from munich by train...
 

after reading posters' suggestions to NOT have car in munich...i am wondering if train to grindewald / wengen and salzburg from munich is possible and a better idea than auto? if so, how long of a train ride?

If you have a car in Munich, where do you expect to park it?

Is it possible to go to Salzburg and Wengen by train? Of course, people do it every day of the week.

Salzburg about 90 minutes depending on which train you take; some stop more than others. Wengen, about 7 hours, depending on connections.

Ever thought of looking it up on the web at one of two excellent rail sites?
www.sbb.ch or

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/d
One Swiss; the other German. Both comprehensive for Germany and Switzerland. Yes, I know Salzburg is in Austria, but you don't ride an Austrian train to get there; you ride a German train, all the way. In fact there is a separate ticket office in the Salzburg station for DB.

That reply may be a little unkind. For example, no web site will tell you succinctly thar the ninety minute train to Salzburg runs at 0725 and every two hours, carries a restaurant car, runs through delightful Bavarian pastureland, and brings you to Salzburg station a mile or two from the city centre (or you can take the bus into town. If you leave at 0725 you can breakfast and good coffee while enjoying the views, or if at 1126 lunch and wine.

[email protected]

First of all, it is VERY EASY to park a car in Munich IF you know where to do so and want to spend the time hunting(and when you are in the city you'll see plenty of autos, believe me) BUT for a visitor I think it is foolish to bother renting a car for use in a city where the public transport system is so all-encompassing.

As Mr. Haines indicates, you can be in Salzburg in 1.5 hours by rail and if you time it right you can take a train which has a restaurant car, etc.

The main rail station in Munich has plenty of food offering possibilities as well.

Enjoy your trip.

free parking is available to me in munich - thank you brookwood for your reply which, although somewhat helpful, was an unpleasant experience for me. mr. haines and intrepid1 thank you kindly for helpful, civilized replies. best regards to all, jfm.

As Mr. Haines says, the train ride from Munich to Salzberg is great!

To "train" or "not to train", really comes down to how much sightseeing you want to do en route. While the train will wisk you from Munich to Salzburg in 90 minutes, there are very scenic routes between these cities which you can only see by car. I am sure, the same is also true for Munich to Wengen, although I have not driven this exact route.

Would it be possible for you to schedule your sightseeing of Salzburg and your trip to Wengen at the end or beginning of your Munich stay? This way, you can see Munich without a car, and then do the car trips. Although I know Munich quite well (I have lived there many years), a car really is sort of a pain and can be quite expensive.

As an alternative: Stay outside of Munich (like Erding - Hotel Kastanienbaum) or Prien (several good hotels along the Chiemsee lake). Erding is on the S-Bahn (suburban train) route to Munich. The hotel is across from the station. Prien is halfway between Munich and Salzburg, on that train route. Most hotels have free parking, and you can do your scenic drives and sightseeing of Salzburg, Berchtesgeden, etc. by car, and take the 45 min. train ride to Munich whenever it suits you.