Getting There Independently

Yes, easily, on two buses — and for one adult it comes to roughly €69 all in.

Here is the whole route, including the two details that strand people.

Leg one: Salzburg to Berchtesgaden

Bus 840, the WATZMANNexpress, run jointly by the German and Austrian operators. It leaves from bay J at Salzburg Hauptbahnhof — between the two Forum 1 buildings, opposite the McDonald’s — and reaches Berchtesgaden bus station in 55 minutes. Every run we checked took exactly that.

On a weekday it goes roughly hourly, with extra half-hourly fills through the middle of the day; on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays it is hourly. The summer timetable runs late May to late October.

Bus 840 is cash only. No card, no phone. This is the single most common way to come unstuck on this route, and it applies in both directions.

There is a rail alternative — a regional train to Freilassing, change, then on to Berchtesgaden — but it takes about 81 minutes and the change is now unavoidable. The bus is faster and simpler.

Leg two: Berchtesgaden to Obersalzberg

Bus 838, 12 minutes from the bus station to the stop at the Dokumentation Obersalzberg — which is the same stop the Kehlstein buses leave from. One place, both things.

The connection is well made: bus 840 arrives at five past the hour, bus 838 leaves at quarter past.

Mind the morning gap. On weekdays there is a departure at about 07:35 and then nothing until around 09:15. If your plan was an early ascent, that hole is where it breaks. On Sundays and holidays the service starts later and runs about eleven times.

Leg three: up the mountain

The Kehlstein bus, from that same stop. €34.70 return for an adult, lift included, return slot booked automatically two hours after you go up, and the ticket also admits you to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg the same day. The full breakdown is here.

Tickets, and the trap

The Bayern-Ticket covers bus 840 all the way into Salzburg. The German rail operator says so directly, and the line’s Austrian co-operator confirms it and sells them on board. Only Salzburg’s city buses are excluded.

For 2026 it costs €34 for one person in second class, €44 for two, €54 for three, €64 for four, €74 for five — so it gets dramatically cheaper per head with company. Up to three children aged 6–14 travel free. On weekdays it is not valid before 09:00; at weekends and on holidays it runs from midnight.

The trap: the Deutschland-Ticket does not work for this. On line 840 it is valid only as far as Zollhäuser, the last German stop, so it will not get you from Salzburg. If that is the ticket in your pocket, it is not the ticket for this journey.

The Salzburg regional network also sells single and day tickets valid on line 840. We are not quoting a fare for that option — the zone count for this particular route is the one figure we could not confirm, and the numbers circulating online do not match the operator’s current published rates.

What it costs, honestly

One adult: Bayern-Ticket €34 + Kehlstein €34.70 = €68.70, with the Dokumentation included in the second of those.

Two people: €44 + €69.40 = €113.40, or €56.70 each.

Five people: €74 + €173.50 = €247.50, or €49.50 each.

Against a guided day trip from Salzburg, that is a real saving for a couple and a large one for a group. What you give up is the guiding, and the fact that somebody else is watching the clock.

One practical wrinkle: because the Bayern-Ticket is not valid before 09:00 on weekdays, the 09:10 bus is the first one you can use, which puts you at Obersalzberg around 10:30. Fine for a leisurely day, tight if you also want the museum properly.

Before you commit

Check the mountain road is open. The season is roughly May to late October and the dates are provisional; within it, the road closes at short notice for storm, snow or rockfall, and when the buses stop nobody goes up — not even on foot.

Also worth knowing: the 840 and 838 summer timetables are narrower than the Kehlstein season. If you are travelling in early May or late October, the mountain may be open while the buses you were counting on have gone to winter frequencies. Check both.