Munich at Christmas- Help with final plans...
 

Hello to you all, Well our trip is coming up soon and I would like your input on our plans. We are a family of 4 with 2 kids ages 11 and 13.

We will spend each night in a Munich downtown hotel.

Dec 22- leave home for flight to MUC
Dec 23- arrive MUC early AM
Train to downtown hotel
* Christmas market shopping

Dec 24- ??
Dec 25- Salzburg- wander around the city and enjoy the beauty- Church service if possible
Dec 26- Train to Neuschwanstein
lunch in Fuessen
Dec 27- Dachau Tour in the AM
Nymphenburg Palace- tour of the gilded carriages- Afternoon
Dec 28- Salt Mine tour by train
Dec 29- Fly Home from MUC

I believe that all of our trips via train can be used with family ticket for 27 euro each day.

We need suggestions for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day Lunch.

We are open to suggestions, ideas etc.

Thank you!

Are any tourist locations open on Dec 24th?

Wow - that's a fast trip and you're putting a whole lot into it. Just a couple of thoughts...

- You're not really spending much time in Munich. The Deutches Museum (sci & tecnhology) is fabulous. My kids were just a little older than yours when we went 2 years ago and they loved it. Something for everyone. We "slotted" 2-3 hours for the museum and ended up having lunch there so we could spend 2 more.

- You've got the day of the 24th free.....but things will be closing down early since Xmas eve is for family celebrations. You might want to check on closing times.

- I would ask your hotel to help arrange/recommend something for Xmas eve. Many places offer fixed price/ set menu dinners for Xmas Eve, but with kids, I don't find those to be very good - limited food choices, many don't give discounts for kids, etc. We will be in Rome for Xmas Eve this year and have asked the hotel for reservations at a more casual place where we can just order off the menu.

-Xmas day in Salzburg is pretty quiet. It's been about 6 years since we were there at Xmas, but I recall the city being pretty shut down. I think we even had trouble finding a spot open for dinner. More recent visitors will have more current info.

We loved Germany and my kids (teenage boys!) are still nuts about Xmas markets. Have a great trip!

Gr,
Thanks for your response.

We are also concerned about restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Day in both Salzburg and Munich. I know that my kids will also not enjoy a big fancy fixed price meal with but a restaurant that will allow us to order from the menu would be great.

The Deutches Museum was on our list of things to do.. but with the holiday our time is limited as to what we will be able to see on our trip. We will have to make time to visit that on our next trip.

Any suggestions as to December 24th?? We are not sure how to spend that day!
Thanks!

After sunset, the city is dead.

Dinner at the hotel is an option.

Since your plan does not yet include seeing Munich(!!!), that's what you should do on Dec 24. Walk the old town, Residenz (the museum and treasure chamber will be closed but I suppose the courtyards are walkable), Hofgarten, Englischer Garten, Isar river, Ludwigstraße etc. Till around noon the city center will be very busy with shoppers, then things will close down.
In the afternoon - well, go to church. Dec 24, Christmas Eve, is the big day in this country, and that's when the special services are done. Or go to a midnight service (usually 11 p.m., quite special).

Flying_Mom -

Wow.....trying to help you out on the 24th without much luck. The Deutsches Museum and Neuschwanstein are closed. Dachau would normally be open....except that the 24th falls on a Monday and it's closed on Mondays.

As for restaurants, unless you get some specific advice from someone - I would ask the hotel for a recommendation.

In Salzburg, one of the few places we found open on Christmas was an Italian place called Il Sole. I think if you do a google search you can find the location. We were in Salzburg for 10 days over Xmas and NYears and I think we ended up eating there 4 or 5 times. Great food - good wine - and good pizza, which kept the kids happy! Yeah - I know, you should try to eat the local foods......but after a while a good pizza hits the spot!

How about buying a small christmas tree, white real (wax) candles, some small presents, gift wrapped, singing christmas songs with the family after sunset exchanging gifts. You hotel room can't be that small :D.
Why would you want to do something different than everybody around you.

We're also going to be in Salzburg on Christmas Day and several of us are meeting for a GTG on Christmas afternoon, December 25, at 1:00 (13:00) at Tomaselli Cafe in the Old Town. This is just a group of posters from Fodor's who have never met. I know another couple or 2 with children said they may be there. We'd love to have you join us!

