Day Trips from Munich
 

I will be in Munich for 4-5 days and want to take a few day trips. My questions is: Should I rent a car or is there rail service to places like Salzberg and Fussen? Which way would be easiest?
Any other recommendations for day trips from Munich?
Thanks,
Steph

Salzburg can easily be reached from Munich via train in under two hours.
Fussen can be reached by train but I personally think it would be much easier to visit the castles (I'm assuming that is one reason why you want to visit the area) if you had a car. For train schedules and info, visit: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

If it was me I would rent a car. The area around Munich is gorgeous and a pleasure to explore. A car would allow more freedom. For other daytrip options from Munich, you may want to consider Chiemsee. Its a beautiful lake with several neat towns around it, and you can take a boat to the Herrenchiemsee and visit another one of King Ludwig II's castles.

Good luck!
Tracy

Sorry...that should have been "if it WERE me"....don't want to offend the grammar police! :)

Tracy

Trains great for those two places - Salzburg 1.5 hrs by hourly trains; Fussen 2.5 hrs; investigate the Bayern Ticket (Bavaria Ticket) for unlimited regional trains (not fast trains) for all of Bavaria and including to Salzburg. Salzburg- a Baroque wonder that's one of Europe's most beautiful cities! As they say in German have a "Gut fahrt", meaning a "good ride", when taking the train.

You can do the usual castles/palaces, Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, etc., with a combination of rail and then public transport by going to either Fuessen or Oberammergau. I've done them that way and would agree that having a car would give you greater flexibility (but there is no need, IMO, for a car in Munich itself).

The palace at Herrenchiemsee can easily be done by rail.

Before you get too hung up on day trips you might want to explore a few sites within Munich itself such as the Residenze, the Nymphenberg Palace, etc.

Not to mention the many fine museums in Munich. We spent 3 full days in Munich without running out of things to see and do.

I second the idea of traveling via train from Munich to both Fussen and Salzburg. We did it last summer and enjoyed relaxing on the train after our days of sight-seeing. If the Bayern Pass is still available, it was VERY inexpensive, like 32 EU for 5 people, round-trip in a day. The pass also covers the bus you would take from the train depot in Fussen to the ticket seller at the base of the castle mountain.