Going to Germany for Our Honeymoon
 

We have booked our flights to Munich from September 12-20th. Since there is a tradeshow that week in Munich the prices of the hotels skyrocketed in price. We decided to rent a car and actually stay outside of Munich to the south in a town called, Lenggries. I am wondering if anyone can give us any information regarding this area and where I can find some nice "German-made" souveniers I can bring back to the states. Also, what kind of clothing should we be bringing along? Will it be cool or hot? Thanks so much!

Lenggries is a ski resort, so it should have a "gemütlich" (cozy) atmosphere. I haven't been there, but it's at a fairly high altitude, so it should be cool but sunny and pleasant. That's been my experience in southern Germany, anyway. I like Germany very much in September.

I would continue to check the weather on the internet, especially the extended forecast, as the time nears for your departure, so that you can tell what you need to pack. Layering is always a good idea in the fall.

You're not far from Oberammergau, where there are wonderful carved wooden figures. They are expensive, though, if you get something nice. I bought a nice music box for my neighbor, who takes care of my house when I travel. It was also expensive, but I'm sure you'll find lots of things that won't cost you an arm and a log, but that will remind you of your trip. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also nearby, as is Bad Tólz.

I was born without the shopping gene, so I seldom buy things when I travel. Thus I am pretty much bereft of ideas for shopping.

I leared to ski there :-) at Brauneck. Cool at night maybe some sun during the day, who knows. It won't be hot, that's for sure. There's so much to do and see, what can I say...

Webcam of Brauneck:
http://www.lenggries.de/webcam1.htm
:-)

Lenggries is at 679 meters btw., just a little above Munich altitude. :-)

Seems that you have underbudgeted. $2k for 2. Uh? Drive into Austria and stay away from the bigger cities. Hall-in-Tyrol is a perfect postcard. Go to Graz, historically famous but unknown to tourists.

BTW, Oktoberfest starts in Munich on September 22. The hotel problem may be due to an abundance of preparation workers. They have been there for a couple of months getting the burg ready for one of the greatest parties in the world.

Between Innsbruck and Hall is the famous Swarovski glass factory. That would be "Austrian-made" and the products are sold in mega-buck boutiques all over the world. Maybe they have a seconds shop. They certainly have a greater selection than you will find anywhere else.

Temperatures will be maybe cold, definitely cool in the mornings, sort of warm in the afternoons, and maybe hot. Dress in layers. Pack light. Bring your umbrella.

Hopscotch, there is no "seconds" shop in Wattens. In fact, it isn't even a factory. It's Swarovski Crystal World. There is an amazing selection but everything is pricey. Admission is 8 Euro, but if you make a purchase greater than 8 Euro, they will give you a "discount" of 2 Euro. Interesting, but not what we were expecting. Here's their website:

http://tinyurl.com/2v3c6g

Agree that Hall is worth visiting as well as Graz. In September, we are staying several days in Maurach on the Achensee. It is also in the Tirol not too far from Hall. Also, not known to American tourists but pretty popular I gather with Austrians.

Well, you need to give more information, what you want to do/see. Lenggries and Maurach are two of Munichs "outskirts" and are flodded by people from Munich every weekend. Graz is far! away, but except for the "Landeszeughaus", not that interesting compared to other places.

logos, interesting that you learned to ski in Lenggries. In the early 90s I have been there for skiing a couple of times. Actually my first 'Alpine' ski trips - had to wait until the wall came down. ;-)

It's a cute town, very authentic Bavarian and IMO not overrun with tourists. Avoid the weekends, though, as logos said the Munich locals like to go there. And they know where it's beautiful!

Ingo

I know we plan on going to the castles and of course going into Munich and doing some sightseeing. We would like to go see Dachau at the tail end of our honeymoon. I would like to also see some of the authentic bavarian cities with stores with german-made things to purchase. We do have a car so anything within reasonable distance that is something someone found as a nice hidden getaway or sight to see would be great.

>authentic bavarian cities with stores with german-made things to purchase.
If you do the "stardard tour" like it sounds, you will be stuck in very touristy towns. Those are authentic in the way that everything is done to please the tourists :-). (It's your honeymoon!) If you're looking for non-touristy places with ordinary people, they exist in abundance too in upper Bavaria. As are places where you'd mostly find local (ie. Munich) tourists. Just yesterday I was at Hohenpeissenberg (988m), beautiful, few tourists. The same goes for Lenggries, although it's a little better known. North of Munich, hardly any american tourists are found northeast of Landshut. Stores with "german made products" are Supermarkets. You won't find those "kitsch stores" outside of touristy towns. German made products, nowadays are mostly food, tools and machine parts, so maybe not what you would want to bring home? :-)

Graz??? Graz looks nice, but it's about 4 1/2 hours away.

You will be perfectly happy exploring Bavaria and the Tyrol for a week. Munich, Berchtegaden, Innsbruck, the Zugspitze, Mittenwald, Fuessen, etc are all within an hour or 2 of Lenggries.

Happy honeymoon!

For all things Bavarian go to this non-commercial website:

www.bensbauernhof.com/

Ben posts from time to time on Fodor's.

>hidden getaway
The more hidden, the more basic it will be. Stay on Brauneck for the night. http://www.brauneckgipfelhaus.de/ have double rooms (two single beds only). On a clear night, you'll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the stars. Other places are Greding (beautiful authenic old town, Kipfenberg, Eichstätt, Regensburg (bigger city), Weltenburg, Kochel!, Murnau, Bad Wiessee (for the gambling), Wasserburg, anywhere in the Bavarian Forest, Braunau/Austria (Hitlers hometown)... and so on.

not sure how energetic you are but we really enjoyed our Mike's Bike Tour of Munich and we also used them for our tour to Dachau (they helped with the transport) if you aren't good with trains/buses or don't want to drive.

it is fun and laid back
http://www.mikesbiketours.com/1.html

I enjoy my German pyramid and music box
and plan to get a scwhboggen(sp) this time around.