St. Peters Shiftskeller (this is a restaurant) is open on Christmas Day for lunch or dinner in Salzburg. You'd need to reserve, they may be full already?? You can order from their menu, or do the Mozart dinner.

Have a great trip!

Hello,
Thanks for all of your suggestions. Logos, We have a small tree that we are bringing with us along with gifts to open on Christmas. A walk around Munich on Christmas Eve afternoon sounds great... Quokko, we may even have the city to ourselves or almost to ourselves...:) I also read that the Christmas markets will be open until around noon on Christmas Eve for that last minute shopping!

Images- we just may join you all in Salzburg. Thanks for the invite.

Gr- Il Sole sounds yummy... my kids are always up for pizza. Thanks for the suggestion.

Oh, 1 more thing. We just received our reservation to Neuschwanstein (tour of both castles) ... there are 2 times on the reservation 12:45 and 14:45... The paper also states that we are to arrive at the ticket counter to pick up our tickets 1 hour before the tour... I am confused as to which time we should actually arrive. I have written back to the castle reservation service for an answer.. just thought I would ask if any of you have made a reservation thru their service recently...

Why not just give one present on the 24th instead of the 25th, as a reference to local customs. ;-). If you've never do it before, the kids will love it.
You will also find a deep rooted catholic belief at most of the places (esp. down to Salzburg and very intense anywhere north of Munich. If you've expected a largely secular population, you'll may be amazed just how religious it is. It just isn't displayed in public every day as it is in the US. Even those that don't show up in church during the whole year are there this night/day.

It will only take a short while after shops close, and you'll have all the city to yourself ;-)

Forgot to tell, if you want to go to church, do it on 24th in the evening! That's the day.

Hello,
Which would be the better day for a trip to Salzburg- Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? We are open to either one... I assume that most things in Salzburg will close down around noon on Christmas Eve and all day on Christmas Day.

Chances to find some open "things" are far better on the 25th then the 24th in the afternoon. MCDonalds is open on the 24th. :-)

Flying Mom: You do need to pick up your tickets at the ticket center in Hohenschwangau. Then you have to make your way to whichever castle is set for 12:45. You can walk (walk to Hohenschwangau isn't bad, but the walk to Neuschwanstein can be a trek), or take a carriage or shuttle bus. So you do need to get there early to pick up your tickets before making your way to the first castle where your tour will begin.

I would also suggest to spend Dec 24 in Munich.

Maybe you will still feel a bit jet-lagged one day after your arrival, and will be happy that you do not have to spend all day in the train and walking around Salzburg - but save that for Dec 25.

While most/all of the museums will be closed on Dec 24, you can still get a pretty good impression of the city - and the churches are open, of course, and several of them are really worth a visit.

For dinner, I would suggest to get either some tips from your hotel concierge or try those parts of the city where many restaurants are around, so you can find one that you like just by walking around.

I like the Hofbräukeller in the district of Haidhausen near the Max-Weber-Platz subway stop (bit East of the city center, not to be mixed up with the Hofbräuhaus!). It has a nice traditional ambience, without the masses of tourists. And you can get many Bavarian specialties for as little as € 5.55 (main courses). There are also tons of other restaurants in that area if the Hofbräukeller is already packed.

I believe for the combo tickets, Hohenschwangau is always first and Neuschwanstein second. The first time listed is the tour for H and the second is the tour for N. So arrive an hour before the first time listed to pick up your tickets.

Flying Mom,

I'm letting Candy know you may join us Christmas at 1:00. She's going to try and get reservations! Just play it by ear, we may see you there. We leave in the morning.

Merry Christmas to all!

Images,
Are you all planning on eating Christmas Lunch at the cafe or just meeting for coffee/ drinks?

I hope that you have a great flight over.

This thread was started before I gave you some information on your Salt Mine thread so a assume by now you know that you don't need a Bayern-Ticket to tour Dachau. You can do that with four people with an MVV "Munich XXL Partner Tageskarte" (day ticket) for €11,80. Also for your trip into Munich from the airport as well as any other travel on MVV transit that day, you can use an MVV "Partner Gesamtnetz (entire network) Tageskarte" for €18. That will also work for the trip to the airport when you leave.

