44905SOU
Excursion
· You’ll need cash or ACIS card for entrances if no voucher.
· It is advisable to wear comfortable clothes and shoes –
skirts wouldn’t be very comfortable, no flip-flops.
This is a half-day excursion and your timing depends on the rest of the day’s activities. In the high season the salt mines can get very crowded. Under normal conditions allow 2 hours for the visit.
Salzburg – Berchtesgaden 45 mins
The salt mines are on the Berchtesgaden-Salzburg road (B305) on the far side of the river. Follow signs to Salzbergwerk and park in the bus park. Bags are a nuisance on the visit – ask them to leave them on the bus. Walk the group to the entrance and get them to position themselves in the line for groups whilst you get the tickets; if you’re paying cash don’t forget to ask for a receipt. Go back to the head of your group, but do not distribute the tickets.
When you enter, males and females are directed to separate rooms and given miners’ costumes to put on over your clothes. You emerge and proceed to a holding area to wait for your train. Toilets are located in this area.
Tell the staff the size of your group, so that they can fit you onto one, or successive trains. They like to pose everyone for a group photograph, which can be purchased after the visit.
The visit is a lot of fun – a combination of train rides, slides, audio-visual presentation and a boat ride across an underground lake.
After the visit, give some free time for postcards, refreshments etc. There are more toilets on the right when you exit from the train.
If the group wishes and time permits, you can drive up into the town and they can have some free time to explore this quaint Bavarian mountain town.
The old town is largely pedestrianised but there is a coach park where you can be dropped off, there are some good souvenir shops as well as cafes and restaurants. There is also a castle, which belongs to the Wittelsbach family, with a cloister, which dates back to the 12th Century.