Bad Reichenhall: Salt History, Culture and Nature

Bad Reichenhall between salt history and nature

Bad Reichenhall combines the salt heritage of the Old Salt Works with Romanesque architecture, spa music and opportunities to get active outdoors.

Salt works, architecture and spa music

The admission price for the Old Salt Works includes a guided tour of the site, a visit to the Salt and Trademark Museum, and a final stop at the salt shop.

St. Zeno Minster dates back to the 12th century and was built as a three-aisled basilica of the Staufer era over a period of 80 years. The minster is 90 metres long and is considered the largest Romanesque church in Old Bavaria; it houses numerous art treasures.

The Reichenhall Museum offers a different perspective on time: it provides insight into more than 4,000 years of history in Bad Reichenhall and its surroundings. While St. Zeno brings a specific 12th-century building into focus, the museum explores a history that extends far beyond a single building.

The Royal Spa Gardens lie in the heart of Bad Reichenhall and are a relaxing healing garden. They were laid out in 1868 by Carl von Effner, the Royal Bavarian court gardener.

Culture also includes around 350 spa concerts each year, featuring a variety of ensembles. The programme includes matinees, salon concerts, request concerts, chamber music and symphony concerts.

Outdoor activities and regional orientation

The Rupertuspark offers several ways to get active outdoors: you can go Nordic walking, work out on outdoor fitness equipment or set off from there on a tour of the Nonner Au. The circular path around Lake Thumsee, which is about one kilometre long, attracts visitors year-round. For those who would like to include nature in their stay along a clearly defined route, it offers an alternative to activities in Rupertuspark.

When choosing accommodation, you can weigh up your options: should Bad Reichenhall itself and its local attractions be the focus, or would you also like to consider other themes across the wider Berchtesgadener Land region when planning your trip? Tailor your search to the experiences that matter to you.

In the wider Berchtesgadener Land region

To the south, the Berchtesgadener Land region encompasses high-alpine mountain landscapes and the natural scenery around Lake Königssee. Berchtesgaden National Park offers a diverse network of 260 km of hiking trails and alpine paths. The panoramic trail around the Haus der Berge nature centre brings the materials and plants of four habitats—water, forest, alpine pasture and rock—to life, and offers views of the Watzmann, Hochkalter and Jenner mountains.

The pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomew is also part of this regional picture: built in 1134, it is located on the Hirschau peninsula in Berchtesgaden National Park, on Lake Königssee. Berchtesgaden Royal Palace houses art collections and the deer collection of Duke Albrecht of Bavaria; depending on the weather, visitors can also see the small rose garden.

The Berchtesgaden Salt Mine offers another perspective on the salt theme. Visitors cross the Mirror Lake on a raft 130 metres underground and see glittering salt crystals. This experience differs from the tour of the Old Salt Works in Bad Reichenhall, which includes a visit to the Salt and Trademark Museum and ends at the salt shop.

Discover more destinations: Schneizlreuth, Freilassing, Weißbach A.D.Alpenstraße, Eck, Schönau Am Königssee, Ramsau Bei Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen, Saaldorf-Surheim.

Go to the wider travel overview: Berchtesgadener Land.