Thoughts on potential Germany/Austria itinerary?
 

I'm hoping to visit Munich and Salzburg late March, and I wanted to see if you think I'm spending an appropriate amount of time in each place. I'm arriving late on a Saturday evening and coming back super super early the following Sunday.

Saturday night - arrive in Munich
Sunday - Munich
Monday - side trip to Neu. and Hog. castles given that lots of stuff will be closed in Munich on Monday. Are the castles open Mondays? Are both doable in a day given the short amount of winter time available?
Tuesday - Munich
Wednesday - Munich
Thursday - Munich
Friday - take early train to Salzburg. overnight in Salzburg.
Saturday - take train from Salzburg to Munich airport in the evening. Stay in Munich airport hotel (Novotel maybe, although I do have Marriott points, but the Marriott isn't adjacent to the airport).

Alternatively I could do Salzburg Thursday and Friday but then schleping my luggage in Munich on Saturday will be super annoying if I want to stay at the airport hotel.

Does this give me enough time (about 3.5 to 4 days in Munich, 1 for sidetrips and 1.5ish in Salzburg)? Anything I should add or take away? (Unfortunately Hallbrun will not be open in Salzburg then).

Hi J,

Looks OK to me.

You could make Salzburg a daytrip from Munich: it's only 1:30 hr away by train

Information on the castles is at http://www.hohenschwangau.de/548.0.html

No plans to visit Dachau?
http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html

((I))

Thanks ... I kind of got to thinking I might want an overnight for more time there.

I'm honestly not sure I could visit one of the camps. Sounds harrowing. I'm sure it would be very affecting.

On visiting Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau: I would suggest that you plan on spending at least one night right at one of the villages near the castles, like Fussen. Next morning you can go to the ticket center to get your tickets right at 8am when the ticket office opens. Tours are for specific times only, so you have to specify what time you want and you have to show up beforehand with ticket in hand to be in the right tour group - there are crowds of people going on these tours.

I would also suggest that you check their website for more accurate and up-to-date information:

http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm

On your itinerary: The second plan on Salzburg, spending Thursday and Friday there, is better.

On your luggage: I don't quite understand why you don't like "schlepping" your luggage to the Munich airport but are not objecting to schlepping it to see the castles nor to Salzburg. Are you going to have a great deal more luggage to carry to Munich Airport?

Hmm I hadn't thought I'd need to stay overnight. I'd assumed it was just an easy daytrip to the castles. I guess that's also part of my "schlepping" comment as I was trying to reduce moving around and travel time. Re Saturday, if I go from Salzburg to Munich airport hotel and then back to Munich proper I worry I'm losing valuable sightseeing time.

Anyway all good food for thought ...

The castles are an easy day trip - do it the way you planned.

easy - if he won't overnight at the castles he won't have his luggage - no schlepping. He is going to Salzburg anyway so his luggage will be with him for that overnight. If he then goes from Salzburg straight to an airport hotel on Saturday, rather than returning to Munich on the Friday he doesn't have to haul his luggage around Munich to a hotel on Friday and then again to an airport hotel on Saturday night or Sunday morning - no schlepping.

Joe; Unless you go straight to Salzburg on arrival for 2 nights and then spend the rest in Munich, daytripping to the castles whenever it suits you, I think you have the most efficient plan.

Thanks, Armais. I hadn't thought about going to Salzburg straight away, but because I get in around 6:30 I think I should just start with Munich

I don't know how "late" in March you're going, but just FYI, the Salzburg Easter Festival starts March 31, 2012. I assume many travelers will be there a day or 2 before it starts, so hotel rooms may not be easy (nor cheap) to come by if you're visiting during the last few days of March.
http://www.osterfestspiele-salzburg.at/en

Hmm, that's interesting. I was planning to be there March 30 to 31.

Hi JT,

>I'm honestly not sure I could visit one of the camps. Sounds harrowing.<

That is exactly why you should go.

All your train trips could be done on the Bavaria Lander Card - unlimited travel on regional trains and all buses and city transports for a whole day at about 29 euros for two I think. To salzburg you would have to take the slower trains and perhaps spend about an hour longer but at great savings. Buy from machines in stations or at tikcet windows - Salzburg is a German and Bavarian station for tarification purposes so pass takes you there too - of course Fuessen, rothenburg and all of Bavaria is covered.

We all have our different ways and thoughts on travel. The planning should be flexible. I'm just offering my suggestions. It's not a stuck in concrete sort of thing.

My reasons for overnighting in a town near the castles is because the OP is going to have a very long day ahead of him and, personally, I would not want to start out that day with a 2 1/2 hour train ride, visit both castles, do all the rest of things he'll want to do there, and have another equally long return train ride at night. He'll be in less shape to enjoy Munich or Salzburg the day after.

Hopefully, he's not just going to be visiting the castles, but will be doing some hiking, especially to the spectacular view from the Marienbrucke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8U4p4GSh5c

The going-to trip could easily be done in the early evening, after a day in Munich or Salzburg or wherever.

He's going to have to spend the night somewhere anyhow, so why not near the castles? He'll be able to have a fresh start early in the morning when the crowds haven't reached their peak at the castles.


As for "shlepping" his luggage:
a) how much is he going to take with him on a one week trip? Being a light traveler has lots of advantages.
b) There are plenty of luggage lockers at the train stations. E.g., there are whole banks of them at the Munich HBF for as little as 3 euros per 24 hours. He could store his luggage in Munich and just take an overnight bag with him to Neuschwanstein.

I'm just coming at it from an aged hiker's point of view - never take more than the minimum.

Joe: however you decide, have a great trip!

I have stayed near the Castles in Fuessen, which to me is a neat regional town with lots of cozy guesthouses that simply do not exist in cities like Munich - you could stay on the lake too, in resort towns that dot it - at night a municipal band came out and played a concert - ambience - also I liked poking around Fuessen - especially walking along the river thru the gorge on paths - a side of Fuessen most folks just rushing to and from the castles do not see or savour.

I'd stay in the area for a whole different and IMO much more romantic overnight than in say either Munich or Salzburg.

Then when ready to move to Salzburg, take a bus over to Reutte and catch Austrian trains to Innsbruck and onto Salzburg - no need to traipse back thru Munich.

Hmmm, thanks for all of the points of view. I do try to travel fairly light, maybe a backpack and duffle, but I tend to prefer staying in one place for as long as possible as opposed to doing a lot of moving around.

Thanks for the tips about how to get from M to the castles and some of the places or small towns at which to stay.

A vote for staying away from Munich, get into the mountain towns near the castles. Also, a big vote for visiting Andechs and the lake area near by.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andechs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andechs_Abbey