We are going to be in Munich for two nights - one full day and two halves. Want to visit Saltzberg, salt mines and the Newensctein castle. Can that be done and if not all what are our best bet in that area. Is anyone aware of good dat trip tours that provide transport from munich to Saltzberg ? Definitely need help in planning these details,

thanks in advance,

Nishi

The chorus will be that those plans are way too much even if you have been to Munich before.

But it is very possible - on your own - trains roll at least hourly to Salzburg, taking about 1.5 hours - right to the city centre and the town is compact - nab a town map and walking tour at the tourist office in the station (assuming there still is one) or the main branch in the town centre. (Station is about 3/4s mile or so from the main square and all main sites, including the famous castle.

If i had to pick between Neushwanstein and Salzburg i'd take Salzburg for sure - IMO of course - to me one of Europe's prettiest cities - a Baroque fantasy for sure and really easy to do on your own.

So if Fuessen - take a train there - two hours each way and then a cab to Neuschwanstein Castle - Mad Ludwig's fantasy copy castle of a fanciful medieval castle and though Ersatz thru and thru it is a wonderful tour IMO with a surprise at every turn - be sure to book tickets ahead or you could wait forever in line - one November even the lines were long - lots of American GIs based in the area and this is a favorite to visit, along with hoardes of other nationalities.

Again really easy to do on your own - where the cab from the station drops you off (or a nice enough few-mile walk thru woods) there are horse-drawn carts to take you up the incredibly steep hill to the entrance.

A half-day in either place IMO would be rather hard to do unless you took a really early train i guess.

Salt mines are outside of Salzburg several miles. If you just want to do salt mines then maybe just head for Berchestgaden, in Germany across the mountain from Salzburg - those salt mines tours are about as awesome as Salzburg's.

Hi N,

I really do think that Munich will keep you occupied for 1-1/2 days.

If you must get out of town, you can take the train to Salzburg, or visit one of Ludwig's castles at Herrenchiemsee.

See www.bahn.de, http://www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisc...lace/index.htm

Enjoy your visit.

A humbling day trip from Munich is to go to Dachau. You can get the train from Munich train station and then the bus to Dachau. It is a very sobering experience but one that I am glad I had.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Is it easy to secure the tickets even before you embark on the journey ? And how do you do it ? I am going to keep every single location that you have all mentioned in mind while I am there. Thanks P and Ira for all the ideas and websites. J I wish I had enough time to every single location. Dachau is full of so much history. Too many places, too little time. Tomorrow I have to sit down and finalise where to go and get the bookings and tickets.

You can buy a Bayern ticket right from the machines. You can print out the itineraries at the same machine. All in English and easy to do. All the places mentioned so far on this post are covered by the Bayern pass. I'm not sure of the price because I bought a single for 20€. I think the group ticket is about 25-28€. You can travel all day starting after 9:00 AM on this ticket.

Bayren tickets are cheap , but from what I understand, good only on local trains - that can extend the train ride
more than you wish on a day trip.
Take a look at:

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml

Yes, the local trains are slower because they stop frequently. I really like the Rail Jet from Munich to Salzburg. There are no stops and it takes an hour and a half. You can check on oebb.at for specials. I traveled from Hallstatt to Munich for 29€ in 1st class on September 12. And the Salzburg to Munich was on the Rail Jet. It is really nice.