dorkforcemom

Because the airfares are very economical right now, my sister (givings) & I purchased tickets from DFW to Munich for travel the second week in October. She's never been and is looking forward to the quintessential Bavarian experience. I've been several times with my husband/son. Since it's 106 today, I'm looking forward to a cool, crisp fall vacation.

We depart on a Wednesday evening, arriving in Munich Thursday afternoon. So...no sightseeing Thursday. We leave the following Wednesday from Munich. This leaves 5 full days. The must-see & do list consists of:
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial
Salzburg
Garmisch/Mittenwald/Oberammergau/Fussen/Neuschwanstein area

While I realize that Munich itself has a wealth of sights, we are foregoing them on this particular trip.

With those places in mind, please help me work out the logistics
How does this itinerary sound?

Thursday - arrive in Munich for overnight
Friday - morning train to Salzburg
Saturday - Salzburg
Sunday - morning trek to the Garmisch/Mittenwald/Oberammergau/Fussen/Neuschwanstein area
Question - how best to get from Salzburg to this area on a Sunday morning? Train? rental car? (My husband & I drove that route before, and in my mind, it was a long trip but when I checked viamichelin, it indicated it was about 2 1/2 hour car trip - is that accurate?)
Question - where best to base ourselves for a visit to the castles in the area?
Question - besides the castles, what would you recommend for sightseeing in that area?
Monday - same area
Tuesday - morning return to Munich, afternoon to Dachau
Wednesday - very early flight home

Thoughts? Ideas? Thanks!

ira

Hi dfm,

You are heading East so that you can then head West, so that you can then go East to get back to Munich.

In addition, to get from Salzburg to Fuessen, etc you change trains in Munich.

Are you sure that you have to visit Sa;zburg? You only have 5 days. You would be an excellent guide to Munich for your friend for a couple of days.

dorkforcemom

So - with your direction analysis, would it make more sense to go from Munich to the Fuessen area, then to Salzburg, returning to Munich by train?

My sister and I are both pianists - Mozart's neck of the woods is a must for her. I realize we're fitting in more than I usually plan for 5 days - granted, it's rushed.

It would be helpful to see your trip report, again, listing the places you and LW stayed while in that area - can't find it, though.

Cowboy1968

You can do all those trips from Munich without moving around in a relatively small area the whole time.

If you go by train, you will end up in Munich anyway, if only to change trains, e.g. from Salzburg to Garmisch.

Salzburg is an easy and inexpensive day trip by train.
In Garmisch there is not that much to see as in Mittenwald or Oberammergau, unless you want to go up on Zugspitze or see the gorges.
I'd always suggest a rental car for that area, especially when traveling on a tight schedule.
One trip could be to Linderhof, Garmisch, and Mittenwald. Return via Walchensee and Benediktbeuern monastery to Munich.
And another one to Neuschwanstein and Wieskirche. A possible break going back to Munich could be Landsberg.
For Dachau just take the suburban train from Munich, every 20 minutes. And a bus from Dachau station to the Concentration Camp memorial.

scatcat

I think Ira stays at www.ammoos.at in Salzburg. I would go straight to Salzburg upon arrival of the flight. It is only about a 2 hour ride by train. It will cost 27€ I think for a Bayern ticket. I buy the solo for 20€ so I am guessing the cost of the regular ticket. Berchtesgaden is only 45 minutes away from Salzburg by bus-just in case you would be interested in the Eagle's Nest.

pja1

Hi,

First, we've been to Bavaria many times in October and it's been wonderful! A cool, crisp vacation should be exactly what you'll get. A few times we've had fantastic fall foliage at this time of year also.

For the "quintessential Bavarian experience", and with that much time, I'd base in the Berchtesgaden area after your first night in Munich. We love staying at the Pension Mayringerlehen in Ramsau! You only have 4 nights and 3 full days with the first and last nights in Munch. From here Salzburg is less than 30 min. drive and King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee (Neues Schloss) is an hour drive.

