pja, great pics - thanks - looks cold!

Great photos, Paul. I especially enjoyed the ones in St. Gilgen. We were just there on 1st November. We were told by the owner of our hotel that every building in the entire town is lit up for Christmas. Did you see the lights on the Lake?

wow, thank you so much, they are really stunning !!!!!

Thanks for sharing, Paul

Hi Betty,

No, sorry we didn't see the lights on the lake. The town is very picturesque and we're glad we got to visit. If we get to travel again (you just never know) we'd like to visit St. Gilgen again.

Paul

I understand the three towns of Strobl, St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen all participate in the Advent celebration and you can take a boat from one town to another to see the different decorations, markets, etc. There are also large lighting displays on the lake itself.

Thanks for the report and the photos. I think I need to add Austrian Advent markets to my "to do" list.

wanderfrau... they were all wonderful. Hopefully we can do it again. We had planned on visiting the Advent Markets in Sterzing/Vipiteno and Brixen/Bressanone, just over the Italian border from our stay in Hall in Tirol, but time ran out for us. We'll just add that to the reasons to do it again.

Great to look at the pictures. My wife has already made her request to put Austria on our schedule for a a future visit.

Regards, Gary

Thanks Gary. Loved your photo's also. Next time we'll go a bit later (Dec.) when we can visit the German markets. Most were opening after we left to come back home. The ones in Austria were open a week (or at least the weekend) before Thanksgiving week.

Paul - thanks for the Italian suggestions, too. They all sound interesting.

Paul - I am in the beginning stages of planning a 10 or 11 day trip to Bavaria/Austria for our family of 4 for this August. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your various trip reports and looking at many of your trip photos. You have already been very helpful. I am just beginning to sketch out a rough itinerary for our trip and would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you might have.

This will be our first trip to this part of the world and because we have so many other places we would like to visit, we may not return here, at least for a while. So, we want to strike a balance between doing the typical touristy things like visiting castles, museums, historical sites, etc. with just relaxing and enjoying the people, scenery and local towns. Based on your trip reports, we like to do a lot of the same things, with the exception that we also enjoy large cities (our two children are 22 and 24 years old.)

As of right now, we are planning on flying in and out of Munich. We would start our trip by staying (if available) at the Mayingerlehen in Ramsau, then travel to Alta Badia, on to Mittenwald, and finish by staying a couple of nights in Munich. I have compiled a long list of things to see and do from our bases in Ramsau and Mittenwald, but would appreciate any "must see" suggestions you might have for any of our itinerary.

I know you really like the Dolomites. I don't know as much about this area so I need to spend some more time reading about this leg of our trip. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Right now I am trying to determine if these are the 4 places we want to stay, and if so, how many nights in each. Assuming we stay 2 nights in Munich, we would have 9 nights for the first 3 legs of our journey. Do you have any thoughts about where we are planning on going and how many nights we should commit to each?

Thank you,

Mike

Hi Mike,

For what you're looking for and the time you have, I'd probably skip Alta Badia and maybe visit the Dolomites as a day trip from the Innsbruck area, if you include this area. Innsbruck to the Val Gardena (Dolomites) is about 1:30 drive.

Me, I'd suggest this based on your time, interests and maybe being the only trip to Bavaria/Austria:

Arrive Munich and head to the Berchtesgaden/Salzburg area for 4 nights. It's an easy 2 to 2.5 hour drive from Munich airport to this area. You won't run out of things to see/do with 3 full days.

Berchtesgaden
Konigsee
Jennerbahn cable car - www.jennerbahn.de/de/englisch/
Salzburg
Salt Mines - www.salzwelten.at
Luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn) by Hallein, Austria. www.duerrnberg.at
Eagle's Nest
Hohenwerfen - www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/werfen/index.htm
Salkammergut area (St. Gilgen, Hallstatt, etc.)


Drive to the Innsbruck (actually we prefer Hall in Tirol) or Mittenwald for 3 nights.
Plenty to see and do based from either with 2 full days.
If based in Innsbruck/Hall in Tirol:
Val Gardena (Dolomites) Take a cable car trip here, there are many to choose from.
Nordkettenbahn (Innsbruck)
Schloss Ambras (Innsbruck)
Innsbruck's old town
Hall in Tirol's old town

If based in Mittenwald:
Mittenwald
Karwendelbahn cable car
Sommerrodelbahn/luge ride (Garmisch)
Zugsptize (Garmisch)
Ettal Monastary
Oberammergau
"Mad" King Ludwig's Linderhof Palace


Fuessen for 2 nights.
Fuessen itself
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castle's
Tegelberg cable car
Tegelberg luge ride
Wieskirche
Zugspitze (from nearby Ehrwald, Austria)
"Mad" King Ludwig's Linderhof palace

Drive back to Munich for your last 2 nights.

