugspitze

Mountain

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 657 m elevation

Eibsee mit der Zugspitze

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 982 m elevation

Eibsee

Lake

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Valley or low-lying terrain · 982 m elevation

Prien am Chiemsee

Landscape

Bortle 2 — excellent to rural dark sky
Flat or gently rolling terrain · 518 m elevation

Planning a night out at one of these locations? Use the free Milky Way Calendar to check moon phase and dark-sky windows, or read the Blue Hour & Star Trail Photography Guide for how to plan the shoot itself.

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