I’ve written a post in the past about my four favorite places on earth, and long time readers will know that Berchtesgaden, Germany is one of them. While my dad is from Germany he had never visited Berchtesgaden, so this was at the very top of his list of places to visit.
Continue reading: Review: InterContinental Berchtesgaden
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
You should TOTALLY buy one of those leather Bavarian blazers. However, I would recommend pairing it with a frilly pirate shirt for that retro-80s Prince look. Just FYI, most likely I'm in the same generation as your dad LOL.
Hey Lucky, great report as usual. Absolutely love the new pics of the surrounding area.
I'm planning a trip for late this year or spring of 2014 with the GF. I showed her your other reports of Berchtesgaden, and she loved 'em. So it definitely made our short list of potential destitinations, but we still have a (minor) trepidation. As you mentioned Berchtesgaden is deep in the heart of Germany, so how is visiting the area for non-German speakers.
Berchtesgaden.
I miss Germany.
Hmm, I'm seeing some premium cabin avaibility for next summer. 🙂
Berchtesgaden, Germany has been one of the major US military resorts for 50 years after WWII. English widely spoken.
The InterContinental is located on the site of the former U.S. Armed Forces General Walker Hotel vacation resort where I spent several vacation weeks as a teenager military brat living in Germany.
"much more convenient than flying into Munich, which can easily be a two hour drive with traffic."
Try four hours when we drove there from MUC on a Saturday morning at the peak of snow season!
Southern Bavaria and Western Austria are probably my favorite parts of Europe. The view of the Watzmann is just fabulous and it really is an escape from the crowds around much of Europe.
Wow! Eye candy pictures of the area. Great HD photography.
If you purchase the blazer, what are the odds someone in Asia will ask you if they can buy it from you? 😉
I went to Berchtesgaden for the first time in the summer and the weather was awesome. Went to Konigsee and Eagle's nest and walked all around town. Had a great and relaxing time. We stayed at Hotel Bavaria because we didn't rent a car. Taking the bus everywhere was fine. Thanks Lucky for introducing me to a great place! 🙂
My father and I made a day trip from Munich to Berchtesgaden back in August. We rented a BMW at the BMW Welt and the drive was about two hours each way. Breathtakingly beautiful and driving a bimmer on the Autobahn was on my bucket list.
Nice resort. I have not been there but on my list.
Were you able to use BOGO for this stay?
As a potential way of getting around traffic issues in Munich, the train ride from Munich to Salzburg is not long. One could fly into Munich, take the train to Salzburg, spend a day there and then drive to Berchtesgaden.
(I've been to Germany thrice, and never rented a car or taking an intra-Germany flight... I've been from Bavaria to Berlin to Düsseldorf, all on the Bahn. It's really quite comfortable and reasonably priced, and makes award tickets to Frankfurt quite worthwhile even if your real destination is elsewhere in the country.)
I also recommend a stop at Prien am Chiemsee, which is on the train line between Munich and Salzburg, and which has a beautiful lake with an island on which "Mad" King Ludwig II built one of his palaces, modeled after Versailles. It is a lovely little town, and the majority of tourists that you find there are German, which is a change from the "big" spots like Munich, Berchtesgaden, etc. (At least that was the case the couple times that I've been..)
Nice sized room. Especially if you're a single person traveling. Just curious, where is the TV placed?
@ wwk5d -- I don't believe there was one. After all, this is a "relaxation" resort.
Great photos! How did you manage with the hotel being some distance from the town? I have only ever stayed in the town itself. I imagine this being much more of a "resort" type experience.
Amazing photos! The pool shot rocks! Were they taken your point and shoot? Did you do any post processing?
The A8 out of Munich can be a complete drag, at least until the A93 peels off halfway to the border. Stau! On a Friday afternoon leaving the BMW Welt it's really a toss up whether to take the inner ring to the A8 or go up the A9 to the outer ring A99.
The truck stop just prior to the Austrian border is a good place to stop for a Coke and candy bar. Into Austria navigating Salzburg by car is relatively easy even if staying in the old town. Just out of the Sigmundstor there are several huge parking garages built into the mountain. One just steps from the Goldener Hirsch.
Remember there are a couple of Starwood luxury chateau hotels just outside Salzburg as well. Continuing driving the A10 in Austria south towards Villach is a totally spectacular drive, especially on a sunny day!
The A1 towards Vienna is a mostly boring affair.
Hey Lucky, what's the best season/month of the year in your mind to visit Berchtesgaden? Summer?
I would like to plan a visit next year but may limit my trip in Nov around Thxgiving. How about that time?
TIA 🙂
@ Andy F. -- A lot of people like to go in winter, but I really love summer.
It'll be cold around Thanksgiving, but could still be a lot of fun.
Intercontinentals, at least in my experience, have those toiletries in non-suites and Gilchrist and Soames toiletries in suites.
Another good one and again I congratulate you for sharing the trip with your Father. I've read your prior reviews of the intercon at B'garten and seen the pix. My impression was - and remains that the hotel is fine, but they don't do very well with their grounds. Perhaps that is a seasonal problem, but some places looked a little run-down. I've never stayed their, again preferring smaller, more personal accommodations with hands-on service, especially in Europe. I won't mention names, but three of my favorites have become annual visits. After ten years in all cases and pushing 30 in one of them, the inn keepers treat me like family. The keeper's children on my first visit are now the operators and they welcome me as they would a family member. (In one case, I've even hosted a couple of the owner's kids in my home for a few days,) There are no points or commercial perks when staying in these inns and sometimes the price can be dear. I find them to be a bargain for the comfort received and usually spend at least a week with each, every year. All three follow the 'all Inclusive' practice; two have given me substantial discounts in recent years both because I generate some WOM business for them and because I rarely drink more than a glass of house with a meal. (European taxes on distilled spirits are **extremely** high and I'd rather focus on what momma has on the stove for that evening.) Yes, a different style of travel. The end cost may be about the same, but I've become fond of the personal connections with these towns and the inn keepers that I visit. I'm working on a couple of similar connections in Asia, but Europe remains my go-to place to unwind and reconnect with rarely seen friends. I thought that this might end when I retired, but I keep going and I guess I enjoy it even more. I've made my month-long circuit many times in spring and summer. 2011-2012 was the first time that I tried it in the dark of winter and it was just as much fun! (One inn was seasonally closed, but gave me a family room and a warm welcome, complete with borrowed **serious** winter gear that I don't own. All three did that to varying degrees.) In the end, I keep going to that part of our world simply because I enjoy it so much. I like the environment of a traditional inn better than the First World mechanics of planting Amerikan standards into a two-hundred year old building. There may not be a Club Lounge before dinner, but traditional snacks and a glass of the local grape juice abound. Have you ever tried the role of honored guest among locals? If not, unwind a bit and give it a try. The service is better and focused on one; the food is beyond belief and the opportunity to unwind from the daily grind cannot get any better. Bavaria and extended regions abound with smaller inns that specialize is this kind of guest accommodation. I know... "No Points, I won't go..." Since the points game seems to be dying a slow, painful death, perhaps you should explore some broader options. You won't regret it.
Just a note for those who come after: the juices in the minibar are not complementary for those who are just IHG rewards club members. Fortunately I had only drank one before I started wondering and called the front desk.
Hi Lucky, this might be interesting for you:
Kempinski is taking over the Ic Berchtesgaden in 2015:
@ Steffi -- Yep, thanks! Wrote about this here:
https://onemileatatime.com/intercontinental-berchtesgaden-rebranded-kempinski/