Purtscheller Haus, Austria

Going over the Watzmann was by far the toughest and scariest hike I've ever done. It took almost 12 hours and crossed 2 meter wide ridges where you had 1000 meters drops on both sides. For some reason there wasn't always a cable available to attach yourself to, so it was quite thrilling from time to time... During the whole day we climbed perhaps 1500 meters and went down over 2000 meters. It was over 30 degrees celcius so it was really exhausting. Well worth it though when looking back although it was not that fun all the time while doing it.

We went to the salt mines as it was raining and we couldn't go to the mountains. The mines were pretty cool and we learned a thing or two about mining salt and other little neat details. It's only a few hours so you might want to take it when in Berchtesgaden. It's very cool in the mines which is nice also if it is really hot outside. They'll give you an overall to wear, but it is not very warm. It is around 10 degrees celcius in the mines so you might want to wear and long sleeved shirt and pants. The tour is in English as well, also some of the translations are suspiciously short compared to the German version of the story...

This made a very nice resting place on one of our hikes. When you've been hiking for a day it's great to take your boots of and stick your feet into cold water on a hot summer day. Totally refreshing. If coming from the Schneibstein direction you might have some trouble keeping on the route to here. At least we did but even though we missed the path a few times it was easy to find here as we could see the lake most of the time while descending from the mountain.

Actually I didn't climb this but just viewed it from the Watzmann itself. Although lower than Watzmann this is a pretty awesome looking mountain with a very sharp peak. It's supposed to have only moderately difficult hiking routes (not climbing routes) to the top although it's hard to believe. The Germans might also have a different view on what's difficult and what's not. Going over the Watzmann was supposed to be easy, but is was hard and thrilling enough for hiker like me.

Our "cross the Watzmann" tour looked something like this:

1. We took a boat from the Königsee harbor to Saint Bartholomew.
2. We climbed from St. Bartholomew to Kührointhütte where we ate and rested a while. It took about 5 hours perhaps.
3. We climbed to Watzmannhaus which took perhaps 3 hours.
4. We spent the night in Watzmannhaus and saw the most beautiful sunset ever.
5. Early next morning we climbed over the Watzmann and descended to Wimbachgriesshütte. It took about 12 hours and we ran out of water twice (there was luckily a refil possibility midway down).
6. We spent the night at Wimbachgriesshütte and hiked back to St. Bartholomew the next day. A funny detail was that once we got to the highest point on this last leg it showed a sign saying "St. Bartholomew 2,5 hours". The trip was only downhill and took us about 3,5 hours with a few breaks included. That tells you how realistic the German estimates are...

Key lessons:
1. Wake up earlier at Watzmannhaus. Starting at 8 am is too late as it takes you 12 hours to go over the mountain and it will be dusk when you get back. Start at 6 am to finish in daylight and not miss the path coming downhill.
2. Bring enough water and make sure everyone in your team does the same. I had 4,5 liters which was almost enough for me but my friends ran out and I had to share so it didn't last. I carried it up, they drank it. You don't want that so make sure that everyone has enough.
3. Carry as little as possible; most of the weight you carry should be water. It is very hot up there in the summer so you don't need much clothing but do wear long clothes to avoid sunburn.
4. You need to have a very light sleeping bag with you to sleep in the huts. Very light because you need to carry it...
5. Book the huts in advance, especially Watzmannhaus is crowded.
6. Don't believe the German signs telling you that a certain leg is 2 hours. That time has been set by a professional athlete running and not having breaks. Compared to similar signs in Switzerland the German ones are completely unrealistic.
7. Be sure to wear a harness and a safety rope to clip yourself to the cables running most of the way up on the ridge .
8. Unless you're an experienced climber don't believe the locals when they say that "it's not difficult or dangerous to go over Watzmann". Getting to the first peak is easy, but after that you will be both scared as hell and very exhausted.
9. And finally: it's extremely fun and you really feel that you've won when you've done it! Make sure to buy a good wiener schnitzel and a large pint of beer when you get to the Wimbachgriesshütte! :)

A nice mountain to climb, about 2300 meters high. Beautiful scenery and a pretty easy climb with good foot paths. You can sit on the edge of the mountain and look straight down to the valley. Cool!

The Eagle's Nest is a must see place for everyone who likes history. The house itself is quite small but the scenery from the mountain top is great. Good bier and schnitzel as well.

Jenner is the easiest way to see the Königssee area from above and the scenery is wel worth the 14,50 euros ticket. You can get to the top with a cable car and then walk the last 50 or so meters up to the top. Jenner is also a good place to start a hike toward Schneibstein.

There are a few B&Bs on the street Am Laroschbach and the one we stayed was great. Inexpensive stay (20 euros per head) and friendly hosts who gave us a lot of advice on trekking the mountains and finding local things worth seeing.

A beautiful and deep mountain lake where a lot of german tourists spend their time. The water is quite cold but we still enjoyed the swim after getting back from our three day hike to cross the Watzmann.

The best things about Berchtesgaden are Kehlsteinhaus (aka the Eagle's Nest) and the mountains. The city itself is quite small and there is nothing much to do. If you're into hiking the you got to find the Sport Klaus shop in the city center. He's got good equipment, speaks English and can give you valuable advice for the hikes.

