Eagle's Nest · KehlsteinhausEagle's Nest tour from Salzburg or Munich – or go on your own?

First the operator's fare: what it costs if you go on your own

There is exactly one ticket to the Eagle's Nest, and the operator sells it: bus up from Obersalzberg, lift, bus down. No tour company gets round it – every guided tour also boards the same scheduled bus at Obersalzberg.

On top of that come the journey to Berchtesgaden, the parking fee at Obersalzberg or scheduled bus 838 from the station. Details: bus, getting there and car park and tickets & prices.

Rule of thumb: A family of four pays the operator €70.90. With a tour from Salzburg at €105 per person you quickly reach four to five times that – the provider only states children's prices when you book. With a car and children, that settles the matter.

What a guided tour actually delivers

Three things, and those are the only ones you should want to pay for:

• The journey. From Salzburg or Munich to Obersalzberg and back, with no changes and no timetable.
• The explanation. A guide who puts the place in context. Otherwise, up at the Eagle's Nest there are only 14 information panels on the terrace.
• The organisation. Someone else takes care of the departure time and the return journey.

What a tour does not deliver: it does not clear the sky. A ticket bought from the operator is one you buy in the morning, when you can see the summit. A tour you book days in advance. If the Kehlstein is then in cloud, you are standing in fog for three times the price. And: in storms, snowfall or rockfall the operator suspends the bus service – then the tour does not get up there either. Read the cancellation terms before you book.

Eagle's Nest tour from Salzburg

Most of the tours to the “Eagle's Nest” that we found on GetYourGuide start in Salzburg. Going on your own without a car means: RVO bus 840 from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden, change there to route 838 to Obersalzberg, then buy the Kehlstein ticket. It can be done, but it costs two changes and time. The tourism association does not state the fare or frequency of route 840 – check the RVO journey planner before you compare.

“I'm in Salzburg, have no car and only half a day.”

Eagle's Nest and Berchtesgaden Tour from Salzburg

4 hrs 30 min · guided · ★ 4.6 from 1,881 reviews

from, per person€105

Check what's included on GetYourGuide

Honestly: Three times the price of the bus ticket. In four and a half hours including the journey there and back, there is hardly any time left for the Dokumentation Obersalzberg – count on the view, not on the history. Worth it without a car and with little time. Not worth it if you have a hire car or are staying overnight in Berchtesgaden anyway.

The same route, the same duration, €15 less – but on a different platform and with far fewer customer reviews:

“Can it be done more cheaply from Salzburg?”

Eagle's Nest: entrance & round trip from Salzburg

4 hrs 30 min · bus to Obersalzberg and lift included according to the description · ★ 4.5 from 11 reviews

from, per person€90

View on Tiqets

Honestly: Eleven reviews are not many to rely on – the tour above has 1,881. Whether the same tour company is behind both offers is not clear from the descriptions. If €15 matters more to you than the number of customer reviews, this is the cheaper choice; according to Tiqets it can be cancelled before the day of the visit – the exact deadline is shown with the offer.

Eagle's Nest tour from Munich

From Munich it is a long way. By train you travel via Freilassing to Berchtesgaden and on from there on route 838; the day ticket of the Bayerische Regiobahn costs €31 for the first person and €10 for each additional one, but on working days is only valid from 09:00. Do the sums honestly: €31 for the train, plus the scheduled bus and €34.70 for the Kehlstein ticket – travelling alone, that puts you roughly where the coach tour starts. The only question is what it includes.

“I have a day to spare in Munich and don't want to plan it myself.”

From Munich: Berchtesgaden Foothills and Obersalzberg

10 hours · day trip by coach · ★ 4.5 from 495 reviews

from, per person€68

Check what's included on GetYourGuide

Honestly: €68 for ten hours of coach travel is cheap – too cheap for a €34.70 Kehlstein ticket to be safely included. Read in the description of what's included whether the trip up is covered or comes on top on the spot. The description provides for an alternative to the Eagle's Nest in bad weather; that is fair, but then you have not been up.