Top 10 Waterfalls in Germany
Germany's waterfalls do not match the scale of the Alps proper or the Nordic countries, but the country has more than its reputation suggests. The Black Forest, the Bavarian and Allgäu Alps, and the wooded uplands of the Harz and the Sauerland all hold falls fed by rain and snowmelt. Many are framed by dense forest and linked by well-marked walking trails. The selection below spans the country's mountain regions and is ordered to mix the famous with the quietly impressive. All ten are on the map.
1. Triberger Wasserfälle, Baden-Württemberg
The Triberg Falls in the Black Forest are among Germany's tallest, where the Gutach river drops 163 metres in a series of seven cascades over granite steps. Each tier has its own character — the lower section is wide and theatrical, while the upper cascades narrow between dark rock walls draped in moss. A network of well-surfaced paths climbs alongside the falls through spruce and fir forest, with numbered viewpoints at each stage. The town of Triberg charges an admission fee to the park, typically a few euros per adult; a combined ticket with the local cuckoo-clock museum is also available.
Triberg sits roughly 800 metres above sea level in the central Black Forest on the B33 road, about 55 km east of Freiburg. The nearest train station is Triberg on the Schwarzwaldbahn line from Offenburg to Konstanz. Flow is strongest after snowmelt and spring rain, typically March through May; the falls run year round and freeze into dramatic curtains of ice during hard winters, drawing visitors even in January. Allow 1–2 hours to walk the full circuit to the top.
2. Röthbachfall, Bavaria
The Röthbachfall above the Obersee near Königssee is Germany's highest waterfall, plunging roughly 470 metres from the Alpine plateau above in a near-vertical free fall before fanning out over lower rock. The scale becomes clear only when you stand on the Obersee shore and realise the white thread descends almost half a kilometre. Reaching it requires a boat across the Königssee from Schönau am Königssee to St. Bartholomä — electric-powered boats run the route from spring to autumn — and then a 3.5 km walk along the lakeshore path past the Obersee to the fall viewpoint. Allow roughly half a day from the Königssee jetty.
Fed entirely by snowmelt from the Hachelköpfe plateau, the Röthbachfall is at its most powerful in May and June and can diminish to a trickle in a dry August or September. The setting in the Berchtesgaden National Park, with the limestone walls of the Hagengebirge rising above the water, makes the outing memorable even when the falls run low.
3. Wimbachklamm, Bavaria
The Wimbachklamm near Ramsau im Berchtesgadener Land is a gorge rather than a single drop: the Wimbach stream tumbles through a narrow rock cleft in a chain of cascades roughly 400 metres long. Wooden walkways cling to the gorge walls, giving visitors a close-up passage through the chasm with spray from the torrent on either side. The gorge entrance is about 1.5 km from Ramsau village and is well signposted; the toll for the walkway is modest. In flood conditions after heavy rain or rapid snowmelt, the gorge path closes for safety.
From the top of the Wimbachklamm, a path continues up the broad Wimbachgries valley, a flat gravel plain between high Alpine peaks — a distinctive landscape formed by debris washed down from the surrounding limestone massifs. The combination of gorge, valley, and mountain scenery makes this one of the most varied short excursions in the Berchtesgaden Alps.
4. Todtnauer Wasserfall, Baden-Württemberg
The Todtnau Falls in the southern Black Forest drop 97 metres where the Stübenbach river falls over a granite step, making them among the highest natural falls in the region. Unlike the Triberg Falls, which are wide and theatrical, the Todtnau fall is a single elegant plunge, the water launching clear of the rock face for part of its drop. A forest trail leads up beside the falls with two or three viewing platforms. Todtnau village is about 20 km south of Freiburg and reachable by bus; the walk to the falls from the car park takes around 20 minutes each way.
The falls flow year round and are strongest in spring. In cold winters they can partially freeze, revealing a curtain of ice down the granite face that has made Todtnau a well-known ice-climbing site — guided ice-climbing courses run here when conditions allow, usually January to February.
5. Partnachklamm, Bavaria
The Partnachklamm near Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a dramatic gorge where the Partnach river rushes through a 700-metre-long rock cleft up to 80 metres deep. A path tunnelled and blasted through the rock and bridged at several points follows the torrent through the gorge; in places you walk directly behind waterfalls spilling from the overhang above. In winter, huge icicles hang from the ceiling and the spray creates ice formations that turn the gorge into a blue-white sculpture gallery. Entry is charged at the gorge gate; the path continues to the Reintalangerhütte and eventually the Zugspitze massif for those who wish to go further.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is 90 km south of Munich on the A95 motorway and has direct rail connections. The gorge entrance is a 20-minute walk from the Garmisch Ski Stadium. Flow peaks in May and June with Alpine snowmelt; the gorge is open even in winter, though crampons are recommended for the icy path.
6. Allerheiligen-Wasserfälle, Baden-Württemberg
The All Saints Falls near Oppenau in the northern Black Forest drop about 83 metres in seven distinct cascades through a wooded sandstone gorge beside the ruins of a medieval Premonstratensian monastery. A stepped stone path follows the water from the monastery courtyard — itself worth a pause, with its Gothic arch framing a view of the falls — up through the gorge to the top of the series. The monastery was founded in 1192 and dissolved in 1803; its roofless walls beside the tumbling water create an atmosphere found nowhere else in the Black Forest.
