Has anyone taken the tours of the ice caves and/or salt mines around Berchtesgaden and Hallstatt? We're spending a few days around those areas, and I was wondering which of the tours are most enjoyable. ( and any other suggestions of course!) Thanks

Kate, <BR>I've been to the Hallstatt salt mines and I'm not certain "enjoyable" is an apt descriptive word; "informative" perhaps. Be prepared to don heavy canvas pajamas with leather reinforcing on the seat and elbows. You'll straddle a small train as you ride into the mountain and be blinded by an automatically set camera and strobe light as your photo is taken (like it or not). You descend to lower levels by straddling (again) what looks like an oversized hand rail, hug or be hugged by another tourist and be pushed down to a lower level of the mine. You'll find the mine murky, damp and chilly. If the tour group is composed primarily of English speaking tourists, the tour description will be in English, otherwise, prepare for Austrian German. <BR> <BR>There is a cafe in a lovely setting on a balcony overlooking Hallstatt and the Hallstatter See when you exit the mine. Stop there for a truly scenic view.

The Salt mine in Berchtesgaden is always a high point on our trips. The kids love it and I still do after 5 visits. First you don protective clothing, then you ride a train deep into the mountain. Inside you feel no sense of claustrophobia. You ride down 2 large slides, travel on a raft across a subterranean lake, climb back up by funicular and watch an informative film (English). You even get some free salt samples at the end of the visit. If you have kids, don't miss it.

Kate, We've visited the ice caves in Werfen (the Eisriesen Welt) and found them to be spectacular, in fact we stayed an extra day in Werfen (not a hardship) because the caves don't open for tours until May 1. We also visited the salt mines in Hallein, very similar to the description of Berchtesgaden mine.

We agree: the Eisriesenwelt is spectacular. Fortunately, we thought to bring along some warmer jackets when we went there. A group of school kids almost froze going through.

We first did the Salt mines in Berchtesgaden in 1970. Came back in 1993 and 1997 with friends and did them again. Berchtesgaden is a lot of fun. Both trips in the 90s we saved the mines for a rainy day as you might as well be underground when weather not good above ground. Be sure and do the slides while in the mine. They are fun and not as "dangerous" as they may look. Other good trips in the area are to the Eagles Nest and an electric boat tour on the Koernisee lake. Both fun on a sunny Bavarian Day. Also, sounds corny, but look for the walking sticks in the tour shops and the small shields they sell for the sticks from each area. Shields are only about $1.00 and fun to collect.

I visited Berchtesgaden, including the other stuff in 1973, and was fascinated by it all. <BR> <BR>The salt mines are light relief from the Nazi bits; the general location is fabulous and I would strongly recommend a visit <BR>

Suggested tours include: driving over the high mountain road (Rossfeld) above the Eagles Nest - do this on a sunny day for a terrific view, the boat trip on the Koenigsee is not to be missed, walk around the side of Koenigsee Lake to view the huge Bobbahn (tobaggon)run from the Olympics, take the chair lift from the Koenigsee up to the Jenner Summit and enjoy an easy hike down if you are a hiker(sunny day), from Berchtesgaden you can take the train to Munich or drive 30 minutes to Salzburg, take the gondola in St. Leonhardt to the majestic summit of the Untersberg. The salt mine is great for a rainy day as is the trip to Munich. Do Salzburg first thing in the morning as it gets very crowded. There is a Sound of Music tour, but if you have a car and the interest, you can do these areas yourself.For a rainy day, take a tour of the Enzianbrennerei to sample the local schnapps(it's delicious!) and the Crystal factory on the outskirts of town. <BR>In Hallstadt, enjoy the sites of the small town, take the cable car up to the Dachstein to the Ice Caves or go to the summit and watch hang gliders leaping off the edge, check out the small but very interesting museum and learn about Hallstatter Man and how the area was inhabited thousands of years ago. <BR>You are going to a terrific area Kate, enjoy and I hope this helps!

Thanks for all the tips. We do have a 14 year old boys who will get a kick out of some of the things you've mentioned. We're staying in Salzburg one night, and then in the surrounding area for 3 nights. It sounds wonderful. I'm printing up what you've all recommended. any more tips, keep writing!

Your boys would definitely enjoy Burg Hohenwerfen in Werfen near the ice caves. It has a wonderful falcon show, as well as armor, a dungeon, a torture chamber, and everything needed to carry on medieval battles. The fortress in Salzburg is fun too, but not nearly as kid-friendly.

I have gone to the ice caves near werfen twice and consider it to be one of the highlights of Austria. As others have mentioned, be sure to dress warm. <BR> <BR>The salt mines a Hallein are also fun, although the tour I took in '87 was not as complete and fun as the one I did in '70. Also did the one in Hallstatt in '73 and did not like as much as Hallein.

I agree with the earlier reply, the salt mine work at Berchtesgaden are wll worth the visit especially with kids. We took our 17,14,9 year old there last summer and all enjoyed it immensely. I visited them in 1968 with my parents and remembered it vividly. My kids loved the whole thing - dressing in the canvas pants and jackets. the slides - which were the hig point for them, the informative video about how the salt is 'mined' and how the underwater lakes are formed, the guided tour, the underwater lakes and the mini salt samples at the end. Very worth while. <BR>The suggestion, above , for cbuying a 'tourist' walking stick at the Konigsee and then buying the shields is one my 14 year old son did. After buying the stick, he purchased the shields at every town we visited throughout southern Germany and the Tyrol, collecting 15 or so, then attaching them to the stick - a great souvenir! <BR>For a break, the children might also want to try the summer luge tracks - there are one or two different ones in the Berchtesgaden area - for a small fee, the kids ride on a bobsled type thing and run down a chute, at the bottom the vehicle is "picked up" by a cable attachment and pulled back up to the top - you can go again.