Salzburg

I'm not sure who would have a not so great experience while in Salzburg. It's small, lovely, charming and I'd think you could just about cover everything in that amount of time. We took a day to visit Berchtesgaden. We took a tour with a company called Eagles Nest Historical Tours and really thought it was well done.

I enjoyed Berchtesgaden more than Salzburg. We took a 4 hour tour of the WWII sites and enjoyed walking around the town. We went to the salt mine, which I didn't enjoy but others have. The alps make a gorgeous backdrop.

We enjoyed Salzburg and we’re so glad our hotel was in the Old Town. We went to Berchtesgaden either before or after ourstour time in Salzburg and visited Hitler’s Eagles Nest. Eagles Nest is a must see.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/san-diego-to-munich-just-getting-there-part-1

Perhaps the four Salzburg sections of my Trip Report can be useful. It's one of my favorite areas. Enjoy your adventure!

Before my RS tour began (same dates nearly as yours last year) I attended a very small harpsichord solo Mozart matinee, about 45 minutes long, in the (? Sorry!) Palace- not the larger one with dinner up in the fortress.
While I'm not a classical music fan you can't be in Salzburg and not listen to some "in situ"! It was beautiful, and a nice respite from the one full day I had pre-tour.
The RS book has it listed, but I found it online, too and booked from that site.
I also loved the beautifully tended graves- gardens really- outside the (?) church in the Old City. The RS walking tour was a lively and useful guide.
Have a wonderful trip!

Definitely do the Fortress Hohensalzburg for epic views and photos of Salzburg. You could do a day trip to Hallstatt if you get there early, although we stayed there one night. Berchtesgaden is also a great choice.

Fortress Hohensalzburg is a must but venture outside the castle. The hikes around it are breathtaking. Good for a picnic too. We loved going to Untersberg as well. Try to stay in old town or within walking distance. Lots of nice churches too.

You mention biking in another post, so perhaps you like outdoor activities? The views from Eagle's Nest on a clear day are impressive, but my favorite thing to do at Berchtesgaden is to go to Königssee. Take the boat across the lake to the Salet stop, walk to Obersee, hike along the right side of the lake to the opposite side of Obersee, ascend a not-bad incline to get to a beautiful alpine meadow surrounded on 3 sides by mountains and with a high waterfall (Röthbach Fall) at the opposite end of the meadow. Say high to the cows as you walk past them starting at the far side of Obersee.

Here's a nice travel webpage with options in Berchtesgaden including photos: https://www.mywanderlustylife.com/2-days-in-berchtesgaden-things-to-do-itineraries/

I did two day trips from Salzburg and can heartily recommend both of them.

One was out to Berchtesgaden, as you mentioned. It was easy to get there by bus from outside Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (though there are lots of bus bays and it did take us a while to find the right one; don't cut it fine!). We visited the Nazi Documentation Centre, which had literally just been reopened after an extensive renovation. I seem to remember Rick advises about 60-90 minutes for the centre, but oh my god we spent about three hours in the place! It was a brilliantly done exhibition, very sombre and thoughtful. If this kind of history is something you're interested in, absolutely leave enough time for the documentation centre - if you were to whizz round in only an hour you'd miss a lot, I think.

We intended to go from the documentation centre to the Eagle's Nest, but this is where things went a bit wrong. The buses were much more expensive than I had expected, and left quite infrequently, and by that point we were so exhausted from the documentation centre and hungry after not really having any lunch (also from spending way more time than we expected in the centre) that we decided not to bother trying to get to the Eagle's Nest. I'm sure I will make it there one day! But not that day.

I think Berchtesgaden is a day trip that benefits from planning: know when the buses leave Salzburg, know when the buses leave Berchtesgaden for the documentation centre, know when the buses leave the centre for the Eagle's Nest, and think about having a timetable to stick to so you can make sure you see what you want to see.

The other day trip was out to Werfen by train to see the Eisriesenwelt ice caves, which was a fantastic experience and one of the best things I've done on any trip to Europe. Getting to the ice caves requires a bus, a cable car, and quite a bit of uphill and downhill walking, but it's all very clearly signposted and doable. (I'm no hiker and it was absolutely fine for me.) The Alpine views on the walk up to and down from the caves are astonishing, and the English-language guided tour of the caves themselves was incredible. I can recommend eating at Dr-Oedl-Haus, the restaurant halfway up the mountain at 1,575m above sea level. It has a panoramic outdoor eating terrace with breathtaking views, and serves the best schnitzel I have had anywhere.

Not a day trip, but a little bit off the beaten track: we spent an afternoon at Schloss Hellbrunn and took the tour of their trick fountains. A very fun and memorable place! We got pretty wet (unavoidable) but it was a gorgeous day and we dried off quickly. It's all part of the experience. For us it was definitely worth it to get out of the Old Town (which we felt like we'd pretty much "done" at that point) and see something very different and unique.

Wherever you go, I hope you have a lovely time!

We’ve spent 10 nights in Salzburg on two separate trips, and we’re returning for the Christmas markets this year. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. One of our favorite experiences was paragliding over the city with FlyTandem. They also have trips in Werfen, which would be amazing.

The fortress in Werfen is great, and in a stunning setting. We also love Hallstatt and Berchtesgaden. If you get a chance to ride a Sommerrodelbahn, definitely go for it. It’s a thrill plus amazing views. We went to one near Hallein, very close to the salt mine.