If you were up to making the 2.5 hour drive from Munich airport to the Berchtesgaden area, I'd probably do 3 nights there and 2 nights in Fuessen before heading back to Munich for your last night. In Fuessen (10 min. from Neuschwanstein) we liked our 2 stays at the Hotel zum Hechten.

www.mayringerlehen.de

www.hotel-hechten.com

We have pic's at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel15.html

and 2 trip reports that parts of them may be of help at:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-austria.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ith-photos.cfm

Paul

Russ

scatcat's suggestion that you head to Salzburg immediately makes immense sense. Why stay in Munich? You could spend a day and a half in Salzburg - then leave in the afternoon on Saturday for the area south of Munich.

Mittenwald is an idyllic village in the Bavarian Alps outside Garmisch - a great place to stay for a few days, especially given your interest in music, as it's the home of a lot of violin-making.

M'wald has good train connections to Garmisch, where you can visit the Zugspitze and the Partnach Gorge, and where you should have a "Bavarian Evening" - traditional Bavarian food and music/dance at the Fraundorfer Inn! Connections to Oberammergau and Innsbruck are also good.

And from nearby Garmisch, you can take a very special train route that runs behind the Zugspitze through the Tyrolean Alps to Reutte, Austria - very scenic! There, you can catch a bus to Füssen (about 40 min.) The whole trip from M'Wald to Füssen takes about 2 1/4 hours and like all the other train trips can be done cheaply on a Bayern Ticket (28 Euros total for a day for 2-5 people.)

In Füssen I'd opt for Hohenschwangau Castle over Neuschwanstein, a tourist trap, really.

M'wald is gorgeous but obviously a bit farther from MUC for your flight out than Munich; you may wish to stay near MUC on your final night instead.

dorkforcemom

Great suggestions thus far - much for me to mull over. I appreciate the links to places to stay and trip reports. I'll go study them - come back with more questions.

Is a Zugspitz visit out of the question in October?

Cowboy1968

Not if you pack a warm sweater or jacket. Though visibility is a more important factor than temperature. There is no need to waste lots of money to go up there if you can't see much.

pja1

Hi,

The Zugspitze is certainly not "out of the question" in October. We went to the top in October 2001. A warm jacket is needed, as is a clear day. The day we went was clear but cold at the top, especially with the wind we had that day. There are of course places to get indoors for a break if you want to spend more time there.

Paul

ira

Hi DFM,

>So - with your direction analysis, would it make more sense to go from Munich to the Fuessen area, then to Salzburg, returning to Munich by train?<

Yes.

You might want to stay at http://www.ammoos.at/main.php?language=en&m=home) but I don;t know if they have twin rooms. It is very close to a sheltered bus stop and about 12 min from downtown.

I agree with scatcat about going direct to Salzburg. Get the Salzburg card:
http://www.salzburg.info/de/sehenswe...card/index.htm

Enjoy your stay.

pattytravel

Hello dfm... you sent me a reply to a post on Tuscany area B&Bs and you referenced La Saricina. I missed your post for some reason ! Would be interested in checkin out your hotel recommendation.. could you forward it? Thanks much
Pattytravel

dorkforcemom

Hello pattytravel - no problem. I've stayed at La Saracina about 5 times or so - with my husband a couple of times, again while traveling with another couple, once with husband & young adult son, another time with a couple of girlfriends - you get the picture. It's located between Pienza and Montepulciano on a hill with the most spectacular view - you can see Pienza from the pool area. Simonetta (the owner) has 6 rooms. She serves breakfast. She has exquisite taste - the ambience is wonderful. Each room is a bit different. One is actually a small apartment, if you will, with tiny kitchenette, living area with fireplace, sofa, chairs, with bedroom. This is what we've rented with 3 people as the sofa makes into a bed. We like the location for day trips to Montalcino, Cortona, San Quirico, in addition to dining in the evenings in Pienza or Montepulciano. The website is www.lasaracina.it. Simonetta is very kind about making dinner reservations, help with planning out daily itinerary, etc. While the price is not what anyone would classify as "economical", it's worth every euro for all the reasons I've listed...

I hope this helps answer your questions. In addition, we've stayed at Locanda dell Amorosa. It, too, is a beautiful property. It's larger than La Saracina but the location wasn't as good for dining out in the evenings. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance...happy planning!