i will be in Munich next week...Staying at the Hilton City...

Got a few questions:

- Want to drive to the Neuschwanstein Castle, how long is the drive from Munich? Would there be lineups for tickets if I go on a sunday?
- Are there other better castles to visit?
- Is it worthwhile to goto the Hafauhaus for the nightly Bavarian show? need to buy tickets ahead of time?
- what are some good shopping areas for clothing(fashion)?
- other worthwhile places to visit?

When in Munich, you might enjoy a wander through the Alte Pinakotek. I am not sure of the exact spelling; it is the old art museum. Enchanting, especially on a rainy day. Enjoy your stay.

hi there,
1. it is abourt 130 km, by car You will need 100 to 120 min
2. whats better? Nymphenburg is in Munich, also worth to see, but it is annother style. Herrenchiemsse could be annother one (also from Ludwig), but You need more time since You have to take a boat at last.
3. Never heard of a "Hafauhaus".
4. Shopping - just walk arround Leopoldsstraße
5. Deutsches Museum, if You are into technics. Neue Pinakothek or Kunsthalle, if into Art. A coffee at the restaurant on top of the tv-tower near Olympia-Stadion.

It will take you 2 hrs to get to the castles from Munich. Make sure you print directions from viaMichelin. If you use the town of Schwangau as your destination you will get a pretty road that goes right to the castles from the Romantic Road (B17). I think it's worth it for you to also see Hoenschwangau, it was also very beautiful. We got there at 11 last Friday and got tickets for 11:45, not sure how it is on a Sunday. If you have time, stop at the Tegelberg Gondola. We spent a fun couple of hours there having a drink and watching the Gliders land. It's right by the castles. There's also a luge ride there that's a blast.

Oh, and I think you mean the Hofbrauhaus. We didn't do the folk show, it seemed like it would be long and we weren't in the mood for a buffet. There are 3 floors. The top on is the folk show, middle is a nice restaurant and ground floor is the beer hall. We had dinner in the middle (good food) and then a giant drink downstairs with the live music. I wouldn't do the folk show, but we wanted things a little bit rowdy! For shopping definitely go to the street mentioned above. Even H&M had good clothes, unfortunately I didn't have time to shop. The clothes are fantastic.

A few years ago we took a pleasant route going due south from Munich starting out on the A95 Autobahn. We got off the Autobahn somewhere around Sindelsdorf and wandered past Oberammergau to Linderhof Palace. Made a couple of stops along the way (antique/collectables store, pretty views, and such).

We visited Linderhof then continued west into northern Austria along the Plansee--had lunch on the western end of the Plansee, then drove on into Hohenschwangau (the little village where Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles are located).

We checked into our pension and walked to the ticket center to check on the tour reservations that we had made online for the next morning. Ended up seeing Neuschwanstein that afternoon and Hohenschwangau the next morning. That gave us an extra 1/2 day to explore sights in the area--including the Wieskirche.

Do make your castle reservations online if you know when you'll be arriving in Hohenschwangau.

Another castle would be Schloss Linderhof, another of Ludwig II's crazy castles. It's near the very cute and historic town of Oberammergau, about an hour and a half away.

Ludwig Beck, the department store in the main square of Munich (Marienplatz) has some good shopping---you can also get a dirndl and liederhosen there if you want a laugh---but you should also try the area of Schwabing. It's sort of like Nolita in NYC, with lots of little, fashionable boutiques.

thanks all for your help...we are flying tonight..

couple more questions:

- if I don't make online reservation at the Neuschwanstein castle, will the line-up be very long?
- I did mean Hofbrauhaus.
- where is the Schwabing area for shopping?
- we will be trying to do the castles in 1 day...Drive in the morning from Munich and drive back at night....Is it possible to see more than 1 castle?

thanks all

> I did mean Hofbrauhaus.
I'm sure you meant Hofbraeuhaus ;-)
>where is the Schwabing
Best area for shopping between Giselastr. and Münchner Freiheit underground stations

commie--yes, if you get an early start and don't dawdle on the road you can see Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, and Hohenschwangau in one day. I would probably aim to see the two in Hohenschwangau in the morning--they are just across the valley from each other--and visit Linderhof after lunch. Then you can have a leisurely drive back to Munich.