Hello does anyone know is Berchtesgaden worth spending 2 nights to see Eagles Nest and the surrounding area. Are there other small village towns close by worth seeing? Or should Berchtesgaden be more of a day trip from Munich or Salzburg? Going in May. Thanks!!
Berchtesgaden is definitely worth two nights; besides Eagle's nest, Koenigsee is also worth the excursion, and there are other scenic areas nearby.
This being said, a day trip from Salzburg is perfectly feasible, if it helps you minimize the number of times you change locations.
Any advice you might hear that suggests the B'gaden/Schönau area is an easy day trip from Munich should be questioned. It's 4-4.5 hours round trip by car depending on traffic, or 5 hrs. by train. Not sure what to see and do? There is a lot. I think it's pretty much a given that getting there and back will use up too much of your time. Things to do/see there include the Königssee, the Jennerbahn (cable car ascent, Jenner Mt.,) the Eagles Nest, the Doc Center, the salt mine visit... well, just have a look here...
So even if your personal list of interests there is SHORT, and even if you are day-tripping from SALZBURG, it might be tricky to complete your visit in just one day. Bus 840 is the most direct way to get there from Salzburg via public transport (50 minutes each way. ) Here's the schedule, valid through May 21.
We were in Salzburg in May 2019 and had hopes to see Berchtesgaden but the late snow kept us from being able to go there….we took a bus tour from Salzburg and went as close as possible and saw it from down below……I would say that our delight was spending a night in Hallstatt…….charming town and a beautiful lake nearby to enjoy!
I easily found enough to justify 5 nights in Berchtesgaden in 2017. But I'm an outdoorsy guy.
Berchtesgaden is an easy day trip from Salzburg by bus. I took the bus from the old town to Berchtesgaden, then another bus up to Obersalzberg. I spent a 2-3 hours in the Documentation Center which is very well done and includes Hitler's bunkers which are amazing. There's a parking lot that separates the museum from the ticket office for the special bus up to Eagle's Nest. Since visibility was very poor (mid May) I decided to skip the pricey trip, In fact when I left the museum, fog had settled in and I could barely see 20 feet ahead. BTW is was sunny in Salzburg.
Since I'd used only a half day there, I took the bus all the way back to the bus station and got another bus to the Freilicht Museum which I highly recommend.
I understand that Koenigsee is beautiful, but I determined that it wasn't possible to see both by public transportation in a single day.