Welcome to the guide to visiting Blautopf in Germany! Nestled in the heart of the Swabian Jura, Blautopf is billed as a mesmerizing natural wonder that will leave you in awe. Blautopf translating to “Blue Pot,” is a karst spring that gushes crystal-clear, azure-blue water.
There’s probably a good chance you are reading this guide after seeing Blautopf on social media. It’s unnaturally blue waters were custom made for Instagram.
However, does it really look like all the photos? Is it worth visiting? How do you visit?
In this full guide to Blautopf, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know including where it is located, how to get there, a better way to get there and whether it is actually worth all the effort.
And, most importantly, does it really look like all the photos?
Spoiler: yes and no!
Let’s start!
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Introduction To Blautopf
Located near the town of Blaubeuren in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Blautopf is surrounded by lush greenery and picturesque landscapes. Its exact location is just a short distance from the town’s center, making it easily accessible for visitors. Blaubeuren is just a quick train ride from Ulm making it popular for day visitors.
It’s most famous for its mesmerizing color, but beyond this, Blautopf holds historical and cultural significance. Legends abound about mysterious underwater nymphs and mythical creatures said to reside within its depths. Its ethereal beauty has inspired artists, writers, and poets throughout the centuries.
Visiting Blautopf offers you the chance to witness the power of nature while immersing yourself in tranquility. Take a leisurely stroll along the well-maintained paths that encircle the spring, and enjoy the journey of visiting here as well as it’s all part of the experience, and why I enjoyed Blautopf.
Does Blautopf Really Look Like All The Photos?
Does it really look super blue and like all the pictures? Or are they heavily edited and filtered?
I’ll let you decide for yourself. None of the photos in this article that I took with my iPhone are edited at all. They are not filtered.
No changes at all.
So you can see for yourself.
Let’s take a look at the stereotypical photo of Blautopf first. This is a stock image and how I imagined it would look before I went.
Of course, Blautopf is likely to look different at different times of year and in different weather.
I purposefully visited here in the morning (just before 10am) on a super clear day (no clouds) as I read that this is the best time to see the best blue. It was early May – Mother’s Day actually – which would also have an impact on how green the whole area is.
Part of the experience is getting here so I’m including that too. I think if I had just seen Blautopf, I may have been a little underwhelmed. However, I loved my walks in and out from Blaubeuren station as well. When I consider the whole experience, I very much enjoyed my morning visiting Blautopf and highly recommend it.
Getting To Blautopf
If you have a car, you can drive and park very close to Blautopf. There are multiple car parks and lots of signs.
However, I do recommend you park near the station and still walk to Blautopf like I’m going to describe below.
If you are not driving, get a train to Blaubeuren. This is easiest from Ulm. It’s about a 10-minute train ride. Very easy. There are buses at some times that can take you closer to Blautopf, but, again, walking is part of the experience so I recommend ignoring the bus.
From Blaubeuren station you have basically two walking options – one that takes you straight through town and is the quickest. It takes about 20-minutes.
Or one that takes you on nice paths, mostly next to small, pretty creeks. This takes about 40 minutes.
They are both quite different and I enjoyed both. I walked in via the town (as I was excited to get to Blautopf!) and returned back along the more nature-filled path. I recommend you do the same.
Walking Through Blaubeuren
This walk is super easy. You can see it on Google Maps if you type in “Blautopfquelle”. Note if you just type “Blautopf”, it doesn’t go to the right place.
You don’t even need the maps though. Simply cross the road from the station and walk straight up Karlstraße to the end and then turn right and walk straight ahead. You’ll be there in about 20 minutes.
This will take you straight through town in about 20 minutes. It’s a nice walk and I enjoyed it. Along the way, there are some shops and eating options. I was early on a Sunday so not much was open, but there was a nice bakery about half way where I had some delicious berry cake thing.
I had read about how picturesque this town is with many half-timbered buildings. Towards the end, you will see some half-timbered buildings, but in a country of so many gorgeous old towns, I think the information I read about this town being super picturesque was vastly exaggerated. However, it is very nice.
