The Kempinski Berchtesgaden is an alpine resort located in the Bavarian Alps, and well worth the detour to review. Located above the town of Berchtesgaden, the resort is set among the pristine alpine forest and is a beautiful place to spend a relaxing few days.
Unlike the other hotels in my Retro Reviews series like the Belmond Reid’s Palace in Madeira, the Kempinski Berchtesgaden opened in 2005 as the InterContinental Berchtesgaden. In 2015 the resort came under the management of Kempinski.
In this post:
Kempinski Berchtesgaden Review
The Kempinski Berchtesgaden is located in Obersalzberg above the town of Berchtesgaden, a perfect alpine retreat. With a modest 138 rooms, I found the resort a haven on my two visits.
Getting To Kempinski Berchtesgaden
Despite being in Germany, the closest main city to the Kempinski Berchtesgaden is Salzburg, Austria. Located an easy 30 minute drive from Salzburg Airport, flying in Salzburg would be the easiest way to get to the hotel.
Alternatively, the hotel is a 2 hour drive from Munich or a longer train trip of around 3 and a half hours (which requires a short taxi ride from Berchtesgaden train station up to the hotel).
The weather was perfect for most of my stay, though there was one morning with a beautiful fog too.
Kempinski Berchtesgaden Mountain View Room Review
Being located high up in the alps, the Mountain View rooms at the hotel have excellent views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Naturally the king sized beds are very comfortable and the room is very well appointed.
The bathroom is both spacious and luxurious with a rainshower and separate deep soaking bathtub.
Kempinski Berchtesgaden Room Service Review
With the Kempinski Berchtesgaden being out of walking distance from any other restaurants and cafes, I decided to indulge in a room service dinner of Wiener schnitzel.
It was excellent.
Kempinski Berchtesgaden Pools & Gardens
My favourite feature of the Kempinski Berchtesgaden is undoubtedly the pools. Many luxury resorts have excellent pools, but very few have these spectacular mountain views and the serenity of an alpine setting.
The outdoor pool is heated to 36 degrees Celsius so makes for an enjoyable swim even in the middle of winter.
And if things get a bit too cold, there is of course an excellent indoor pool too.
I found the alpine setting in summer to be perfect for an after swim stroll around the hotel.
Things To Do Around Berchtesgaden
There are plenty of half day trips around Berchtesgaden to keep you occupied for a week. In addition to popping over to Salzburg for a Sound of Music tour and to visit Mozart’s home, there are two places worth seeing on the German side of the border.
Königssee & Obersee Lakes
These two lakes are serene with the only boats allowed on the Königssee being battery powered and silent. The best part of the trip is to take the short walk from the end of the former to the start of the latter for the view below.
Eagle’s Nest
Berchtesgaden and Hitler unfortunately seem to be inextricably linked, and the sole building from the Third Reich that remains in the area is the Eagle’s Nest. The Kehlsteinhaus, as it is known in German, is now a restaurant and tourist site high up above Berchtesgaden.
Given a single steep alpine road is the only way up and down from the Eagle’s Nest, it is only possible to visit in the summer months. Specially trained bus drivers and their specifically designed buses are the only way up.
I had learnt about the Eagle’s Nest from the HBO series Band of Brothers, where they capture Berchtesgaden in the final episode.
It was a thrill to step out onto the balcony of the actual Eagle’s Nest on a sunny day. No Easy Company present but there were information panels on the wall.
The views around the mountains is spectacular, especially Untersberg, and you can even see the Kempinski Berchtesgaden in the bottom right.
Kempinski Berchtesgaden Summary
The Kempinski Berchtesgaden is the perfect alpine retreat and one of my favourite hotels. I’ve had the pleasure of staying twice and hope to return in the future, perhaps in winter to enjoy the snow.
