German & Austrian Alps October
 

Hi,

Wife and I are thinking of an October trip to Munich and Bavarian / Austrian Alps. Wanting to be surrounded by natural beauty, eat good local food and get around by train or bus to the greatest extent possible.

Definitely don't want to get caught up in Octoberfest crowds... Want to avoid overly touristy areas...and crowds.... Again want to focus on natural beauty in peaceful settings. We have some physical limitations so can't do strenuous activity.

Would appreciate your suggestions / guidance.



Many thanks.... Vielen Dank.

How much time do you have? The October Fest crowds are really only around the wider periphery of Munich. And it starts in September and is over in early October.

You could start flying on an "Open Jaw" into Zuerich, take the train to Konstanz. After a visit (by bus) to the Flower Insel (Island) Mainauin in the Lake Constanz (Bodensee), take the ferry boat across the southern part of the Lake to Wasserburg, bus to Friedrichshafen and from there either boat or train to Lindau.

From Lindau, take train to Obersdorf, and bus to the Kleine Walsertal; then Oberstdorf train to Fuessen (Neuschwanstein). Bus/train from nearby Reutte to Garmisch-Partenenkirchen and/or Mittnwald. Train Innsbruck - Salzburg. Return by train to Munich, possibly stopping enroute in Prien to visit the Herrnchiemsee Palace of King LudwigII on the island by the same name in the Chiemsee. close the "Open Jaw" by leaving from Munich, or if you have more time, take train to Rotenburg ob der Tauber, Wuezburg, Frankfurt, and return from there. You can do the whole trip in reverse as well. Keep in mind that after October 10-15 the weather wll usually turn colder and the days are really getting short.

Loko up the places I mentioend on the Internet to see what appeals and put your suggested itinerary for comment on this Forum. Starting in Konstanz, you can do all the travel on bus and train by purchasing regional day tickets, which for the two of you will cost about $24 total.\

Go to www.bahn.com ( the train schedule for the German railroad. The scgedule covers all of Europe. There is an English language version. Check the flags. To use the regional tickets, you are limited to Regio trains and busses, leaving afetr 9AM. But your trips are all short enough, that this limitation won't affect your travel times in any severe way.

Good for you !
How much time do you have, and do you plan to drive?

Thank you for the suggestions I truly appreciate it We have two weeks for the trip. I would rather not drive

Like we've done in the Bernese Oberland, we want to travel by train and gondola from town to mountain and so on.

Thank you again

The Bernese Oberland is the best of the Alps---no question.
But, we also loved the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Try to include St. Gilgen, the Wolfgansee, and Hallstat in your plans.

Hi,

I'd suggest including the Zillertal in Austria and Mittenwald in Germany each for at least a few nights.

http://www.zillertal.at/en/summer/home/

http://www.zillertalarena.com/en/are...rt_sommer.html

http://www.alpenwelt-karwendel.de/en/mittenwald

Paul

Yes Octoberfest ends around Oct 4 so is mainly in September - the dates having been moved up from the traditional ones to insure better weather.

Which brings up a salient point that this time of year is one of the rainiest periods in one of the wettest regions of Europe -OK for cities like Munich but not so much for trekking around the Alps.

For train info check these superb IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for suggested rail itineraries in these countries - in Bavaria the bargain-price Bavarian Ticket is a day pass good for unlimited rides on regional trains (not high-speed express trains like ICE ir IC or EC trains) and city transit systems - it costs 27-29 euros for up to several people on one pass - but use it for all your Bavarian trips.

and to get to Salzburg, Austria to as it is valid to there as well.

You seem not to be traveling nearly enough to consider any other railpass than those sold locally in German stations - the Bavarian Lander Card.

Hi,

Just wanted to comment on "the rainiest periods in one of the wettest regions". Our experiences in the area during October trips in '01, '03, '06, '07 and '09 were very few days with any rain. It's the month we prefer to travel to Germany and Austria and the alps in general due to the lack of rain, cool to mild days and chilly nights.

Paul

You could go to the Salzkammergut region in Austria, which is just a few hours away from Munich. Starting with Salzburg you could go to Halstatt,Wofgangsee, Gosausee and so on.
You can have a look at my trip report : http://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com/...ia-and-prague/

Thank you all for the thoughtful suggestions. I will start looking into the details...have a happy week.

We go to Garmisch-Partenkirchen often and have had warm sunny weather and snow in October. You just never know. Public transportation/trains is great there and you are close to Munich and Austria. Beautiful scenic walks, mountains etc.