TRAVEL TO EAGLE'S NEST IN Berchtesgaden, GERMANY

There are tours from Salzburg or Munich, but they are, in my opinion, a waste of money.When I was there, all you could get at the bottom of the mountain was a reservation on the special bus (cars aren't allowed on the road) to the top. When I got to the bus parking place, there were guides offering tours in a variety of languages.

Last summer I did the same as you, I drove to Berchtesgaden and took the tour from there. You can get the tour in the village, I booked it at the tourist center in the village. The tour consisted of the bus ride up the mountain to the underground bunkers built during the war, the guide gave a good history lesson on the third reich when they were there and the remaining buildings on the mountain, we then took a specialized bus (basically a city type bus) up to the tunnel to access Eagles Nest. The tour usually books up quickly from my understanding so if you plan on doing it book it before you arrive. If you decide not to take the tour I think you can buy tickets for the bus up to the top at the museum and for the tunnel system, maybe someone else has details on that. The tour price combined the fees for everything, bus, bunkers, Eagles Nest, etc.One thing I learned on the tour was the special entrance but for Hitler at the train station, it is a wing on the right side of the building. Here is a link to the company. http://www.eagles-nest-historical-tours.com

You can get round trip bus tickets from Obersalzberg to the bus parking lot and use of the elevator for €15,50 (adult). I think that admission to the Nest, itself, is free, if you want to hike up. Admission to the Dokumentation Center is €3,- and includes the bunkers. You forgot to mention that the tour costs €50,- (about $70), so you paid $50 to find out about Hitler's special entrance.

Last October, we drove up the hill to the Documentation Museum in Obersalzburg with the intention of visiting the Eagle's Nest. However, it was closed for the season. Lee is correct in that only busses are allowed to take you there. Since we were there, we decided to go into the museum and bunkers. We rented the audio for the museum and soon determined 1 1/2 hours would not be enough to see everything in the museum and the bunkers. We had to bypass the rest of the museum to see the bunkers and I'm so glad we did. It was absolutely fascinating. From what others have said, there is not much to see at the Eagle's Nest. If you want to see both, allow the whole day for your visit. Unless you want to see Berchtesgaden, continue your drive past the town to Obersalzburg and the Documentation Center. Have a great time. It is definitely worth the visit.

Actually, if you drive up the Achental from Salzburg, you get to the turnoff for Obersalzberg and the Nest before you get to Berchtesgaden. But, if you take the Watzmann Express (RVO bus) from Salzburg, you have to go in to the Berchtesgaden Hbf and come out to Obersalzberg on another bus.

We drove to the Documentation Center and then took the bus up. We also signed up for an "English tour" at the top but it truthfully was not worth the price. I think if you buy a good book, you won't need a tour or human guide. The Documentation Center is a museum which graphically portrays the rise of Hitler. I rented an audio guide but did not stop at every exhibit....having the audio guide was a plus. The Documentation Center is worth the admission price, I think anyway. Once at the parking lot at the top you have to buy an admission which gets you in the elevator. You also "reserve" a seat on the bus for the ride down. We spent 2 hours on the top and probably could have spent more time....just sitting and watching he world pass was very relaxing...

Terry, I think you are mistaken about some of the details. The fee you pay at the bottom covers both the bus and the elevator. In 2002 I recorded in my expense record "Bus to Kehlstein & elevator, €23" (that was for two people), and today, according to the official website, www.kehlsteinhaus.de (Geman language side), "Bus inkl. Aufzug, Erwachsene € 15,50 p. P.". We booked the return bus at the parking place, but there is no additional admission fee. We went out the back door of the Haus and hiked up to the Cross, and when we returned, there was no one checking "admission" ticket. People hike up from Ofneralm and can just come in the back door, but probably can't use the elevator. When I was there in 2000, there was a young woman at the elevator entrance selling "tours" for a few DM. She must have been somehow attached to the Haus because she could use the elevator. My tour was certainly worth what she charged. It sounds like maybe Eagles-Nest-Touring has taken over the tours. Did you pay €18,50 from the bus parking place? Sounds like the same crew that charges $70 from Salzburg. BTW, I paid €11 in the gift shop for a book that tells me far more than I could be told on a tour. AND, I still have it.

I took the same tour as Barry. The company is run by an American couple (I think she said she was from Montana). The minute they fired up the bus (you'll have to transfer buses further up) this woman started dealing. She was a non-stop history book. There were 100 things that I wouldn't have placed any notice or understood the historical nature of if she wasn't narrating. She earns her money, that is for sure.

Lee is correct...my memories seem to get a little jumbled. We just stopped to reserve a seat going down, not to pay another admission price. I don't know who the tour guide was with, but it was inexpensive..... it just seemed that using the guide book we could have seen the same rooms, received the same information, but just wandered on our own time. And like Lee, I still have the book. As for the value or worth of visiting Eagle's Nest, it's hard for me to put into words. That such a beautiful area could be the home of such evil is a disconnect in my mind.

I would not call the Eagles' Nest a waste of time. The second time I was there, it was a clear day and the view from the top was fantastic, you could see for miles kilometers. The view, IMO, was as good as the view from the Zugspitze, and cost a lot less. Plus it is so significant historically. As I sat eating lunch in the octagonal room, looking at the Mussolini fireplace, I could not help but dwell on all of the world leaders (good and bad) who had also eaten in that room. It's a piece of history.

You can drive there and at the visitor center pay for the bus ride up. No need to take a bus from any local city unless you wish. We used our GPS and it took us right to the visitors center. No sweat.
It is unreal once your at the top!