Advice on Berchtesgaden day trip?

The Eagle's Nest this by far the highlight to visiting Berchtesgaden and the area. Do not miss it.

If you're interested in alternative tours that may have a timing that's better for you, we did this tour in 2023 and it was excellent: https://www.discover-eagles-nest.com/

We did a private tour but they have group ones as well. Honestly I can't recommend it highly enough!

I've been to Berchtesgaden three times and to Salzburg once. I really think that Berchtesgaden deserves more than a day trip. All three of my trips to Berchtesgaden have been for two whole days, one day for the Eagles Nest and the Documentation Center and one day for Königssee.

In 2002, I made a day trip to Salzburg. I'm a big fan of SOM and knew what I wanted to see - what was real from the movie and what was tour hype. I saw everything that was in the movie in one day, at no cost. I later made separate trips to Werfen and Mondsee (Mondsee on my way to Hallstatt).

So, if I were making the trip, I would spend most of my time in Berchtesgaden and make a day trip to Salzburg.

Come back to Salzburg in the evening

Bus 840, the Watzmann express, leaves the Berchtesgaden Busbahnhof for it's last run to Salzburg at 19:15 (7:15pm), but the trains through Freilassing make their last runs later, at 20:19 (8:19pm) and 22:09 (10:09pm).

The bus makes several stop in the old town on it's way to the Hbf, but the trains come in from the other direction (Germany) just to the Salzburg Hbf, so if you're staying in the old town, you'll have to get a bus from the Hbf or walk.

I agree with Lee’s advice unless you are already doing another multi night stay in a small town. We too flipped it and stayed in Berchtesgaden a few days and did a shorter trip to Salzburg - it was our only small town stay that trip, but also was where we liked the best.

I attempted this exact day trip on the 840 bus from the stop at Mirabell Palace. We ran out of time to see Koenigsee, but you get a great view of it from the bus ride up to Berchtesgaden. We ended up staying too long in Berchtesgaden proper because we loved it that much, and had to train it back to Salzburg on the last train out. The train ride back is really pretty and goes a different route than the 840 bus. It's a short walk from the town itself to the train / bus station.

I would echo the comments that this day trip is a bit ambitious, and you might want to spend the night in Berchtesgaden. I wish I had!

Also, you're going in May... please check the weather in advance and make sure to dress accordingly. I wore shorts to Kehlsteinhaus and it was borderline miserable. The weather in Salzburg was sunny and in the 70s that day. Atop the mountain, there was snow cover. Also, Kehlsteinhaus is very, very popular. Your ticket will have a time estimate for your return bus journey. From there, you'll also have to wait to get on the bus at the entrance back down to the town. This whole process adds some time to getting there, but it's worth it.

Please allow some time to see Berchtesgaden itself. It's a really, really special place. There's a nice hofbrauhaus there. A palace. Churches. War memorial / mural, etc. and the tourist crowd is largely gone when the bus stops running in the afternoon. Thanks

Thank you all for these excellent comments! I really appreciate your advice.

I think it would be possible but it'd be pretty rushed.

Just the Konigsee part of the plan without hiking is probably 3.5-4 hours; depending on how much time you will spend and what the lines will be like in May. You could always skip the Salet portion but that is maybe still 2.5ish hours. You'd have to time things really perfectly to catch the bus back to Berchtesgaden, then get from the station to the tour entrance.