I am part of a group of guys traveling to Munich for Octoberfest this September. My two college buddies and I are considering extending the trip and spending 3 more days in Europe. We are looking at Austria (Vienna or Innsbruck) or trying to get to Switzerland. We are looking for some easy 2-3 hour hikes in the Alps. Would love some suggestions from the experts.
Thanks,
Pappy
If your looking for hiking in Switzerland, then get the RS book on Switzerland, look at the RS videos on Switzerland on YouTube. You may want to take a look at Murren, Switzerland, take a gondola lift up to the Schilthorn at 10,000 feet, and find your way back to Mürren...or take a narrow-gauge railway up the other side of the valley to Kleine Scheidegg, near the majestic Eiger and Jungfrau peaks. This is what the GAS tour does which I am going on in late August. I have been to Murren and it is really pretty and filled with mountains and good hikes. Go to Trümmelbach — a series of subterranean waterfalls that plunge hundreds of feet into darkness behind the valley's cliffs. Explore Berner Oberland. Take a look at this area. The GAS tour stays there for three nights. This may be prefect for what you are looking for. Vienna is a lovely city filled with art museums, palaces and coffee houses with amazing pastries. There are concerts at night. Vienna is city life and Switzerland is hiking and mountains and just relaxing.
I did Oktoberfest last September with a group of 12 and am going back this year. Last year we spent 3 days based in Lucerne Switzerland before going to Munich for Oktoberfest. The train was a easy ride with only a change in Zurich.
We hiked around Mt. Pilatus one day, and then Mt Rigi another day. There are several towns around the lake to explore. You can google information and both mountains and hikes around. We used Rick's Swiss book too.
If you do Switzerland just be prepared for increased prices. We did Italy for 10 days, Munich for 3 Days with Lucerne in the middle. We knew going into the trip Swiss was a little more expensive and adjusted our budgets for that.
If the hiking is important to you, then go to Austria. If you're willing to dispense with that activity, I would suggest going to Berlin to see a contrast from Munich, that is, if you're a first timer in Berlin.
I'd like to piggy back on this thread as I have a similar trip planned, but much longer. We will be in Munich in late September for Octoberfest and will spend time in Switzerland and Austria as advised here. But we will remain for about a month. My son is serving in the army near Nuremberg and can probably get time off to spend with us. I wonder what advice I can get for where best to spend our remaining weeks in Europe. Any advice is appreciated.
To the OP, if your interest is hiking and assuming you are flying out of Munich then I'd recommend hiking as a day trip in the Alps just south of Munich. You would spend a day getting to Switzerland and a day back leaving only one day for hiking and with the unpredictable weather that is a long way to go if it ends up raining.
Garmisch, Lenggries and Tergernsee are all easy to reach by train as day trips from Munich on good weather days.
DJ
