Free ticket to Munich for 1 week -- what to do in area?
 

Hi,

My DH managed to use his miles to nab a ticket for me to fly in and out of Munich the 2nd week of June. What to do and see in this area? Interesting in historical sights and spectacular scenery and hikes. Heard about the Sleeping Beauty castle, Black Forrest. From the map it looks like it's close to Austria and Switzerland.

Please suggest an itinerary, including details about how to get around (by train, bus, etc.).

Thanks!

interesting place. How long are you going to stand there

Also, is it very difficult/scary to drive there? More convenient and economical than train? From a quick search on the web, these are the places we might consider outside of Munich:
* The castle
* Salzburg
* Hallstatt -- lake District outside of Salzburg (is this the Sound of Music country?)

Anything else for 1 week? Or alternative places?

Taking the train looks very expensive, like over $100 one way to from Munich to Salzburg? Any less expensive options?

Thanks!

You questions have been answered a zillion times and the answers are very easy to find, just check the Austrian and German formums.
Search for Bayern Ticket (cheap rail), Neuschwanstein (castle) and Salzburg.
Thre are many alternative places, nicer with fewer tourists. You won't go there, stick with the crowds.

Respect the rules for driving and rent a proper (stick shift) car. No problem at all. If there are still questions after you've read what's posted there, do post more specific questions.

It's not difficult to drive in Germany but stay out of the left lane except to pass. Really. You won't believe how fast that dot in your mirror turns into a Mercedes doing 200+ kph! ;^)

Where are you looking at train ticket prices? I just did a quick search on www.dbahn.de for Munich to Salzburg and see a Savings Fare (advanced purchase) for 19 euro and Standard Fare for $29 euro.

I like taking the train in Europe, although I do rent a car when it makes sense - usually when I am going to an out of the way place where public transport isn't convinient or I just want the flexibility of stoping wherever I want along the way. Taking the train is great though - and isn't very expensive. For our trips, train travel has proved to be less expensive than renting a car.

The castle (Neuschwanstein) is very touristy. I'd skip it. I'd also recommend taking the train into Munich, driving and parking in the city will be a major hassle and the Hbf (train station) is right in the middle of the city.

How about this itinerary:
* Fly into Munich
* Drive or train to Salzburg and sightsee surrounding areas for 2 days
* Back to Munich for 3 days (for business)
* Castles area --Bavaria & Tirol -- for 1 1/2 days. Train or drive here?

Is it worth adding 3 more days (next available time using miles)? If so, what else I could add?

Thanks!

Hi JC98,

Yes, I think adding three days would be a good bet, and you could add that time to the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, about 1h30 south of München right at the edge of the Alps.

If it were me, I would go directly to Garmisch upon arrival in München and stay for three or four nights. There is great public transport to Oberammergau (site of the Passion Play), Linderhof, and Füssen; you can also take the train or bus to the sweet village of Mittenwald.

From Garmisch you can also ascend the Zugspitze or the Alpspitz or the Wank; you can take challenging hikes or gentle walks through Alpine pastures, or you can take a nice bike ride through the countryside.

From Garmisch, I would go to München for business. Then to Salzburg for two or three nights.

There's really no reason to rent a car in this area -- parking will be a hassle in Salzburg and in Múnchen, and train transport is easy and convenient (and **green** yaaay).

Hope you're having fun with your plans!

s

Thanks, swan and all, for new ideas. How about flying out of Zurich on the return flight? Is it close by? Worth going there, so we don't have to backtrack to Munich?

Thanks!

I think swandav's plan is great. And I think you will be quite happy using public transportation rather than renting a car.

Swandav was right on the money!! Garmisch for a few days with the suggested side trips and back to Munich for other side trips. There's a lot to see in Munich and Salzburg and the train is a great way to go. Travel 2nd class and you can ride very reasonably.

Garmisch is not a must see place, neither is Oberammergau! If you are restrained to public transport you have to stay in the bigger towns like Garmisch. Driving from Munich takes less than one hour. From Garmisch to Füssen, a car is essential.

Thanks, all, for the advice.

Which place is more scenic and worth visiting? Berchtesgaden National Park vs Hallstatt (the lake district near Salzburg)?
Which one is more convenient to go from Salzburg by public transport? By car should be equally fine?

Thanks!

I can't believe that nobody has yet recommended that you visit Dachau, especially since you say you want to see historical sights. I've been there twice and think it is a "must see" site.

Just get a Munich XXL day ticket (7.30 Euros) to get you there and back. The ride is under 30 minutes followed by a bus to the site of the concentration camp.
See: http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html
and http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/index.html

There's a public bus to Hallstatt, the train is not an option from Salzburg. Parking may be a problem during peak season. The lake Koenigssee is not that far, the bus takes forever nevertheless. A car is a better option too.