From Fuessen to Munich we like stopping at Andech's Monastary on the way. Nice outdoor beer gardens, a gorgeous church and nice country setting. "Mad" King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee palace is another worthwhile place to visit. It's right between Munich and the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area.

If interested, here's where (and when) we've stayed in these places:

www.mayringerlehen.de ('06, '07, '09)
www.friedwiese.de ('10)
www.badl.at ('01, '03, '05, '10)
www.schwalbennestl.de ('05, '06)
www.hotel-hechten.com ('01, '03)

Hope this helps a bit.

Paul

Paul, wow...this is much more help than I expected. It is also exactly what I needed. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I will spend some time reviewing your suggested itinerary and let you know what we end up doing. Thank you!

Mike

You're welcome. I suggested the most time for Salzburg/Berchtesgaden, as there are so many places of interest between Berchtesgaden (and the general area), Salzburg and the Salzkammergut.

Paul, we are firming up our itinerary. We will be staying in Salzburg for two nights and then Ramsau for two nights. We will drive from Munich to Salzburg, but we will won't pass Herrenchiemsee until late in the day, around 5:00, so i dont think we will have enough time to visit itnon that day. When we leave Salzburg, we are considering either going south to the Hallein luge ride and Hohenwerfen castle or north back to Herrenchiemsee palace. In either case, we would then drive to Ramsau and enjoy the town. The next day we are looking at konigsee, the Jennerbahn cable car and then Berchtesgaden before spending a second night at Ramsau.

If you were us, when we leave Salzburg, would you go south to The luge ride and Hohenwerfen, or backtrack to Herrenchiemsee?

Mike

Hi Mike,

Question... after your second night in Ramsau, where are you heading? If you're going back to Munich, or somewhere else west of Ramsau/Berchtesgaden, you could be going right by Herrenchiemsee once again. You may be able to include it on that travel day.

One other thing... Ramsau (Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden) is not a town, but a small village, plus it's only 30 or 40 minutes from Salzburg. We like walking along the stream (which runs along the main road in Ramsau) plus the church is in an extremely picturesque location. They have a few shops and B&B's, etc. For someplace more "happening", Berchtesgaden is 10 minutes away. Easy and inexpensive to park in the underground lot there. Bad Reichenhall is nice also and 20 minutes away.

If you go to Hohenwerfen and the Hallein luge, you can get to Ramsau (and Berchtesgaden) by NOT going back via Salzburg, but by going via Oberau, Unterau and on to Berchtesgaden. It's well sign posted. It should only take about 20 minutes or so. It's a very scenic little drive by the way. There's another luge ride around here as well:

www.hochlenzer.de/anfahrt.html

I never rode this one, as it was closed both times we were there, but it's just down the road from the Obersalzburg/Eagles Nest/Kehlstein parking lot. It's looked great, as it's situated on quite a steep slope with outstanding views of berchtesgaden way below. On a snowy day in late Nov., I didn't even want to venture into the parking lot, as I remebered it was pretty steep, and in snow, not for me!

I really can't say what your family would enjoy more... Herrenchiemsee or Hohenwerfen and the luge ride. If I HAD to choose one or the other, I'd lean towards Hohenwerfen and the luge. Plus it makes more sense logistically.

One more thing (sorry to be long winded), our favorite place for dinner by Ramsau and Berchtesgaden is:

www.gebirgshaeusl.de/restaurant.html

This is located right on the main road (B305) between Ramsau and Berchtesgaden. If it's a nice evening, sit outside on the deck. Food is reasonably priced and fantastic.


Hope this helped.

Paul

Paul, yes, this is very helpful. Our entire itinerary is comprised of 2 nights in Salzburg (arriving about 5:00 pm), 2 in Ramsau, 2 in Hall in Tirol, 2 in Fussen, and then 2 in Munich.

We want to balance our trip with castle tours,, lake excursions, scenic mountain pass drives, fun luge rides, local restaurants, and quaint village visits. If this was your trip, what would you do? If this is too big of a request, I understand.

