Will be spending 4 nights in Berchtesgaden at the end of May and we would like to stay in a gasthaus/bed and breakfast, does anyone have firsthand experience of somewhere nice. We also want to visit the Eagles Nest, not sure whether to take the minivan tour or go it alone, advice please. Would also like to spend a day in Salzburg, should we drive, train or take a tour from Berchtesgaden? Thanks in advance.

I have no direct experience of any B & B accommodation in Berchtesgaden.

However, there are ten pages of listings of "Ferienwohnungen" (self-catering holiday flats) at the site <www.berchtesgadener-land.com/index>, so there is a great range of price, comfort and location. As a ballpark figure you should not need to pay more than E50 - 60 per night for two people, and often quite satisfactory accommodation can be found for as little as E35 a night in the off-season.

The quality control of private accommodation facilities in Germany is very strict and I am sure you would be quite safe taking the advice of the local Tourist Office, once you are there, or simply following up one of these Internet listings by email and booking in advance.

Harzer

With your own transport a visit to any of the surrounding sights or indeed to Salzburg (half-an-hour away) should not present any problems.

I VERY HIGHLY recommend the mini-van tour of the Eagles Nest...if you really want to see all the major highlights of that complex that tour is wonderful..and reserve early because space is limited. The guide we had (the owner's wife) was nothing short of outstanding and she KNOWS the history and facts. Because the tour group is small you really feel as if you are getting a "private" tour. Don't miss it.

A few years ago we stayed in Berchtesgaden at Hotel Watzmann (it was more of a guesthouse w/breakfast included and a very nice little beer garden in the back and they served dinner too). Friends who often travel to Germany recommended it to us and we thought it was nice (convenient to walking around town, comfortable, parking, not too fancy but cute, and affordable).

We drove to Salzburg, short drive, from there and it was easy enough to park in a big central parking garage. I don't remember it being expensive to park.
We spent a day in Salzburg and it was not enough...guess we'll have to go back. Be sure to go to Augustiner Brauplatz to eat or for a break in their beer garden. We did do the Sound of Music tour and liked it.
We had planned on going to the Eagle's Nest, but on our trip from Italy to Germany the tunnel was out and we had to go up and down a mountain (bumper to bumper in the rain and we could smell our breaks overheating by the time we got to Berchtesgaden) so we had had enough heights for a bit. So I would let someone else drive, so you could enjoy the scenery.
Prost!

Hi, I'd suggest the train to Salzburg for the day so you can enjoy the scenery. You'll love Berchtesgaden. Years ago, we took the bus to Eagles Nest. I can't imagine driving that route myself. J.

There are literally hundreds of places to stay in this area. If you will not have a car, the best choice would be to stay directly in the town, unless you are extremely comfortable with the bus system.
If you have a car, then your choices are limitless and you need to decide what area appeals to you for lodging - the town, the lake (Konigsee) area, the alpine areas,etc.
It will still be cool in May and the high Alpine areas can get snow right up til June depending on the weather. The Eagles Nest opens up after the snow is gone and that is variable, of course.
Let us know where you would like to stay and then you'll get more ideas.

If you have any interest in the history of the Eagle's Nest and its connection with Hitler, then by all means take the mini bus tour as set up by the tourist office with the very knowledgeable couple who do it. If you just want to go for the views at the top, then go it alone -- but there won't be any indication of what the history of the place is.

We did Salzburg and Berchtesgaden, three days each without car and were fine. The train trip between them is quite short. If anything we would have appreciated the car more in Berchtesgaden than in Salzburg.

www.bensbauernhof.com will give you some good tips on the area.

Seven of us did Berchtesgaden in September 2002. Just a thought about the town and some of the things that we did to keep ourselves busy.

Alot of our day involved hiking and walking, and drinking. If you are into that, then consider some of the things that kept us busy.

1. There is an excellent Hofbrauhaus in Berchtesgaden. It is in the part of the town that the salt Mines are in. The beer is really quite good and there is often times authentic Bavarian entertainment at night.

2. Take a walk from downtown Berchtesgaden, near the train station, through the woods along a creek/river that ends up near the Konigsee. Consider taking the boat ride to St Bartholomew, the small chapel that sits on the island in the Konigsee.

3. There is a nice restaurant that sits on the lake near where you will catch the boat. Nice place for a cup of coffee, beer or a slice of cake.

4. Take the salt Mine tours. I've been through the Mines three times. Really enjoyed it.

5. There are some nice small pensiones right down the street from the Salt Mines. Very quaint. Stayed in one of them in 1988. The owners were so nice that they actaully allowed me to ehelp myself to his beer. I simply kept a record of what I drank and he gave me the beer at his cost. Not bad.

6. Down the street from the Salt Mines on the main street is a Cable car that will take you half way up to the eagles Nest. Take the walk from where the cable car ends through the woods to where the buses will take you to the eagles nest. We were there in September and becasue of the 3 feet of snow, we couldn't walk the entire distance from the cable car to the eagles Nest. Wished we had. It was one hell of a nice walk.