We went to Salzburg for one night from Berchtesgaden and it was quite nice. It was a nice break from trekking. Didn't have the time to go through all the places in the city though, we went for a dinner only on the river side in the old town. Oh yeah and we saw the new Audi R8 live for the first time.

Simply amazing views! The mountain can get crowded during nice weather as all the locals want to do the Watzmann hike also. Be sure to book your bed at Watzmannhaus in advance as they get quite busy especially in the summer weekends. In the valley there are always Zimmers frei for a decent 20e per person. The local people can also give good advice on what hiking routes to take. Sport Klaus in the Berchtesgaden speaks English and gives good info on what gear to take and what route to choose. If it snows or rains, you don't want to be up there.

Excellent views over Königssee and easily approached with the cable car. Good place to start your hike. In the winter they have an ice wall for climbing at the top.

If you're going to the mountains while in Berchtesgaden and are missing some equipment, you should definitely shop in Sport Klaus. The prices in the shops are pretty much the same, but here they speak good English and also give you good advice. All the other shops told us that we don't need any gear to go over Watzmann but Klaus recommended that as beginners we should buy a harness. We did and I don't regret a bit, without it we would have been even more scared while crossing the Watzmann. The best shop in town!

Buy your food for the hikes here. Not a very good selection of supplies but more or less the only shop in town that's open also in the evening and still has the best selection.

If you're climing the Watzmann you probably will be pretty happy to rest here and have something to eat. Make sure you don't leave your map here as we did. Also try out the drink that is a mix of apple juice and mineral water. It's very refreshing and looks like beer!

User attached a link to roberge.de

Official website of Saalbach.

User attached a link to saalbach.com

This salt mines tour gives an intimate view of salt mining. The interesting part of the trip is when you get on a boat and float on an underground lake.

beautiful view from the restaurang

When you reach this place after climbing from Königssee, you'll be quite tired. It is just awesome to spend a couple of hours at the terrace admiring the astonishing views while having a beer and a wienerschnitzel. You'll see the mountain and you can think about the climb on the next day, but you'll also see down to the valley the distance you covered. There is no hot water though, so if you want to wash yourself, it'll be with cold mountain water.

We went to Berchtesgaden with friends to hike and to cross the Watzmann as it was described as a good hike. Well, it was a bit more than a hike I can tell you... We also visited the salt mines which was interesting and drove to the Herrenchiemsee.

The second highest mountain in Germany which also has the highest vertical wall of the eastern Alps (1500 m). Crossing the mountain and conquering its three peaks was an awesome experience. At times the security cable wasn't there and you had to cross the ridge without any safety ropes. 3 meters wide with a drop of 1500 meters on the other side and several hundred meters on the other... That was no place for anyone with vertigo. Definitely breathtaking and even scary at times.

While in Berchtesgaden you of course got to visit the one tourist attraction there is: Kehlsteinhaus, also known as the Eagle's Nest. Lots of tourists! Definitely worth visiting though. Good bratwurst and beer! :)

One of the huts you can stop and rest while climbing the watzmann. Try the Apfelschorle, it's a great drink to squench your thirst: appel juice and mineral water. Great! We only rested here for a while and grabbed something to eat before continuing to the Waztmannhaus where we spent the night.

The place to spend the night before crossing the Watzmann. Do reserve a room beforehand, it can be crowded. Fantastic views!

That's the hut you spend the night when you've crossed the Watzmann. We didn't reserve a room and there was enough space. Make sure you come down the mountain before sunset or it is hard to find the hut. You'll also be quite tired after about 14 hours of climbing. :)

A church with multiple (touristy) restaurants on the Königsee.

A really deep and cool mountain lake. Take a swim, the water is really clear and cool!

One of the smaller mountains in Berchtesgaden. You can get to the top with lift so it's an easy way to see the beautiful sceneries!

One of the mountains we hiked on, great sceneries and a very easy hike.

After hiking the whole day in the summer heat it was fantastic to take the boots of and sink your legs to the cool mountain lake. A great place to have a break!

Kahlersberg was an easy climb but offered some excellent sceneries. A good hike to warm up for the Watzmann!

You see them from the Watzmann. Great sight!

A smaller peak next to Watzmann. It's supposedly possible to get to the top without climbing gear but it looks like a tough job. Some on our trip told us that he'd done it and that it was a great climb!

We stayed here the whole time when we were at Berchtesgaden. A great place! We had basically the downstairs of the house and the lady running the B&B made us a great breakfast every morning. Just great!

If it's raining or you don't want to hike or whatever, you can spend half a day in the salt mines. They're great! You learn a lot about salt (yes, you can learn a lot about salt!) and how it is mined. Time well spent!

The best shop in town to buy climbing equipment. They speak English (which the other shops really didn't) and give you tips on the hikes and climbs. Even though if you don't need any equipment you should visit to ask for tips.

About the only shop in town to buy food. They've got all you need for hiking though, water and powerbars. :)

8.5/10. +hitler's winter retreat, +green mountains, +cool mountain air