However, on a guided bus tour, you won't notice the time that much.

logos--did they discontinue train service to Hallstatt? I am going there on Sunday and I usually take the train. But you take a ferry across the lake to Hallstatt. Guess I will find out Sunday. I did this trip last June also, but it could have changed.

Personally I would pick Berchtesgaden and Koenigssee over Hallstatt. I think it is much easier to get to from Salzburg, just take the 840 bus. The town is nice to walk around, and there are the salt mines to tour or go for a nice boat cruise on the Koenigssee which is gorgeous. You can also go up to Eagles Nest for a beautiful view of the lake and mountains.

You can get to Hallstatt by train, however we took the bus but it is a long ride with a couple of changes. And your bus might at times be crowded with schoolkids.

It isn't discontinued, there's just a detour.

Thanks, all, for the good info.

It sounds like Berchtesgaden is easier to get to from Salzburg by public transport. We have only 2 days in Salzburg though.

We have 1 day to visit the mad king castles. Is it worth staying overnight in Fussen the night before, so we could have an early start at the castles? Can we add anything else to that day?

Sound of Music--why is everyone telling you to take a tour? Can't you visit some of the sites on your own?

Thanks

"Sound of Music" is something fictional, exclusively american, locals outside of the tourist industy don't know this hollywood movie. You can do everything on your own, a guided tour hopefully gives you some real background info.

Hi again,

About your question about flying out of Zürich -- no, not a good idea as it's not close. I live in Garmisch and travel to Switzerland once or twice a year -- the trip takes about four or five hours.

You can check the exact train schedules at

www.bahn.de

Hope all of your planning works out ok!

s

Hi swan, we decided to fly from Munich to London with a 3 day layover in London, since my DH has never been there. I wasn't able to get a ticket out of Zurich anyhow. Thanks.

The Sound of Music was set in Austria, not Germany.

While King Ludwig's castles may be touristy, that's because they are very interesting. Don't let the number of visitors put you off, and do include Linderhof--be sure to see the grotto where the king floated around in a boat listening to Wagner, as well as the peacock pavillion.

If you like hiking walking either up or down the back trail at Neushwanstein is stunning and a nice break from the throngs of tourists. I walked up it and would do so again as there are views of the castle on the way up, not to mention the fact that it's part of the last leg of the fabulous 80 mile King Ludwig's Way.

The trail that goes past King Ludwig's favorite lake and then on to Fussen is mercifully tourist free, beautiful, and provides a different perspective to the castle. It's rumored that King Ludwig's favorite view of the castle was from the other side of the lake, and it's easy to see why.

Thanks, all, for the great tips! Would definitely try to do the hike. I love to see the famous sights from unique and beautiful perspectives. How to go that lake?

Also, the underground grotto is in Linderhof, not Neushwanstein? I remember hearing about it before, but was puzzled why the guidebooks didn't mention it for Neushwwanstein.

Thanks and love to hear more tips like these--for Munich, Salzburg, and surrounding areas.

Thanks!

I'm quoting here from the book King Ludwig's Way by Fleur and Colin Speakman.

"Begin at Hohenschwangau Castle drive, through a gateway on the right as you leave the castle entrance, signed 'Alpenrosenweg'. It's a well waymarked path, winding its way through craggy wooded slopes high above the beautiful little Schwansee - a favourite haunt of both Kings and swans. Look out for the point where it forks left, away from the main path down to the Schwansee. It climbs a little knoll, then becomes a beautiful path contouring along a rocky shelf across the wooded hillside, giving glorious views between the trees..."

"The Aplenrosenweg continues for more than a kilometre beyond the Schwansee. You are now within a kilometre of the Austrian border and the mountains you see are all in Austria. At a junction of paths look for the signs right, indicating the way to Fussen. This path dips down over the shallow valley floor. Keep ahead in the same direction no, northwards, ignoring branching paths left and right, to where the path dips down through this beautiful woodland, finally meeting the road just a short distance from Fussen bridge. Before going into the town you might wish to look at the famous falls on the River Lech just below town."

In Munich we really enjoyed Mike's Bike Tour.

Thanks, Hez, for typing out those directions from the book. I'll print it out and bring it with me. Thanks a bunch!

Is it better to take a train to Salzburg from Munich, sightsee Salzburg for 1 day, and then rent a car from Salzburg to go to Berchtesgaden or Hallstatt, and take the train back to Munich? That way we only rent the car for 1 day instead of 2?

Doing this way will avoid the hassle of parking in Salzburg, and it makes it more convenient to see the rural areas?

Sounds good! On those few days like yesterday, when the Salzburg autobahn was almost empty, driving there is a delight on all other days, the train is a good alternative.

Trying the same question here instead of on a separate thread.

For the castle trip, we have Thurs night and Friday, but need to get back to Munich airport hotel on Friday night. Struggling to figure out whether we should drive or take the train, as both are not very convenient for what we need to do.

