Munich - Berchtesgaden
 

Hi,

We are picking up a BMW in Munich on August 30 - my husband is doing European delivery on an M3. We arrive in Munich on August 28. We are trying to cram too much into our itinerary, so we have an idea - maybe crazy, maybe not...so that's where I need some advice.

We are considering immediately from arrival in Munich to get a train to Berchtesgaden and spend the weekend there, arriving in Munich on Monday in time to pick up the BMW at the Welt. Anyway, how difficult is it to be in Berchtesgaden without a car? We want to do the Eagle's Nest tour. We also want to explore Lake Konigsee. We also of course would need to figure out transportation from the train station to our hotel - we're considering the Alm- & Wellnesshotel Alpenhof.

We pick up the BMW on Monday; my husband wants to drive Nurburgring on Wednesday or Thursday. We need to be in Paris by Friday for a meeting he has to attend. We are a little overwhelmed with the bounty of choices of what to do in Germany having never been there before. Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!
JennyJoline

It is not a problem to get to Berchtesgaden from Munich. There are trains running frequently on that route. You will need to change 1 time-twice if coming from the airport. There are taxis at the train station when you arrive in Berchtesgaden. You can buy a Bayern ticket at Munich airport which is good for the entire day in Bavaria. I believe it costs about 28€ for 2-5 persons. There is an information desk at the airport for info and they will print out a schedule for you. You chose one of my favorite places!

IMO the tour you should consider is THIS one:

http://www.eagles-nest-historical-to...ex.php?navid=2

Just an offside remark re. your husband's trip to the Nürburgring.

You are probably aware that the race track is an (almost) no limits, go at your own risk adventure. It's not a tourist attraction that is "safe" for people who think that 100mph is "fast". You will share the race track with 20somethings who have driven something as powerful as the M3 for years, and drive it to the ultimate limit. And some family guys who are unfit to handle their cars at speeds of more than 120mph.

You should check the temporary insurance you have for Germany/Europe when you pick up the car to see if these kinda adventures are covered. Usually they are not.

Your husband should be an excellent driver, comfortable and experienced at speeds around 120-150mph, and affluent enough to shrug off the loss of a new car when someone else hits him or totals both cars.

I'd use the regular motorways instead. They are free, most are unrestricted, and you can go as fast as you please. You should keep in mind, that in case of an accident, the insurance will almost always try to get reimbursed at least partially if you went faster than 130kph, even on unrestricted motorways.
And speeding tickets are issued not by police cars chasing you but automated cameras. So when there is a speed limit, you should obey it. "Going with the flow" won't save you from getting a ticket.

allow time for the tour of the bmw factory if you can...it is really amazing and you will appreciate the new car even more...

why don't you just rent a car at the airport and drive to B and back....i would not personally want to be there without a car....its lovely to get out and about... unless your hotel is right in the center of town you will feel issolated i fear..

That's how to gently break in your new $70,000 car!

Cowboy was probably too gentle on the warning.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nürburgring):

"While it is unusual for deaths to occur during sanctioned races there are many accidents and several deaths each year during public sessions. It is common for the track to be closed several times a day for cleanup, repair, and medical intervention. While track management does not publish any official figures several regular visitors to the track have used police reports to estimate the number of fatalities at somewhere between 3 and 12 in a full year."

Oooh....you are all scaring me about the Nurburgring! I talked to my husband last night - he was aware of all of this as he has been researching & "practicing" on some PS2 version of it. (He knows it's not the same, but anyway...) So we are looking into the insurance issue on the M3 for sure - going to ask when we pick up the car at the Welt. There is just no sense in doing it w/o insurance! One good thing is that apparently there are less people on track during the week....my husband isn't too crazy or daredevil. I'm torn between wanting my husband to be able to do something he really wants to and worrying for his (and my own!) safety! :) So we are discussing it...makes me nervous - literally feeing butterflies in my stomach! - just typing this up.

We're starting to think that we might not have time for Berchtesgaden which makes me very sad. Our itinerary - loosely is this:

August 28 - arrive Munich
August 30 - pick up the BMW at the Welt & head out to Fussen - see Neuschwanstein & maybe another castle
August 31 - head toward Heidelberg - see Heidelberg Castle
September 1 - Head to Nurburgring - be there early to drive it (1-2 laps - possibly in a rental that you can rent there for the purpose of the Ring)
September 2 - head to Reims & see the cathedral (I really need to get the latest itinerary from my husband - we keep changing it)
September 3 - Paris - drop off car
September 4 - 7 - Husband has meeting in Paris & we'll be there the whole time.

So I have been to Paris often, but never to Germany. So any Germany suggestions are appreciated. Looks like a lot to do in Germany - but I don't want to over do it. We tend to plan too much & become exhausted in our traveling!

Thanks for all the input!
JennyJoline