Hi again,

I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, so I may be able to help you with your specific questions.

If you go to the "Bavaria" forum at Trip Advisor, there are many posters there who live in Munich.

Have fun as you plan!

s

What is your suggestion on Chiemsee?

lol, you picked the wrong thing! I haven't been to Chiemsee.

Hope you'll get good info soon!

s

Hi reutiz.

"We like cities, museums, castles and for this trip Christmas decorations. What about Munich > Cologne > Frankfurt... Do you know of any Trip Planners for the Bavarian region please... What is your suggestion on Chiemsee?"

On a separate thread from 4 days ago you wrote that you "...would like to visit the Bavarian and Black Forest region, but don't want to move from place to place every day. May be stick to 3 bases and do day trips from there. We like attractions such as museums, old towns, scenery and mountains, but not skiing."

Not sure exactly which regions you actually have in mind at this stage. Some thoughts...

Cologne sounds like a new addition to your list. It has museums but it's been a hotbed of street conflict between Islamists and anti-Islamists of late and it would take you further afield than you need to go, probably. I wouldn't choose it as a base town.

FRANKFURT AREA STAY

Castles: Marksburg in the Middle Rhine Valley town of Braubach (NE of Frankfurt) is open all year for tours.

Old towns: Braubach itself is a handsome old town with half-timbered buildings.
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/p...m/38730217.jpg
Nearby towns with old walls, towers, cobblestones and half-timbered buildings include Bacharach, Oberwesel, and Rüdesheim (which has a very atmospheric Christmas market as well.)

Oberwesel: http://s1.germany.travel/media/conte...T_1024x768.jpg
Bacharach: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...arach_BW_9.JPG

As a base, Frankfurt is OK but it's a huge city, and smaller Mainz, which is almost as close to FRA airport as Frankfurt itself, is more easily covered on foot and will still be lively, especially with its excellent Christmas market. It has a small but attractive old town section too:
http://www.romantic-cities.com/uploa...gallery_02.jpg
http://www.romantic-germany.info/upl...adt_imp_02.jpg

From Mainz, Bacharach, Oberwesel and Rüdesheim can be reached in less than an hour by train. Braubach takes about 1.5 hours but the train follows the scenic Rhine River most of the way.

BAVARIAN BASE(S)

Chiemsee towns like Prien are too small for winter stays, IMO, if you want anything to do in the evening. Bavaria is HUGE. If you want it all (mountains, city museums, old towns) you should probably base in the Romantic Road city of Augsburg. It's a nice place with good train connections. Munich (with its museums and palaces) is 45 minutes away. The Romantic Road towns of Donauwörth and Harburg are 30-40 minutes away, Nördlingen one hour. Want to go to Füssen (Alps)?? Augsburg to Füssen takes about 1:40 by train (it's more than 2 hours from Munich.)

I gave you some suggestions for the Black Forest previously If the BF is no longer on your list, you might want a second base town in northern Bavaria (on the way to Frankfurt.) Nuremberg is tops as a rail hub for Bamberg, Würzburg, Regensburg, Rothenburg and other towns. These are charming smaller cities with museums, Christmas markets, and old-world sectors of varying size that are easy to manage mostly on foot.

Bamberg: http://us.hellomagazine.com/imagenes...137_0007-a.jpg

I neglected to mention that if you base yourselves in Mainz, which itself has some museums of interest, you can easily make a day trip into Frankfurt in 35-40 minutes for museums and more there.

Thanks Fussgaenger very detailed info.

Thanks Fussgaenger very detailed info. I think I will concentrate on the Bavaria region rather then adding the Black Forest and Frankfurt.
May be I will do something like: Augsburg > Nuremburg > Munich. Then take day trips from there. I know I cannot see all of Germany or Bavaria in 2 weeks, so better at least I focus on a region and try to enjoy it there.

If that's the case (and I don't think it has to be - you can in 2 weeks certainly see the Rhine/Mosel, or the Black Forest, AND some of Bavaria,) or even if it's not, I suppose, then you will probably find the Bayern Ticket useful for day trips within Bavaria. It's a day pass good for all of Bavaria on trains and other public transport within Munich and other cities too, €28/day/couple.)

http://www.bahn.de/regional/view/mdb...ayern_2012.pdf

Other cheaper day passes for more limited areas are available as well:

Werdenfels Ticket (€23/2) covers this area: http://www.bahn.de/regional/view/mdb...e_dez_2014.pdf

The VGN Tagesticket Plus (€17.50/day for two) covers Nuremberg area's routes - Bamberg, Würzburg, Rothenburg, Iphofen, and Bad Windsheim are just some of the destinations covered:

http://www.vgn.de/en/dayticket?Editi...gesticket-plus
http://www.vgn.de/media/netz_plan.pdf

Any mountains that I can day trip to easily from any of the above locations...not for skiing but may be to see some snow or alpine town and scenary?

Hi reutiz,

Well, that's one question I *can* answer, lol!

There are some mountains at Garmisch, which is a lovely town itself. From there, you can ascend the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, in about 90 minutes with the cogwheel train and then descend by cable car to the Eibsee. Alternatively, you can take the town bus #2 to the Kreuzeck cable car (about 10 minutes) and then take a cable car up to the Kreuzeck or the Alpspitze (about 15 minutes).

You can get information on both of these at

www.zugspitze.de

Garmisch is about 90 minutes from Munich.

s

Thanks

So after gathering some further info I think Munich and Nuremberg will be on the itinerary as a base. Now I'm working on the last base and its between a mountain region like garmisch-partenkirchen or Augsburg. What do you think of Garmish using trains for day trips? It is nice in December, may be we stay for 4 or 5 nights?

Hi reutiz,

From Garmisch, you can make easy excursions into the mountains, as well as to Oberammergau, Ettal, Linderhof, Mittenwald (and its mountains), and Innsbruck. You can make an ok excursion to Füssen and Neuschwanstein -- I only say "ok excursion" because it is about 2h away by bus or train, and the connections are not great.

If there is snow, you can go snow-shoeing or sledding; if there is no snow, you can take some nice walks in the mountains or the valley floors.

You can research the bus and train connections at the German rail site

www.bahn.com

s

I'll also add that I think a mountain town would be a nice contrast to all of the cities on your list! I would choose either Garmisch or Mittenwald.

s

". What do you think of Garmish using trains for day trips? It is nice in December, may be we stay for 4 or 5 nights?"

If you want just a day for mountains, then Augsburg - which is NOT mountainous - would be fine. Augsburg would allow for a multiplicity of outings to different sorts of places in different terrains (everything from Munich to old walled villages to Alps.) You'd need 1:40 each way to make it to Garmisch by train, longer to Mittenwald.

But if you really want several days in the mountains - a risky choice in December when weather can make outings challenging - I'd go with Garmisch as swandav2000 suggests - it's a great location.

The thing about Augsburg is that with several days there you could follow the weather and choose the most promising day for your mountain outing, and spend rainy or snowy days in Munich, Augsburg, or some other place that's heavy with museums, cafes, shops, etc.

This will be my base plan

Land in Munich and had for 5 days in GAP...then 5 days in Nuremberg and then 6 days in Munich...

What do you suggest?