German Alpine Road

The Deutsche Alpenstrasse was conceived in 1927 and is the oldest of Germany's designated holiday routes, running about four hundred and fifty kilometres from Lindau on Lake Constance east to Berchtesgaden, staying close to the Alpine edge the whole way. It passes some twenty-five lakes, the Allgäu and Bavarian Alps, Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, Garmisch, the Tegernsee and Chiemsee and ends at the Königssee. Parts were built specifically for the route in the 1930s, including the panoramic section over the Oberjoch pass with its hairpins. It is not a single motorway but a signed sequence of ordinary roads.

The main sights

• The Alpine edge - 450 kilometres following the mountain front.
• The Oberjoch hairpins - a panoramic stretch built for the route.
• The lake sequence - some twenty-five lakes along the way.
• The castle stops - Neuschwanstein and Linderhof on or near the line.

When to go

May to October; some higher sections close or become difficult in winter. Summer weekends bring heavy motorcycle and caravan traffic on the narrow stretches.

What to expect

It is a signed route on ordinary roads, often slow and busy in season. Doing the full length takes several days. Some sections are unremarkable.

Nearby

Lindau is the western end; Berchtesgaden the eastern.