Exploring Blautopf
I was soon at Blautopf. To say my first impression was completely underwhelming is actually an understatement.
I arrived at Blautopf and it was green and not blue. There was the cafe right in front of me, and the small “lake”, and a massive church. I was confused where the little cute church from the photos was and the blue water.
In fact, I wondered if I was in the right place. I double checked. I was.
There was a path around the lake so I took it. It’s not very big, and it wasn’t possible to complete the loop when I was there, but I did what I could.
Thankfully, once I got to the upper part of the lake, it was that scenic blue color! YAY!!!
It was very pretty as was the greenery surrounding it. There’s also a very nicely positioned cafe which has overpriced souvenirs.
However, I was still confused because it didn’t look like the image in my head. I wanted the stereotypical photo of the little church next to it like above. Plus, while some of it was that beautiful blue color, not very much was.
I actually did a Google image search to see if I was just remembering wrong. I wasn’t. But then I realized why it didn’t look the same. The photos must have been really zoomed out so the church looked very small, as it really isn’t anywhere near that small. It is BIG.
So I zoomed out as much as I could and got something similar. I also realized the stereotyped shot must be taken in winter when there’s not so much greenery as I was never getting a photo like that when I visited. There were too many trees, branches and leaves. This also lead to much of the water looking green instead of blue.
So yes, it is kind of like the stereotyped images, kind of not. One day I would like to visit in winter to see if my assumption about this is right.
So what do you think? Does Blautopf look how you imagined?
The Scenic Walk To Blautopf
I had read that there is a one hour scenic track between the station and Blautopf. On Google Maps, I could not find a single track between the two. However, I could zoom in and find multiple roads and paths that should work. So I gave it a go!
It was a total winner, and I recommend you try it out too. Below, I’ll describe how I did this, show it on a map and show you photos so you’ll want to do it too.
This took me about 40 minutes to walk. I walk fast, but I also take a lot of photos which probably evens that out. There are no doubt other ways you could walk this too, although I’m guessing they would be further and take longer.
Above is the map for where I went. You can click on it to open it in Google Maps. Note that the points I put along the way were just so Google Maps would show you the same path as I took.
After you have finished looking at Blautopf, go back to the entrance of the lake area, between there and the church. There was no choice when I was there anyway since the other paths were all closed off.
Walk along this street, Mühlweg, until you come across a small bridge over the creek. Walk across the creek to Dodelweg and follow this in the same direction. It will veer away from the creek but keep following it until Schützenbachweg. Follow this to the east.
This is my favorite stretch of this walk as the creek here looks the crazy blue of Blautopf. In fact, I may have preferred it more as I had it to myself, and it was much more peaceful.
It was hard to want to keep walking when it was so pretty here, but I kept going somehow! Keep following this path even when it becomes Riedweg.
This area is beautiful too albeit it in a different way. It was a huge field filled with yellow flowers when I did it. You can also see a ruined castle on a hill. So picturesque.
As you keep walking, you’ll come to the train line. This is a perfect picnic spot and I saw multiple families doing just that here. Just before this, take a right turn and you’ll be back on the main road with the train station in front of you in minutes.
The path just before the main road, does get a little steep. It’s the only part that didn’t feel relatively flat to me. This part would not be ideal with a stroller or bike. If you have these, keep going straight ahead here instead. You’ll end up on the main road too, just further from the station.
If you get confused or concerned along the way, there were plenty of cyclists taking this route when I did it. Look for them.
Final Words
I absolutely loved Blautopf.
I would have thought I’d be disappointed when it didn’t look how I imagined but actually, I enjoyed the walks here and back so much, it made up for any slight disappointment over that.
I highly recommend it as a half-day trip from Ulm or if you are in the area. Don’t just drive either! Do some walking. I hope this guide will help you understand how and you’ll have a great experience here as well.
Let me know how it looked when you visited, especially if you have been in winter. Did you get a photo like above? Although you will see what I mean about the church!
Looking for more? You can find our full guide to Ulm here, accommodation options in Bremen here and all our guides to travelling southern Germany here. You can also read about other off-the-beaten-track places to visit in Southern Germany here.
