Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Help with Bavarian Itinerary

First rules of the road when driving in Deutschland...stay to the right but remember if ever in doubt yield to the driver on the right. When on the autobahn stay to the right, getting left ONLY to pass. This will reduce your chances of a wreck tremendously. Know the rules for crossing railroad tracks as well. There are specifics like shutting off your engine etc. By law you should have a triangle in the car for if it breaks down and an orange safety vest in addition when driving in Austria.

Garmisch/Salzburg area is very good for driving. If going to Austria from DE you must purchase a license(or pass) to drive on the Austrian autobahn. This is a pass you can purchase at most petrol stations. I believe it costs around 10 euro. Do not blow this off as the Austrians are serious about non-resident drivers. Also know that there may be traffic jams or a stau. When there is a death on the autobahn in Austria they close the autobahn for hours to collect evidence from the crashes and out of respect for the dead. In Garmisch there is a Europcar rental place right across the street from the train station. If you see that there has been snow recently when you arrive be sure to pay the extra fee about 100 euro for snow tires as German law holds the driver responsible if there is an accident in the snow and you don't have the proper tires. This is an option not a guarantee when renting a car so plan ahead. Since you will be doing mountain driving there is a good chance you will encounter snow even in Sept. The train station arrives right in the center of Garmisch. It is about a 2 hour train ride from Munich. There are lockers for large and small luggage if needed in Garmisch. Most train stations have this in Germany and in general are safe (since there are cameras everywhere you go) If the lockers are full there generally is a DB (Deutschbahn) staff person who will store it in a luggage room for you. If you are interested the old Post stage coach does 2 runs through town in Garmisch per day and is a neat way to go through town. When I've been there I've always envied those riders, thinking how it must have been getting mail via coach in the old times.

If you are religious or like churches make a quick stop near Fussen in Obergammergau where the Passion Play takes place every 10 years or better still the most ornate Roccoco church in the area the Wies Kirche out in the boondocks in the middle of a field!

There is an Olympic skating facility in Garmisch if you like to ice skate. It is an old facility but cool to have a chance to skate where Olympians have before.

You can take the cable car or cog rail to the top of Zugspitze mountain and straddle the Austrian German border with your feet. The views are beautiful and a nice way to see a glacier without all the fuss of hiking. Take the cable up and the cog down for variety. There may be some lines to buy your initial tickets but it usually isn't too bad. Do this on a sunny day and dress warm.

If going to Berchtesgaden Eagle's Nest check the weather reports first since if it is raining the view gets fogged in and if it is raining and you won't see much other than the actual building. The building is interesting but the view adds to the effect. You may book your tickets ahead of time on line which I would recommend but make sure you aren't late as these things move whether you show up or not.

If looking for the basic staples stop at Lidl or Aldi. They have all the basics you might need like milk, basic cheese, juice, fruit, musli (Koeln sorry now umlaut on my keyboard) is the best. American cheese is actually mild gouda. This is not an American grocery store be warned.

In Salzburg about 2 1/2 hours from Garmisch is a bakery called Demel, this is the place to have apfel strudel, if you must. There is the sister bakery in Vienna as well. See everything you ever wanted to about Mozart. Take the fernicular up to the castle. Don't buy too many Mozart kugeln.

Also keep change for the bathrooms handy and a pack of pocket tissue, they will save the day more times than you imagine.

Have a happy adventure.