Traveling to Munich in late March with 10,11 year olds. Looking for an American hotel chain so we can get 2 double beds or at worst one king so we can stay in one room. Perhaps Sheraton Arabella Grand or Munich Marriott. Suggestions? Want nice and updated hotel. Also, planning to do Salzburg for Sound of Music tour. Hotel suggestions for Salzburg? What other cities. Just have 7 nights. What else is a must see?

My husband, 16 year old daughter, and I have gone to Munich the past two Christmas seasons and stayed at the Munich Renaissance both times. This hotel is right down the street from the Marriott. This hotel is not right in downtown Munich, but it is right next to a u-bahn stop. We just hopped on the train and went everywhere. The staff is great and the hotel is modern with great bathrooms. Our room had a seperate living area with sofa, nice mini bar, wet bar, and kitchen size table. The bedroom portion had a king bed and the we got a rollaway (which was much nicer than any in the U.S.). You can also get two doubles instead of a king, even in the regular size rooms. The rate included all taxes and breakfast every morning.

We did this trip with our three children (13,10,8) last April. We stayed at the Marriott Munich because they had great rooms (ajoining if you wish) plus an indoor pool and fitness center. At the time, there was a special rate of 89 euros per night. We then went to see Neuschwanstein and stayed in Oberammergau for one night (charming little town)and then continued on to Salzburg. You MUST stay at the Wolf-Dietrich in Salzburg--it is fabulous for families. We had a very large family room (queen bed, 2 rollaways) that also had a large seating area, mini fridge, and tv with vcr. The hotel loans out all kinds of movies in English, including the Sound of Music. They also have an indoor pool and lots of restaurants near by.
We spent 3 nights in Munich, 1 in Oberammergau, and 2 in Salzburg which seemed about right. Staying in two hotels that had indoor pools really helped make the vacation fun for our kids--it's a nice reward for 'touring' all day long.

Good luck!

The classic Hotel Bayerischerhof in Munich also boasts an indoor pool--and some very large rooms.

In Munich be sure to go to the science museum, which is on an island in the river. It's really great, and the zoo is quite good also.

sharb, Where did you stay in Obermmaergau? What did you do there? What were the kids favorites? Thanks.

Shoffman,

Both hotels you suggest are nice, but not very close to the city center. I really enjoy the Arabella Grand (I would often stay there before moving to Munich), but it's on the last stop of the U-4 in the NE part of town. This means you'd have about 15-20 ride (direct) to Odeonsplatz, which is about 200 Meters north of the city center. #

The Munich Marriott is in the NE part of Schwabing. I have never stayed there, but friends of mine have and thought it was fine.

Neither of these hotels has an abundance in their immediate surroundings, so keep that in mind if that's important to you.

For US chains a bit closer to the city center, two more options come to mind: The Sheraton (I think it is a Sheraton 4 points) on Scwanthallerstr. This location is due west out of Karlsplatz and located on the north end of Theriesenwies'n where Oktoberfest is held.

The other choice would be the Munich Hilton, which is on the Northeast side of the Englischergarten, near Bogenhausen. A more upscale residential neighborhood (Boris Becker used to live here).

If you can afford it, then I'd heartily recommend the Kempinski Vierjahreszeiten, which has one of the best addresses in Munich--Maximilianstraße & near the opera house and just about everything else.


Finally, on the SoM tour, make sure you're all die-hard fans before you decide to go. It's about 35-40 Euro per head, and very very touristy. As for scenes from the movie, you only get to see the Gazebo, the outside of the house and the 'inspiration' for the church where the Captain and the Fraülein were married (they were married on a Hollyood set). The rest of the tour is countryside scenery.

If you have any other questions about munich, just ask.

Steve