Mike

Not too big a question. I'll get back to you a little later. Just out of curiosity, do you have reservations in these locations? I don't want to get to "personal", but are two the Pension Mayringerlehen and the Gasthof Badl??

We tried to reserve Mayringerlehen, but it was not available so we found another place in Ramsau. We are staying at Gasthof Badl in Hall in Tirol, arriving on Sunday night when their restaurant is closed so we are planning on eating at Burgtavern that night and Badl the next night. We are also staying at hotel Hechten in Fussen.

Again, thanks for all your suggestions.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I think Ramsau is the best place to base in the area. Too bad about the Mayringerlehen. The Badl... it's hard not to love it there. Great location, excellent restaurant, terrific views and Sonja (owner) is amazing. Just a wonderful, helpful person. Please say "Hallo" for us... Paul and Diane in NJ! Hotel Hechten, we liked it there so much the first time we went and stayed again on another trip to the area 2 years later. My opinion, it's the perfect place to stay in Fuessen. From what I remember, the restaurant is pretty good also.

With your limited time for Salzburg, I'd pretty much stay and check out things near and around the old town. Do go up to Hohensalzburg for birds eye views of the old town.

For your time in Ramsau, I'd look at doing the Konigsee boat trip, Jennerbahn cable car and maybe a drive along the Rossfeld Panorama Strasse. Walk around and see Berchtesgaden in the evenings. There's also the Eagles Nest and plenty more in the general area. Berchtesgaden has a Salt Mine (we've never done it) and so does Hallein, Austria. You could do this from Ramsau if you wanted to.

www.eagles-nest.de

www.rossfeldpanoramastrasse.de

www.berchtesgaden.de/en/salt-mine-berchtesgaden

www.salzwelten.at/en/home/

www.ramsau.de

http://en.berchtesgadener-land.com

Hall in Tirol, we like walking the old town. The Burgtaverne in Burg Hasegg is our favorite restaurant in the area. If it's a clear day, head over to innsbruck (15 min. away) and take the Hungerburgbahn/Nordkettenbahn (by the Congress in Innsbruck) up to Hungerburg. It's 3 stages... first a funicular to Hungerburg overlooking Innsbruck, then a cable car up to the Seegrube station and then another short cable car to the top, the Hafelekar station. Magnificent views.

www.nordkette.com

www.hall-wattens.at/en/

Also worth a visit is Schloss Ambras, Tratzburg castle and the old walled town of Rattenberg.

www.khm.at/en/plan-your-visit/ambras-castle

www.schloss-tratzberg.at

www.rattenberg.at

My opinion, resist any temptation to visit Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens. Mediocre displays attatched to a huge store.

Fuessen... Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. You can reserve tickets in advance if you know what day you'll be visiting. Fuessen is just 10 min drive from the castles. I'd visit both. It says Neuschwanstein is partially covered in scalfolding until later in the year. Just a mile or so from these two castles is the Tegelberg cable car trip and the Tegelberg luge ride. They are next to one another but separate tickets.

www.hohenschwangau.de/765.0.html

http://schwangau.de/tegelberg-cablecar-626.html

You can also go to the top of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, from nearby Ehrwald, Austria, about 40 min. drive from Fuessen. The Zugspitze is right on the German/Austria border.

www.zugspitze.at

The amazing Wieskirche is well worth a visit. You could probably stop by on your way from Fuessen to Munich. Another good stop for an hour or two from Fuessen to Munich is Andechs Monastery, which has another beautiful church and pleasant outdoor beer gardens in a scenic countryside setting.

www.wieskirche.de

www.andechs.de/kloster-andechs.html

My priorities would be:

Salzburg - Hohensalzburg and a visit the churches, etc. The old town is extremely popular (touristy) but very charming. I think it's best to wander in the evening when it's lit up.

Ramsau - Ramsau church, Konigsee, Jennerbahn, Rossfeld Panorama Strasse, Berchtesgaden.

Hall in Tirol - Hall in Tirol itself, incl St. Nikolaus church, Nordkettenbahn, Schloss Ambras, Tratzberg castle and Rattenberg.

Fuessen - Fuessen itself is a nice old town. Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Tegelberg luge, Zugspitze.

Wieskirche and Andechs.

I would go from Werfen/luge ride to Ramsau as described earlier. For the drive from ramsau to Hall, you could go a few ways...

