In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Go on your own: bus 840 from beside the Salzburg Hauptbahnhof reaches Berchtesgaden in 49 to 55 minutes, at 10 and 40 minutes past the hour, against about 2 hours 50 minutes from Munich. The Eagle’s Nest is open only to 8 November 2026 (daily 8:55 to 16:00, weather permitting) and then shut until about mid-May 2027. The ticket is €34.70 for the bus and the lift; be at the Kehlstein bus 30 minutes before your booked bus. Take a tour to skip the changes: Panorama Tours’ 4.5-hour tour is €100 on its site and from €105 on GetYourGuide, and runs daily to 31 October. Carry a passport or national ID card: Germany checks its Austrian border to 15 March 2027. Or book now: the Eagle’s Nest tourad is from €105 and the Berchtesgaden half-day tour with the Königsseead from €75 (GetYourGuide).
The tour or the bus
| Tour | Bus 840 on your own | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | €100 at panoramatours.com, from €105 on GetYourGuide; the bus, lift and ticket are included | €34.70 for the Eagle’s Nest, plus the bus fares |
| Time | 4.5 hours in all, from Mirabellplatz at 8:45 | About 1 hour each way to Berchtesgaden, then the Kehlstein bus |
| Season | Daily to 31 October | Until 8 November 2026 |
| What you handle | Nothing: skip-the-line entry and a short guided tour inside | The booked bus, the 30-minute rule, two bus changes |
The tours
Panorama Tours meets at its bus terminal on Mirabellplatz (Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1), 15 minutes before departure, with no hotel pick-up. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before. If the Eagle’s Nest is shut, the tour visits the Dokumentation Obersalzberg instead.
Eagle’s Nest and Berchtesgaden
€100 at panoramatours.com, from €105 on GetYourGuide · 4.5 hours · 4.6 stars from 1,976 reviews
The tourad is run by Panorama Tours. The big coach changes to the special mountain bus at the Obersalzberg, and the price includes that bus, the lift and the entry ticket. It stops in Berchtesgaden before the return. Reviewers on GetYourGuide ask for more time at the Eagle’s Nest and in Berchtesgaden.
The Schlossplatz in Berchtesgaden’s old town, with its painted arcade. Photo: Bbb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Berchtesgaden half-day tour
From €75 · 4 hours · 4.3 stars from 435 reviews
The half-day tourad drives past the Obersalzberg for a glimpse of the Kehlsteinhaus, visits the Königssee and returns to Berchtesgaden for local food. It does not go up to the Eagle’s Nest.
Bavarian salt mine and Berchtesgaden
From €90 · 4 hours · 4.7 stars from 413 reviews
The salt mine tourad is the wet-weather alternative: a 500-year-old mine on the Obersalzberg with a raft across an underground salt lake and the miners’ slides, then time in Berchtesgaden.
On your own, step by step
Times are for the timetable valid to 12 December 2026; it changes on 13 December.
| Leg | Journey | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 840, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (Engelbert-Weiß-Weg) to Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof | 49 to 55 minutes | At 10 and 40 minutes past the hour. The stop is beside the station, not at Südtiroler Platz |
| Bus 838, Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof to Kempinski Hotel | 13 minutes | Then a 4-minute walk to the Kehlstein bus departure point at Salzbergstraße 45 |
| Bus 840, Berchtesgaden back to Salzburg | 49 minutes | On a Wednesday in early November it leaves at 16:15 and 17:15 |
- The order: the 8:10 bus 840 reaches Berchtesgaden by about 9:05, in time for the 9:15 bus 838 and a Kehlstein bus from about 10:00. The Eagle’s Nest takes about 2 hours, which leaves the Königssee for the afternoon.
- The cost: the Eagle’s Nest at €34.70 and the Königssee boat at €23.40 come to €58.10, plus the bus fares.
- Border: the bus crosses the Austria-Germany border. Germany has controls on all its land borders from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027, so carry a passport or national ID card.
The Eagle’s Nest
€34.70 for the bus and lift · entry free · 8:55 to 16:00 daily to 8 November 2026 · plan about 2 hours
The Kehlsteinhaus is a mountain building at 1,834 metres, reached by a 6.5 km road blasted out of the rock in 13 months. The operator says it was designed by Martin Bormann and that Hitler rarely visited. Today it is a restaurant and viewpoint, with an exhibition by the Institut für Zeitgeschichte on the terrace, included in the ticket (kehlsteinhaus.de).
