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Salzburg or Munich with my elderly Father

Posted by on

Hello all, looking for advice. Next year, September or October 2020, I will be travelling with my father. He will be 81 years old by then and god willing, still in good health. Walks with no cane and in good shape. I am planning a self guided Band of Brothers type trip. We are both very interested in WW2 history. We would only have 7-9 days max for the trip. He has never been to Europe and is excited. My wife and I have both traveled Europe using Rick's books before with no issues and am mildly familiar and confident in planning this trip. Northern France and Belgium (Bastogne) I'm not to worried about. I gave him the option due to logistics of seeing Holland, or taking the trip down to the Eagles Nest. He's never seen the Alps, so he chose that. Weather wise, it can be risky to see the Eagles Nest i'm aware, but it's worth it for him to see the Alps. My questions are as follows.....

Should we fly into Munich and stay there and take a guided tour to the Eagles Nest? I've been to Munich before and have a friend there to help us, or would it be worth it to take a train and stay in Salzburg to start the trip. Would public transportation be sufficient there. Would a full day after arrival be worth it? Then take the train to Munich to rent the car and drive north.

OR.... Leave this for the end of the trip, which was my original idea. Leave the beautiful mountains for the end and stay two full days. Would it be a huge hassle to leave Salzburg by train to Munich airport for a flight home?

I'm doing all the driving and we grew up doing long road trips, so him being in the car for 6+ hours shouldn't be a problem.

I'm fully aware of the logistical nightmare of Oktoberfest, and was there in 2003. As much as I would like to go back to that, it would be too much for him!

I don't have anything booked, but i'm trying to show him some cool stuff on top of the war stuff since he's never been before. He just said he wants to see "small towns" and "old stuff"! lol

Thank you! Looking forward to the advice.

Posted by
2580 posts

I’m confused. You mention Northern France and Belgium. Are you going there before spending an additional 7-9 days in the Munich and/or Salzburg area? Are you driving for a portion of the trip, then changing to train travel? You mention both public transportation and driving 6+ hours a day.

Personally, I love Salzburg and would spend the whole time there and in surrounding areas if flying into and out of Salzburg is an option.

If Munich is not optional, here is my suggestion:

I’m going to assume you have 7 nights (not counting arrival and departure days) and will have a car. Spend 2 nights in Munich. Go to Hofbrauhaus beer hall. (Hitler used to meet in the large hall upstairs.) Explore the town.

Drive to Mittenwald (about 1.5 hours) and spend a night. Spectacular alps there.

Drive to Salzburg (about 3 hrs). Spend 3 nights. Explore the town one day, go to Eagles Nest and Berchtesgaden one day. Visit a lake town the last day (Hallstatt is lovely but very popular. Lots of choices in the area). Eagles Nest is amazing on a clear day, and I would keep your schedule flexible and go on the day with the best weather.

Drive back to Munich (about 2 hours) and spend one night before flying out.

Posted by
3 posts

Sorry, I should have clarified. We will be visiting the battle sights in northern France and Belgium also, then driving south to Munich or Munich north, depending on where we start.

My question was should we fly into Munich and stay there or take the train to Salzburg and utilize public transportation there for our stay. Reading some of the stories in the forum that sounds like driving in Salzburg is not desirable. We would only have 7 to 9 days total for the entire trip, So probably no more than two full days in Salzburg.

Would it make more sense to stay in Salzburg rather than Munich being the fact that I would like to show him some of the mountains. And would It would be worth it to have a car in Salzburg.

And also would it be better to do this portion of the trip last or first.

Posted by
11294 posts

" We will be visiting the battle sights in northern France and Belgium also, then driving south to Munich or Munich north, depending on where we start. "

Before you get too attached to the idea of driving from Northern France or Belgium to Munich, or vice versa, investigate the following:

1) The amount of time it will take. I know you said you don't mind long car rides, but you have a very short trip, so time is valuable.

To find estimated driving times, use ViaMichelin, and note that these do not include any time for bathroom breaks, meals, getting lost, etc: https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Routes

2) The cost of picking up a car in France or Belgium and dropping it in Austria or Germany, or the reverse. Reports on these forums indicate that the surcharge for this can be anywhere from €50 to €600 (not a typo - six hundred euros).

You may want to fly between these two areas, which would minimize both problems. For Munich and Salzburg, public transportation should work fine. For the France and Belgium portion, you'll probably want a car; again, you'll want to pick up and return it in the same country to avoid high extra fees.

"Would it be a huge hassle to leave Salzburg by train to Munich airport for a flight home?"

It's under 2.5 hours from Salzburg to the Munich airport by train, with one change. So, a lot depends on how early your flight home is. Since the recommendation is the be at an airport three hours before an inter-continental flight, and most flights to the US leave mid-morning, you may not be able to wake up in Salzburg and still make your plane. And even if you could, I'd be too nervous about a disruption (say, an accident on the train line) causing me to miss the plane. I'd get to Munich the night before, and stay in a hotel near the airport. That way, I'd sleep well the night before.

Posted by
18 posts

I went to Munich and Austria this past April. I don't have much more to offer, except that I flew into Munich then took trains to Hallstatt then trains to Salzburg then trains back to Munich.

The trains were comfortable and easy to figure out. I highly recommend the trains.

In Salzburg, we either walked or used buses. Wonderfully easy to navigate. Much easier than talking a bus in Minneapolis! And safer.

There are day trips out to Hallstatt. I highly recommend it. Highly. It's gorgeous and very small. Easy to walk from one end to the other in 15 minutes, at a faster pace than an 81 year old, but I think he could do it, just take longer. Has an incredible overlook over the town, salt mine but that would be a little hard for him to navigate. Take the funicular up the mountain then the elevator up to the overlook.

Dachau is outside Munich. A lot of walking, but all flat. I work with seniors, and I think it can be done.

Enjoy! It's beautiful there. No matter what you do or where you go, you'll make memories.

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