Please advise:
We will be traveling with 3 young children age 6,3 and 5 months this December (12/21-29) for a week to Munich. We will be visiting Neuschwanstein Castle but wondered if we should rent a car or take the train? Make it a day trip or spend 2 nights in Schwangau? Any hotel recommendations?
Also is everything closed on Xmas day or what should we do? I had at first planned a nice Xmas day in Schwangau and visit the castle to find they're closed on 12/24-25!
We just want to make it as comfortable as we can as I have to carry around a baby with me the whole time.
This will be our first trip to Munich and public transportation is a bit foreign to us. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Munich with young children
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Wimpy's
- 2 HELP stuck in Italy
- 3 Accommodation in Lauterbrunnen
- 4 Train from Amsterdam to Bruges
- 5 Last monte Paris apartment
- 6 Berlin's New Barbie Dreamhouse Opens to Feminists' Protests
- 7 Going to London for the first time at the end of May ALONE
- 8 large supermarket in Munich - where?
- 9 Venice Hotel near Cruise Terminal
- 10 10 days in Cortona- any suggestions ?
- 11
Solo in Sicily - April 2013
- 12 ? re hotels in 5 terre
- 13 Places to stay for a tour of Normandy
- 14 Solo Female First Time Traveler - Scared to Death
- 15 Transportation from Venice Island to Treviso Airport?
- 16 Nice
- 17 charming small French city for weeklong stay?
- 18 Beatiful place near Aix-en-Provence or not too far from St Paul de Vence
- 19 I Need To Vent!
- 20 Should We Do Segovia With only 2 1/2 Days in Madrid?
- 21
TR Provence, Israel, Switzerland, Italy..April 16 a day of AA infamy
- 22 Train tickets
- 23 San Lorenzo Market
- 24 Oceania Cruises - Anyone ever gone on one of these?
- 25 Trip in June to andulusia and algrave portugal
Also is it better to stay in a hotel in the city or rent a home/apt in the outskirts?
Um - you don;t carry a baby all day - you bring your stroller. And for Munich it needs an umbrella and a plastic rain hood/cover.
Most things will be closed Christmas Eve and Day. Reserve your meals in advance so you aren't shut out.
And make sure you all have proper winter clothes, waterproof boots with non-skid soles (for ice and snow) and sturdy folding umbrellas.
I would stay in Munich since I think the chance of something being open there is greater than in a small town.
If you are staying in Munich (I would get an apartment with 3 kids - but in the center so you don't have to do a lot of trekking around in bad weather) I would plan on public transit. But do check how often it runs on the 24th/25th. Some places shut down.
Sorry - you don't want to be driving in snow, ice or freezing rain unless you are experienced at it. It's a whole other thing than driving in good weather - especially in a car you're not familiar with.
Hi J -
We used Christmas Day as a travel day, and drove from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We rented the car on Christmas morning in Munich (there is a Sixt office in Lehel). The drive from Munich to G-P was easy and scenic. We arrived in time for lunch. Then up the Zugspitze - definitely open on Christmas Day. As a resort, G-P was quite lively. We stayed at the Fraundorfer.
Do not be afraid of the roads. Although it will be cold, Munich will most probably not have any snow or ice. Farther south, it will likely be snowy, but the roads will be clear unless it is actually snowing while you are driving. We had one of those amazing crystal clear winter days. In any event, Munich to G-P should be about an hour on the Autobahn. We took the back roads, which took more time.
G-P would be a good base for visiting Neuschwanstein on the 26th, as well as Linderhof, Wies, Oberammergau, etc. You could easily spend a few days there.
I respectfully disagree about the apartment. For a first-timer, you will want the advantages of a hotel. Hotel folks will be able to provide you with all the information you could possibly want, make dinner reservations for you on Christmas Eve, etc. In an apartment, you're on your own.
Have a great trip!