We will be visiting the Konigssee in mid May 2016. Are the lines really as long as people tell me, for the month of May? I though it would not be too crowded that early in the season.
I visited in June. I don't recall waiting any longer than it took the next boat to arrive.
we did the boat ride in may 2015 , we walked straight on after buying a ticket nearby. we did the whole trip and enjoyed the walk to the end lake as well rather than getting off half way. ran out of time
I did the boat ride in 2002 and again in 2013. The lines to board the boat in Schönau were never long (as mentioned above), but the lines at St. Bartholomä to go back to Schönau were quite long. Fortunately, the lines to go on up the lake to Salet, and the Obersee, were non-existent. When we got back to St. Bartholomä, the lines were still long, but we were already on the boat, so it didn't matter.
We were there in May last year and got on the next boat. It was about noon. That said, there are 3 four day weekend school holidays in Austria/Bavaria this year, so you might want to avoid those days (May 5-8; May 14-17; May 26-29).
If you are depending on public transportation, the main bus between Berchtesgaden Hbf and Königssee (RVO 841) runs on a less frequent schedule on holidays (Sonn- und Feiertag). It still runs on an hourly schedule between about 9 AM and 6 PM, but that is less frequent than on week days.
Thank you all so much for the information. Sounds like May will be OK. Unfortunately we are tied into the 16th of May to visit Konigssee if the weather is good. Hope the School holiday crowd has already visited on the 14th or 15th.