revjudith

My husband and I plan a late July trip, flying in/out of Munich (7/18 dep; 7/29 ret). Would appreciate itinerary suggestions appropriate for two an active, late middle-age couple (I'm 60, he's 57). We want to visit Dachau, perhaps do a half-day bike tour of Munich, go to the Zugspitze, see one or two beer gardens, one or two castles/museums/cathedrals. We are considering Innsbruck OR Salzburg as a base to explore Austria (Innsbruck makes sense re Zugspitze...). Want to rent a car for some of the trip (altho I lean toward train travel with some driving and my husband is more keen on driving). We want the benefit of minimum 2-night stays in hotels, and seek rates in range of 90-130 Euros per room per night. Ideally, we seek a balance among local culture, local color (definitely not kitschy-touristy stuff), majestic scenery, and restful downtime to enjoy same. Any and all suggestions welcome.

traveldawg

SALZBURG: I recommend the Bristol Hotel. Should be within your range. I like Salburg much more than Innsbruck. The old town is great in Salzburg as is the scenery. Watch the Sound of Music again and that is the area. Christopher Plummer stayed at the Bristol during the 1964 filming of the movie.

DRIVE V TRAIN: Driving is easy. Great roads. It allows you to stop in the small towns and explore.

Click on my name for my postings on Bavaria and the area you are going to be visiting. I think you will find some ideas that may help you. We love this area and get back as often as possible. We are now in our 60s. Started to explore this area when in the Army in Germany in 1970.

Check out the Karen Brown series of travel books on SMALL TOWNS AND ITINERARIES. She does individual countries and Europe. Also has a web site. We have used her advice on many trips. She is good and we have always been pleased with her advice. Good resource for finding hotels/inns and gives you info on how to reserve rooms. We avoid the big chains and enjoy the small inns....you can stay in a Sheraton or Holiday Inn anywhere. Karen will tell you the neat ones at reasonable price.

GARMISCH: We like the Hotel Hilleprandt. Room 1 or 2 for down stairs with patio. Check their web site.

padams421

Another Karen Brown fan- we used her Inns and Itineraries books for Germany and Austria. She has a website. www.karenbrown.com.

I prefer Garmisch and Salzburg over Innsbruck. Garmisch is your best locale for visiting Zugspitze.

You will see much more and have more flexibility if you drive.

pja1

Hi,

We prefer driving and always rent a car. It's pretty much as easy as driving in the U.S.

It looks like 10 nights in Europe.

My suggestion would go something like this:
Arrive and drive the 2 hours to Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area for 3 nights
Drive to Hall in Tirol, Austria (Innsbruck area) or Mittenwald, Germany (20 min. from Garmisch) 3 nights
Fuessen for 2 nights
Drive to Munich and drop the car and stay 2 nights.

You can "do" the Zugspitze either from Hall in Tirol/Mittenwald OR Fuessen OR on the way from Hall in Tirol to Fuessen. You'd basically be passing right by Ehrwald, Austria, the Austrian side of the Zugspitze. The cable car to the Zugspitze from Ehrwald is faster, less expensive and usually less crowded than from Garmisch.

We have photo's of most of these places at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel15.html

Paul

Sassytraveller

I would really recommend visiting Tegernsee - not as touristy, real Bavarian feel. Here you can take great walks and after a long day dip in the lake and go for a hearty meal at the brewery where they make the famous beer: http://www.braustuberl.de/