1- Ramsau to Herrenchiemsee then take the A93 via Kufstein to the A12 to Hall in Tirol.
2- Ramsau to Schneizlreuth to Lofer to St. Johann to Worgl and then on to Hall. You could stop in either Tratzberg or Rattenberg along the way.
3- The longest route (about 4 hours non stop)... Ramsau to St. Johann as above, BUT head to Kitzbuhel to Mittersil. here head west along the 165 to the Gerlos Pass to Zell am Ziller, then up through the Zillertal (169) to the A12 to Hall. In Zell am Ziller is the "Arena Coaster". Like a luge ride but on rails, more like a roller coaster.

To get from Fuessen to Munich, I'd go via stops at Wieskirche and Andechs. They would be my two priorities to see along the way.

Paul

Hi Mike,

Just wanted to note that all these places are relatively close, maybe 2 hours apart at the most, (except for Salzburg and Ramsau, 1/2 hour apart) so if you didn't want to spend much time driving from one to the next, you don't need to. We like to take our time and are usually in no rush. So if a 2 hour drive takes 4 hours or so by stopping or going a more scenic route, no big deal. We think leaving a place around 10am and getting to the next place, liesurely, by 2 or 3 is good. That's just how we look at it.

Paul

Paul, this is amazingly helpful. I will spend time tonight digesting your suggested itinerary. It appears to be exactly what we are looking for. Thank you!

Mike and Heidi

Hi Mike,

I copied and pasted this article. Thought the drive from Gnadenwald (15 min. from the Badl) to Hinterhornalm may interest you. I always wanted to do this, but... I guess it's another reason we need to visit Hall again.

www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/ricksteves/Hall-In-the-Shadow-of-Innsbruck.html


Paul

Paul - We are getting ready to leave on our trip. I have constructed an itinerary based on many of your suggestions. Would you mind reviewing this and letting me know your thoughts? Thanks again for all your help.

Day 1 Salzburg Drive from Munich to Salzburg, stopping at Herrenchiemsee along the way.

Day2 Salzburg Tour Salzburg. Hohensalzburg.

Day 3 Ramsau Drive to Ramsau stopping at Hohenwerfen Castle and the Hallein luge ride. Drive on to Ramsau via Oberau and Unterau. Dinner at Gebirgshaeusl. Visit Berchtesgaden after dinner.

Day 4 Ramsau Konigsee boat trip, Jennerbahn cable car, drive along Rossfeld Panorama Strasse, visit Berchtesgaden again in the evening.

Day 5 Hall in Tirol Drive to Hall in Tirol via Schneizlreath to Lofer to St. Johann to Worgl. Stop at Rattenberg along the way. Walk around Hall. Dinner at Burgtaverne in Burg Hasegg.

Day 6 Hall in Tirol Visit old town of Innsbruck, Nordkettenbahn (eat lunch at the top), Schloss Ambras, back to Hall. Dinner at Gasthof Badl.

Day 7 Fussen Drive to Fussen, stopping at Mittenwald, Ettal Monastary, and Linderhoff Palace. Walk around Fussen. Dinner at Hotel Hechten.

Day 8 Fussen Visit Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Tegelberg cable car and/or luge ride.

Day 9 Munich Drive to Munich and stop at Wierskirche and Andechs Monastary along the way.

Day 10 Munich Munich

Day 11 Fly Home

Hi Mike,

I would probably have planned the exact same itinerary. Actually, our first trip in 2001 was nearly identical!

A couple of "extras" if you will...

Allow about 3 hours for Herrenchiemsee. You'll get off the highway, you'll park, get tickets for the boat and then cruise 15 minutes to the island that the palace is on. Buy tickets for the palace and walk (easy, level) 15 to 20 minutes to the palace. Tour the palace and return the same way.

www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisch/tourist/howtoget.htm

The Konigsee boat trip is slow (electric boat) and very popular. I'd try to get an early start for that. Figure on at least a few hours to spend around the Konigsee.

