Hitler's Eagles Nest
 

Will be in Munich this summer and plan to visit The Eagles Nest. Are any of the various tours worth the money. I already know quite a bit about the area and WWII. Looks like people can go there without a tour. Please advise.

We didn't go on a tour. Mthe site gave us insight into Hilter and his paranoia.

Well the building is just a restaurant I believe but you can simulate the views - otherwise nothing special except for its historical context - spend more time perhaps that day in Berchestsgaden itself.

Let's make things clear first. The whole mountain where Hitler had his residence is called Obersalzberg. On top of the mountain is the Kehlsteinhaus.

The Obersalzberg is a most impressive site. There is a well-made museum about Hitler and the Third Reich, including his residence and his daily life on the mountain. They even have his menu plans (he was vegetarian - so far for the myth that it is the meat that makes men aggressive!) and stories how he lived there. It certainly gives you new insights - mostly how banal the terror had been.

We found most impressive the huge shelters which had been driven deep into the mountain - you feel a bit like in the villain's lair in a James Bond movie.

You can drive up to the museum (it is a scenic drive) and visit the museum and the tunnels by yourselves.

The Kehlsteinhaus is on top of the mountain. There are special buses driving up there (no self-drive possible). Do not do it with vertigo!!! Actually, the Kehlsteinhaus is not overly interesting.

However, when you are in Berchtesgaden, do the boat trip on the Königssee - it is a most beautiful lake in an Alpine fjord.

You can also visit Hitler's house, where he spent far more time than the Kehlsteinhaus.

When I say house, I mean ruins or 'site of'. It was demolished to avoid becoming a shrine, but it's setting is lovely. I didn't know Hitler could see Salzburg citadel from his living room window - it's in the far distance, between the mountains opposite.

Weather closed the Kehlsteinhaus on our out-of-season visit, so we didn't get to the top!

I'm going to Munich in a couple of weeks and hoping to do a couple of day trips, if the weather cooperates.

It seems though that Berchtesgaden is much closer to Salzburg.

Can you reach all these places, including the lake, on public transport, or is it better with a car?

You can take the train, but I strongly recommend a rental car for a day - you are much faster, more flexible, more comfortable and you will drive scenic routes.

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/kehlsteinhaus.htm
<From the Documentation Center, stairs lead into a complex and vast bunker system. Construction began in 1943 after the Battle of Stalingrad ended the Nazi aura of invincibility. This is an incredibly engineered underground town with meeting rooms, offices, and archives for the government and a lavish living quarter for Hitler all connected by four miles of tunnels cut by slave labor through solid rock. It was stripped bare after the war. Today, you wander and marvel at megalomania gone mad. Rick Steves>

Those bunkers were amazing, the documentation center is worth a visit. You can take bus to Salzburg from Berchtesgaden but you need a car to get to Kehlsteinhaus unless you take some sort of tour.

In the past, tours were available for English speakers and they took you places at the top that weren't open to the public in general. I'd want more detail before committing to one.

After flying into Munich in mid-August, we rented a car and headed to Berchtesgaden, our first destination outside of Munich. The Berchtesgaden area is beautiful, and well worth a couple of days. It's easy to go to Kelsteinhaus on your own. Just drive to the parking lot and purchase your tickets. The only way to get to the top is by riding their buses. We felt that this visit, even with the original furniture removed, combined with the Dokumentation Museum, was very moving. Other good suggestions for the area are offered above by others.

If interested in more detail, you can click on our screen name and check out our report: 27 DAY ODYSSEY IN THE ALPS. Check out Saturday, August 23, where we describe our experiences at the Kelsteinhaus and the Dokumentation Museum.

Good luck in your planning!