provence97

I am going to Berchtesgaden and surrounding area for my honeymoon. How is the weather late August/early September? I have been to the Bayern region during the last weekend of Oktoberfest (mid-October) and the weather was rainy and cold. I wanted to be back in Munich for Oktoberfest celebration (I have been to it before, but not my fiance).

I want to be in the Bercht. area for about 5 days, need gasthof/pension/hotel recommendations. Nice places, but not expensive. For the rest of the visit (other 5 days), I want to go to Austria. Recommend any great places? I lived in Austria for nine years as a child, but my future husband has never been to Europe. I want him to see the awesome sights of Austria - probably St. Wolfgang area. What do you guys think?

We want to do a lot of hiking and enjoy the great weather/outdoors. Recommendations on hiking trails and sights to see?

aeiger

Hi
We visited Berchesgaden last Sept. [mid], had warmer and sunnier weather that we anticipated. We stayed in a hotel outside of Berchesgaden. An older place that was reasonable. The Hotel Grennerbalcht in Bischofwiesen. It was 75 eu for a deluxe room with bkfst.
Have you considered visiting Garmisch-Partenkirchen, especially for the Zugspitze? we stayed ther about 5 nights and made day trips around the area. Enjoy your Honeymoon.

provence97

Thank you for your reply!
Yes, I have been to Garmisch-Part and most of the Bayern region, except this Bercht. region.

TuckH

For accommodations, I suggest this ferienwohnung located above Markschellenberg (halfway between Berchtesgaden and Salzburg)...

http://tinyurl.com/y6478a

For hiking, there are many beautiful opportunities around the Königsee and up the Jenner by lift. For sights, of course, there's Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest).

Pegontheroad

I've stayed in the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (which had a very good restaurant) and in the Watzmann. The Vier Jahreszeiten was quite charming but more expensive. The Watzman was good value, though not as elegant. I'd stay at either place again.

wren

We stayed at this gaesthaus last July and loved it.

http://www.gaestehaus-stoeckl.de/Englisch/inde.html

The hosts are lots of fun, serve great food, speak English, and the location is ideal. From their place, you can see the Eagle's Nest perched atop the mountain. They know the area well and can recommend hiking trails, restaurants, and other entertainment.

pja1

Hi,
We were just in the Berchtesgaden area this past Oct. We stayed in Ramsau at the Mayringerlehen.
www.mayringerlehen.de
Very reasonable, nice rooms, great mountain views, very good buffet breakfast and owners Johann and Sabine are wonderful hosts. It's about 15 minutes from Konigssee and Berchtesgaden. We took a day trip to Hallstatt, Austria (about a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive) you pass St. Wolfgang and some gorgeous scenery. Another place to visit is Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee Palace, about 45 minute drive from Berchtesgaden (Ramsau)
www.mayringerlehen.de
www.hallstatt.net
www.herren-chiemsee.de
Of course, Salzburg is only 1/2 an hour away also.


Paul

Larryincolorado

I have been to Berchtesgaden twice, both times within a week (+/-) of September 1. Once it was beautifully clear; from the top of Kehlstein you could see all over the Alps and into Austria. The other time it was partly cloudy and from Kehlstein you could see little of Berchtesgaden, but there was an opening in the clouds all the way to Salzburg.

Kehlsteinhaus is worth seeing, once, but I particularly liked the Dokumentation Center, in Obersalzberg, at the base of Kehlstein. It is a museum dedicated to documenting the Nazi rise to power, and it is build over the remains of the network of bunkers, that you can go into, that once connected the vacation homes of all the top Nazi's in Obersalzburg.

Make sure you go to Königssee. Take the boat trip, but don't just go to St. Bartholomew. Go on to Salat and walk over the glacial dam to the Obersee. It's a really pretty place.

Try to stay in Berchtesgaden itself, or somewhere near the bahnhof below. We stayed in a gasthof just up Ramsauerstr. from the bahnhof. It was nice, but no longer being run as a gastof.

It you stay in the town, you don't need a car. There is very good bus service to all the sights. We spent less each day than the cost of two all day bus tickets, and they would have cost far less than the cost of a car rental.

