Can I do this in one full day?

Whether you can do it is one thing, whether you will remember any of it is something else.

But clearly Hellbrun needs to be part of the day with the Salzburg Card because it is quite expensive on it's own. The Dom is free entry (donations accepted .....). So start with Hellbrun and then Mozart's Geburtshaus. And then take stock. The Fortress needs a few hours. If you have time for the Dom then do so, if not leave it for the third day before heading to Berchtesgaden.

What do you intend to do at Berchtesgaden? The town is really just a town. The Eagles Nest is basically a difficult to reach restaurant with spectacular views in good weather. Koenigsee is a very pretty lake with boat trips which most people look down on from Eagles Nest.

Thanks Steve. re. Berchtesgaden. It's our base for exploring Koenigsee. I plan to stay 3 nights.One full day for Koenigsee and Jennerbahn (if it opens by then) and one full day for Ramsau, walking around Wimbachklamm.

If this is your first morning after flying to Europe, consider that you will have jetlag. But, yes, you could do all of these in one day. I would start with the Old Town walk in the morning along with the Salzburg Card sites that are in that area. Take the bus to Hellbrunn Castle in the afternoon and relax in the beautiful gardens afterwards. There's a small café there, too, if you want to time a late lunch. We purchased the Salzburg Card for our 3 days when we returned in 2015. I also enjoyed dropping into the Christmas museum for 20 minutes.

Personally, we prefer St. Wolfgang to Hallstatt, and it's a quicker daytrip from Salzburg. If interested, take the bus to St. Gilgen and take the boat (beautiful ride!) to arrive at St. Wolfgang. There's also the SchafbergBahn cogwheel train at St. Wolfgang for amazing views.

Holly - we just returned from a three week trip from Munich to Budapest, visiting many places on your proposed itinerary.

We spent three nights in Ramsau and it was a highlight of our trip. I really do not understand the RS suggestion of going to Berchtesgaden as a day trip just to see the Eagles Nest and/or Konigssee. I can't imagine missing Ramsau. This area is one of the most beautiful areas for hiking I have ever seen. The hiking is quite different from our hiking in the PNW, and stopping at a mountain hut for food and drink while hearing cowbells in the distance is an experience I will never forget. This is a part of Germany where you will see very few Americans - just lots of German families on their hiking holiday.

Just a short caveat:
There are four different towns called "Ramsau" in the mountains, one in Germany, three in Austria.

In the previous post you talk obviously about "Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden" in Germany. If you talk in Austria about Ramsau without any distinction, "Ramsau am Dachstein", located in a famous mountain region, is assumed. Besides that there is "Ramsau im Zillertal" and "Ramsau bei Hainfeld".

Jennifer_g,
Where in Ramsau did you hike where you stopped at a mountain hut?
We plan to visit St Sebastian church in Ramsau and would like to do some easy hike/walk nearby. Someone in Trip Advisor suggested Wimbackklamm. I'd like to do similar walk like you did, if it's not too far to reach by bus.
(I plan Berchtesgaden as our base as it is the hub for public transport)

Did you do the hike from Salet to Fischunkelalm (across Obersee)? What do you think of the hike ?
Thank you.

Holly - I sent you a PM, but am answering here also in case others want information.

The shorter hike we did was up to Hals Alm. The hike started near Hintersee (about 10-15 minutes by bus 843 from Ramsau), headed up a wide smooth trail through the woods with nice views as you approached the top where the trail opened up into a beautiful open area surrounded by peaks and full of cows! There is a small hut that serves cold drinks and cold sandwiches. I think it is actually the home of the people who herd the cows. You can return to Hintersee the way you came up or do a circular route back down. If you continue on the loop, you will probably want hiking boots. If you go back the way you came, you would be ok with comfortable walking shoes.

The other hike we were going to take went up to Bind Alm in the Klausbach Valley which also has a hut for food/drink. This hike also starts near Hintersee. I say "we were going to take" because when we got off the bus, all the German speaking hikers headed to another waiting bus (I think 847). We figured the bus must be going somewhere good if all the locals were getting on so we asked someone where it went. "To Austria", he said pointing straight up the mountain. Totally out of character (my husband follows all the Boy Scout safety rules which include knowing where you are going) we paid for the bus (not included in the free bus pass) and headed up to a place called Hirscbichl which is right on the border. There are many hikes on the way up on the bus and hikes starting from Hirscbichl itself. Hirscbichl has a chalet with food/drink. We hiked to Kallbrunnalm (around 5-6 hours round trip) and ate at a wonderful hut that had full meal service (drinks, traditional hot entrees, cold sandwiches etc) I don't think I have ever been on such a beautiful hike. You could definitely find shorter hikes from Hirschbicl also, and then could hike down the Klausbach Valley (another hut on the way) or take the bus back to Hintersee. We wore hiking boots but this hike could be done in comfortable shoes.

For help with googling more information, Hirschbichl and hikes on the Austrian side of the border are in Austria's Weissbach National Park.

The word "alm" means Alpine pasture or meadow, so that might help as you research hikes.

We hike a lot in Washington and have also hiked in California and Idaho. This is one of the most beautiful areas I have been.

Jennifer,

Thanks. I just got your PM. The people at Trip Advisor also recommended the hike you did, Hintersee to Hirschbichl.
They said there are easy hikes around there. We are not experience hikers at all, so looking for some easy ones. Should we bring hiking poles?
I looked at the website, lots of beautiful hikes and i'm glad there are hourly buses to the area (we'll be taking public transport).
I've decided to extend one more day in Berchtesgaden area. So we should have 3.5 days there.
You mentioned you stayed in Ramsau. Did you find it easy to get around by bus?
I'm thinking to stay in Berchtesgaden because it will be easier to go to Koenigsee and closer to train station.
Now that I plan two days of hiking in Ramsau, I'm not so sure.

I am finding more hiking information now that I am home than I did while researching before the trip! Check out this website:

https://www.ramsau.de/en/summer-activities/hiking.html

There is a hike to Litzalm that looks very nice. Ignore the distance/elevation gain shown on the website - that is calculated from down at Hintersee. if you take the bus to Hirschbichl, this looks like a fairly short hike with an elevation gain of about 170 meters. The route is used for mountain biking and looks similar to the trail we hiked - wide, graveled, smooth and well maintained.

There is a big map of the area at Hirscbichl and routes are well signed. I took a picture of the map, but this forum does not appear to let me post a photo and I was not able to find the map online.

i can't remember the name of the bus to Hirschbichl, (the something "alm" bus), but it seemed to have a schedule that coordinated with the Ramsau bus (843). We got off the Ramsau bus at Hintersee and got on the bus to Hirscbichl. The next stop for the Hirscbichl bus was at the Park headquarters where there is a parking lot. There was a pretty big crowd there and I am not sure all the hikers got on the bus. We were glad we got on at the prior stop.

We liked staying in Ramsau and being close to the start of our hikes. It is a very quiet area, very pretty and does not feel at all touristy. We only passed through Berchtesgaden on the bus, so I can't really compare them, but I would return to Ramsau in a heartbeat!