Munich and Southern Bavaria Advice
 

Hi All –

Fresh back from a trip to the Greek Islands and I’m trying to break out of those post-vacation doldrums by beginning to plan our next trip. At the conclusion of our last trip, my husband and I placed each of our top three destinations in a hat and selected at random. Southern Bavaria got the first pick and we would like to travel there next May or June.

As you can see, both Days 4 and 5 are pretty packed. Perhaps this is too much and we should scrap the side trip to Austria and just stay in Germany. If that’s the case, does anyone have an alternative suggestion for how to spend those first few days. Are there other towns we shouldn’t miss? Should we add a visit to the Weiskirche?

Thanks in advance!!

Friday night flight from NY to Munich

Day 1 – Munich

Day 2 – Munich

Day 3 – Munich

Day 4 – pick up rental car in Munich and drive to Berchtesgaden; visit Eagle’s Nest; Konigsee in afternoon; overnight in Berchtesgaden

Day 5 – drive from Berchtesgaden to Ettal Abbey and then to Oberammergau for lunch and exploration; afternoon at Linderhof Palace then to Mittenwald for overnight

Day 6 – Zugspitze; explore Eibsee (overnight in Mittenwald)

Day 7 – Visit Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau in morning; explore Fuessen in afternoon (overnight in Mittenwald)

Day 8 – return to Munich for afternoon flight home

Your reason for adding Oberammergau?

What are you planning to see/do IN Munich?

I don't think you get that much out of visiting both of the two separate Alpine areas (Berchtesgaden vs. Oberammergau/Mittenwald.) I would focus on one or the other. You already have an overwhelming number of travel goals in the second region... Ettal, Linderhof, Hohenschwangau, and the faux castle Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, Eibsee, the Zugspitze, Mittenwald (and perhaps the Leutaschklamm, and the Karwendelbahn)... and perhaps the Wieskirche as well??? And if you were to finish all that, Innsbruck is a short distance. Over the course of 4 days, there's likely not enough time for all that. I think this area would be your best bet.

"Are there other towns we shouldn’t miss?"

Yes, but you can't see everything in a week.

If you want Austria in the mix, Salzburg is a very easy side trip from Munich. Less than 2 hours by train if I recall, and compact enough that you can cover it in a day.

For what it's worth, I found Mittenwald extremely underwhelming. The cloudy/drizzly weather didn't help, but it was the most disappointing stop on our last trip to Bavaria.

Fussgaenger makes the valid point that perhaps you are attempting to cover too much ground with your itinerary. (And, Oberammergau was not a highlight for us on a recent visit...)

What does, "Explore Eibsee" mean? Do you wish to hike the 7km around the lake, or just look at it from the Zugspitze lift station?

Where in your itinerary does Austria feature?

where in your itinerary does Austria feature?>

Driving Mittenwald to Reutte to Fuessen? Reutte is a swell town to putz around in - then through the gap in mountains to Fuessen - castles well outside of town - I stayed in Fuessen once and bopped around - nice walking paths along gushing river from town center but really not that much to see - would suggest stopping other place. And seeing both castles takes time - must walk or take bus or horse-carriages from parking lot each way - you would have to leave at crack of dawn to finish both castles before afternoon - book timed entries or suffer a l o n g wait in line.

Yes you seem to have underestimated driving times - Oberammergau was a nice city I thought but nothing exceptional.

Unlike the others I will continue to withhold my comments re Oberammergau until the OP reveals the reason for going. Other than the iconic exterior, I have always thought Neuschwanstein was dull as dishwater inside and Linderhof to be more interesting. For the most elaborate interior decoration, Herrenchiemsee beats the others easily; even the Residenz is more interesting inside than Neuschwanstein IMO.

The Leutaschklamm is a lovely walk from Mittenwald and the gorge itself is really something. The Partnachklamm in Garmisch Partenkirchen is also spectacular, with walking trails at the end or wonderful places to have lunch surrounded by forests and mountains.
There are great trails around Tegelberg too, that come around behind Neuschwanstein, we didn't tour the castle, just enjoyed the town and the gorgeous landscape. But we like walking, so just tend to find pretty places with hiking options and just wander.

Wow opinions on Neuschwanstein inside vary greatly- quite a few feel like dukey whilst others like me think it a neat surprise at every turn. One thing I think that walking up to behind the castle from Marienbrucke area is instrumental part of visit - seeing Mad Ludwig's fantasy castle from afar framed by a lovely lake far below -Mad Ludwig used to come here to ponder his fantasy castle being built - he never lived in it more than a few days and was still (and is I guess) still unfinished -he was found drowned in Starnberge Sea near Munich shortly later, most likely assassinated by Bavarian officials who thought he was draining the Royal Treasury with his fanasy castle building.