There are a bunch of really nice smaller hoels up near whjere the cable car drops you off. Very inexpensive, but you'll need a car to get up there.

Contact the tourist bureau and ask for their names.

Have a great time. Berchetsgaden is excellent. One of my favorite towns in germany

Berchtesgaden is one of my favorite places in Germany. There are many inexpensive accommodations around there that offer magnificient views of the surrounding mountains. Many of the farms in that region offer bed and breakfast type lodging and are hard to beat for the prices. In Sep 03 I stayed at the Unterklapflehen bauernhof just above the famous chapel at Maria Gern and I recommend it highly. http://www.bensbauernhof.com/unterkl...mariagern.html

Kehlstein (Eagle's Nest) will be open for visitors from mid-May and if you don't want to do it on your own by driving to the base of Obersalzberg and taking the mountain bus up then you can hook up with this little (max 8 persons) tour company that provides a guide.
http://www.eagles-nest-tours.com/page3.htm
But you can always purchase a booklet that will tell you all about the place and you can do it on your own, staying as long as you like, enjoying a few beers and the view (especially on a clear day).

For a daytrip to Salzburg you can drive there and park in an underground parking garage (minimal hassle) or take a train from the Berchtesgaden train station which takes approx one hour. Trains run hourly (for the most part).

Here are some other great choices of places to stay in that area.
http://www.bensbauernhof.com/farmsberchtesgaden.html

Ben

In December we stayed at Hotel Wittlesbach @75 Euro double w/balcony, bathroom & breakfast. It was fantastic! Have not stayed at the Florian guesthouse but friends have; they highly recommend it.

Thanks to you all for the wonderful ideas and info for helping us make some decisions. We will definitely take the minibus tour to Eagles Nest, as there appears to be only one tour a day for 8 people, how far in advance should we book this? Like the sound of big central parking in Salzburg so will take the car. Any thoughts on the Sound of Music Tour, worth it or skip it? Thanks for the hotel recommendations, we would like to stay in a quiet area but within walking distance of the main town area and the idea of a nice private gastehaus appeals to us. Have spent ages looking at www.berchtesgadener-land.com, like the sound of Pension Haus am Berg, has anybody stayed here or can suggest other gastehauses.

We stayed at Hotel Bavaria in Berchtesgaden and we loved it. It's small, incredibly comfortable and the owners were very helpful.

For a central location in town, the Hotel Vier-Jahrezeiten is an excellent choice. Their restaurant is excellent and we have enjoyed Kasefondue(cheese fondue) here many times. It is a few minutes walk from the Kur and Kongress Haus - pretty much the center of town. Another good choice would be the Hotel Post which sits pretty much in the center of the Fussganger Zone( central walking area where no cars are allowed). Staying at either of these would allow you and your family to walk to anything located in town.
I looked at Haus am Berg in my book of guesthaus locations. I am sure that it would be fine but this location is not in the town but about a 10 minute walk. Remember that a short walk anywhere in this area is almost never flat... As other folks have mentioned, the standards are quite strict and most hotels/guesthouses are quite nice. It is the custom to ask to see a room before you rent it out - if you are unsure ask to see the room

I forgot to include their website in case you don't have it -www.pension-hausamberg.de.

I noticed that someone recommended Hotel Bavaria.

I agree. That was the hotel the seven of us stayed at.

Their breakfast buffet is supposedly the best in Berchtesgaden. Their kitchen is advertised as being among the best in Berchtesgaden.

It is clean, the owners are quite helpful.

The rooms were 80 Euros, with beautiful views of the Watzmann Mountain. Might be a bit higher then 80 Euros now. The managers speak fluent English.

Have fun

In terms of how far out to book the mini-bus tour....as SOON as you know the exact date go ahead and e-mail them thre request. When I did it in August one year I reserved it in January. As I said earlier it is very popular and for good reason.

Hi - will also be visiting Berchtesgaden end of May. Would appreciate any other ideas on where to eat. Not too posh or expensive but nice atmosphere and good food. We went up to Eagles Nest in 1999 - left our car in the carpark and took the bus. It is really a fantastic place. Does anyone know whether the Jenner is better or as good as the Eagles Nest? Would appreciate help with this as we are tossing up whether to go to Eagles Nest again or try the Jenner.
Any advice will be appreciated.

Last June we stayed at the hotel Schiffmeister in Schönau am Königssee, close to Berchtesgaden. Schönau is nestled between the mountains and the hotel (old but very clean, very small bathroom though) is right at the border of the lake. Our room had a balcony overlooking the lake. The setting was just perfect.
It's very easy to get to Berchtesgaden and Salzburg by car. In Salzburg there are various huge park+ride parking lots. Parking is free and the bus ticket into the city is valid for a whole day throughout Salzburg.