Tratzburg castle is worth a visit if you have time. It's between Rattenberg and Hall in Tirol. You can see it from the highway actually.

www.schloss-tratzberg.at/startseite.html?L=1

For the Nordkettenbahn, park in the underground lot for the Kongress/Congress in Innsbruck. You'll come out just across the way from the Hungerbergbahn terminal, which is the "first leg" of the Nordkettenbahn trip. It's free parking with your Nordkettenbahn ticket.

www.nordkette.com/en/arrival-parking/free-parking.html

If stopping in Mittenwald, we can highly recommend lunch or just coffee/capuccino and pastries at "Der kleine Kartoffelsack" in the pedestrian zone. If you like chocolate, order a "Mohr im Hemd". Has to be my absolute favorite "dessert".

www.derkartoffelsack.de

Just a few other notes (I know, I write way too much!):

Mohr im Hemd is excellent. I know the Burgtavern and Der kleine Kartoffelsack both serve it.

While I don't like beer, I do like having a "Radler beer" in Germany and Austria. It's a mix of beer and lemon-lime soda. Sounds wierd, but we love them.

I also don't care for wine, but in Fuessen I loved the Mead or Honig wine. It's a honey wine. For a more surreal dinner experience in Fuessen, we thought the Hotel Krone was interesting (kitschy) and pretty good. The restaurant at the Hotel zum Hechten was good also.

www.mittelalterlich-fuessen.de/index.php

DO NOT forget to buy an Austrian "Vignette" (toll sticker) for driving on the highways in Austria. You can buy it at any rest area/gas station on the highway after leaving Munich airport. Cost is about 8 Euro for a sticker good for 10 consecutive days. If your car doesn't have a reflective vest in the trunk, buy that when you buy the Vignette. Our car, picked up in Germany, did not have one, so I bought one. I took it home and now keep it in the trunk of my car. Good to have.

www.austria.info/us/plan-your-trip/driving-regulations-in-austria-1084578.html

Hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe trip. Enjoy every moment (even when things don't go as expected), it goes by too quickly!

Paul

Hi again,

I meant to mention the Bergtaverne can get crowded, especially after 7 or 8pm. Last trip we were lucky the one night but made reservations for our last night in the area. If walking from the Gasthof Badl to Hall in Tirol's old town (over the footbridge), you'll walk right past the Burgtavern. Maybe pop in and make a reservation for the evening. I'm sure Sonja (owner of the Badl) would be happy to call and make a reservation for you also. The way we found out about it during our stay in 2005 was Sonja's mother recommended it to us. Sonja is extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the entire area. One of the nicest people you will meet. We wouldn't have gone to Rattenberg's Christmas market if it wasn't for her suggesting it to us.

Paul

Paul, great "extras.". If time allows, we will stop at Tratzburg. My wife got excited when I read your suggestion about Der Kleine Kartoffelsack and Mohr I'm Hemd. She is a chocolate lover. What is the purpose of the Vignette? I made reservations at Burgtaverne a few days ago via email. I just had a feeling that we might need them.

Again, I can't thank you enough for your help. You have given me a lot of confidence that we have a well planned trip. But, i am not going to be upset if it does not go exactly as planned (our trips never do!)

Mike

Hi Mike,

I think your trip is very well planned. With the time you have for the sights you have listed and the short driving distances between stays, it's as perfect as can be. The longest driving days you have are only 2.5 hours each (non stop)... Ramsau to Hall in Tirol and from Hall in Tirol to Fuessen via Mittenwald, Ettal and Linderhof.

The Austrian "Vignette" is a toll sticker you buy and stick to the windshield. Instead of toll booths every so often along the highways, you buy a toll sticker "vignette" to pay for highway use. They come in a 10 day, 2 month and one year version. You'll just need the 10 day version (cost is only 8 Euro). If you are stopped by police on an Austrian highway without one, your day and wallet will be ruined. Simply read the links below:

www.austria.info/us/plan-your-trip/driving-regulations-in-austria-1084578.html

www.german-way.com/autobahn2.html

Driving out of Munich airport and getting on the highway heading towards Salzburg couldn't be easier. It's well signed and a breeze. You'll see. Obey the speed limit signs (speed traps, police and camera's are just like here), stay to the right unless you're passing (be careful and double check your mirrors when passing, sometimes cars can seemingly come out of nowhere at high rates of speed in the left lane) and you'll be fine.

We love Der kleine Kartoffelsack in Mittenwald. If it's a nice day, there's plenty of outdoor seating in addition to seating inside. I have at least one Mohr im Hemd a day in Austria and Mittenwald. Ok, more like 2 a day. It's incredibly good and I'm a chocolate lover.

