Need Advice for Southern Germany Itinerary and Driving Route/Tips
Aug 1st, 2003 | 11:00 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 186
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Need Advice for Southern Germany Itinerary and Driving Route/Tips
Day 1 - Munich
Day 2 - Munich
Day 3 ? (Public Holiday) Linderhof, Ettal, Oberammergau, Garmish
Day 4 ? Wieskirche, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles
Day 5 ? Bodensee.
Day 6 - Bodensee
Day 7 ? Return to Munich
Could anyone please comment on my plans? I would like to know the best and most convenient driving route for my couple of days in Southern Germany. In addition, any quaint towns or attractions en route to the various destinations worth seeing.
Day 3 is a public holiday in Germany. I am still debating whether to first head to Bodensee (Day 3) or the castle area (Fussen) or the Garmish area. Which one would you recommend? Since it?s a public holiday, will there be a lot of locals in the Bodensee area? But then will all the castles be open on Oktober 3?
Would it be better to drive from Munich to Garmish, then head northwards (eventually heading to Bodensee) or should we drive from Munich to the Fussen / Castle area first (eventually heading to the Garmisch area)? Should I even bother going all the way down to Garmisch?
Would I be able to see those quaint towns in one day? Do you know of any inexpensive Hotels or Gasthausen in those towns or areas we?ll be passing en route?
Are two days in Bodensee too much?
Day 2 - Munich
Day 3 ? (Public Holiday) Linderhof, Ettal, Oberammergau, Garmish
Day 4 ? Wieskirche, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles
Day 5 ? Bodensee.
Day 6 - Bodensee
Day 7 ? Return to Munich
Could anyone please comment on my plans? I would like to know the best and most convenient driving route for my couple of days in Southern Germany. In addition, any quaint towns or attractions en route to the various destinations worth seeing.
Day 3 is a public holiday in Germany. I am still debating whether to first head to Bodensee (Day 3) or the castle area (Fussen) or the Garmish area. Which one would you recommend? Since it?s a public holiday, will there be a lot of locals in the Bodensee area? But then will all the castles be open on Oktober 3?
Would it be better to drive from Munich to Garmish, then head northwards (eventually heading to Bodensee) or should we drive from Munich to the Fussen / Castle area first (eventually heading to the Garmisch area)? Should I even bother going all the way down to Garmisch?
Would I be able to see those quaint towns in one day? Do you know of any inexpensive Hotels or Gasthausen in those towns or areas we?ll be passing en route?
Are two days in Bodensee too much?
Aug 4th, 2003 | 06:49 PM
#3
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
when I traveled to Germany 2 years ago I got a wonderful itinerary from the great Wes sent by e-mail from him. Now that we've lost his great help I did a search and found a posting from his daughter giving much the same information. His directions were perfect for us to explore all of the sites by car that you want to see. search under Wes and Munich - find "itinerary suggestions for dec. germany trip" scroll down to the entry titled Wes' daughter and you should find it.
hope this helps. it's a wonderful trip.
hope this helps. it's a wonderful trip.
Aug 5th, 2003 | 03:15 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,098
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provence--did you see my reply at frommers?
Your itinerary is certainly doable, though I'd recommend you get an early start on days 3 and 4. Day 3--I'd recommend using the A95/E533 to Garmisch, then going up to Ettal and Oberammagau, and finally to Linderhof. You're looking at a total of about 2 hours driving time to cover those areas. So if you get an early start you should have enough time to see the highlights.
If there's nothing you want to stop for between Linderhof and the castles, you could drive on to Hohenschwangau, Schwangau, or Fussen and spend the night. You could even check out the Wieskirche on the way depending on how speedy a tourist you are--some people will spend a half day at a place like Linderhof, others will be happy with one hour. You know your style best.
We stayed in Hohenschwangau (the village closest to the castles) at Pension Albrecht for 64 euros double including nice breakfast, modern private bath, and parking. Walking distance to the ticket center. Neuschwanstein is right overhead, some rooms have great views of it, others don't. There are a number of relatively inexpensive, nice pensions (very much like better American B&Bs) in the area.
When we drove from Munich June of last year, we stopped in Oberammagau and a couple towns with antique stores we happened to see. From Linderhof we took the route through southern Austria, along the Plansee (we stopped for lunch along the lake), and then through Reutte into Hohenschwangau village. We toured Hohenschwangau castle that evening, and Neuschwanstein the next morning. After Neuschwanstein, we explored the Austrian Alps most of the day, and then visited the Wieskirche in the late afternoon (around 5PM)--a church service started while we were there and we got a glorious organ concert out of the visit.
We headed up the Romantic Road from there, so I can't help with the Bodensee.
Your itinerary is certainly doable, though I'd recommend you get an early start on days 3 and 4. Day 3--I'd recommend using the A95/E533 to Garmisch, then going up to Ettal and Oberammagau, and finally to Linderhof. You're looking at a total of about 2 hours driving time to cover those areas. So if you get an early start you should have enough time to see the highlights.
If there's nothing you want to stop for between Linderhof and the castles, you could drive on to Hohenschwangau, Schwangau, or Fussen and spend the night. You could even check out the Wieskirche on the way depending on how speedy a tourist you are--some people will spend a half day at a place like Linderhof, others will be happy with one hour. You know your style best.
We stayed in Hohenschwangau (the village closest to the castles) at Pension Albrecht for 64 euros double including nice breakfast, modern private bath, and parking. Walking distance to the ticket center. Neuschwanstein is right overhead, some rooms have great views of it, others don't. There are a number of relatively inexpensive, nice pensions (very much like better American B&Bs) in the area.
When we drove from Munich June of last year, we stopped in Oberammagau and a couple towns with antique stores we happened to see. From Linderhof we took the route through southern Austria, along the Plansee (we stopped for lunch along the lake), and then through Reutte into Hohenschwangau village. We toured Hohenschwangau castle that evening, and Neuschwanstein the next morning. After Neuschwanstein, we explored the Austrian Alps most of the day, and then visited the Wieskirche in the late afternoon (around 5PM)--a church service started while we were there and we got a glorious organ concert out of the visit.
We headed up the Romantic Road from there, so I can't help with the Bodensee.
Oct 1st, 2003 | 06:56 PM
#6
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,181
Likes: 0
Provence,answering your loast question first. Two days on the Bodensee is DEFINITELY NOT too much. We stayed in Meersburg just one night and two days and were so sorry we didn't ave more time. Meersburg is a charming, beautiful town, with lots of character. You can catch a boat to Mainau Island, where there are gorgeous public gardens. I would have also liked to stay overnight in Lindau, which we missed entirely.
When we were there, there were a good many Germans and Netherlanders there, but we saw few of the usual suspect tourists (Americans, Japanese, or British). It felt like a very German experience.
As you might guess, we absolutely loved the Bodensee, and we didn't even scratch the surface.
When we were there, there were a good many Germans and Netherlanders there, but we saw few of the usual suspect tourists (Americans, Japanese, or British). It felt like a very German experience.
As you might guess, we absolutely loved the Bodensee, and we didn't even scratch the surface.
Oct 1st, 2003 | 08:49 PM
#7
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
I second at least two days in Meersburg. We were there in late May for 2 nights and it was beautiful but does get busy at weekends when parking close to town can be a problem. Plenty of hotels, we opted for a B & B which was charming and excellent value. Have a great trip.
