This short guide is all you need to know about how to get to the Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler’s former alpine retreat, know as well as the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden in the easiest and most practical way.
If you are planning to travel from Salzburg there are 3 ways to reach the Eagle’s nest.
- Car rental
- Taxi/Uber
- Public transportation.
Car Rental
The easiest way to get to the Eagle’s Nest is by car. If you are somewhere inside the city center of Salzburg it will take about 30-40 minutes to get there.
- Set your navigation to the Berggasthof Obersalzberg: Salzbergstraße 43, 83471 Berchtesgaden, Germany.
- Once at the Obersalzberg you will find 3 big parking lots. P1 is the closest to the departure point (parking is 5 euros for the whole day. Tip: bring change as the machine only takes coins).
- Finally, walk to the ticket office and take bus 849 up to the Eagle’s nest (see below for schedule and price table). You can buy online tickets here.
Taxi/Uber
If you plan on taking a taxi from Salzburg to the departure point to the Eagle’s nest in Berchtesgaden at the Obersalzberg the trip will vary depending on where you start the trip. From the train station of Salzburg to the departure point taxis and Ubers charge about 90 euros.
Use the same destination as by car, then take bus 849.
Public Transportation
Transport by public transport is easy as well so long you know a couple things.
The first bus you need to take is number 840. This line starts at the train station of Salzburg and rides all the way to the beautiful Königsee lake with a short stop at the Berchtesgadener Hauptbahnhof (Train Station of Berchtesgaden). Here you get out (estimated time 40mins). Even though some of the stops run by the old part of town I recommend specially during the high season months (July, August) to take the bus from the first stop. That will not only ensure that you get inside the bus but that you get a seat so you can ride with comfort.
Here I have two tips for you:
First, get to the bus stop 10 minutes before departure (the bus stop is located outside the train station left of a shopping mall called Forum 1, bus is either red, green or the one in the photo).
Secondly, have ready the exact amount for your day pass (called Tageskarte) to Berchtesgaden. You can get your ticket with the bus driver. They only take cash but have change too. The current price for 2024 is 13.10 euros. This ticket includes the next bus you need to take, namely bus number 838. From the train station in Berchtesgaden to the Documentation Center Obersalzberg and back to Salzburg as well.
Once at the train station you usually have 10 minutes before bus 838 departs. Best place to catch it is on the correct platform (estimated time to the stop Dokumentation Obersalzberg 15mins).
After getting out of the bus at the Dokumentation Obersalzberg stop you have one more stop to getting to the Eagle’s nest.
If you are taking one of our Eagle’s Nest tours, then the first place where we start our journey into the past is our meeting point, the former General Walker Hotel. We meet exactly where the U.S flag was risen for 50 years in this photograph. Tip: The building on the left still exists and is a restaurant called Berggasthof Obersalzberg. If you are going directly to the Eagle’s Nest, walk to the right pass where to hotel used to be, follow the blue flags! and get to the ticket office of line 849.
The bus ride up the mountain takes around 20 minutes and features some of the most breathtaking views in the area. Once out you can walk to the entrance tunnel that will take you to a brass platted elevator that used to be powered by the diesel engine of a U-25.
And just like that you have reached the famous Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden at 1834 meters (6017 ft).
You can get all of the timetables for all buses at this page. Just put the line number and download the schedule.
Here are the official prices for season 2024.
You can use this guide as well for planning trips into the National Park Berchtesgaden. For example to the Kingslake or other hikes in the area. If you are going via public transport your day pass (Tageskarte) will cover that as well.