EmilyC

What a great trip for a honeymoon! Since you are travelling in last August/early September, I would recommend a place outside of town. There is no air conditioning in any of the area hotels and a hot night in the valley can be uncomfortable! Generally, the weather in this area is perfect at this time of year. For rainy days, you can plan city trips - like Munchen and Salzburg for shopping and sightseeing.
For the nights in Berchtesgaden, I would pick a little more upscale since it is your honeymoon. The Berg Hotel Rehlegg is a Best Western that is located outside of town, closer to the general area of the Watzmann mountain. This hotel is a very nice property and has both an indoor and outdoor pool, beautiful grounds and great views. Many of the rooms have quite large balconies with great views. You can see this property on the Best Western website. We have stayed here twice and truly enjoyed it. From this location, your drive to the town is short, maybe 15 minutes and another short drive to the Kongisee area, Salzburg would be about 40 minutes.Fantastic hiking (within minutes) abounds whether you travel up the mountains or maintain yourself at the valley level. Nearby you will enjoy the Wimbachbach for a long hike, as well as any of the trails in, over or around the Konigsee. You can get English hiking maps in most stores in the area and you can get detailed hiking info in the Kur and Kongress Haus located in the center of B'gaden.
For the second part, a stay in Hallstadt would be great and you can hike/sightsee in the nearby Dachstein massif.

MyriamC

We stayed in Schönau am Königssee, in hotel Schiffmeister, overlooking the lake. Breathtaking views on the lake and the surrounding mountains. Schönau is very close to Berchtesgaden and - despite it being a very popular daytripper's destination - it was perfectly quiet after 6 pm. I still remember our romantic dinners at the lakeside restaurant Echostüberl.
If you want to see my pictures, they're on http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/1eac1/507e/
As for the weather ... I've only been there mid June and it was HOT and damp.

Zeus

Wren has the perfect spot: The Gaestehaus Stoeckle sounds just like what you're looking for. It sits just below the mountains in a big pasture. There are hiking trails everywhere and Sissy and Klaus are as nice a couple as you'll ever meet. They provide a quaint, cosy place with a great breakfast. They are very accomodating and will give you all kinds of tips. You're within easy hiking distance of the Konigsee and a number of mountains. Downtown Berchesgaden is about ten minutes away by car.

Check out this entry from my blog:

http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ger...log-55878.html

jayne1973

We enjoyed Haus Am Berg pension in Berchtesgaden. IIn mid October the weather was beautiful. There's a gorgeous walking path right outside that leads to kind of a shrine. It really surprised us! The place was very reasonable, immaculate, welcoming and beautifully maintained.

http://www.pension-hausamberg.de

pef1234

provence97:

You've gotten some good advice RE your possibilities for staying near Berchtesgaden but you've also gotten some questionable advice! By all means avoid staying near the BG Bahnhof! I was there last week and there is a huge construction project (new round-about) going on at that intersection that will likely be in progress for a considerable time. The noise, congestion and chaos of that location is certainly not the kind of locale you'de want to spend your precious honeymoon time near or any other time for that matter. Only if you're limited by public transportation should you even consider that location.

On the other hand. the recommendation of EmilyC to consider the http://www.rehlegg.de/indexen.htm in nearby Ramsau would be an idyllic inn and location for a romantic honeymoon. The pastoral setting is close to the village but private enough to be totally serene. This hotel is large enough that you would enjoy your anonimity yet still has a very personable staff. From the above web site you'll see that the Rehlegg offers all the amenities you would probably want as well as a wonderful restaurant. The atmosphere of the entire complex is charming country and totally relaxing.

MyriamC suggests the http://www.hotel-schiffmeister.de/ at the head of the Königssee. I have stayed there several times over the years, most recently just last week for 3 nights. For a spectacular location the Schiffmeister is hard to beat. During the day it is a bit hectic with tourists in the immediate area but after the last ship returns from St. Bart's it turns unbelievably quiet and serene. The hotel itself is a bit tired but has a certain charm that totally offsets this. The rooms are generous sized and most have a balcony with a spectacular view directly up the lake.

The nephew of the hotel owner operates a fine restaurant within walking distance on the opposite shore near the bob sled run. The http://www.echostueberl.de/ has a charming atmosphere and serves great regional cooking at reasonable cost.