- How it works: a special electric bus climbs the road in about 15 minutes from the departure point beside the Dokumentation Obersalzberg. Then a 124 metre tunnel leads to a brass lift that rises another 124 metres into the building. Buses leave every 25 minutes; the first goes up at 8:30, the last at 16:00, and the last return is at 16:50.
- Tickets: online tickets are full price and for a booked bus, and can be cancelled free of charge up to 15:30 the day before; after that the fee is €100. Children aged 0 to 5 are free. The child price for ages 6 to 14, guest-card discounts and the disability discount are sold only at the cash desk. A family ticket for two adults and children is €70.90. Buy from the official ticket shop.
- Be at the departure point at least 30 minutes before your booked bus. A late arrival means no rebooking and no refund.
- Weather: the road and the bus close in snow, storms and rockfall. The Kehlsteinstraße is closed to pedestrians as well as vehicles when the buses are not running.
- Dogs are allowed, with a muzzle.
The Kehlsteinhaus and its terrace on the summit. Photo: Cezary p, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What else to see
Dokumentation Obersalzberg
€4.50 · daily 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00 · under 18 free
The permanent exhibition on the history of the Obersalzberg and the Nazi dictatorship, beside the bus departure point, including the bunker complex. A multimedia guide is free with the ticket. It is closed on 1 November, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, and for maintenance from 16 to 24 November 2026 and from 1 to 8 March 2027. It is open after the Eagle’s Nest closes.
The Königssee
Boat to St Bartholomä €23.40 return · €11.70 one way · to Kessel €9 one way
The boats of the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt run from the Seelände jetty all year except 24 December. The landing stage at Salet is no longer served. From Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof a local bus takes 12 to 22 minutes, then it is a 10-minute walk to the jetty. Pay at the ticket office in cash or by card, or in the website shop. St Bartholomä has a church on the shore.
Before you go
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| 31 October 2026 | Panorama’s Eagle’s Nest tour ends its daily run |
| 1 November | The Dokumentation Obersalzberg is closed |
| 8 November | The last day of the Eagle’s Nest season |
| 16 to 24 November | The Dokumentation Obersalzberg is closed for maintenance |
- The one thing that ruins the day: a late Kehlstein bus. Book it online and be there 30 minutes early.
- Passport: carry it, or a national ID card, until 15 March 2027.
Day trips from Salzburg compares every trip. From Munich the same trip is Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest from Munich, which takes about 2 hours 50 minutes each way. Salzburg from Munich is the other long day on that line. Salzburg public transport has the Hauptbahnhof stops, what to book in Salzburg lists the city’s closed days, and where to stay in Salzburg compares the areas.
Common questions
How do I get from Salzburg to the Eagle's Nest?
Take bus 840 from Engelbert-Weiß-Weg, beside the Hauptbahnhof, to Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof: 49 to 55 minutes, with buses at 10 and 40 minutes past the hour. Then bus 838 runs to the stop Kempinski Hotel in 13 minutes, and a 4-minute walk leads to the Kehlstein bus.
Is the Eagle's Nest open in November 2026?
Only to 8 November 2026, daily from 8:55 to 16:00, weather permitting. It then closes until about mid-May 2027. The road and the bus close in snow, storms and rockfall.
How much does the Eagle's Nest cost?
€34.70 for an adult: the bus return and the lift. Entry to the building is free. Children aged 0 to 5 are free; the child price for ages 6 to 14 and guest-card discounts are sold only at the cash desk. Online tickets are full price and for a booked bus.
Is the Eagle's Nest tour from Salzburg worth it?
It saves the changes and the booked-bus rule: Panorama Tours' tour is 4.5 hours and includes the bus, the lift, the ticket and a short guided tour inside. It costs €100 on Panorama's site and from €105 on GetYourGuide, against €34.70 on your own plus the bus fares. Panorama runs it daily to 31 October.
Do I need a passport to go to Berchtesgaden from Salzburg?
Yes. Bus 840 crosses the Austria-Germany border, and Germany has border controls on its Austrian border from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. Carry a passport or national ID card.
How much is the Königssee boat?
€23.40 return to St Bartholomä, €11.70 one way, and €9 one way to Kessel. The boats run all year except 24 December.
