Munich Day Trips

Old Feb 4th, 2015, 12:21 PM
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Munich Day Trips

I am travelling the fall with three friends to Germany and plan to spend four or five nights in Munich. We would like to do day trips to Dachau, Neuschwanstein and the Zugspitze. Originally I thought we would do the castle and the Zugspitze in one day but after checking train schedule I see it would take much longer than I expected for the travel and the train doesn't actually go to the castle.
Would people suggest we consider tours of the three day trips as the best option?
And would people think doing the castle and the Zugspitze in one day too much to fit in?
Would a day tour for the castle and the Zugspitze be easier from Augsburg than from Munich?

Finally, what would you consider to be the top three sights to visit while in Munich proper?

Thank you in advance for any ideas, suggestions and comments
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 01:43 PM
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>Would people suggest we consider tours of the three day trips as the best option? No. you can do them all on your own at your own pace for less money.

> And would people think doing the castle and the Zugspitze in one day too much to fit in?
Definitely too much. The transfer between the two would consume too much time.
Combine the "castles" (in fact they are 19th century palaces) with a walk of Füssen's old town.
Combine Zugspitze with a bit of sightseeing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

> Would a day tour for the castle and the Zugspitze be easier from Augsburg than from Munich?
No. To Füssen the distance is roughly the same, reaching Garmisch would take longer. If you consider a second base, why not stay in the Bavarian Alps, for example Garmisch?
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 02:27 PM
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Don't know these places except Dachau which I visited on a local bus and at the same time the Olympic Stadium where members of the Israeli team were killed. Both very moving.
The other train trip you might like to consider is Herrenchiemsee -its a scenic train trip, then a walk to the ferry which goes to the island and Ludwig's castle which is a copy of Versailles albeit uncompleted.
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 02:49 PM
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You could try to do the castle and the Zugspitze in a single day if you had a car, as they are not so distant - but there is no direct train line and public transportation is on the slow side.

But - the visit at Neuschwanstein is somewhat long as you have to walk to the castle and wait your turn.

And in the Alps weather is better in the morning that in the afternoon. After a sunny morning often clouds develop around peaks in the afternoon, so you would need really fine weather to do the Zugspitze in the afternoon. - Of course, on a day that already starts with clouds or rain it would make little sense to travel up to the Zugspitze.
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 03:26 PM
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Combine Zugspitze with a bit of sightseeing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Perfect tip. The train to the Zugspitze is very close to the train station. Quick walk. You would take a train after nine for savings and arrive around 11:00 so it would take a big chunk of your day. Enjoy the cog train going up and have lunch while at the top.
Partnach_Gorge is another place you could squeeze in before heading back to Munich. It is by the Olympic stadium and beautiful.
My fav thing in Munich is the BMW tour. I loved it.
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 06:17 PM
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Thank you all for your comments. I'm still confused how we would travel to Neuschwanstein as the train does not go all the way there. Do people take the train as far as then can and then cab to the castle?
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 09:22 PM
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From Füssen train station to Neuschwanstein, there are two buses, #73 and #78. The bus is about 2.10EU and 10 min trip. You can also take a taxi. It is a short ride about 10EU. If there are four of you, there is not much difference between a taxi and a bus. This access is described at the official web site, http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisc...t/howtoget.htm
#73 time table is here http://www.rvo-bus.de/file/5415726/data/73.pdf
#78 time table is here http://www.rvo-bus.de/file/5415714/data/78.pdf
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 03:50 AM
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The day trip to N'stein from Munich involves nearly 5 hours of ground transport. N'stein webpage advises visitors that it's then a 40-minute hike from the final bus stop to the "castle" - which is NOT a genuine castle but a late 19th-century private home dressed up as though it were a castle. It's very hard to grasp the enthusiasm shown by international tourists for going to this sort of trouble (and expense, add €12 admission to your transport costs) for an overcrowded 30-minute guided tour (maybe you'll luck out and get a guide whose English is understandable) of a place that was lived in for 6 months. There are 20,000+ real castles, castle ruins, and palaces in Germany to choose from.

Nymphenburg Palace (where Ludwig II was born) and the Residenz Palace are right in Munich.

Nymphenburg: http://raredelights.com/wp-content/u...g-Palace-9.jpg

Where else will you be in Germany? If anywhere near Frankfurt or Cologne, check out the many Rhine/Mosel castles:

Burg Eltz on the Mosel: http://www.burg-eltz.de/en.html
Reichsburg in Cochem: http://www.burg-cochem.de/index.php?...ade_Cochem.jpg
Marksburg in Braubach: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ubach_2012.jpg
Rheinfels in St. Goar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFF80wORNQ

Salzburg is about 1 hr. 40 min. to 2 hours from Munich by direct train. Visit Hohensalzburg castle there (tour on your own with audioguide) and enjoy the city:
http://www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/hoh...burg/index.htm
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 04:59 AM
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I would take a tour from Munich if you must see that castle/palace. Nymphenburg is a better option imo.
I am doing Reichsburg in Cochem this year but only because it is on one of our planned stops. I have been to Linderhof and enjoyed the grounds more than the short tour of the house.
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Old Feb 6th, 2015, 10:11 AM
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I've been to all of these, but I still enjoyed Neuschwanstein, but you have time to do that and one of the city palaces too, so by all means see as much as you can.