Some of the most spectacular views in region are found along the Rossfeld Ring Road, Berchtesgaden which encircles the mountaintop near the Eagle's Nest. It's about an half hour drive on a toll road but the views are breathtaking on a clear day.

Happy planning and happy honeymoon!

EmilyC

With all due respect to previous posters, I would not choose any lakeside hotel at the Konigsee, particularly in August or early September and particularly for my honeymoon. This area, while beautiful and great to visit, gets overrun by tourists of all nationalities. The lines of people waiting for the boats on nice days can be quite long. This is not a sight I would like to see or hear outside of my window every day of the week.

pja1

The advice pef1234 gave is correct about the noise and confusion of the construction by the Bahnhof. We were there in Oct. and the area is a mess. Lots of construction machinery with road detours going through parking lots.

Paul

provence97

Vielen Dank! Everyone has provided such great advice!!

Larryincolorado

Provence,

there might be construction near the Bahnhof right now, but will it still be around in nine months? I would hate to see you miss out on nice, inexpensive, and convenient accommodations for next September based on what is happening now.

I know of some very nice places within walking distance of the Bahnhof, bus station, and town:

Hotel Bavaria (www.hotelbavaria.net) is a three star hotel near the station. Although the price of its most luxurious double rooms approaches that of Rehlegg, you would still save by not needing a car and there are less expensive (~€100 per room per night) double rooms.

Hotel Grünberger (www.hotel-gruenberger.de), another 3 star hotel, is across the creek from the station and its prices look reasonable at about €80 for two in a double room. I took a picture of it on my first trip to Berchtesgaden, because it looked like a good place to consider for a future visit.

The place we stayed, which is apparently no longer being run as a gaestehaus, was right next door to another place that looked pretty good too, Haus Achental. At €24 per person, they are certainly inexpensive; they also have a vacation apartment (FeWo) for about €42 per night (2P). That price would not include breakfast, but I am sure you could arrange it. Their website (www.berchtesgaden.de/achental) is not currently working but you can find them on the Berchtesgadener-land website by doing a google search for "berchtesgaden achental kain".

If you are really worried about there still being construction around the bahnhof, there are plenty of nice places to stay up in the town. There you would be within walking distance of a lot of restaurants and shops in the fußgangerzone of the old town, and still a short walk over the pedestrian bridge to the station.

I particularly like Peg's suggestion of Hotel Watzmann (www.hotel-watzmann.de). We had dinner one night at the Watzmann, and it seemed very nice. It is right in the center of everything. It is undergoing renovation right now, but I would expect them to have that finished before peak tourism season in the summer. Their email is down, but the website has a phone number or address where you could ask about accommodations for next August.

Finally, someone suggested Haus am Berg. The price is right, and it is close to the action, although not as close as Watzmann, and it is a short walk from the station if you arrive by train.

You did ask for "nice places, but not too expensive." Considering the good public transportation in the area, the best way to save is not to have to rent a car.

provence97

Would you all recommend staying in the town of Berchtesgaden for at least one or two nights and then venture out in the surrounding towns?

What is there to do and see in the town of Berchtesgaden? How late are the shops and restaurants open? Shops: 7pm? Restaurants: depends?

Thanks!

Larryincolorado

If by surrounding towns you mean Munich, Chiemsee, the Salzkammergut, OK. But for any the sights in the Berchtesgaden area, Wimbachklamm, Königssee, Jennerbahn, Kehlsteinhaus, the Dokumentation Center, Saltworks, Therme, etc., all these places are easily accessible by bus from in front of the Hauptbahnhof. No need to move from town.

When we were there for two days, we spent all day long visiting these sights, came home late, cleaned up, and went up into town for dinner. By that time, the shops were all closed (by law, German shops have to close, by 6:30 I think), but the restaurants were open late.

BTW, there is a bus, the Watzmann-Express that make about hourly trips into Salzburg. You could go for a day. A day ticket for the bus is €8,50 per person. Since you lived in Austria for 9 years, I would assume you know at least a little German. You can read about the Watzmann-Express at www.stadtbus.at.