6 Best Sights in The Bavarian Alps, Germany

The site of Hitler's luxurious mountain retreat is part of the north slope of the Hoher Goll, high above Berchtesgaden. It was a remote mountain community of farmers and foresters before Hitler's deputy, Martin Bormann, selected the site for a complex of Alpine homes for top Nazi leaders. Hitler's chalet, the Berghof, and all the others were destroyed in 1945, with the exception of a hotel that had been taken over by the Nazis, the Hotel zum Türken. Beyond Obersalzberg, the hairpin bends of Germany's highest road come to the base of the 6,000-foot peak on which sits the Kehlsteinhaus (aka the Adlerhorst, or "Eagle's Nest"), Hitler's personal retreat and his official guesthouse. To get the most out of your visit to the Kehlsteinhaus, consider taking a tour. To get there, you need to take a one-hour round trip from Dokumentation Obersalzberg by bus. A tunnel in the mountain will bring you to an elevator that whisks you up to the Kehlsteinhaus and what appears to be the top of the world, or you can walk up in about half an hour. There's also a restaurant at the top serving light Bavarian cuisine.

This center documents the notorious history of the Third Reich, with a special focus on Obersalzberg and its role in the Holocaust and planning for World War II. The teaching museum includes some surprisingly rare archive material and access to the bunkers. English-language tours are only available for groups, but there is an audio guide in English. The center has been closed for renovations but is expected to reopen in 2022.

Opened in 2015, this interactive museum brings the surrounding national park to life for children and adults alike with a rotating exhibition focusing on the wildlife and diverse nature to be found in the area. There's also a library and cinema.

One of the region's main attractions, this salt mine was once owned by Berchtesgaden's princely rulers. Where once only select guests were allowed to see how the source of the city's wealth was extracted from the earth, today an hour-long tour will transport you via a miniature train nearly 1 km (½ mile) into the mountain to an enormous chamber where the salt is mined. Included in the tour are rides down the wooden chutes used by miners to get from one level to another and a boat ride on an underground saline lake the size of a football field. You may wish to partake in the special four-hour brine dinners down in the mines. These are very popular, so be sure to book early.

Germany's largest ice caves lie 10 km (6 miles) north of Berchtesgaden. By car take B-305 to the village of Marktschellenberg and park at the Eishöhlenparkplatz near the B160 bus stop, or take Bus 840 to the Eishöhle stop from the Berchtesgaden train station or Salzburg Hbf. From there you can reach the caves on foot by walking 3½ hours along the clearly marked route. A guided tour of the caves takes about 45 minutes (tours run from 10 am to 4 pm; till 3 pm in October). On the way to Marktschellenberg watch for the Almbachklamm, a narrow valley that is good for hikes. At its entrance is an old (1683) mill for making and polishing marbles.

The last royal resident of the Berchtesgaden abbey, Crown Prince Rupprecht (who died here in 1955), furnished it with rare family treasures that now form the basis of this permanent collection. Fine Renaissance rooms exhibit the prince's sacred art, which is particularly rich in wood sculptures by such great late-Gothic artists as Tilman Riemenschneider and Veit Stoss. There are two weaponry rooms exhibiting hunting tools, including rifles from the 19th century, and a beautiful rose garden out back. You can also visit the abbey's original, cavernous, 13th-century dormitory and cool cloisters. Castle visits are only possible on an hour-long guided tour, held Monday to Thursday at 11 am and 2 pm and Friday at 11 am. Check online in advance, as the Wittelsbach heir still occasionally stops by for a visit, at which times the castle is closed to visitors.