Top Things To Do In & Around Berchtesgaden

Are you looking for the top things to do in and around Berchtesgaden? Then look no further! We visited the area back in June and want to share everything we know with you. If you do not know Berchtesgaden: It is a beautiful area in the Southeast of Germany and a part of Bavaria, the largest state in Germany. If you are looking for a place to enjoy a weekend and return home with fresh alpine air in your lungs, then Berchtesgaden is for you! Now, let’s step into the top things to do in & around Berchtesgaden.

You might know Berchtesgadener Land from the beautiful and popular Königssee, one of the largest lakes in Germany. It’s an emerald green lake in the Berchtesgaden National Park and with crystal clear water, it is often referred to as Germany’s most beautiful mountain lake.

If you love mountain views, alpine lakes, hiking or just enjoying the beautiful nature, then Berchtesgaden is the perfect place for you! We had the opportunity to stay in Berchtesgaden during our 14-day road trip and had so much fun exploring the area! Read on to find out about the best times to visit Berchtesgaden, top things to do in & around Berchtesgaden, highlights for every stop, photography tips, travel tips, and everything in between!

Maria Gern in Bavaria | Berchtesgadener Land Photo Spots

Berchtesgadener Land Travel Guide | Top things to do in & around Berchtesgaden

If you don’t know the difference between Berchtesgaden and Berchtesgadener Land: the former is a city and the latter is a district.

Best times to visit Berchtesgadener Land

Typically, the best time to visit this area is from the end of April until mid September as well as from December until February to enjoy the winter and snow in Bavaria.

We visited in the middle of June, when the days are long with the sun rising around 5 am and only setting at 10 pm. Average temperatures of 20°C to 25°C make it the perfect weather to go for a hike in the morning and relax by the pool in the afternoon. We prefer hiking when it’s a bit colder because it’s easier to do a longer hike then.

Berchtesgaden Travel Guide | Things to do in & around Berchtesgaden

How to get to Berchtesgaden

Arriving by car or public transport is possible, but we would recommend traveling in your own vehicle. That’s simply because Berchtesgadener Land is not very well connected when it comes to public transportation and even though it is definitely possible to arrive by train or bus, it will cost you a lot of time. Also, you will find parking lots with very affordable prices nearly everywhere and you have more freedom to explore the area.

If you first need to travel to Germany by plane, the nearest airport would be Salzburg airport. However, if you travel by plane, we’d suggest to stay a bit longer in Bavaria and explore more. How about the Eibsee for example?

Eibsee in Bavaria | Travel Guide for Lake Eib

How much time is needed to explore Berchtesgaden

If you want to explore everything of the below list, you will approximately need around 5-6 days. We haven’t done everything of this list in one trip, but it’s definitely doable! For example, we visited Salzburg last year and skipped on it this year to opt for other destinations as we only stayed four days in Berchtesgaden.

Berchtesgaden Highlights

Go on a boat trip around Königssee
Hike to Fischunkelalm at Obersee
Visit Maria Gern, a beautiful church in Ramsau
See Austria from above at Loser Alm
Be amazed by a natural ice cave in Eisriesenwelt
Explore magnificent Hallstatt without the crowds

Königssee

The Königssee in Berchtesgaden is by far one of the most beautiful lakes in Germany. Likewise, it’s one of the most visited places in all of Germany. If you love emerald green lakes with crystal clear water and beautiful mountain views, then you will love Königssee.

Good to know

It is very important to know that the ticket counter does not accept cards! If you want to visit both stops, you have to pay €21 but you also have the opportunity to buy a ticket online before your visit. Keep in mind that if you buy a ticket online, you have a pre-selected time and cannot use your ticket whenever you want to.

Best things to do at Königssee

Take a boat tour to St. Bartholomä
Hike to the Fischunkelalm at Obersee

How much time is needed to explore the Königssee

You will approximately need 5-6 hours to explore the Königssee, St. Bartholomä and the Obersee. If you want to go hiking, e.g. the Malerwinkel, you will need more time. Therefore, most people tend to spend two days at Königssee.

Click here for more travel and photography tips for Königssee.

Obersee

The Obersee can only be reached by boat trip over the Königssee. If you are up for a little hike, follow the signs to Fischunkelalm. It’s a 45 minute hike that will lead you around the Obersee with fantastic viewpoints!

Good to know

You can only reach the Obersee by booking a boat trip over the Königssee. In order to reach the Obersee, you have to buy the trip to Salet. This will cost you €21, but you can also stop at St. Bartholomä. Keep in mind that you need cash to buy the ticket.

Best things to do at Obersee

Hike to Fischunkelalm
See the highest waterfall in Germany: the Röthbachfall

Click here for more travel and photography tips for Obersee.

Hintersee

The Hintersee is located in the municipality of Ramsau near Berchtesgaden and is one of the most magical places in Germany. That is why the nearby forest also bears the name „Magic Forest„.

Good to know

The best time to visit Hintersee is early in the morning. A parking lot is on site and costs €5.

