Euro Trip : Day 5 (Austria - Salzburg & Germany - Berchtesgaden)
Day 5 we woke up in the fourth largest city in Austria: Salzburg. Had a filling breakfast at the buffet in our hotel and headed out to see the world famous ‘Old Town’ known for its baroque architecture. Wake up-travel-sleep-repeat! If only I could do it every day in my life :-)
Salzburg gets its name from ‘Salt Fortress’ which refers to the barges carrying salt on Salzach River. This place has so many historic landmarks starting from Domkirche Cathedral, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Gardens to the Salzach river. It is a place where mythical Mozart lived his short life. We knew we wouldn’t be able to spend too much time inside the city trying to explore every bit of it. So we tried to make the most of our time we had here.
Salzach river - Salzburg
We parked our car in the city centre, strolled around the gardens and one exit took us towards the Salzach River. The beautiful Makartsteg Bridge will definitely catch your eye. It is a good place to stand and gaze at the river as far as you can and imagine how the salt boats floated on it centuries ago. In general, the roads are pretty narrow in Salzburg and the whole city looks sleepy and lazy. It is for sure not affected by the latest technological advancements. As we walked through the medieval lanes we came across many souvenir shops, small restaurants, eateries and baroque houses. The old town and the mountains in its background cast crystal clear reflections crystal in the river.The picture of this city reminds you time and again that it is the heart of Austrian theatrical art. It is no surprise that it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Makartsteg - Salzburg
From here we had decided to drive to a very famous tourist spot called ‘Berchtesgaden’. It was a quick 30 minutes’ drive from Salzburg to the foot of Berchtesgaden. It is a perfect Bavarian Alpine town. This place was a gift to Hitler from Nazi party and a resting place for him during wars.
We parked our car and bought the tickets to the Eagle’s Nest. It was much less crowded than we expected. State-run buses are the only means of transport here. A bus was just leaving and we got the last 3 seats in the bus. The steep journey was 6.5km through 5 tunnels and sharp bends which lead to a summit at 1834m high. The turns were so sharp and at one particular turn there seemed to be no ground below. It was a stomach-churning sight and gave me goose bumps. Soon after we reached the top, we had to get our tickets stamped with designated time we wished of heading back. This provides ample planning window for the bus operators to transport all the people safely down the hill. I reckon this is excellent management skills here. There is a tunnel at the end of the bus station that takes you straight to a very old brass elevator. A final ascent of 124 metres in 41 seconds takes you to the actual spot: Eagle’s Nest. Once you step out you are in for breathtaking views.
View from eagles nest
hiking points on eagles nest
When you are surrounded with Alps the feeling of awesomeness needs no explanation. We took short hikes to almost all the corners of this mountain. There were souvenir shops, coffee shops, restaurants and benches to sit and relax watching the Alps. There was a huge board which displayed information about the peaks surrounding the Eagles Nest. There was absolutely no fog and the weather was clear. We could see the Lake Königsee in between the Alps. The Eagles nest has recently become more of a panoramic restaurant. It is no wonder a tourist hotspot and is nestled like a gem in the Bavarian Alps. Satisfied with the knock-out 360 degree panoramic view, we headed back down the hill. My honest 2 cents: The ideal time to spend at eagles nest would be 2-3 hours.
view of Konigsee from eagles nest
Tips:
Go on weekdays and if on weekends go early
Visit the documentation centre for loads of information
You can also hike up after the bus ride instead of taking the elevator
This is open just 6 months in year (May-Oct)
First bus up is at 7:40 a.m and last to return is at 4:00 p.m
Cost: EUR16
We reached the parking and got into the car. I was over excited about the next destination. It was my most favorite and expected it to be the most exciting one in the whole journey. More to follow :-)