Bechtesgaden

We were in Berchtesgaden last June. To get an idea of the layout of the town, I recommend you Google map it. Click on the satellite image. Zoom in and use the down arrows. The river appears in a very light blue-green (glacier melt). The Bahnhof roof shows as a bright red. You can't miss it because there is a huge traffic circle right in front of it. Now you can pan around looking for some of your zimmer frei locations, or you can look up their addresses and get walking directions to them from the Bahnhof. When you zoom in you can see the names of the streets, hotels, etc. Be aware that the city itself, the center that will show up when you ask for the city on Google maps, is above the Bahnhof and the river. I mean, really above it, on a very steep hill. There's an obvious park between the flat area where the Bahnhof and river are and the center of the city. Walking up and down that hill is a challenge even without luggage, so that might influence where you decide to stay.

The correct term for what you are seeking is a Zimmer (room) or a Privatzimmer. People who have a room to rent often put a sign out that says Zimmer. If it is available (frei), the sign says "Zimmer frei"; if the room is already taken, the sign says "Zimmer belegt". Zimmer frei is like saying "Vacancy". So you want to stay in a vacancy. A true Zimmer is in a private home, but I've never seen a case where it is just some old woman's spare room. Most often, an entire floor of the house is given over to a few rooms, usually with their own bathrooms. There is also usually a room for breakfast and the owner personally brings it to you in the morning. I don't know of a true Privatzimmer in Berchtesgaden, but 10 years ago I stayed in a nice SFR (small family run) place just up the street (not a climb) from the Hauptbahnhof in Berchtesgaden and enjoyed it. Gästehaus Alpina is close to being a Privathaus. There are just a few rooms and, when I was there, the owner and his girlfriend ran the place alone. But there is a front desk. It is now under different ownership, and I don't know if they speak English. You can write to them directly; their email address is on the website. They have several bedrooms and a couple of apartments (Ferienwohnungen). You might also want to try Haus Achental, next door to Alpina.

As for the hill, there are buses at least hourly, sometimes every half hour, from the Hauptbahnhof up to Berchtesgaden Zentrum. There is also a building next to the Hbf with stairs up to a metal bridge over the tracks to a path that goes the rest of the way. I never had to walk with luggage, because I stayed at the same level as the Hbf, but that meant that I had to walk up every evening for dinner in town.

When in doubt, go to Trip Advisor, where they show 32 hotels.
www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g187299-Berchtesgaden... You can also pull them up on www.berchtesgadenhotels.com, Booking.com, Venere.com and many other places on the internet. It'd be a great place to stay for a few days, doing day trips to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich, etc. by mass transit. So much is close to this area. Check Rick Steves' Graffiti Wall for B&B Heroics to see if any B&B's are listed. I know that there are some great accommodations there.

Diane, I lived in Berchtesgaden for 3 years and can tell you there are too many places to stay to make sense of it all. If you want a great alpine experience and don't mind the walk here's the place. If you have much luggage take a cab the first time. After that it's 15 min. to the Bahnhoff and 20 min. home (a bit of a hill). Trust the tourist information office, get a bus pass get off the beaten path and enjoy! steinwandlehen.de Agnes und Georg Fegg 08652-656462
They don't speak much english but their daughter Barbera does. I would definately stay in the ferienhäuschen. It's a completely private alpine hut that is over 400 years old but updated inside to modern standards.The cowbells will wake you up to a great view of the mountains.