Hi

I have a choice to stay for three days either in Munich or Innsbruck. We are travelling with kids aged 11,8 and 7. What should we choose. We wants to go for one day to alps for our kids to play with snow.

Regards,

When are you going - either area may have not much easily accessible snow during most of the year?

I am travelling in first week of december

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/mountain/zugspitze

1.50 hours from Munich and 1.5 from Innsbruck

Take those little fanny sleds with you and your kids can sled with all the other kids.

Munich is a much larger city with more to see and do - including the Town Hall clock, several parks/gardens and museums.

Innsbruck is a much smaller town with limited attractions. There used to e full size chess games in the park - but not sure about the middle of winter.

Innsbruck. If it's snow you'd like, take the Nordkettenbahn trip starting from just outside Innsbruck's pedestrian zone.

OK, one dsy for snow and then the other two days? Munich, definitely, even if you spend the second day doing one or two of the Ludwig castles.

Christmas markets in the old town of Innsbruck. A visit to Schloss Ambras. Nearby Hall in Tirol and the market there. Toboggan runs in the area. A day trip over the border into Italy and visit the extremely charming old town of Sterzing/Vipiteno along with it's castle, Castle Reifenstein/Castel Tasso, one of the best preserved medieval castles anywhere. You could also day trip to Bozen/Bolzano and it's Christmas markets plus the amazing "Ice Man" exhibit at the Museum of Archaeology.

Innsbruck and the general area is an excellent place to base for do tripping.

Paul

During the Christmas markets, Innsbruck is our favorite place to visit and base. The lights, decorations, Christmas trees, stalls selling crafts, food, drinks, etc., the smell of wood burning, food cooking, chestnuts roasting all in Innsbruck's old town with the snow capped alps as a backdrop. Incredible.

You could also head to nearby Igls and the Olympic ski jump.

Like the above say Schloss Ambras is an interesting place and poised right at the foot of the mountain the Olympic Ski Jump area is one - you take a lovely mountain tram up to Igls and miles of snow where easy sledding I would think abounds.

As a city Innsbruck is more inviting to me than much larger Munich in winter that is.

Munich has a great Christmas market.

Forget it, Flpab...let 'em do Innsbruck. Somebody has to go there and might as well be these people.

If you want dark wet weather with rain go to Munich and do a day on the Zugspitze for snow - if you want to be in a city that though does not get much snow is surrounded by snow-covered mountains go to Innsbruck for more of a Christmas/Alpine experience. A short tram ride from Innsbruck you're in snow.

To each their own. My opinion Innsbruck would be the place as PalenQ and I have pointed out.

Junosrivastava,
Please let me piggyback onto your thread:
While visiting Germany, we are renting a car & I wonder how much of a problem is it to cross the border from Germany into Austria to visit Innsbruck?
Thanks

Hi Thebear60,

We haven't been in either country since Dec. 2013, but it shouldn't be any problem. Our experiences have always been that if you miss the sign saying Germany or Austria, you don't even know you have crossed the border.

IF you plan on driving a highway in Austria, you must have an Austian Vignette for the car windshield. This is a toll sticker, which can also be bought in Germany, and costs about 9 Euro for a toll sticker (Vignette) that's valid for 10 consecutive days, which is the shortest and cheapest version.

I wonder how much of a problem is it to cross the border from Germany into Austria to visit Innsbruck?>

Normally you would not even know there was a border with the Schengen Accords both countries are in but going the other way it could be slow due to the current refuge problem which has at times shut down train travel Austria to Germany.

Thanks guys for the prompt reply re crossing the border.

TheBear60, we traveled from Vienna to Innsbruck surrounds (and back) a couple of weeks ago in our personal vehicle. Crossing from Austria into Germany west of Salzburg we were met with about an hours' delay as the traffic was funneled single file for visual "inspections." Most, if not all, passenger vans were pulled aside, but vehicles were passing through. Going from Germany back into Austria posed no delays or inspections. Friends have since reported similar, though shorter, delays.

Similarly, we were traveling between Italy and Austria, via Slovenia, just a couple of weeks ago, as well, and were stopped crossing back into Slovenia from Italy and asked from where we had originated, but did not need to show any paperwork.