Another note: Near Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden at Konigsee is a McDonalds. Konigsee is just 10 to 15 min. from Ramsau. Not that we recommend having dinner in Germany at McDonalds, but the capuccino and coffee are good, large, cheap, "to go" and open late. We'll stop to get ourselves a coffee or capuccino "to go" for our longer day drives and in the evening before heading back to our room to have sitting on our balcony.

If I can be of any other assistance, feel free to ask. I will have to ask a "favor" though... say Hallo to Sonja for us (Paul and Diane from NJ) and give Leo a hug. Ok, Leo is an absolutely adorable Bernese Mountain dog! He was a puppy in 2010.

Paul

Woh, thanks Paul & Mike great advice. We are heading to Austria for Xmas with a few days pre xmas in Munich. This is all about Christmas with our grown kids and their partners. So look out markets here we come, thanks for your wonderful advice and photos.
AD

Ps staying at http://gutshof.cc/ Mayrhofen.

Hi aussiedreamer,

Glad you found some info helpful. The Zillertal scenery is spectacular and the Christmas/Advent markets are a wonderful experience. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Paul

Thanks Paul, do you think the roads will be quite 'passable' at that time of year? I'm going to guess that the 'main' ones will be ploughed???? Would like to do a day trip or two, maybe Salzburg and/or Berchtesgaden.

Hi,

We had 4 days with some snow fall. Driving conditions were fine. One evening we were driving from Hall in Tirol to Mittenwald and as we approached Seefeld, the snow came down pretty hard. Plows were out and on the drive back just an hour or two later, the roads were plowed and clear. Since you're staying in Mayrhofen, check out the markets in Innsbruck and Rattenberg. Both are within an hour or so drive and incredible, especially in the evening.

Paul

Thank you so much Paul, great to hear first hand news! So excited for the markets.

Paul - We just got back from our trip yesterday. It was really a lot of fun. We stuck very close to our planned itinerary and were able to do just about everything we wanted. We had great weather...it only rained on us for a couple of hours in Salzburg and for most of our last day in Munich.

I thought this trip was much less stressful than our previous driving trips to Italy and France. Our car was equipped with GPS and the roads were well marked. It was very easy to get around. Also, your advice about routes really helped. Our favorite drive was from Hall to Fussen by way of Lofer, Mittenwald, Ettal and Linderhof. We loved Mittenwald! My wife did a lot of her shopping there.

As I mentioned before, we were not able to stay at Mayringerlehen, but I found another place in Ramsau called Grubenlehen which was great. It turned out to be our favorite lodging during our trip. I am going to review it on tripadvisor when I get a chance.

Sonja at Badl asked me to return your Hallo! We enjoyed our meals at both Burgtaverne and at Gasthof Badl.

We passed on the Tegelberg luge ride because it paled in comparison to the one at Hallein, which was awesome. But, we took the cable car at tegelberg and watched the hang gliders take off from the top.

Again, I can't thank you enough for all of your help. We talked about "Paul" just about every day during our trip. I can see why you like to visit the area so often. It is truly amazing.

Hi Mike,

Really glad you and your family enjoyed your trip and happy to hear it wasn't stressful. It's vacation after all. Also glad the weather cooperated. Very nice. Just looked up the Grubenlehen (looks like we'd like it a lot) and added it to our short list of places to stay in the area, just in case next time we can't get the Mayringerlehen. Thanks for the Hallo to Sonja! Hope you liked your stays at the Badl and Hotel zum Hechten. Did you get to see Herrenchiemsee, Nordkettenbahn, Linderhof and Ambras? Did you like the old towns of Hall and Fuessen? Did you (or your wife) try the "Mohr im Hemd"? Sorry for so many questions. I happy to hear I was of some help and that the trip went well. We love these are's and will probably keep returning. I know there's so many other places to visit, but we haven't had our fill here yet.

Paul

Paul - we visited all 3 Ludwig castles, Hohenwerfen and hohenschwangau. They were all great. We toured Ambras, but to be honest, I did not like it as much as the others. We hit all 3 cable car rides and liked them all. We tried mohr I'm Hemd and really enjoyed it. The biggest thing we did not get to do was drive along the Rossfeld Strasse. We really enjoyed the drives, like the first hour after we left Ramsau. We stopped several times along the way. Our son went swimming a couple of times in the mountain lakes on the route to Fussen. Fussen has a Thursday morning market that we really enjoyed - one of those unexpected surprises. Also,our favorite restaurant was in Fussen - an Italian seafood place. If I can figure out how, I will try to post some photos on Fodors.

Mike