Oppenau is 15 km east of Offenburg on the B28 road. The falls are part of the Allerheiligen nature reserve; entry is free. From the car park at the monastery, the round walk through the gorge and back takes 1–2 hours. Flow is year round; the forest shade means the sandstone stays green and mossy even in summer.
7. Romkerhaller Wasserfall, Lower Saxony
The Romkerhall Falls in the Harz drop about 64 metres beside the Oker valley road through the Harz National Park, roughly 15 km south of Goslar. Unusually, the fall is partly artificial: in the early 19th century a stream was diverted over the cliff to create the cascade to beautify the estate of the nearby Romkerhall hunting lodge, which served the Harz mining aristocracy. The engineering involved a small channel cut along the upper cliff, directing the Goldbach over the edge. The result looks entirely natural: a steep, forested drop with spray catching the light among the conifers.
It flows year round and is visible directly from the B498 road through the Okertal; a short path leads to a viewpoint at the base. The surrounding Harz uplands offer extensive walking and cycling routes, and the nearby Oker reservoir is a day destination in its own right.
8. Gütersteiner Wasserfall, Baden-Württemberg
The Güterstein Falls near Bad Urach on the Swabian Alb drop about 37 metres over tufa terraces in a wooded side valley of the Ermstal. Tufa — porous limestone deposited by mineral-rich water — accumulates slowly around mosses and twigs, building up the stepped terraces over centuries and giving the falls a soft, organic form unlike the hard rock faces of the Black Forest or Alpine falls. The spray keeps the surrounding rock perpetually green, making the falls beautiful even when the flow is moderate in late summer.
A popular circular walk from Bad Urach links Güterstein with the Urach Falls about 2 km to the south; the round trip takes roughly 2 hours. Bad Urach is 30 km southeast of Stuttgart and served by regional rail on the Ermstalbahn line.
9. Tatzelwurm-Wasserfall, Bavaria
The Tatzelwurm Falls near Oberaudorf in the Bavarian Alps drop in two distinct stages through a narrow rock gorge, fed by the Auerbach stream draining the Sudelfeld upland. The name comes from the Tatzelwurm, a legendary Alpine dragon said to lurk in mountain streams, and the gorge has the dark, enclosed character suited to such folklore. The upper stage drops roughly 18 metres into a small pool; a second shorter cascade follows below. A short forest path from the roadside parking at the Auerbach gorge entrance reaches the falls in about 15 minutes.
Oberaudorf lies in the Inn valley, roughly 10 km south of Rosenheim and 70 km from Munich via the A8 motorway. The Tatzelwurm falls are a popular stop on the scenic road up to the Sudelfeld ski area. Flow is strongest in April and May during snowmelt from the surrounding limestone peaks.
10. Urach Falls, Baden-Württemberg
The Urach Falls (Uracher Wasserfall) near Bad Urach drop about 37 metres over a tufa cliff into a beech and silver-fir forest on the edge of the Swabian Alb. The Brühlbach stream, fed by springs on the Alb plateau, emerges from the forest, makes a curve, and then launches off the tufa rim in a wide veil. The steep but short trail — roughly 700 metres from the car park — climbs to the lip of the falls, where you can look both down at the drop and across to the wooded slopes of the Ermstal. In autumn, the surrounding beech forest turns gold and orange, making this one of the most colourful waterfall landscapes in southern Germany.
Admission to the falls path is charged at a toll barrier; the fee is modest. Bad Urach is on the Ermstalbahn from Metzingen; from Stuttgart it is about 50 km via the B28.
Planning a Germany waterfall trip
The Black Forest holds the densest cluster — Triberg, Todtnau, and Allerheiligen can be combined on a two-day drive through the southwest, using Freiburg or Offenburg as a base. A useful route links Freiburg with Todtnau (south), then north through Triberg to Allerheiligen near Oppenau. The Bavarian Alps around Berchtesgaden and Garmisch (Röthbachfall, Wimbachklamm, Partnachklamm) reward three or four days based in the region; the Munich airport puts you within 90 minutes of both clusters. The Swabian Alb (Urach, Güterstein) is an easy day from Stuttgart, with a convenient circular walk linking both falls. The Harz (Romkerhaller) suits a stop en route between central and northern Germany, with Goslar as the nearest historic town.
Spring snowmelt and rain (April to June) bring peak flow across the mountain falls; high summer is drier but the gorges and forests remain cool. Winter brings dramatic ice at Todtnau, Triberg, and Partnachklamm.
Gorges versus open falls
Many of Germany's best water features are not free-falling cascades but gorges — the Partnachklamm, Wimbachklamm, and others — where a torrent carves through a narrow rock cleft. These Klammen offer a different experience from an open waterfall: rather than viewing a single drop from a distance, walkways take you inside the rock, beside and above the rushing water. Fees are generally charged at the gorge entrance, and opening seasons can be shorter than those for open falls, as high water or ice can close the paths for safety. They are at their most dramatic during high water and demand caution, as the paths can flood or ice over. Understanding this distinction helps when planning, since a Klamm is a walk through, not a viewpoint.
Plan your next trip
Every waterfall above is plotted on the interactive map — filter to plan a Black Forest cascade tour or a Bavarian Alps trip taking in the gorges of Berchtesgaden and Garmisch.