Berchtesgaden is an alpine town southeast of Munich. The trains leave Munich about every hour and the trip takes between 3 and 4 hours.
The tourist office is very helpful and if you like more information, they will send you maps and brochures.



Much snow made our trip a real adventure, we were able to enjoy sledding as well as hiking.
In winter, the area offers both cross-country and downhill skiing. We had so much fun hiking and collecting stamps in our 'Wanderpass' that we never got around to do any skiing.

One of the traditional houses with rocks holding the slate roof shingles in place, the Watzmann mountain in the background.
Hiking in Germany is quite different from hiking in the United States. In Germany one hikes to enjoy the beauty of nature while not giving up the conveniences of civilization. Along the trails and on top of the mountains a variety of alpine guesthouses cater to both serious hikers with backpacks and families with baby carriages. One  is never more then a couple of hours from the next shelter with food, drink, and bathrooms. Most of the trails can be hiked with a light daypack (snack, water, and raingear).

Several good guidebooks are available, 'Walking in the Bavarian Alps' list a selection of the hikes mentioned here or on our Fall Hikes in Berchtesgaden pages. Other references for information and inspiration are '100 Hut Walks in the Alps' and 'Walking Austria's Alps: Hut to Hut'.


Site of the German Bergsteiger Magazine. Weather information, touring tips, and just about anything else one might be interested in. The site is in German, try Babelfish, check the radio button next to 'translate webpage', type in the URL (www.alpinismus.de), and select 'german to english' on the drop-down menu.