It's easy to get to Neuschwanstein by train from Munich (exactly as Greg describes), but the trip takes over 2 hours, so it's going to be a long, tiring day regardless. You also have to decide how to get up the mountain once you arrive (bus or horse cart or foot). The buses meet the trains in Fussen, and they generally send multiple buses so that everyone can get on. But since the train is a local, it fills to capacity. Be sure to be at the station in Munich and board as soon as you can, ditto going back. Many people came on board after us and had to stand. But I got a marvelous deal by buying a day ticket that included the S-bahn from the airport as well as the train and bus to Hohenschwangau.

And it's incredibly busy, so be sure to make a reservation as far in advance as possible so you get a timed ticket to see the castle itself. I went in late November, and the castle was sold out for the day by the time I got there at 11am. I hadn't planned ahead ... but I still took the bus up the mountain and saw the outside of the castle on a beautiful day when the lower half was shrouded by mist but the towers stuck right out of the clouds.
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Old Feb 6th, 2015, 10:12 AM
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Oh ... and if you do want to tour a BMW factory, I really enjoyed my tour of the factory at Regensburg, but that requires more travel.
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Old Feb 14th, 2015, 05:20 PM
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We like to tour around by car and with four of you splitting the cost a car rental could be a good deal. One of our favorite loops its to go out the Garmish autobahn from Munich. I don't know how long to budget to ride to the top of the zugspitze.

Then you could go on 10 more mile toward Innsbruck to see Mittenwald, the violin makers village. Backtrack through Garmish to go toward Oberammergau with a stop at the Ettal Monastery and schloss Linderhof if you like. Ckeck out the wood carvings in Oberamkergau then drive a few miles to see the splendid Wiesskitche.

Then on to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. From there head back to Munich and turn in the car. You will have to decide how to budget your time, the entrance tickets to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau can be reserved in advance but they are for specific times down to the minute.

You won't want a car when you are in Munich to save the traffic and parking expenses and hassels. The Bavaria train Ticket (for travel after 9 am) is a good deal and it will cover all four of you to go to Salzburg.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 03:10 AM
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my "top three" in Munich would be
Alte Pinakothek
Nymphenburg Palace
walking tour (self-guided)in the area of the Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt

But of course there is lots more to see than that.
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Old Apr 21st, 2015, 04:36 AM
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I wanted to give you some words of advice for the Zugspitze which we visited in July of last year. Go to the tourist center and ask them how the weather is....we were in the area and tried three days in a row to get up there, but asked about cloud cover. If there is cloud cover, you will spend a lot of money to go up and have ZERO view which is what happened to the people after us. We had about 30 minutes up top with a view and then it clouded over. The poor people behind us waited in a long line, paid a lot of money, and saw nothing...while they don't have a crystal ball, they do have an idea of whether it is worth your effort. Before you head all the way back to Garmisch, stop and stretch your legs at the Eibsee (bottom of the mountain).

At the Eibsee you can rent kayaks and picnic and just enjoy the scenery.
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Old May 21st, 2015, 11:03 AM
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Hello, I've been in Munich for a month now, and have done all three-- Dachau, Neuschwanstein and Zugspite.

Zugspite definitely took the longest-- and it was a snowy May day. We did not have to wait in lines-- but just getting up to the top, and seeing what there is to see takes a bit of time. If you go back down the main line (that you came up on), it will take less time than if you decide to go down the train way. I was surprised how long the train took.

(Also, when I was there, part of the main train TO the lift was broken and we had to ride a bus part of the way.)

As for it not being good if there are clouds- I disagree. We were up there in basically whiteout conditions (it started SNOWING) and it was still interesting. I guess, personally, I just didn't care how far I could see.

For Neuschwanstein, most definitely reserve your tickets online ahead of time. Also- when we were there, the bus up was not working (sensing a theme here) and you HAD to walk up, otherwise wait for the horses. We also went to Linderhof-- the entire family enjoyed it more.

Personally, I do not see how being in Augsburg would help with time. We're south of town and it still took us awhile to get to the castle plus Zugspite. I'd personally try to pick a hotel on the south side of town, near the highway.

(Quick tip: While the "back roads" might be shorter, they are NOT faster than the Autobahn. I learned this the hard way.)

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy your trip.
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Old May 21st, 2015, 02:25 PM
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Russ said;

"It's very hard to grasp the enthusiasm shown by international tourists for going to this sort of trouble (and expense, add €12 admission to your transport costs) for an overcrowded 30-minute guided tour (maybe you'll luck out and get a guide whose English is understandable) of a place that was lived in for 6 months."

It's also hard to fathom one man's tireless crusade to denigrate one of Europe's most beloved sites. it is wrong to presume everyone has the same interests as we might and arrogant to presume that a desire to Neuschwanstein is somehow associated with the visitors ignorance of its history or use. Being an intestine building in a spectacular setting is enough.

Not everyone is looking for the genuine lived in Europe that fascinates you Russ.
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