Travelling in Berchtesgaden - City and National Park

Berchtesgaden National Park is truly beautiful place to take little trip for 5-7 days. Berchtesgaden National Park is also very well organized by all means. Here is my little tips for Berchtesgaden National Park.

Berchtesgaden National Park

How to get to Berchtesgaden 

Nearest international Airport is in Munich, use it if possible. 

From Munich Airport to main train station of Munich - München Hauptbahnhof

I would suggest Lufthansa Airport Bus - it's direct connect and very easy, check the time tables and fares from Lufthansa airport bus web page.

NOTE: will probably take 45min - 90min from landing to get luggage and be ready to jump into airport bus - depends are you coming from, inside schengen area or not. Inside schengen area - there is no security checks - but if you are coming from outside the schengen area - you have to check in into Germany - show your passport and check possible VISA and other things that take time.

From Munich main train station to Berchtesgaden

Use train, you can check and even book the schedule of train to Berchtesgaden from Deutsche Bahn web page.

- If you book a ticket from Munich to Berchtesgaden - using Deutsche Bahn web page, just print the ticket in your home and you are ready to jump into train without any check-in in the train station - just make sure it's a correct train.... But if you are not sure when you will get to train station, you can use ticker vending machine at train station or buy ticket from the ticket office.

You need to change one (1) time, you can do it in either:
- Freilassing train station, it's small train station. Easy to change here - railway tracks 2 and 3 are in same railway platform. If your ticket is from Munich to Berchtesgaden - same ticket will work - and it is paid ticket - in both trains, just make sure that trains are correct one.
- Salzburg, you can take "local" bus #840 from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden, it will cost additional 4.70euros (pay to bus driver). Salzburg bus station is next to Salzburg main train station. Bus from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden takes about 45minutes.

NOTE: If you book your train ticket from home, and you use VISA/MasterCard pay the bill- make sure you have that VISA/MasterCard card or any ID card with you to make sure - it's really you - they might ask it during the checking the ticket.
- You can also buy a ticket from train station.

Berchtesgaden City

Berchtesgaden city is located about 5km from lake Königssee and Berchtesgaden national park, but it's still worthy to keep hotel near train station because public transport works quite well, and it's free with "Berchtesgaden visitor card".

City of Berchtesgaden

Schlossplatz

You can get Berchtesgaden Visitor card from your hotel for 5euros deposit, and remember return your Visitor card when you checkout the hotel - so you get your 5 euros deposit back. (Some hotels may give the visitor card for free, but you still need to return it on checkout).
- Berchtesgaden visitor card allows you to travel freely with public transport

NOTE: If you have to walk from train station to center of city... shortest route is:

1. Walk outside to train station 
2. See McDonald's restaurant (and tourist info) 
3. Near those is gate and stairs up 
4. Walk stairs up
5. Then walk on bridge over train platforms to city. 

It's quite uphill walking, but it's still shortest and best way to go up to center of city direction. Walking path on google maps is "Bahnhofweg".

Important Bus numbers in Berchtesgaden

• #841 or #842 to Jennerbahn and Königssee - beautiful lake in the National Park
• #838 to Documentation Centre (to get Eagle's nest - Kehlsteinhaus)
• #846 to Ramsau
• #840 to Salzburg

Links to bus timetables

Bus line time tables are in German language only, here is short instructions:

• Go to RVO-Bus Fahrpläne (timetable) web page, choose "Region" as Berchtesgaden and then any bus number to "Liniensuche", such as 841.
• Press button "Suchen"
• Choose search result's bus number
• On bus line's page, choose: "PDF herunterladen" to view and print full timetable for current bus line.

Berchtesgaden National Park

Berchtesgaden national park is mountainous area, but it have various terrain in different parts of the national park.

Hiking trails

Hiking trails from around Berchtesgaden are awesome, I highly recommend it.

All hiking trails are well marked with different levels and estimate time to there. But consider - If you are slow walker and the sign shows "1 hour to königssee" - it may mean 1h 30min for you.

Trail sign can also show the walking path ID number - it's useful if you have a proper map with walking path numbers.

