Großer Arbersee is the most visited lake in the Bavarian Forest — a glacial cirque lake cradled in a wild, romantic mountain hollow and wrapped in ancient primeval woodland. Half a million visitors come here every year, yet the place somehow retains an almost untouched, mystical atmosphere.

The lake sits on the south-eastern slope of Großer Arber and is a textbook Ice Age relic. To the west, the near-400-metre Arberseewand cliff face towers dramatically over the water, giving the whole basin a cathedral-like grandeur. Two floating peat islands — known as Schwingrasen — drift on the lake's surface, connected to the shore but with no anchor to the bottom: a rare natural curiosity you won't find just anywhere. In autumn the surrounding forest turns gold and crimson, spring brings drifting mist between the spruces, and in summer the deep green of the woods reflects perfectly in the still water.

• Bayerisch Eisenstein (parking at Arberseehaus) — walking trails around the lake, approx. 1 hour, easy; partly on rocky paths and boardwalks across the bog

• Protected nature reserve — swimming and sunbathing strictly prohibited
• Cycling not permitted within the reserve
• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times
• The ascent via the Arberseewand is closed due to safety concerns
• Arberseehaus restaurant is open for visitors at the lake shore

The ancient forest along the Arberseewand is home to trees up to 400 years old, and the white-backed woodpecker — one of Germany's rarest birds, found elsewhere only in the Alps — nests here among more than 45 breeding bird species.