I have 5 days in May for Halstatt and Salzburg. I think will devote 2 full days to Salzburg (without a car) and then 3 days in the Halstatt area (one day just to explore the area, maybe one day to do the Grossglockner Rd. and the other day to explore Berchtesgaden and the area. Option 1-I was thinking that I might drive to Berchtesgaden from Halstatt, have the day to explore and then drive to Salzburg (drop the car) and have the next 2 days in Salzburg. Does this seem like the best bet or is it better to (option 2)drive to Salzburg, drop the car and then do Berchtesgaden from Salzburg via public transportation. If I do option 1, what else would you explore in that area??Thanks,

Also, a little tutorial help would be appreciated. How do I tag my post with more than one country, i.e. I wanted to tag this one Germany and Austria.

On the public transit part - S-Bahns now regularly go between Berchtesgaden and Salzburg.

Hold the <Strg> or <CTRL> key while clicking on the other countries.

As you already will have a car you should use it for your trip to Berchtesgaden (option 1).
Berchtesgaden is not only one village with everything grouped around a market square but more a small region with different villages that you might want to explore like Königsee and the lake, or Ramsau with the pittoresque loop drive around Hintersee lake.
From Hallstatt you should drive straight west towards Golling and Hallein, then west into Germany to drive the Rossfeldstrasse (panoramic vistas, toll road). And continue towards Berchtesgaden.

Cowboy,What you described sounds like a doable day trip; I would start in Hallstatt do what you described and then drop the car in Salzburg. Am I correct?Thanks much

Unless something has changed since my visit in September 2011, the bus is a better option than a train between Salzburg and Berchtesgaden. But I agree, if you have a car, that would be better yet - much easier to visit the lakes, etc in the area around Berchtesgaden, even though it is still possible to explore the area via local buses - just time consuming probably.

Tidy.. Yes that would be an easy day trip.
Since you will already been driving in the mountains, I would suggest you keep the Rossfeld mountain road as "optional" but not a must.
You probably have the info on the other sights of Berchtesgaden already? E.g. Eagle's nest, salt mines.
In case you need more info on the small region:
http://en.berchtesgadener-land.com/

The drive from Berchtesgaden to Salzburg is also just a short hop.
If you rent a car with a " bring back full" fuel policy, do not fill up in Germany but once you got back to Austria. Fuel is cheaper there.

Thanks again.

How about touring the Eagles Nest. A couple of guide books recommend to hire a guide. Is it necessary. Certainly I don't mind hiring a guide if recommended. I do think we will drive there from Halstatt.