I have booked a trip to Germany for the Passion Play with my church group. It concludes on May 23 in Munich. I would like to spend an extra week, but will need to fly home from Munich due to the group package I bought. We will already have spent 3 days in Munich and 3 in Salzburg, and 1 at Oberammergau. I have never before spent any time in Germany or Austria, except for airports. Given that I have only a week, would it be better to dive deeper into the Munich and Salzburg areas or is there something else near enough that is a "don't miss" and suitable for late May? The Black Forest intrigues me, but I suspect the time of year might not be right for that. I enjoy historical sightseeing, beautiful vistas, great food, wine and beer, classical music, folk music, and in general, just taking in the cultural ambience of a place. My friend will be with me, and we plan to use trains for transport. Budget: economical to moderate.

So many options! I love Nurenberg and will let you know in Dec about Regensburg and Landshut. We stay in Garmisch but if you didn't want to backtrack go to other places for sure. It will be a zoo with the play going on in that area. Munich has a lot to see and do. I liked the BMW tour, book ahead.

Berchtesgaden, Mittenwald, Fussen, Garmisch, Bamberg, Regensburg, Seefeld, Innsbruck....just to name a few.

Hi Idell,

I live in Garmisch (about 1h20 from Munich), and you are right to take the season into consideration for your plan. May in the mountains (Garmisch, Mittenwald, Füssen, Berchtesgaden) might well be cold and wet. However, it might not be... This year we had the most amazing string of warm summer days in April. But then May was back to overcast and chilly. Unfortunately there is no way to tell.

So I would suggest you consider a more urban spot so you'll have stuff to do if you don't want to go out in bad weather (Germans here just put on a hooded down jacket and keep on walking...I don't know if I'll ever get there. Melnq8 also hikes in all weather, and I'm in awe of that!). So Regensburg is a good choice (I spent about 4 nights there and fell in live with it) or Nuremburg. You can also very easily get out of the city to walk in nature, along rivers, etc. Lindau is another idea, on Lake Constance. It will be milder than the mountain areas, but may still be wet. But there will be flowers just literally everywhere, and lots to do exploring other towns on the lake or taking a bike ride when the skies clear. It isn't far from Munich.

Have fun as you plan!

s