Option 1: Drive to Fussen
* Thurs 6 p.m. Pick up car from Munich and drive to Fussen
* Fri. See castles, hike around, and possibly see other sights nearby--the Unesco church (I still don't have to spell it) and/or the monastery.
* Problem: We need to return the car by 6 p.m. in Munich, which means we need to leave Fussen by 4 p.m. So we're not spending that much time in the area.

Option 2: Train to Fussen.
* Thurs afternoon. Train from Munich to Fussen. Stay overnight somewhere convenient w/ luggage in tow. (Any recommendations?)
* Fri. See Neuschwanstein and the other castle nearby. Hike around.
* Problem: After this, how do we take public transport to go anywhere else nearby? Which sights would be easy to do by public transport?

Option 3: Train to Fussen and back on Friday. Leave luggage at Munich hotel.
Problem: Too short a trip? Or it's still ok?

Please help solve our dilemma! Thanks

Other than the constraints of the rental car being for 24 hours do you have to be back in Munich at 6pm? It seems (although I'm no great expert on Munich) that you're going to be driving into Munich at rush hour.

What about renting the car early Friday morning and then getting back to Munich later that night? You then won't have to muck around with luggage etc. Also, it will be light until 9pm or so.

I would try to stop at Weiskirche (UNESCO church - http://www.wieskirche.de/eframset.htm) and Kloster Andechs (http://www.andechs.de/kloster-andechs.html) on the way back, and maybe dinner in Herrsching (http://www.herrsching24.de/english/).

You could also swing by the site where King Ludwig II was found drowned, it's in Berg on Starnberg See. There's a cross memorial in the lake (See means lake) which is pretty cool.

Thanks, Hez, for another great suggestion! Would we be getting to the castle too late? Would it get too crowded on a Fri (next Fri in fact)? The reason we want to get to Fussen the day before was to spend more time in Fussen and also to get an early start on the castle, but if people think it's not worth doing, then we can just do daytrip, via car seems to be easier.

Also, if we rent on Thurs, we need to return it by 6 p.m. to meet the 1 day rental. Otherwise, afraid they'll charge us a lot more, and the rental office near our hotel will be closed by 6 p.m. anyhow.

Neushwanstein will be crowded no matter when you get there. Book your tickets online prior - that will save a lot of time and hassle.

You said you need to be back to a Munich Airport Hotel - Avis at the airport is open from 6:30am to 11:30pm. I'm sure there are many others in that area with better hours, but you can always rent early friday morning (assuming they open at a reasonable hour) and then return on saturday morning.

I didn't personally think Fussen was all that great - lots of shops if you're into that though.

FYI - there is a bus from Fussen to Neushwanstein so if you wanted to do that lake walk you could park at Neushwanstein, take the shuttle up the hill, see the castle, walk down the back way (highly recommend - it's very cool), see Hohenschwangau (I didn't do this so not sure if it's a must do), walk around the lake - to Fussen, and then take the bus back to your car. A picnic on the other side of the lake, looking back at Neushwanstein would be awesome.

Here's a link to a Google maps route for the way back. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...34589&t=h&z=10

That will take you to Wies, Kloster Andechs and Herrshing as well as Wildsteig (http://www.wildsteig.de/index.php?id=318&L=1) which is a lovely little town, and Rottenbuch which also has a famous monastery (http://rottenbuch-boebing.de/).

Thanks, Hez, for the great detailed info! I'll bring it with me. It might not be bad to rent the car on Fri then and come back to Munich late.

We have a flight out to London on Sat at 9:30 a.m. Would 1 hour advanced arrival at the airport sufficient? We don't need 2 hours, right?

Thanks!

You welcome. I hope you have an amazing time!

Having never flown out of Munich airport I really can't say. I would check with your airline and follow their advice. We leave less time when departing from home as we know the airport, but usually stick with the guidelines in places we don't know well.

Thanks, Hez! I've printed out all the stuff you sent to bring with me.

Munich Airport isn't super huge in relation to other airports, but if you end up dropping your rental car back at the airport agency, then I'd be getting there at least 1.5hrs before your flight.

Munich Airport isn't super huge in relation to other airports, but if you end up dropping your rental car back at the airport agency, then I'd be getting there at least 1.5hrs before your flight.

Hi again,

For the first weekend of our trip (this weekend!), we'll base ourselves in Salzburg for Sat and Sun nights. If we rent a car, what is the best way to see Salzburg, Hallstatt and/or Berchtesgaden?

How about this:
* Sat night: Salzburg
* Sun morning; Salzburg--church, walk around old town.
* Sun afternoon: Better to drive out to Hallstatt or Berchtesgaden? Should we spend the night outside of Salzburg (haven't booked this yet).
* Mon: Full day but need to drive back to Munich by night. Better to do Hallstatt or Berchtesgaden?

Thanks!