Example sign - this sign is from
Berchtesgaden National Park

Difficult levels:

• Full black color circle - Dangerous trail - to me - requires some experience.
• Red color circle - Difficult trail, it doesn't mean dangerous, but can mean just difficult walking. For example: There are just big rocks that are annoying to walk or unmarked track, or narrow path that have wire to help you when walking, or small (1-2m little climbing) - to me - anyone that have normal condition can do it alone as long you are not scared too much high places in mountains - older and very young people might have difficulties with this.
• Blue color circle - Easy trail - but wheelchair users cannot not pass this.
• Black border & Yellow Center - Very easy, even wheelchair users can do it.

Jenner - mountain top

Jenner mountain top have lovely views to Königssee and down to Berchtesgaden National Park.

Bus lines #841 and #842 gets you to Jennerbahn - cable car to mountain Jenner.

You can walk to top of Jenner and down for free... or use Jennerbahn Cable Car.

Cost of the Jennerbahn for adults:

• 21.40 euros to top of mountain and back to down
• 16.40 euros to top of mountain (and then you have to walk back to down)

There is one possible stop in the cable car, you can leave the cable car in half way if you want. But if you don't want to leave in half way - just stay in the cable car to full way to top.

Mountains near Jenner

Walking path to down

View my walking route from Jenner to Königssee on alltrails

Obersee - beautiful little lake and waterfall

Obersee

Bus lines #841 and #842 gets you to near Königssee, then you can take a ferry to Salet.

See timetables and prices of ferry in Königssee.

From Salet you can walk to Obersee and waterfalls.

View my walking route in Salet - Obersee - Waterfalls on alltrails.

Obersee is really beautiful place to visit and even wheelchair users can go western side of the lake. Walking to eastern side of the obersee and waterfalls is easy, but wheelchair users cannot make it.

Eiskapelle

Untracked walking path

Eiskapelle

Bus lines #841 and #842 gets you to near Königssee, then you can take a ferry to St. Bartholomew.

See timetables and prices of ferry in Königssee.

From St. Bartholomew you can walk to Eiskapelle.

View my from St. Bartholomew to Eiskapelle on alltrails.

First 1.6km (about one mile) is quite walking to uphill, but then it gets easier. Walking path itself is in good condition, except last 15 minutes is untracked walking path with big rocks. untracked walking path marked as "red" but it's not dangerous at all, but bit annoying to walk.

NOTE: Do not enter into Eiskapelle cave, it's dangerous. it may collapse anytime.

Eagle's nest (Kehlsteinhaus)

Des Kehlsteinhaus - Eagle's nest 

Bus lines #838 and goes to Dokumentation Obersalzberg.

From Dokumentation Obersalzberg - you can take a paid bus to elevator of Kehlsteinhaus and elevator ride to up to Kehlsteinhaus or you can walk up to yourself for free,

Kehlsteinhaus is public restaurant nowadays - anyone can go there by walking itself.

If you decide to take paid bus and elevator ride back to Dokumentation Obersalzberg - you have to decide when you will come back to bus station at near elevator.

Web page of Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's nest) in English.

During my visit, the bus and elevator cost:

• 14.60euros with visitor card - 16.10 without visitor card to up - and need to walk down by yourself.
• If you want bus and elevator up and down, it's about 22euros.

NOTE: If you decide to walk up (or down) to Kehlsteinhaus, you must walk on walking paths, not bus route to up.

View my walking route from Kehlsteinhaus to Dokumentation Obersalzberg on alltrails.

NOTE: On Dokumentation Obersalzberg - there is great things to visit such as Hitler's bunkers.

Wimbachklamn

Wimbachklamn walking path

River at Wimbachklamn

Bus lines #846 from Berchtesgaden train station takes to Wimbachklamn (and to Ramsau). Remember stop from bus at Wimbachbrücke.

View my hiking route at wimbachklamn on alltrails.

NOTE: Try not miss Wimbachklamn Gorge - it's in quite early of Wimbachklamn walking path and cost few euros (adult).

Links

• All my Berchtesgaden National Park pictures on flickr - all pictures are geotagged.
• All my Berchtesgaden City pictures on flickr - all pictures are geotagged.

• Lufthansa airport bus web page.
• Deutsche Bahn web page
• RVO-Bus Fahrpläne (timetable) web page - in German language - choose "Region" as Berchtesgaden and then any bus number to "Liniensuche", such as 841. Search and Select the bus line and then choose: "PDF herunterladen" to view and print full timetable for current bus line.
• Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's nest) web page in English