Berchtesgaden

Salt mine slides, a Königssee boat and the Kehlsteinhaus lift

Three days in Berchtesgaden fit the three big sights. Tour the Salzbergwerk salt mine with its wooden slides and salt lake on day one, take an early boat across the Königssee to St Bartholomä and the Obersee on day two, and ride the Kehlstein lift to the mountain-top Kehlsteinhaus on day three.

Day one. Book the first tour of the morning at the Salzbergwerk on the edge of town. Visitors pull on miners' overalls, ride a small train into the mountain, slide down wooden chutes and cross a lit salt lake. Back in the Markt, spend the afternoon at the Königliches Schloss, the former provostry turned Wittelsbach residence, with its cloister and art collection, and stroll Maximilianstraße and the Marktplatz with its painted facades.

Day two. Catch an early bus to Schönau and the first boat on the Königssee. Listen for the trumpet echo, step off at the red onion domes of St Bartholomä, then continue to Salet and walk about 15 minutes to the Obersee and the Röthbach waterfall behind it. Return by mid-afternoon and, if the weather holds, take the Jenner cable car for a sunset view across the lake to the Watzmann.

Day three. Ride bus 838 to the Obersalzberg. Start at the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, which traces how the mountain became a second seat of Nazi power and leads into part of the bunker system. Then walk to Hintereck for the special bus up the Kehlstein road, a 6.5-km climb through tunnels, and the lift through the rock to the summit house. On a clear day you can see Salzburg. Walk down part of the way if your knees allow, or finish with a swim at the Watzmann Therme.

Weißwurst before noon, Kaiserschmarrn after a hike and Enzian schnapps

Berchtesgaden serves Upper Bavarian mountain food in hiker-sized portions. Eat Weißwurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel before noon, Schweinshaxe with dumplings or Kaiserschmarrn after a hike, char and trout as the lighter choice, and finish with a glass of Enzian, the gentian schnapps from the Grassl distillery.

Cooking here is Upper Bavarian mountain food, and portions assume you have walked up something. Breakfast-into-lunch is the slot for Weißwurst, white veal sausages peeled from their skins and eaten with sweet mustard, a pretzel and a cloudy Weißbier; locals treat them as a morning dish and will raise an eyebrow at an order after midday.

Main meals lean on Schweinshaxe, a roasted pork knuckle with crackling, with Knödel (bread or potato dumplings), Leberkäse, roast sausages, potato salad and goulash with fried potatoes on the side. Venison appears on autumn menus, though less often than you might expect. Lake and river fish such as char and trout are the lighter option, especially in the lakeside inns at the Königssee.

For dessert, mountain huts and town cafes compete over Kaiserschmarrn, torn caramelised pancake with plum compote or apple sauce, which doubles as a hiker's lunch. In winter, end dinner with a glass of Enzian, the bitter gentian schnapps distilled in the valley by the Grassl family.

The Bräustüberl of the local brewery is the classic place to sample all of it, with long tables and beer brewed on site. Smaller inns line Maximilianstraße and the Marktplatz, and the town also has the usual run of Italian, Greek, Turkish and Chinese places. Prices tend to be modest by German standards.

Salzburg by bus, Ramsau's Zauberwald and the Rossfeld road

The best day trip from Berchtesgaden is Salzburg, about 40 minutes away by direct bus. Closer to town, Ramsau and the Hintersee offer the St Sebastian church view and the Zauberwald walk, the Wimbachklamm gorge has boardwalks over the torrent, and the Rossfeld road climbs high above the valley.

The border is so close that Salzburg feels like a neighbour. The direct bus reaches the city in about 40 minutes, enough time to cross the Salzach to the old town, the cathedral and the Hohensalzburg fortress and still be back for dinner. Go on a weekday; summer weekends are crowded there too.

Ramsau and the Hintersee make the gentlest outing in the valley. The little church of St Sebastian, set against the peaks of the Reiteralpe, is one of the most photographed views in Bavaria. Combine it with a walk through the Zauberwald, a jumble of mossy boulders below the lake, or head into the Wimbachklamm, a short gorge with boardwalks over the torrent that leads to the long Wimbach valley behind the Watzmann.

Drivers should take the Rossfeld panoramic road, a high toll road along the border ridge with views into both countries. It is a fine sunset drive and links with the Obersalzberg.

To the north-west, Bad Reichenhall is the valley's old salt rival, with a historic salt works, a graduation house in the spa gardens and a cable car up the Predigtstuhl. For experienced walkers, the climb to the Watzmannhaus is a classic overnight trip from late June to September, while families do better on the easy circuit around the Königssee's northern shore.