saianel

First off, thanks for reading my thread and for taking the time to respond to it.

I will be flying into Munich on a Saturday at 8am and will be in town through Monday morning. Thus, I got almost two full days.

By the way, I am not really a 'museum' kinda guy. I am more about architecture, outdoor stuff, people and food.

On day one, I would like to take a 4-hour bike ride tour around the city (mikes tours?) to hit the highlights of the city. People seem to really enjoy this as an introduction to the main sights and a beer garden. Walk around Viktualienmarkt and Marienplatz in the evening. At night, enjoy some music, beer and dinner at Hofbräuhaus.

During my second day, I found a very interesting tour at a different forum (trip advisor) offered by Pure Bavaria Tours, which people love and seem to call it their highlight of their Germany trip. It includes a drive through small Bavarian towns along the romantic road, visiting Neuschwanstein, a walk to through a waterfall leading to the castle, stopping by Church of Wieskirch, and a Bavarian cheese farm to enjoy a typical meal.

Are my expectations unrealistic?

PeaceOut

No, I don't think you are being unrealistic. You arrive Sat morning, check into hotel, and take a bike ride. Then you have all of Sunday to day-trip. Leave Monday morning. Right?

Have you reserved your hotel in Munich? I can personally recommend the Hotel Uhland. It is a charming little hotel, in a nice neighborhood. And they have free bikes to loan.

We used their bikes to ride a couple of hours. From the hotel you can go to the Oktoberfest park, about three blocks away. Or ride along the river bike paths, which we did. It's a nice neighborhood with restaurants and bars.

On Saturday, you could probably save money by skipping the "tour" and do it yourself. From Hotel Uhland, it is a 10 minute walk to train station. Get a Bayern ticket for Neuschweinstein (sp) or Salzburg. They are each an easy day trip by train.

saianel

Thank you for your response.

Your assumptions are correct.

Sat morning - strolling around Munich
Sun - day trip
Monday - headed to Prague

I do have hotel reservations (Maritim).

My only concern is people's thoughts of spending a whole day touring Neuschweinstein. Some say it's a must-do activity, while others say it's a waste of time.

It looks so enchanting that it's hard to be so close and not see it in person, you know?

At the same time, I have 48-hours in Munich, and is it really worth spending half my trip touring it?

PeaceOut

Good question. We took day-trips to Salzburg and to Neuschweinstein. The castle is interesting, in an awesome setting, but I don't think it's worth a full day, especially since it's your only one. If you take the train on your own, you can spend less time than the tour.

Salzburg, on the other hand, could occupy a full day, if you decide to leave Munich. Also an easy train ride using the Bayern ticket.

AisleSeat

Munich is a great city to visit with lots of attractions for all interests. You are short-changing Munich with the day trip to Neuschwanstein. It is the iconic castle but it is about 2 1/2 hours from Munich. Yiu'll be spending around 5 hours on the bus. Get a Munich guidebook and see what else interests you, Nymphenburg Palace might be a little substitute for Neuschwanstein. The coach house is outstanding. Englisher Garten is worth a stroll. Dachau is very moving and is available on the Munich city transportation system. BTW, there is a Bavarian Folk Evening at 7 pm each evening at the Hoffbrau Haus. It is kind of corny but fun. Have your hotel call in reservation since it can fill in with tour busses full of people. Have a fun trip and then plan to come back when you can stay longer.

nfldbeothuk

In Saianel's place, I don't know if I would take the day tour, but I wouldn't consider Nymphenburg a substitute for Neuschwanstein, if s/he is an outdoorsy person who wants to see the enchanting setting of mountains/castle. If you go independently, you could try some of the other activities around Neuschwanstein. The summersledge might be a bit tame, but I saw hangliders from the trails on top of the nearby cable-car summit-- I think the cable-car mountain is called Tegelbergbahn.
But Munich is a great place for walking around, whatever you pick.

Steamedcrab

Your itinerary is definitely doable, but I might suggest a few alternatives. If you go to the Vitualienmarkt in the evening, there might not be much open. A bike tour around the city would probably be interesting, but you can see a lot of the historic portion of Munich on foot, and the parts of the city outside of the original wall are very nice, but not worth wasting time on during such a short visit. You might consider a walking tour of the historic area during the day on your first day, focusing on the original city gates, churches, and the Victualienmarkt, maybe the Residenz. You could also work in a walk through the Englischergarten, in which there are two very nice beer gardens. Marienplatz and Hofbrauhaus in the evening is perfect, IMO.

For your second day, I agree that spending that much time on a bus or train to see Neuschwanstein is a waste, unless it's something you really want to see (it is quite beautiful). Dachau is a good idea, but one other place to consider is Andechs monastery. It's about a 45-minute S-Bahn ride, and a great 5k hike up a small mountain to the monastery at the top. The monks brew excellent beer, and they have a large outdoor patio with great views, where you can feast on pretzels, hams, cheeses, etc., much of which is made on site, along with their excellent beer.

saianel

Thank you everyone. I think I will drop visiting the castle and focus in Munich.

I will focus on exploring the center of the city by foot, maybe alone or a tour. I will definitely visit the Residenz. Palace, Treasury or both? Some posters say the palace is just too big and overwhelming and recommend just checking out the treasury; thoughts?

Renting a bike and riding to the English Garden and nymphenburg palace during the second day.