This is well in advance, but on a trip we are planning for next March, we want to see Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Linderhof and possibly Wieskirke. We would like to tour Linderhof, but do not care about the lines to go inside the others or making the climb to reach them. This would be the only leg of our trip where we are considering a car rental; otherwise, our travels will be by train. How so I find out about bus tours to these sites? Or would I be better off simply renting a car and staying in Fussen? If the latter, where is the best place to rent from?

Hi,

Where would you be based or coming from? This is just my opinion... I like Fuessen and having a car. Also, by staying staying a night in Fuessen, you could get to Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau early. If you wanted the tours, you could reserve ahead and avoid the lines and waits. You don't need to "climb" to reach them. Hohenschwangau isn't steep at all and you can take the shuttle bus up to Marienbrucke and avoid the steep climb to Neuschwanstein.

If interested, there's also a cable car about a mile from the castles called the Tegelbergbahn.

www.schwangau.de/tegelberg-cablecar-626.html


In Fuessen we satyed twice (2001, 2003) at the Hotel zum Hechten.

www.hotel-hechten.com

www.stadt-fuessen.de

For car rentals we used www.gemut.com in 2007 and again for a trip this coming fall. We used the toll free # to get a quote and reserve. They are very helpful and have good rates.

Hope this helps.

Paul

We will probably stay in Fussen (or Fuessen, I wish there were a simple way to type an umlaut), unless we take a bus tour out of Munich. I like driving in the rural areas of Germany, but the larger towns and cities can be a pain. If I want to avoid Munich traffic, where is the best place to pick up and return a rental car? If I take a bus, are there any tours out of Fuessen? Is there a place near Rothenberg where I could either rent or return a car before or after Fuessen?

Have you considered visiting the palace at Herrenchiemsee which is the largest and most-elaborately decorated of the four Ludwig "builds?"

If so, it is easily reached from Munich by rail to Prien.

Hi again,

I can't help you with rental/returnl in Rothenberg area or the best place to pick up/return in Munich either. Sorry. We always pick up and drop off at the airport upon arrival/departure.
My suggestion would be to call Andy Bestor at gemut.com, ask these questions and then decide what's best for you.

Paul

Hi summero

Alt 142 = Ä
Alt l32 = ä
Alt 148 = ö
Alt 153 = Ö
Alt 129 = ü
Alt 154 = Ü

You can also type Ae,ae; Oe,oe and Ue,ue to achieve the vowel mutation.

Thanks, Paul, for the suggestions, particularly about gemut.com. I have considered pickup and delivery of a rental car from the airport rather than downtown Munich and will do that if I don't come up with a better alternative. It does not appear that bus tours are a good option at this point, anyway.
Dukey, I am thinking about adding Prien to our itinerary and may do that if we decide against Rothenberg. My priorities for 10 days, not including departure, are Munich, Salzburg and Ludwig's castles, with an overnight stay at one other place. I am looking at Rothenberg as a "break from the baroque," as someone suggested, but I have not settled on it yet.

Rent a car as you are leaving Munich. I usually rent with Kemwel.com, they seem to be a sister company of AutoEurope, but I get better rates with Kemwel. Pick up from a non-airport location as it is cheaper, you don't get the airport fees. I picked up my car from Europecar near the train station. I rented an intermediate car expecting a VW Passat but they surprised me with a marvelous C220 Mercedes!

I stayed in Fussen for 2 nights at Treff Hotel Luitpoldpark. It was not my first choice but they proved me wrong! Upon check-in, I was told to take the elevator to the top floor, go thru a door, down the hall, thru another door, turn right, take the other elevator to the next floor... I thought, 'where are they sending me... to the attic???". Well, I'll take that attic anyday! The room on the top floor of the hotel was wonderful! Huge suite, 1 and 1/2 baths (I think the bathroom was larger than my bedroom at home), a sauna off the bathroom, sitting area with sofa, coffee table, and a couple of chairs, a dining area and frig. Great bed and desk. All with a beautiful view of Fussen Castle. It was fantastic! And, there is a car park under the hotel. It is right in the center of Fussen, great location.

