Suggestions for a weekend in Bavaria and some q's
 

Hi

I will be going to Germany (1st visit outside of 1/2 day in Frankfurt, have visited Vienna and Salzburg before), landing in Munich Sat 24th Sept (next week) at 10 am and have free time till 9 am Monday Morning when have to be at a mtg in Munich (near Passing close to SchoBpark Nymphenberg). Will be working through Wed, and leaving Thu afternoon, so can see some of Munich evenings and Thu morning.

My initial thought was visit Berchtesgaden and the castles near Garmisch (Neuschwanstein etc) and then drive back closer to Munich Sun night.

Thinking of spending Sat night either in Garmisch (or nearby places) or near Berchtesgaden. I generally like smaller cities/towns as easy to walk around, park and has a more relaxed feeling.

I was going to rent a car either at airport or take a train and rent outside airport (if thats cheaper) as Mon morning need to drop car for. Thnking car as time is short.

Suggestions for things to do and suggested itinerary welcome.

One question re car rental, is it necessary to have a car or is public transport sufficient? Also any suggestions for cheap car rentals if car is recommended.

Danke

Shri

Why not stay in Munich as, Oktoberfest opens on Saturday the 17th. It is a great time! Will you really want to rent a car and drive all over for just one day, there are a lot of things to do in Munich. The Englisher Garden is a nice place to visit on the weekend if the weather is good, with lunch at the Chinese Pagoda beer garden there was an Oom-pah band that plays in the pagoda, when we were there. The Viktualien Market was also a cool place to visit in Munich, but I'm not sure of the hours. The Residenz Palace in Munich was nice but the Schotzkamer was even better. The Wittlesbach (sp?) crown jewels are all on display, there is an amazing jewel encrusted statue of St. George & the dragon. Take some time to just enjoy the city before working.

It is cheaper to rent a car away from the airport. When we were there, there was a premium to pick up your car at the airport.

If you decide to stay in Munich you shouldn't need a car, between the subway and trams.

With basically a day and a half, I would absolutely stay in Munich. Although it is a big city, it truely does have a small town vibe.

Also, consider how long your flight to Munich will be - we live near San Fancisco, so a flight to Munich is about 10 hours. After a long flight with the time change, I don't really like driving much, finding my way around, etc. I feel sort of "off" and prefer a more laid-back day. If I was travelling by myself, I definitely wouldn't plan a driving itinerary my day of arrival.

You might have a Munich room booked for Mon-Wed, but I don't know how you find one for Sat or Sun. It's probably impossible with O'Fest on.

You'll end up spending a lot of time picking up and dropping off, and a lot of money, renting a car. Just take the train from the airport into Munich and transfer to Garmisch or Berchtesgaden. A Bayern Ticket Single is only 21 Euros/day for unlimited travel on Mon and Sat:

http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm

I would choose Garmisch; you'd probably like nearby Mittenwald too. Stop in at the Fraundorfer for a "Bavarian Evening" of traditional food and music:

http://www.gasthof-fraundorfer.de/

Only reason I was not going to stay in Munich was going to be tougher to find rooms in the city on the weekend, and also will have the evenings as well as most of Wed and Thu to explore, hence wanted to get out and see something different.

Thanks

Shriram

From Garmisch is it possible/easy to use public transport to visit some of Ludwig's castles? Also thought Bayern Ticket was only weekdays, thanks.

Assume Garmisch is much nicer then Fuessen, which is what guidebooks recommend for those visiting castles by train.

I have not been to Garmish, but I thought Fuessen was a charming town.

For sndraco,

I live in Garmisch but haven't ever been to Füssen.

Yes, it is dead easy to use busses & trains to get from here to Füssen, Neuschweinstein, Oberammergau, and Linderhof. Also to Mittenwald and Innsbruck, if you'd like.

You can get all the schedules, including the bus connections, using the German rail site:

www.bahn.de

Just make sure you have the spelling correct; if you cannot use the umlaut, just insert an "e": Fuessen.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thanks to all the suggestions, had a lovely trip and did end up renting a car (as much for convenience as for wanting to drive on the autobahn).

Went to Fuessen, saw the castles spent some time in Oberammergau, saw Linderhof as well and then drove to Munich Sun night.

Everything went great except nav sucked (old style one from radio) and I put in Fussen (did not accept Fuessen) and it took me to some small place near Rosenheim then figured it out and put in Fussen with umlaut.

Vielen Dank

Shriram