Eagles Nest

It was Hitler’s mountain top retreat. We drove there, parked, took a required bus to the site. You take a huge elevator up through the middle of the mountain. Gorgeous views at the top, but you can feel Hitler’s paranoia at retreating to such a remote place.

There is only one way up to Eagles Nest. You take a special bus up the mountain. You can’t drive up on your own. This site might help:

https://www.kehlsteinhaus.de/english/

We spent about 3 hours there, including lunch. Busses leave frequently. The views are spectacular on a clear day. Not sure I’d go on a cloudy day.

If you are considering this as a day trip from elsewhere, you need to factor in travel time from wherever you are staying. You easily can spend a full day in Berchtesgaden between Eagles Nest, Konigsee, the salt mine and the town itself.

Busses leave frequently.

I've been there three times in the last 25 years, but not for 10 years. I doubt that they have changed this.

When we've arrived at the bus parking lot, we've always been told to book our time for the return bus trip. That will determine how long you will stay there. I think I've always booked a bus for 2½ or 3 hours later. I think I've always had lunch at the nest. One time we hiked up the hill to the cross above the nest.

kehlsteinhaus.de

Here is a link that will tell you the information regarding how to get there. If you take your time seeing the site and walking around the outside area and get a bite to eat, I think 2 hours is plenty. There are guided tours that are available that will add context. I spent 2 nights in Berchtesgaden. It is a beautiful area.

There have been quite a few "corrections" on this thread and I will add another one. Hitler did not like Kehlsteinhaus and only rarely went there. It was a birthday gift to him that he didn't really appreciate. Plus, is it paranoia if they really are out to get you?

I appreciate all of the information shared. As we will only be in Salzburg for a full day, the RS info. suggested a day trip to Eagles Nest, which is on our to do list. All of your input will be taken into consideration. "Keep on Traveling!"

If you are going to spend most of the day in Berchtesgaden seeing the Eagle's Nest, you might as well stay in Berchtesgaden and avoid the two hour round trip from/to Salzburg. You might even find you save money staying in Berchtesgaden. I've stayed three times in Berchtesgaden at Gästehaus Alpina. It's not actually in Berchtesgaden; it's on the road coming from Bad Reichenhall, close (½ km, 6 min flat walk) to the Hbf. There is a bus from the Hbf up to Obersalzberg, where you take the special mountain bus up to the Nest.

It's in the valley below Berchtesgaden, so no view to speak of, but it's a pleasant place to stay and very economical.

I would skip it if you only have one day in Salzburg. The views are great, but you can get good views more or less anywhere in the region. The building itself is disappointing, and most people don't realise Hitler spent little time there and mostly was at the Berghof. If you have time it is worth a visit, but if your time is super tight and you only have one day, enjoy Salzburg or visit a salt mine (Salzbergwerk in Berchtesgaden, for example).

I'd much rather spend a day in Berchtesgaden (and not in the salt mine) than in Salzburg.

Maybe it's just me. When I was growing up in So. California, all of our vacations were in what I would call natural places (Santa Cruz redwoods, Yosemite, Lassen NP, Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, etc.). One time I remember being in a state park in the Redwood forest outside of Santa Cruz and driving into San Francisco to see the aquarium. That was it for city vacations.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of SOM - watched the movie a jillion times. That's why I think the SOM tours are tourist traps, made up to take money from unknowing tourists.

I did spend a day once in Salzburg. Came over on the train from Munich in the morning and returned to Munich at the end of the day. We visited Mirabell Palace (Do-Re-Mi steps, free), went up the incline to the Fortress (not free) and toured it, then walked around the Fortress hill to the abbey where, in the movie, Maria was a novitiate. You can't get into most of the abbey - it's cloistered - but we could get into the abbey's chapel (free). All of the scenes inside the abbey were shot in sound stages, mostly in Hollywood. I was amazed to see that the chapel did not look anything like the wedding church from the movie (it wasn't).

I've did spend an evening in Salzburg one time, and I have passed through Salzburg two other times, but all three times I spent the night across the river in Freilassing, Germany.