"...others like me think it a neat surprise at every turn. One thing I think that walking up to behind the castle from Marienbrucke area is instrumental part of visit..."

I see that as a difference in the "setting" of Neuschwanstein, which of course is dramatic. Ludwig II seemed to spend more time at Linderhof and the interiors reflect that. When we visited Herrenchiemsee (thirty-odd years ago, ugh!) it was practically empty and they made the point that he has spent only 9 (14?) nights there. We revisited Neuschwanstein in 2016 and it seemed as though furnishings had been added to it from what I remember.

Thank your for the advice. I think we will cut Berchtesgaden and Konigsee to give us more time in the other locations.

BamaFam - was there any reason in particular you didn't like Mittenwald? I would like to find a small town that has enough restaurants for the three to four nights that we'll be there, preferably one that is not crowded by tour buses coming and going. I know there are many fans of using Garmisch- Partenkirchen as a base for exploring the area. Should we do that instead and, if so, should we stay on the Garmisch side or the Partenkirchen side?

I selected Oberammergau just as a stop for lunch, but if others have another suggestion of a town to visit to have a nice lunch, I'm open to all suggestions.

Weather didn't permit us to hike or enjoy the outdoors there, but we found little in Mittenwald besides shops and a few decent restaurants. It was charming enough but lacked the "straight from a fairytale" feeling of some small Alpine towns. Garmisch has a little more going on, though it's still very sleepy. Going up to the top of the Zugspitze is a lot of fun.

Garmisch or Partenkirchen - twin towns - would make a much better base I'd think for access to places you want to visit. Not sure I would call it sleepy - was not several years ago when I stayed there for a spell.

Me too. After our last visit in '16 I thought we might check out staying in the Partenkirchen side as it seemed a bit more residential.

Tips
 

We have been in this area numerous times over 47 years starting with living there in the US Army.

1. Don't miss Neuschwanstein. You will be asked from everyone if you went there. It is a great location, world famous and worth the visit. As is Linderhof.
2. Stay in Garmisch-P instead of Mittenwald. We have used the Hotel Hilleprandt many times and have been pleased. Plus, I think they did a recent remodel. Check out their website. Our favorite rooms are the ones on the first floor with patio. Close to downtown.
3. We love Salzburg. Try to get there if possible. An easy drive from Berchtesgaden.
4. The Salt Mines are fun. Did them first time in 1970 and again in 1993 and 1997. Electric boat ride on Koingsee is also fun. Tour to Eagles Nest is a must!
5. Oberammergau is nice but mostly wood carving shops. If you want a wood carving go there. They are now expensive. If you do not want a wood carving you may use the time to do something else.

Friday night flight from NY to Munich

Day 1(Sat) – arrive Munich in am. Pick up rental car and drive to Fussen stopping at Wieskirche en route. Explore Fussen and surroundings in the afternoon. Overnight in Fussen or Hohenschwangau.

Day 2(Sun) – Take the earliest English tour (pre purchased over the internet) of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles. The tour will finish at lunchtime. Eat at Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein which is on the walk down from the castle. If you have not O.D.ed on castles you can stop at Linderhof and /or Ettal Abbey on your drive to Garmish or Mittenwald where you will spend the night.

Day 3 (Mon)- Zugspitze; explore Eibsee. (Overnight Garmish or Mittenwald)

Day 4 (Tue) – Mittenwald, Leutaschklamm, Karwendelbahn, even Innsbruck?

Day 5 (Wed) – More of this area in am. Drive to Munich for 3 nights. Turn in car.

Day 6 (Thu) - Munich

Day 7 (Fri)- Munich Day 8 (Sat)- Fly home

We stayed here:https://www.booking.com/hotel/de/edelweiss.html

Route map https://goo.gl/maps/UL7iVXLHDj92

Oberammergau is a place I love. I wish you could see the NATO base there which was an SS base during the war. I have spent a lot of time there and it is a very nice place. Close to Linderfhof. At least walk around town and have lunch.

We did a similar trip but with more of Germany (Bavaria and the Rhine Valley) and Austria. We found Munich to be underwhelming compared to the surrounding areas. It is a city afterall. I would combine Munich and Salzburg as the main bases for your trip. You can rent a car and see a lot of the surrounding areas you mention. It’s beautiful and I would add Hallstatt, Austria is a do not miss if you base yourselves in Salzburg.