iterniary help -- munich and ??
 

My girlfriend and I are traveling to Munich at the end of September for Oktoberfest. Neither of us have ever been to Germany before. We will be there from Saturday - following Sunday. We are planning to spend the first 3 nights in Munich, but from there we are not sure what we should see. We both agree that we want to visit Neuschwanstein castle and Dachau Concentration Camp. Where else should we visit? We have thought about Salzburg, Stuttgart, Baden Baden, or Zurich as possibilities. Any suggestions are welcome!

Zurich is pretty far away, and in my opinion, a real let-down after Munich. It's kind of dull---sort of generic European city. Your plans for Neuschwanstein and Dachau are good. I would definitely add Salzburg. It's only two hours away, and extremely charming. You might even want to spend a night there, because if you like the outdoors, you might like these neat ice caves that are a sort of side-trip from Salzburg.

I don't know much about Stuttgart or Baden Baden, however. I've been to Munich many times but never for Oktoberfest. So jealous! Don't forget to leave time for an exploration of the sights in Munich. I have a feeling that Oktoberfest activities will take up a lot of your time.

My husband and son spent a week in Germany this past April. They flew into Munich, then drove to Garmisch for a couple of nights, then drove to Rothenburg (visiting Neuschwanstein on the way), then back to Munich (visiting Dachau Concentration Camp on way back to Munich). They really enjoyed their stay there. They especially enjoyed the smaller towns of Garmisch and Rothenburg.

Will you have a car?

We have not decided if we are going to rent a car.. or just travel to the places by train. Any opinions on that?

I don't think you really need a car. Rothenburg & Salzburg would be my first two choices. You can daytrip to Salzburg or Garmisch as well for that matter. I always encourage an overnight in Rothenburg as once the tour buses leave, the town takes on a much better ambiance. Have a sneeball why you are there + there are several posts on all of these cities. Cheers!

When you are in Munich, MVV (Munich Metro) has some very good offers for Tageskarten (day tickets) with unlimited travel by S-/U-bahn, streetcars, and buses) for a day. A Partner (up to 5 people) Tageskarte for the inner zone, which contains almost everything you normally want to see is €9,-. For Dachau you need an XXL Partner Tageskarte for €11,80. That will cover the S-bahn to Dachau station and the bus from there to the memorial.

When you go to Salzburg or Füssen (castles), you can use a €27 Bayern-Ticket for all your travel for a day, for up to five people by regional trains in Bavaria. On weekends the free travel is all day (from midnight), but on weekdays it starts at 9 AM. All the trains to Füssen are regional anyway. There are both regional and express trains to Salzburg. You can't use the express trains to Salzburg, but they only save you half and hour each way and the Bayern-Ticket saves a lot.

You could also use the Bayern-Ticket to Rothenburg, but I would suggest you make the trip in two days with a night's stayover.

I visited for 6 days and spent 3 in Salzburg and 3 in Munich. While there I also did Neuschwanstein castle and Dachau Concentration Camp. The entire trip was wonderful.

I didn't need a car - I used the train to travel to and from Salzburg/Munich, I booked a tour guide for Neuschwanstein castle (bus) and went on my own to Dachau Concentration Camp via bus.

I did the salt mine tour in Salzburg. It wasn't bad but I wouldn't recommend it since you had limited time. Also the Sound of Music tour is probably a bit too corny for most, but I am a big fan so I did it anyway and loved it.

Make sure you have a Sacher Torte if you visit Salzburg.

PS: In Salzburg we stayed at Hotel Goldener Hirsch. It was expensive but a great location and a nice homey hotel. It was recommended by a friend but also ranks highly on tripadvisor.com