Berchtesgaden and Hallstatt

I love Berchtesgaden, but, IMO, Halltstatt is the most beautiful place in the world. That said, Berchtesgaden is also beautiful, and much more accessible from Salzburg.

Cheryl, Both places are great, and which one to choose will probably depend on what type of "travel experience you're most interested in. Berchtesgaden is a small town in a very picturesque area of southeastern Germany. If you're interested in WW-II history you could visit the Eagle's Nest or the Dokumentation Centre and Bunkers. There's also a Salt Mine there that can be toured. Taking a guided tour of the Eagle's Nest would provide a much more interesting glimpse of the history. Hallstatt is also very picturesque and I agree with Lee that it's one of the beautiful spots in Europe (IMO of course). The main attraction is the Salt Mine, which is thousands of years old, and tours there are very popular. During the tour, visitors get from one level of the mine to another by sliding down a wooden ramp. There are speed monitors installed and as I recall the Guide was able to hit about 40 kmH. There's also a Museum in town that details the history and a couple of beautiful old Churches. If you could only make it to one, I'd suggest Hallstatt. Happy travels!

We visited both last September. We loved Berchtesgaden so much that we altered our itinerary to spend an extra day there. We didn't feel that strongly about Hallstatt at all. It was lovely, but not as exciting to us. Whichever you choose will be lovely. You don't have a bad option.

Cheryl I would go to Halstatt,just visited today,went to the mine which requires a tram ride with beautiful views to get to the mine tour.There is a museum in town which is a good chronology of the 7000 years that salt has been mined there.We are staying in St Wolfgang on the lake which is incredible with the mountains surrounding it,this is 30 minutes from Halstatt,also stayed in Halstatt several years ago
Mike

Cheryl,
Hallstatt is very pretty and serene, however, the high range beauty of Berchtesgaden is hard to beat and the Eagles Nest tour while a bit pricey is well worth it both for the history but also the magnificent ride up the sheer cliff and the view from the top.