Berchtesgaden is a small town in Germany, close to the Austrian-German border, but even though to its smallnest, there are many things to do and see whether you have one day in Berchtesgaden or more.
Munich is a great base to do one day trip or weekend get-away to Berchtesgaden. You can even join a visit to Salzburg, when in Berchtesgaden, as these two places are just 35 kilometers apart.
Even though you planned just one day in Berchtesgaden, there are so many things to do and see there, we would recommend to stay more.
Table of Contents
One day in Berchtesgaden – ideas to explore the area
Gondola ride with the old Obersalzbergbahn
If you want a unique gondola ride, don’t think twice and get yourself a ticket to ride with the 70 year old gondola Obersalzbergbahn. It is 1530 meters long and takes 12 minutes to bring you to a great hiking base at Karl Von Linde Weg.
Hiking in Berchtesgaden
German Alps have some magnificent hiking trails, offering you gorgeous views and beautiful huts where you can rest or grab something to eat.
Summer slide in Berchtesgaden
If you enjoy adrenalin experiences, the summer slides, which can be find just steps from the upper gondola station, are perfect activity for you. The 600 meters long slide offers great fun and amazing views too.
Eagles nest and Dokumentationszentrum in Berchtesgaden
Just above Berchtesgaden, at 1834 meters of altitude, lies the famous Eagles nest – a building which Hitler got for his 50th birthday. You can reach it with a special bus, which starts from the Dokumentationszentrum, showing a history of Nazis era in Germany.
Salt Mine Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden
Even though if you only have one day in Berchtesgaden, a visit to still active salt mine is one of the best things to do. there. We really liked the fact, there is no age limit for visitors, what means you can also visit it with young children and even babies. The tour is 1 hour long and shows you the history of 500-year old salt mining. But I guess best fun is a ride on the two special miner’s slides, a train ride and a raft ride over the mirror lake, which includes a nice light and sounds show. Before you get on the train, you will also get special clothing – our little explorer did not want to take it off at the end. The salt mine has audio-guides available in numerous languages, so ask about them when buying the ticket.
We enjoyed the salt mine tour so much, we even put the visit on the list of 9 best theme parks in Bavaria. Check out the complete list of our favourite theme parks here.
Lake Königssee in Berchtesgaden
The best things to do at Lake Königssee is to walk along its shore or take the panoramic boat ride to the Saint Bartholomew’s Church. The Lake Königssee has been popular centuries back, as the Bavarian kings had their hunting residence there.
Almbachklamm gorge in Berchtesgaden
Not far from the Berchtesgaden town another great hiking opportunity can be found. The Almbachklamm gorge is definitely worth visiting if you have the time. The hike can take you from 1-3 hours – it depends how deep you want to explore it.
Windbeutel
Windbeutel is far from the typical dessert for Berchtesgaden, as you can also find it in other places across Germany. But due to its popularity in mountain huts, you should not skip it from the menu. You can choose different toppings, but we went for the classic one – ice cream and cherries.
Berchtesgaden’s old town
Berchtesgaden is a small town, but a stroll around its old city center is a nice thing to do. You will immediately noticed the cute Alpine style houses, which give the town a charming feel. There are also some old, traditional restaurants in the town’s old center – we liked the food in Gasthaus Neuhaus and Golden Bär.
Hotel recommendation: If you want to make the best of Berchtesgaden in one day, stay the night there too. Hotel Schwabenwirt – the hotel lies just across from the main railways station, what makes it perfect if you are visiting Berchtesgaden by train. But if you are driving by car to Berchtesgaden, hotel also has its own private parking lot. The rooms are spacious (we stayed in deluxe one and it was super nice) and good self-service breakfast was included in the price. The location is good and in walking distance from the old town center and the historical gondola Obersalzbergbahn. You can even reach the salt mine Salzbergwerk by foot, but you will need 15-20 minutes for that. You can find out more about Hotel Schwabenwirt here.
One day in Berchtesgaden sounds enough at first, but when you see how many things to do and see this little town offers, you will soon realize two or three days are much better option to enjoy everything that Berchtesgaden has to offer.
