Around Berchtesgaden/Salzburg area my favorite place is a little Guest House/Farm House called Gotzbauernhof in Unken, Austria. It is South of Bad Reichenall, SW of Berchtesgaden about 15 to 20 minute drive. It is very cheap and you really get a feel for the locals in the area. The host Monika Vitzthum is wonderful and very nice. You are in a real farm in the mountains and my wife and I both agree this was the most fun place to stay on our 2.5 week trip to Europe.
Where to start, there are little kitties, chickens, goats, cows all over, but it doesn't smell like a farm. The room is first class, we stayed in the Turnkammer room for $22 euros per night per person, so like $60/night. There is an old cellar in the basement of the house where she has wine and beer on the honor system. So you just grab beers and tell her how much you drank, it is stress free and wonderful. The people whom stay there are really nice and regulars. For example we met an older couple from Holland Georgie and Klauss, They have been coming to the Gotzbauernhof 2 times a year since 1976! We were only the 3rd americans ever to stay there as it is knows as a local place and regular people from Holland/Germany/Austria are their regulars.
Location wise it is very peaceful and relaxing and Berchtesgaden is a short 20 minute drive or less.. Salzburg is about 35 minutes away. The wonderful Austrian town of Werfen is about 25 minutes away... If it rains you can go to the salt mines at Bad Durnberg. There is soo much to do in this area of the world, the breakfast was wonderful, she has homemade jams and stuff she sells at the farm.
Behind the house was a barn, the kitties food dish was out there and it had hot dogs for them to eat, very authentic. The milk you drink comes from the cows on the farm.
The only thing it is hard to find.. Turning off of the highway as you come from the North, you find Unkenberg Road. Go West or take a right and follow unkenberg Road until it kind of turns to the left. Take it to the left and keep following, you go past a stream and the road to the right looks like a driveway because you see another farmhouse or 2.. It is not a driveway because it is hilly and the road seems to disapper behind the hills, take the little road.. It is very narrow and only room for 1 car, you won't believe it..LOL.. Take that road until you find the house with the number 8 on it. It was a trip!
There is a bavarian drive you can do that starts in Bad Reichenhall.. Go to [--} and do this drive it is wonderful.
Forget staying in the crowded city of Salzburg, stay here save some money and vacation stress free and daytrip into Salzburg!
it was Great!