Munich to Northern Italy
 

This is our first trip to this part of Europe. We're staying in Munich for a week but would like to make some day trips from there. Wondering if it's feasible to get to the northern part of Italy in a day. Is there anything there worth seeing? Any info would be appreciated.

Dachau is, I think, about 15 miles from the heart of Munich and easy to get to by public transportation or car - very thought provoking. The legendary castles of King Ludwig are a must - Herrenchiemsee, with a Hall of Mirrors to rival Versailles (it's 10 feet longer!); Neuschwanstein, the Fairy Tale castle that inspired Walt Disney; and Linderhof, a lovely jewel set in the Alps. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval walled city on the Romantic Road is a good day trip. (or Dinklesbuhl, a mini-Rothenburg) Beautiful Salzburg, Austria, with its fortress on the hill and Mozart and Sound of Music connections is another good possibility. How about the Koenigsee, the fiord-like lake with the crystal clear water, silent electric boats and famous trumpeter whose melody echoes back to you from the glorious alpine mountains (Don't miss the smoked lake trout). These are all good day trips from Munich. I would not, however, try to go all the way to Italy for a day trip. You would spend all your time in the car and the glorious sights would just all be flying by. If you stayed the whole week in Munich, you would still have plenty of interesting and fun things to do. It is one of my favorite cities. Gute Reise!

I recommend that you get the Fodor's book, titled "Munich -With Detailed Tours Around Bavaria and the Alps.

I recommend that you get the Fodor's book, titled "Munich - With Detailed Tours Around Bavaria and the Alps".

I don't think Italy will be a one day thing. If you have a weekend to spare, go to Lake Como. It's beautiful. It's a long trip though. At least 7 hours by car.

The drive to Innsbruck is just over an hour, and from there Italy is only a few more hours. Verona is about 4 hours from Innsbruck, so you could see some of Northern Italy in a day. Driving is fast on the highways, but once you get off onto smaller roads, you will slow down considerably.