Bali and Berchtesgaden: InterContinental Berchtesgaden & Surrounding Areas

ahhh...I was here in college with my then boyfriend (now husband). Such great times! Loved the salt mines. Just saying a tour like that would never fly with all the US Safety regulations. Such a great little town!!
Jana

Ben, how far is this from Lenggries? I stayed at the Arabella Brauneck Hotel there in June. Though the hotel is spartan, that area is simply amazing and also one of the most beautiful places I've been. I also did a gondola ride very close to that hotel. As always, I love your trip reports!

Maybe not for everyone, but one of the most exhilarating experiences I had in the Berchtesgaden area was a "toboggan" ride (riding a wheeled "sled" down a mountain side on a rail or in a trough). You can drill down from http://www.duerrnberg.at/ to see the one I went on (actually across the border in Austria on the way to Hallein). I think there are others. All designed to operate in the "summer" (i.e., non-snow times) only.

The (optional) slides in the Salt Mine are also fun.

@ BaBaBinx -- Haven't been to Lenggries, though appears they're about two hours apart by car.

I was in Berchtesgaden last week. Travel to this area is not just about seeing the sights, but also about learning about the sights and the role of this region in history (WWII). I highly recommend the guided tour given by www.eagles-nest-tours.com, which takes you to the museum and Nazi bunkers at Obersalzberg and up to the mountaintop "Eagle's Nest", built for Hitler. The tour is 50 Euros, but well worth it for the context it gives to the sights. (Without the tour, just the mountain bus from Obersalzberg to the Eagle's Nest is 15.50 Euros). You will learn the fascinating history of the area in which the Intercontinental (which is a very recently constructed building) is situated.

Looks beautiful. Want to visit. Would love to go walk in the footsteps of the heroes of Easy Company. Without them, no amount of natural beauty would compensate for the taint of evil that lived there. No mention, Ben?

What a beautiful place. I will put it on my bucket list.

I see that you flew SIN-FRA, but how did you get to MUC/B'gaden?

@ theblakefish -- I had a roundtrip between Frankfurt and Munich as part of the award. If you see the intro post I explain it there.

I am planning a trip to South Bavaria next April, for about 4 nights. Is it worth staying at the Intercontinental all 4 nights given that I plan to see the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof also.

@ Iya -- While I think the InterContinental is a good base from which to explore the Koenigssee region and possibly the Salzburg area, Neuschwanstein is a long haul from the InterContinental, so you're probably best off splitting your time a bit.

I'm sold, I may have to make it there next year when I go to Oktoberfest.

Thanks Lucky. Any hotels you would recommend? Also, stayed at Andaz 5th Ave last month.... Great hotel... thank you.

This being on the list of your 4 favorite places in the world has me convinced I must go. My wife and I will be flying to Munich for Oktoberfest in about 6 weeks and I am adding a night in Berchtesgaden because of how much you carry on about it! Haha. Anything else we should make sure to see while we are there? Will likely swing through Salzburg as well. We are, of course, flying back via Lufthansa First Class that I booked pre-devaluation with United miles. (You may not recall, but we had a chat about LH First back at FTU Tampa in the bar late one night...I was the only one besides you that still has a hotmail account). 🙂

@ Patrick Mc -- Awesome, can't beat that. So happy to hear! In Berchtesgaden I'd do a salt mine tour if you can, visit the Koenigssee, go into town, etc. Should be easy to enjoy. Please let me know how the trip goes! 🙂

Lucky - Do you know if the Intercontinental Berchtesgaden can be reached by foot or local bus from the train station? Is the town within walking distance from the hotel? Thanks.

@ mangoceviche -- There is a bus, but the town definitely can't be reached by foot. Ultimately it's much easier to drive, but taking a train isn't impossible either.