The Dachau memorial website is at www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de. Pay careful attention to the times. They open at 9 AM, but if you want a guided tour, they don't start until 1:30 PM, which would interfere with your plans to see Nympphenburg that afternoon. Also note that this is winter and it gets dark VERY early in Germany.

Since December 26 is a holiday in Germany (2nd day of Christmas, the Bayern-Ticket to Neuschwanstein should be valid from midnight, so you can leave Munich before 9 AM.

In case you haven't found this map yet, this is the "standard" map of the S-/U-bahn system in Munich:
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/web4archi...nnetz_2008.pdf. This same map will be posted all over the S-bahn stations in Munich and probably in English language broshures at ticket counters.

And dress proplerly, -5C downtown and falling right now. Sorry no snow at all. Dry air, plenty of sunshine for next few days, you're very lucky! :-) Almost now wind at all, feels a lot warmer.

Larry, Thanks for the subway map... our hotel emailed us a copy that I printed to take with us for our 1st day of getting from the airport to our hotel.

I did not know about the Munich XXL Partner Tageskarte ticket for our trip to Dachau not did I know about the MVV Partner Gesamtnetz to/from the airport. Do I purchase this ticket at the airport train counter or machine? Am I reading it correctly that the rate is 18 euro for the 4 of us? I had read a much higher price in my travel books... so needles to say a discount ticket would be welcomed. Is this airport ticket only good to/from the airport or can we use it around town that 1st day?

Larry, Thanks also for the tour info at Dachau? We may switch and tour Nympphenburg in the morning and then travel onto Dachau for the 1:30 tour.

Logos, thanks for the weather update. That is really coooold! The weather channel lists a high of 40 degrees F in Munich for the next 5-6 days... I guess with the sun setting so early the temps drop with it... I will be sure to throw in another layer to wear. The sunny skies sound great though...

>airport train counter or machine?

You'll find the machines after you left terminal 2. On your left there's a Burger King, on your right the Airport Brewery restaurant (Fliegerbräu). You use the escalator going down. 20 meters from there, you'll find 3 ticket machines (right hand). The MVV ticket machine (the one on the right side when you stand in front of them) sells the Partner-Tageskarte for 18€ (coins or bills), buy this and cancel (stamp) it. The cancelling machine is located about 2 meters to the right of this ticket machine. Use any train to go downtown, one S8 will use the eastern route, the other S1 will use the western route. Both will take about the same time to get to central station.

>18 euro for the 4 of us?
Correct
>can we use it around town
Yes, until 6am the next day on any form of public transport

And yes, the weather is unseasonably beautiful, just rather cold after it gets dark. However the sun during daytime gets temperatures above freezing at midday. Enjoy it, it's not what you'd expect. No fog at all, clear skies and bright stars at night once you're away from the lights.

Logos, Thanks for the information. It sounds like it is super easy. What is the difference between the MVV ticket and the Banyan ticket? I am assuming that the Banyan Ticket covers a much larger area for travel.

We are excited about the warmer weather than normal... we would love to see snow but the warmer weather will make touring around much easier during the day.

You might have more luck buying the ticket if you learn the proper name. It's a "Bayern-Ticket". Bayern is the German name for Bavaria, and the ticket is valid for regional trains and some buses throughout Bavaria (big area). The Bayern-Ticket is also valid for all means of transport in the MVV. MVV is the Munich transit authority and its tickets are valid only in the area directly around Munich.

In case you read your email before you leave tomorrow, have a good trip. As they would say in Germany, "Gute Reise".

>like it is super easy
That's true. Just have a 20€ or 2x 10€ bills ready, when you buy the ticket. A 50€ bill may not work.

Larry and Logos, Thank you for your good wishes. We leave this afternoon for our journey.

Bayern-Ticket, Bayern-Ticket, Bayern-Ticket... I have it now...ha!

Not sure where you decide to celebrate christmas eve, but last year the Ratskaller below the cityhall was open for christmas eve. You can email them to confirm. In Salzburg many hotels have their special christmas dinner menues but the hotels' lesser restaurants/cafeteria serve their normal menu. You should book in advanced regardless where as Salzburg old town is so small and innundated with tourists. Have a great xmas holiday, I envy you.