Best things to do at Hintersee

Hiking and enjoying the beautiful view

How much time is needed to explore the Hintersee

You will approximately need 4-5 hours to explore the Hintersee and witness its beauty.

Maria Gern

The pilgrimage church Maria Gern is particularly famous due to its location in front of the Watzmann massif. We loved our visit at Maria Gern, because it’s been a very tranquil, beautiful place.

Good to know

Maria Gern is not far away from the famous St. Sebastian church as well as from the Hintersee and Magic Forest. You can easily combine these locations in one day!

Maria Gern is a pilgrimage church and – due to its unique location – one of the most photographed motifs in Germany. When you take a look at the pictures, you can see the Watzmann massif in the background.

Best things to do at Maria Gern

Go inside the church
Take pictures from the outside

How much time is needed to explore the surrounding area

You will only need 30 to 45 minutes to visit Maria Gern.

Salzburg

Salzburg is a very small city and everything is in walking distance, but you have to keep in mind that Salzburg is extremely popular and can get very crowded.

Good to know

If you want to enjoy Salzburg without the crowds, you have to arrive early.

Moreover, if you want to taste traditional Sachertorte, go to Hotel Sacher. Unfortunately, they don’t take reservations so you may have to wait until someone leaves the café.

Best things to do in Salzburg

Eat Sachertorte at Hotel Sacher
Visit Hohensalzburg Fortress and enjoy the views of Salzburg from above
Explore Salzburg Old Town with the famous Getreidegasse
Go to the Mirabell Gardens where Sound of Music was filmed
Enjoy the history of Salzburg, including Mozart’s birthplace

How much time is needed to explore Salzburg

Although Salzburg is a smaller city, you will at least need a whole day to explore and enjoy. If you have never been to Salzburg, it’s definitely recommended to eat Sachertorte at Hotel Sacher. Hotel Sacher is the only place that makes the original Sachertote, a chocolate cake with mirabelle jam inside. If that does not sound good to you, try it anyways! We were very sceptical as well and we loved it so much!

Chiemsee

The Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria near Rosenheim. Oftentimes, it is referred to as the Bavarian Sea.

Good to know

If you take a boat to one of the islands at Chiemsee, you have to make sure to take the last boat back to the main land or book accommodation on one of the islands.

Best things to do at Chiemsee

Do water sports
Take a boat to Herrenchiemsee island
Visit the castle of the former King of Bavaria, Ludwig II

How much time is needed to explore the surrounding area

The Chiemsee is perfect for a day trip from Berchtesgaden. However, you could also go there in the morning or in the evening. It honestly depends on the things you want to do there. If you just want to sit down and enjoy the views, two hours will be fine. If you want to do water sports and/or visit the Herrenchiemsee island, you may need a whole day.

Eisriesenwelt

The Eisriesenwelt is German for World if the Ice Giants and is a natural limestone and ice cave 40km south of Salzburg. It is the largest ice cave in the world and is visited by about 200,000 tourists per year.

Good to know

Currently, the Eisriesenwelt is closed, because a 14 year old boy died due to falling rocks.

Best things to do at Eisriesenwelt

Witness the beauty of the largest ice cave in the world
Take pictures of crystal clear blue ice

How much time is needed to explore the Eisriesenwelt

To enjoy the Eisriesenwelt to its fullest, we recommend to spend at least 2-3 hours here.

Hallstatt

We want to be completely honest with you: We did not like Hallstatt. The over-tourism is not good for the city. When we arrived around 8 am, the streets were already full – with people and waste. That is, honestly, something we absolutely hate about this place, because it steals all the magic and beauty from it. Moreover, we felt like residents were mad about us being there. And although we can understand that he might not like tourists in his town, we felt not welcome and uncomfortable about this.

Due to this, we decided to leave Hallstatt as soon as possible and were pretty happy about it, because more tourists were already coming.

However, we get that most people still are amazed by this place and that’s absolutely okay! If you visit, please take your trash to the next trashcan! That really can’t be that difficult.

Good to know

Hallstatt is one of the most famous places in Austria. With only 750 residents, the small town has a million visitors a year. In order to enjoy the town without the crowds, we’d recommend to arrive early in the morning.

Best things to do in Hallstatt

Stroll around the town
Take pictures from famous Hallstatt
Visit the Salt Mine
Rent a boat
Go to the five fingers lookout point

How much time is needed to explore Hallstatt

If you want to enjoy everything Hallstatt has to offer, you may be able to do it in a single day. Most people, however tend to spend two or more days in Hallstatt.

Loser Alm

Loser Alm is a hidden gem in Austria! It is located at 1600 meters altitude and therefore above the clouds! Isn’t that crazy?

Good to know

If you want the clouds in your pictures, you have to visit after a rain period, because otherwise the sight will be clear and there will be no clouds or fog at all.

Best things to do at Loser Alm

Take pictures
Go hiking

This place is also good to go hiking, but we just visited to take pictures and did not hike at all because we were very tired.

How much time is needed to explore Loser Alm

Depends on what you want to do there. If you just want to take photos, you won’t need much time. If you want to go hiking, you will approximately need 2-3 hours.