Drive car or use trains in Bavaria in December
 

Hello all

My family and I (2 adults and 1 child of 5) are travelling in Bavaria for 10 days in December before catching the train from Munich to Salzburg and then onto Klagenfurt a few days later. We are skiing in Austria and so will be carrying two pairs of ski boots (I have fussy feet and do not want to rent boots). We fly into Munich from Spain and want to see some or all of the following places:

Augsburg, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Regensburg.

We have the option to spend a few days in Munich after our return from Austria. We are primarily going for the Christmas Markets but also want to do some sightseeing. I would have loved to get over to Heidelberg where I understand there is an outdoor ice rink set up but I don't think it is practical in the time we have. I was also reading about the Christmas Markets in Ettal (Oberammergau) which are only on every two years and was wondering if these were worth travelling to as well.

Anyway, the main question is should we hire a car in Munich to travel around these places before catching the train to Salzburg or do the whole thing by train? If we do go by train, does anyone know if there are lockers for hire at Munich railway station that we could use for our ski boots rather than lugging them around with us?

Thanks in advance.

Ski boots:
Why not ask your hotel in Munich if they can put them somewhere for a few days. Should be no problem IMO.
Lockers are just for up to 48 or 72 hrs. Don't remember that - but probably not long enough for you anyway.

Outdoor ice rink:
There is also one in Munich on Karlsplatz/Stachus. No need to trek to Heidelberg for that.

Train vs. Car:
If you stick to the 5 cities you mentioned, I'd take the train. My favorite would be Regensburg (great christmas market in the big historic castle/palace yards), my least wanted Nuremberg (totally overrun during that time, try at least to avoid weekends).

How many days do you plan for your trip through Bavaria?

We lived in Germany for a few years and never enjoyed driving or parking in German towns.

The last few years we have visited the towns that you mentioned (except Augsburg), included a couple very nice Advent Season trips. We liked taking trains into the towns. Bamberg's train station is a distance from the city center (Altstadt), so a taxi might be handy there.

Regards, Gary

I hadn't thought about asking the hotel .. might work, especially if we booked to return there before going to Salzburg and again, when we return to Munich. Thanks for the thought.

We have about 10 days more or less in Bavaria before heading to Austria and can also arrange for a couple more in Munich in early Jan when we return from Austria before flying home to Spain. I haven't actually booked the flights to and from Munich yet but we have roughly from 11/12/10 to 21/12/10 in Germany, off to Austria for Christmas and New Year's Eve and then we return to Munich on 1/1/11.

There is an outdoor ice rink in Munich as well as in Salzburg during the markets.

We are a big fan of the trains and do not drive when in Germany and Austria.

Hi caitg,

I moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2008 and live without a car. It's a fun way to travel. You get to mingle with more locals, folks who aren't in business for your money. You should enjoy watching the folks fall in love with your child on the journey!

Don't forget that many folks bring picnics and snacks on the train -- just drop by a grocery store on the way to the station.

Yes, getting from city center to city center without the hassles of one-way streets, pedestrians, busses, trams, and finding and paying for parking -- trains are the way to go.

s

Thank you to everyone for your responses. It sounds like trains are the way to do it. Back to planning the itinerary and will be asking a few more questions soon.

And I would urge the opposite mode of transport. For an explanation, see about twenty other similar threads.

I have to agree that given the cities you list that rail might be the best option. I just returned from Bavaria a few weeks ago and for the first time rented a car. For our particular itinerary and schedule a car worked out better than the train. Of course, we ended up paying more for that degree of flexibility than we would have had we stuck to the rail system as we normally do.

As to luggage storage..there used to be an actual left luggage room at the Munich main station (as opposed to just the usual lockers) but that may have changed since I last used it.