robin_m

We are planning a June trip where we start in Munich June 25, arriving Sunday, and need to be in Budapest by the following Saturday AM at the latest. We are 2 adults and 2 very easy enthusiastic kiddos (8 and 11). We like hiking and eating adventuresomely.
Notably, we will be getting on a one week river cruise in Budapest on that Saturday, that finishes outside of Munich, up the Danube, we will be stopping in Vienna, Salzburg etc.

I would love feedback on my itinerary:

Sunday, arrive Munich 1pm
Walk around English Garden
grab a beer
Walk around the

Monday
Check out the Viktualienmarkt, then drive rental car to Fussen
See Neuschwanstein
Sleep in Fussen

Tuesday
Drive to Garmisch
Zugspitze
kids get to do the toboggan run
Sleep in Garmisch

Wednesday
hike the Partnachklamm gorge
Lake?

Now here are my questions:
Any restaurants we should eat at, we adore all types of food.
Do we stay in Garmisch or somewhere else?
I think Wednesday we should try to make it to an alpine lake, thinking Chiemsee, maybe staying there on Wednesday night. Thoughts?
Thursday we could make it to Salzberg then take the 5 hour high speed train to Budapest, vs driving back to Munich to fly to Budapest. Although there may be a stiff penalty for not returning the rental car to our starting spot.
Then we get all of Friday to tour Budapest. Or we spend more time in Bavaria, and only Saturday in Budapest.

PalenQ

How steep is the extra draop-off charge?

Salzburg may count as a German drop-off? It is only a few miles from Germany - maybe go to a German town nearby and drop and take train back to Salzburg?

Anyway for discounted Salz-Budapest train tickets check the Austrian Railways site - huge discounts if book far enough in advance to get those limited in number ducats. For lots on trains check www.seat61.com - great advice on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Why not drop the car in Mittenwald - take the train to Innsbruck and onto Budapest?

Fussgaenger

The Chiemsee isn't in the Alps. It's in the flatlands at the feet of the Alps.

http://www.bayern.by/data/mediadb/cm...b773d4%7D.jpeg

But it's a very nice place. Maybe just visit Ludwig II's Herrenchiemsee Palace there instead of N'stein.

http://0.www.alpen-guide.de/m/image/...nchiemsee.jpeg

It's not like N'stein is a medieval castle - it was built around the same time as Herrenchiemsee, just prior to the beginning of the 20th century - and you only get 30 minutes on the tour. It's a long trip for that. Herrenchiemsee is more enjoyable, IMO, and the Chiemsee is on the way to Salzburg.

Fun Garmisch restaurant with Bavarian music/dancing and traditional food (Bavarian evening) at the Gasthof Fraundorfer:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...raundorfer.jpg

sla019

> Although there may be a stiff penalty for not returning the rental car to our starting spot.

Check whether your rental company has a branch in Freilassing, which is in Bavaria just outside Salzburg. From there it's a short train or bus ride into Salzburg.

WoinParis

Yes stay in Garmish !

In Muenchen I usually eat Sauerkraut in a Brauhaus.
Not very refined but it looks and tastes Munich.

PalenQ

In Muenchen I usually eat Sauerkraut in a Brauhaus>

Like the world-famous famous Haufbrauhaus -have a huge radish to boot!

Macross

Any of the Augustiner beer houses are great in Munich.

Stay in Garmisch.
Gasthof Fraundorfer in Partenkirchen is very fun.

PalenQ

it was built around the same time as Herrenchiemsee, just prior to the beginning of the 20th century - and you only get 30 minutes on the tour. It's a long trip for that.>

but there is some nice things to do besides tour the castle - like hike up to the Marienbrucke to ponder a wondrous setting of the fantasy castle overlooking a lake in the distance -Mad Ludwig used to come here to ponder his castle being built.

As for Neuschwanstein it is the most famous castle probably in Europe - well worth the trip and not just for the yes quick tour.

And Fussen is a really nice town too - there is a sweet walkway along the roaring river that goes thru town. It is a tourist town but mainly Europeans coming for the foothills of the Bavarian Alps if not Neuschwanstein.

The drive from Fussen to Garmisch goes via Austria - Reutte is a cute town to stop in for a few hours.

Oh well so little time so many possibilities to see.

WorldTravlr

Some ideas to mess up your planning. When you go to Neuschwanstein, Reutte Austria is just across the border and there is a big Sommerodelbahn "Summer Luge Ride" there. Be sure to see Hohenschwangau, the 'other' castle by N'stein. It is ore interesting than N'stein in my opinion. They have a two-castle ticket.

From there you can drive to Oberammergau by way of the Wieskirche then to Linderhof (another Ludwig hang out) and Ettal Monetary. Then on to Garmish. Just ten milea up the road is Mittenwald (the violin maker's village).

Skip Insburke and go on from there to Bertschesgaded seeing Konigisee and then a few more miles to Salzburg. Have a meal at St Peter's Stiftskeller (900 year old restaurant behind the Sound of Music graveyard where they hid from the Nazis). The upstairs is more expensive with a big Mozart show. The Keller (celler) has a less expensive menu. They say Charlemagne ate there.

Brenkjtravel

We took our kids to Bavaria back when they were ranging in age from 7-12
( three of them) and the things they loved were English Garden in Munich, the Hohensalzburg castle, where we stumbled on a Renaissance festival, but the castle is great, and the salt mine tour in Salzburg. The toboggan ride was a favorite as well. I also think they really enjoyed the hike in the Austrian Alps, just outside of Maria Alm that led up to a great little restaurant where we had lunch. The kids played on the swings, wandered around picking wildflowers, and climbed up into a treehouse that was up the hill. It made for a lovely day. Another beautiful place, but might be out of your way is Zell am See. We took the Godola ride up to the top, ate at another fun little place, and then came back down and took a boat ride on the lake.