8. Private Eagles Nest and Salt Mines Tour from Salzburg
This personal customizable tour covers Bavaria's mountains, Adolf Hitler's former mountain home, Eagle’s Nest retreat, Nazi bunkers around Berchtesgaden, the King's Lake, and the Salt Mines. After pickup from your Salzburg hotel, start your morning with a scenic drive, following an off-the-beaten-path route past the meadow where the opening scene of The Sound of Music was filmed. The road leads to one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Berchtesgaden and after a short photo stop here continue to the Obersalzberg Eagle’s Nest bus terminal. Here board a specially equipped mountain bus and experience a breathtaking ride up the four-mile (6.4 kilometers) road, negotiating a 27% incline up to a rocky plateau. Disembark the bus here and walk through the 406 foot (124 meters) tunnel to the original WWII brass elevator up to the Eagle’s Nest. Feel the palpable sense of history as the elevator carries you a further 406 feet (124 meters) through the heart of the Kehlstein mountain and straight into Hitler’s former lair. On arrival, take a fascinating tour of the building and afterward get some free time to enjoy the birdseye views and refreshments. Descend from the Obersalzberg toward the mountain town of Berchtesgaden. See the fortress-like system of underground bunker complexes that were built by the Nazis to be used as air-raid shelters, a military headquarters, and a possible last refuge for the Third Reich leaders. Having explored here, emerge back into the daylight and after a short walk, visit the grounds of Hitler’s now destroyed home, known as the Berghof. Continue to the Königssee (King's Lake) a glacial lake in an Alp-framed valley. After a short photo stop at the lake, we will travel back in time exploring the underground world of a 500-year-old salt mine. Relax on a scenic return drive along the Königssee River to Salzburg, where your tour concludes with a drop off at your accommodation or chosen central location.