jft

My husband and I fly to Munich from Berlin on Tuesday night June 23 and fly to Toronto on Sunday June 28 at noon. We would like to rent a car either at the end of the trip or even at the beginning of the trip to see some of the countryside and possibly a castle outside of Munich with an overnight in the region if advisable. I would appreciate suggestions as to which castle/palace to visit and where to drive to and where to stay for the night. Some online comments seem to suggest Linderhof or Herrenchiemsee with possibly passing by Neuschwanstein's castle. I don't want to be driving all over the place so helping me narrow this down would be great.

Dukey1

You could probably do both Linderhof and Neuschwanstein in one long day if you have a car. The exterior of Neuschwanstein is, as you know, very iconic. The interior decoration of both Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee are MUCH more memorable than that within Neuschwanstein.

Since you are going to be IN Munich at some point I suggest you consider visiting either the Residenze which is HUGE and has richer decoration than Neuschwanstein and/or the Nymphenburg Palace which can easily be reached bu Munich tram.

jft

Thanks. Do you suggest staying anywhere in the area overnight or driving back to Munich?
If we went to Residenze and Nymphenburg Palace in Munich is there another scenic drive (without castle/palace viewings) you would recommend instead of Lindherhof and Neuschwanstein? It could involve an overnight or not. We could book our hotel in Munich and travel to and from as well

traveller1959

You have two options:

- One option would be driving in southeastern direction to Herrenchiemsee. It is a splendid palace on an island. You reach it with a nice boat trip from Prien, so a visit requires half a day. From Herrenchiemsee I would recommend driving a little further to Berchtesgaden. You will see Alpine scenery, the beautiful Königsee (boat trip) and, if you want, Adolf Hitler's vast headquarters which have been dug into a mountain. I would stay overnight in Berchtesgaden.

- The other option would be driving in southwestern direction to Ludwig's castles. Both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof are not "real" castles but mock-up structures erected in late 19th century. A real old castle from 1547) would be Hohenschwangau which is just a few miles from Neuschwanstein. Although the Ludwig castles are neither old nor authentic, you will see romantic architecture surrounded by Alpine scenery. All three castles are nearby, so easy to visit all. If you are in the area you should include a short stop at the Wieskirche, a masterpiece of baroque.

jft

If doing option two where would you suggest we stay or should this be done as a day trip? Thanks

Dukey1

You could overnight somewhere in Prien am Chiemsee which we did a couple years ago.

If you want a tour of the Nazi stuff in Berchtesgaden you need to sign up in advance most likely.

Frankly, I have never had a car while I stayed IN Munich because it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth and the public transport system is so good.

If you are going to do the palace/castle thing you could stay in a variety of places including Oberammergau for that matter.

PalenQ

authentically old castles IME and personal take are often boring - stuffed with old furniture and teapestries that are rather the same in many castles IME - Neuschwanstein however sparkles at every turn inside - somethng novel - something surprising - it is the number tourist site in Germany according to the German Tourist Office - yes it is Ersatz - a fake medieval castle but not a boring one inside.

and the Fussen area is a gem - teh castle snuggles in at the foot of the Bavarian Alps - climb up behind it thru forests for a great view of the castles and the large lake far below it.

You can easily take a train to Fussen in a few hours then buses or taxis or walk the few miles to the castles (Hohenschwangau is also a Mad Ludwig creation next door to Neuschwanstein) - by car driving back from Neuschwanstein yes it is easy to hit Linderhof too - en route to Oberammergau where you get highways back to Munich - better IMO to stay in a cute town like Fussen or other in the area.

Mimar

For option 2, you could stay in Fussen or even in Hohenschwangau itself, at the foot of the castles and near a lake. Seeing both castles in one day plus the 2-hour drive back and forth to Munich would be a lot. Stay a night and stop at Wieskirche en route. It's a elaborately beautiful rococco church in a rural setting, a field with cows.

jft

I am leaning towards option one and staying in Berchtesgaden. I am researching hotels in Munich and Berchtesgaden.

PalenQ

I stayed once in Schwangau for a few days - lovely resort town on a large lake - Neuschwanstein Castle lovingly reflects in the lake at times. A municipal band played each night around sunset.

jft

I must have missed reading a couple of the responses before my last reply.
I will look at both options again to decide between the two.I would only rent the car for the 2 days one night period not while in Munich.I am thinking we would return the car in Munich and spend Saturday night in munich instead of at the airport hotel and arrange a transfer to airport in the morning..
We want to experience the beauty of Bavaria more than needing to see all the castles....if there is somewhere else more spectacular and a more interesting town we could consider it and then visit the Residenz in Munich.
I don't know if I want to go to Hitlers Headquarters but thanks for the heads up re booking.