SIDE TRIPS FROM MUNICH
 

We will be arriving in Munich mid afternoon on 5/9. We were planning to do a Food and Drink Tour the first evening. On Saturday, we were planning to go to Austria to do the Sound of Music tour and then go to the Salt Mines and return to Munich. On Sunday, we thought about taking the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the day. On Monday, we thought we'd visit Neuschwanstein and return to Munich until we have to head to the airport at 5:30. Flight leaves at 8:30. Is this possible? I am open to others suggestions. Thanks

Hi K,

www.bahn.de says that it is 2 hr from Fuessen to Munich by train.

Figure 0:30 hr from Schwangau to Fuessen by bus.

I suggest that you BE at the airport by 17:30.

Dachau is only 0:20 min from Munich.

((I))

Garmisch itself on a Sunday (stores are closed) can be somewhat boring unless you plan to
> take the cogwheel train up to Zugspitze mountain
> use additional bus connections to see Ettal monastery, and/or Linderhof castle.
Yet, while the latter is perfectly "doable" with trains plus buses, I would prefer to have a car for that one day.

If you simply want to see a nice mountain village or town, I would stay on the same train for (I guess) two more stops until you get to Mittenwald.

Your schedule for Monday may be a bit tight, but only for my taste.

Ira,

Is it really necessary to be at the airport 3 hours prior? I thought two hours would be plenty.

Cowboy,
Would it be better to Garmisch on Saturday and Salzburg on Sunday? Does the SOund of Music tour run on Sunday? Is the Hallein salt mine open on Sunday?

Another question, is there enough time on one day to visit the Neuschwanstein and then head to Garmish-Partenkirchen and maybe Obergammu on the same day. Would you do using the trains or get a car.
This would free up Monday to maybe visit Dachau and see more of Munich

Your help is greatly appreciated.

I love all the areas you are considering but don't miss Munich in the hustle and bustle. It is a great city with some interesting attractions on its own.

If you haven't already booked your Munich hotel you might consider getting a rent car Gemut.com for three days (@$150 plus gas) and make a loop. Go to Salzbueg one day, stay the night there then go to Mittenwald and on to Linderhof, Oberammergau, Fussen and back to Munich.

make that "Salzburg"

IMO, it does not make much of a difference to go to Garmisch proper on a Saturday or Sunday. It will just be a bit duller on Sundays, but also on Saturdays the stores will close around 2-4pm already.
While Garmisch is an excellent "hub" to explore the area, the city itself is far from breathtaking.

Sorry, I ignored half of your questions.
Yes, if you had a car you could do a loop from Munich to Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, (Wieskirche, Linderhof castle, Ettal monastery are also on that loop) all in one day. But it can be a bit stressful, depending on how busy Neuschwanstein is.
I would not do this loop with train, bus, another bus, and finally train. It may be "doable" but not very relaxing...

A good idea is what AisleSeat suggested.
Salzburg+Salt Mines in one day. Next day drive to Mittenwald and so on.

For Dachau you don't need a car. It's within the reach of Munich's suburban train system.

For check-in deadlines, I would rely on your airline's information.

This link has a nice map of the loop. Its starts in G-P but you can adjust.
http://theshadedside.com/maps/Garmis...20Garmisch.htm
I highly agree with Cowboy1968's thoughts on G-P. We use G-P as a base. Its nice and has a nice shopping area, but for the time your there, do the loop.

My reaction is the same as that of some others: you should try to arrange things to spend more time in Munich itself. It is an interesting and fun city and I would recommend spending at least a day exploring it. I would probably cut out the Garmisch -Partenkirchen day trip of the ones you have considered.

You mentioned doing a food and drink tour on the first night in Munich. The Hoffbrauhaus has a Bavarian Evening show on the third floor every evening at 7pm for €19 that includs an all-you-can-eat buffet. Beer is extra. It is a fun show.

I appreciate all your input. I might have more questions for the experts later. Thanks.

Hi ky,

>Is it really necessary to be at the airport 3 hours prior? I thought two hours would be plenty. <

If you are flying on a US carrier, you will have to go through a separate screening process in addition to the usual security.

When we flew out of Stuttgart, we got there 3 hrs early and had a 0:45 min wait.

If you arrive 2 hr early, you might not make it.

Or you might.

((I))

Hi ky,

>is there enough time on one day to visit the Neuschwanstein and then head to Garmish-Partenkirchen and maybe Obergammu on the same day.

It is possible that you could fly through all of them in one day, but I don't recommend it.

We did Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau one day, and Linderhof and Oberammergau the next.

((I))

Ira,
We are flying Air France to Paris and staying in Paris for 4 days and then heading to the Brittany coast for 3 or 4 days and then back to Paris to fly home.

Munich-Paris is an intra-Schengen flight, which means no passport control, regular security, like on a domestic flight within Germany.

Arriving 2 or 3 hours prior to departure for an intra-Schengen flight is nuts.
Air France says no later than 30 minutes prior to departure you have to have your boarding pass and have checked in your luggage.
Do add some safety cushion I would recommend to be at the airport 1 hour prior to departure.

Your flight to Paris with AF will depart from Terminal 1, Section D, which is a 5 min walk from the airport suburban train station.

Cowboy,
I have only flown to Paris in the past. This is my first time flying from CVG to CDG and then picking up an Air France Flight to Munich. Will slightly less than 3 hours be enough time to get through whatever we have to go through at CDG and then catch our flight to Munich? On the return we will follow your advice and be there at least 1 hour maybe an hour and a half but no longer. It will be great to have a little more time to explore. Thanks
kygirl

You should have plenty of time in one day to visit Neuschwanstein and then go on to GaP (Garmisch-Partenkirchen). RVO (Regionalverkehr Oberbayern) runs a bus from Füssen to GaP. It stops on the way at the bus stop in Hohenschwangau, just below Neuschwanstein. The trip takes 2 hours and cost €8,50 per person for a Tageskarte (day pass), €20 for a family pass for 2 adults and all their own children. Buses leave Hohenschwangau every day at 4:06 and 5:16 PM, on weekdays also at 2:10 PM. If you take an earlier bus, you can stop at Oberammergau for an hour (or two) and look around.

I agree with the other posters - why keep traveling back/forth to Munich? Make a loop if you want to see the other things. The castles are delightful and that area is very pretty.... very full of tourists, too, but perhaps in May it will be much less crowded than summer.
We rented a car at Munich airport, traveled around, and returned it at the station in Garmisch prior to our stay in Munich. Took the RE train from Garmisch back to Munich.

I would recommend that with all that you want to do in a few short days, rearrange your schedule to visit Munich, rent a car and visit other areas, return to the airport. All that back and forth to/from Munich via train or road is going to wear you out, IMO. You will be so focused on the train schedule and returning to the city that you won't get to enjoy what you are visiting.