Traveling in Germany and Austria

Here's a route that may interest you: Take the A8 into Bavaria and then the A12 back into Austria & on to Innsbruck. You could check out Innsbruck and then continue on the A12 to the B177 that goes north to the pretty Bavarian village of Mittenwald. From there continue to Garmisch, Oberammergau (Linderhof Palace), and then to Steingaden (stopping at the Wies Kirche), and finally to the Royal Castles and on to Fussen. You'll need to spend 1 or 2 nights en route to see everything.

I think the Eagles' Nest is worth doing once. It the weather is clear, the view is fantastic. It's kind of neat, in an eerie way, to realize you are in a room in which historic figures like Himler, Hitler, Eva Braun, and Mussolini were together. Between there and Füssen, an good place to stop is Herrenchiemsee. Also Oberammergau.

I think going to Berchtesgaden and Eagles Nest is worth effort. There is also a tunnel system under the mountain built during the war you can tour. You may need to make a reservation for the tour because it tends to sell out.

seeing as the tours only start at 1:00 pm and last several hours, I don't think it is an option for us anymore. I appreciate your input though. Any other possibilities?

Is it possible to see the Eagle's Nest without a tour? Or is there another tour option other than the one I found.

I'm not really sure it seems like it was limited on the vehicles to get to the top of the entrance area for the tunnel that goes to the elevator up to the Eagles Nest. I do know that cars could go to the area where the old barracks and houses were and the entrance to the tunnel system.

We went to Berchtesgaden as a day trip from Salzburg. We took the salt mine tour in the morning. It was an overcast/foggy day so we decided to skip the view options.

It's worth it. Just FYI, it's closed during winter months, so depending on when you're going, check first when it's open.

Henry, I believe a stop in Berchtesgaden is definitely worth it, especially for the "historic aspect". Depending on your interests and time availability, I'd suggest allocating at least four hours (if not more). For visits to the Eagle's Nest, you might consider Eagle's Nest Tours. One point to note is that access to the Eagle's Nest is only open from about May to September, as the road up the mountain is narrow and can be treacherous due to snow. There's also the Dokumentation Centre at Obersalzburg, which is just uphill from the town. The displays are all in German, but you can obtain an Audioguide with English commentary. The Bunkers that were constructed in the mountain behind the centre are quite impressive, and only a small portion of these have been renovated and are accessible for visitors. Unfortunately, Hitler's private quarters are not accessible, as these are located at the bottom of a crumbling elevator shaft. You could also take a tour of a Salt Mine, which might be interesting (I've taken the similar tour at Hallstatt, and really enjoyed it). Finally, you might want to take an hour or so and explore the town of Berchtesgaden. It's a beautiful small Alpine town, with fantastic views of the mountains. Happy travels!

When you get to the town of Obersalzberg, you book the trip to the Nest on the special mountain buses that go up the private road. The bus ticket includes the elavator to the restaurant at the top. There is no official tour, but when I was there there were free-lance quides offering to show you through the buildings for a few Euro.

Yes you can tour the Eagle Nest without joining a tour group. Driving from Salzburg just follow the signs leading to the visitor center. One has to pay at the visitor center to get a bus pass then they have a coordinated bus voyage up the side of the single lane road to the off point. You then enter at your leisure taking a massive amount of pictures, you can't help not to. The view on a clear day is amazing. Once you make your way to the top via an elevator ride where there is a cafe food / drinks. You have pleanty of areas to walk and explore on this magnificant mountain top. Hard not to think of those who built it - and those who then enjoyed it. We visited it recently and was one of my most favorite sites in Bavaria and N. Italy.

Thanks Mike. Do you know if you can go to the underground bunkers/tunnels without a tour group?

The underground bunkers are at the dokumentation center. You buy a ticket for the museum, and the bunkers are a part of it. There are no tours, but some information about the bunkers might be on the audio guide they rent.