The Eagle's Nest - Das Kehlsteinhaus

Grüsstig!

Looks Adolfs mountain retreat should be open at the end of the month.

Anyone actually been before? Is it worth it?

I'm thinking of getting the train down to Salzburg then cycling from there. I thought about cycling from Munich but it's over 150km.

http://www.eagles-nest.de/

There's not much to see -or wasn't when I went in about '95. Having said that the area is beautiful - as for riding a bike to it, all well and good if you're a tri-athlete but forget it if you're out of shape - it's not called the Eagle's nest for nothing - it's a bloody long way up.

I went a few years ago. It's OK, nice view from the top. But there's probably nicer things to do around Berchtesgaden, such as the cable car to the top of Jenner, and walking back down. Or a cruise on the Konigssee, very pretty.

The main motivation was that I was watching the 'band of brothers' dvd last week and I'd heard the place was now a tourist attraction.. Only swastika on public display in germany or something, hitlers gaff etc.. Anyway if there's nothing special about the place, may give it a miss..

If anyone is up for some cycling in the alps over the summer though, let me know...

Band of Brothers inspired me to take the long drive there last summer...

Cool view but not much else to see... and yep, a steep narrow road up for any MB'ers looking for a heart attack.

Ludwigs Castles are a better day out.

( http://www.neuschwanstein.com/ etc)

I went not much there tbh. Go there if your intrested in saying "I have been too X".


Look harder when your walking around Munich and you can still spot them.

According to www.eagles-nest.de it's not officially open until 5 May. Is it possible to drive up to it (or close) before then? Is the Kehlsteinstrasse even open? Anyone visited in the off-season before?

Funny you mention that, I am planning to head near there on Tuesday. Could be a problem if there are no organised tours permitted but I have heard the surroundings are nice (i.e. Koenigsee usw.)

May just pop by on spec to see if there is anything happening.

They do have an 'opening date' I don't know what it is but if there is still snow up there then you will not be able to go. you can drive, walk, bike...however up some of the mountain then you have to park and buy a bus ticket to take you up...don't forget to buy a ticket to ride the elevator or you will be stuck below the actual building. I think it was something like €20. or something.

The food is average and if there are no clouds then you have a breath taking view. If you like to hike and explore then you can wander off into the mountian for a few hours.

The last time I was there, it wasn't open in May because of the snow.

Check the web page, they will announce it on there I guess.

I took my family there during their visit and it was one of the highlights of their stay. Guess we got lucky with the views, it was totally clouded over when we arrived but within minutes we got to watch the storm clouds churning away off the mountains to give us clear views and a complimentary rainbow. Really gorgeous spot.
Beware during stormy weather though, all our hair was standing on end while we were up there and I have since learned it's not just 'ha ha, funny electrical stuff from the storm" but that the funny electrical stuff was probably lightning sizing up our skulls for a landing zone.
Königsee was beautiful too. I just wish we'd gone a little earlier so we didn't have to rush so much (public transport, bah).

We went off season a couple of years ago. We got part way up the mountain to a museum about WW2 and the area - seem to recall some original bunkers etc..., but the buses up to the Kehlsteinhaus itself weren't running. As far as I know, you can't drive anywhere near the house itself, you have to get the bus. Agree with everyone else though - the area (Königssee, Berchtesgaden etc) is really nice!

Went there last year. The "Eagles Nest" itself was shit really, bunch of tourists swarming around an overpriced restaurant. It was a little strange to see all these tourists enjoying the view - I'd bet my life that a few of them were imagining themselves as piss-midget-hitler himself.
If you really want to see something interesting get yourself to the information centre near the buses. It focuses on the propaganda of the NS, how they carefully constructed an image of Adolf Hitler for the masses to consume. You can enter some tunnels here too.

There is a small guesthouse between the buses and the summit which you can access for about €5. These tunnels are not sanitized like the other ones, and to be honest with you they are a little dodgy looking.

If you've ever visited the Eagle's Nest, the following video is worth a look.

It's a rare five-minute film, in colour, showing A.H. and his clique hanging out on the castle terrace.

They're enjoying the great views, the fine summer weather, and young female company.

Happy days.

I believe this video is actually of the Berghof, Hitlers other retreat that he actually used further down the mountain. It's claimed that Hitler only visited the Kehlsteinhaus around 10 times, and only for short periods of less than an hour. The Berghof was destroyed during the war, but the Kehlsteinhaus escaped destruction.

I was up there a few weeks ago - definitely makes a good trip.

When the Kehlsteinhaus will open depends on when the Kehlsteinstrasse is open.
Kehlsteinstrasse is not a public road. Apart from walking you can make it only on board of one of the RVO buses to Kehlsteinparkplatz.

Well, that clears it up then.

Check their web site for updated opening info..


So you have until Oct. 31st to get there before it closes for the winter. During the winter, the bunker part of the tour still continues.

And something you may not have known - Link


PS: the Video is from the Berghof, as you can see in the vid, there are taller mountains in the backround. The Eagles nest
is on the tops of a very high mountain. There are no other taller mountains around it, or atleast not like the ones in the video.