I ate at Krones which was very good one night. Don't remember where it was the next night. Make sure you go see the river, it is a beautiful turquoise blue... just amazing! And, who knew, there is a Woolworths there! LOL!

In addition to the other places in the area, e.g. Weiskirche etc., I suggest you take a few hours to stroll around Oberammergau where the Passion Play is performed every 10 years... what a cute, charming town!

Have a great time!

Hi again summero,

I agree with renting in Munich. It is cheaper. No need to go out to the airport. You'll be able to get out of the city.

Just a suggestion... if you'd rather stay in the Munich/Salzburg/Fuessen area's (pretty much a "loop" beginning and ending in Munich), there are so many places around as a "break from the baroque". Mittenwald, Hall in Tirol/Innsbruck area, the Salzkammergut region, Zell am See, Berchtesgaden area, etc. All are beautiful places and have gorgeous Alpine scenery.


When we visit Salzburg, we prefer staying in Ramsau (Berchtesgaden area), which is about 30 minutes away from Salzburg. That's just us though.

If interested, we have some photo's at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel1.html

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel15.html

Hope this helps.

Paul

Thanks for all the great tips. I will put our Munich stay at both ends of the journey and spend the rest of the time with a car, staying in smaller towns. I like the idea of using the car instead of a train for the Salzburg area, in part so I can include the Cheimsee. Rothenberg can wait until another trip. For this trip, we will concentrate on southern Bavaria and the area around Salzburg. Paul's photos of Bernkastel and Berg Eltz reminded me of why I prefer a car to begin with. Those were two places we visited in 2007 that we could never have reached by train. Others include Maria Laach and the most scenic part of the Mosel. But, after getting lost twice in Bonn, I learned the value of trains for the larger towns as well. We had so little time left to visit Cologne Cathedral that we went back the next day, leaving the car in Sinzig, where we were staying, and taking the train into the city, with a bonus stop in Buehl. So, this time, instead of dealing with Salzburg traffic, I like the idea of staying nearby and taking a daytrip into the city by rail.

Hi,

We visited Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee (Neues Schloss) based in Ramsau (Berchtesgaden area). It's just a 1 hour drive.
It's actually our favorite of Ludwig's creations and just about the mid point between Munich and Salzburg/Berchtesgaden.

http://www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisc...lace/index.htm

Paul

Hi sum,

Linderhoff is our favorite Ludwig Castle.

The Wies Kirche is well worth the ride.

In Fuessen, we also stayed at the Zum Hechten.

Add www.novacarhire.com to your list of rental agencies.

Herenchiemsee is an easy visit if you are going from Munich to Salzburg.

Get the Salzburg card.
http://www.salzburg.info/de/sehenswe...card/index.htm

In Salzburg, I can highly recommend www.ammoos.at/main.php?language=en&m=home)
Not only are they lovely hosts, they have private parking on the edge of the city, at a bus stop only 12 min from downtown.

Enjoy your visit.

My fiance and I are going to Munich in the beginning of August. We are renting a car, going to the abbey in Ettal visiting Linderhof, and spending the rest of the day in Oberammergau. The next day we are going to Reutte, Austria to see the castles near there. After that we drive to Schwangau and are going to see Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Staying the night we will spend the next day partially in Fuessen and Schwangau area, then going back to Munich. If you want more details, I will reply soon.

methuseus,
Please file a trip report after your return, even if it is just a few sentences. Since I will be going to Salzburg after the Fussen-Oberammergau circuit, I am looking at either staying in or around Fussen the first night and Oberammergau or Murnau the next night or spending both nights in the latter.

We were driving. Instead of staying in Fussen, we stayed in the valley at the foot of the hills containing Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. We actually arrived in the evening, ate dinner in the hotel with a view of Neuschwanstein, then did the first tour of the morning at Neuschwanstein.

And I was most impressed with Herrnchiemsee. It's on an island in the middle of a lake, so you have to take a boat. I'll never forget that Meissen porcelain chandelier; made crystal look coarse.