3 nights outside of Munich - stay close or adventure out?

I agree with you that Switzerland is too far away and you would burn valuable hours just getting there and i could be even worse if you get there and the weather is rain/fog and you are stuck.

Tegernsee could be a good option given the time crunch. I go to Oktoberfest with a small group of friends every other year and we typically spend a few days Tergensee as a break from the beer drinking at Oktoberfest. It's only one hour by train (http://www.bayerischeoberlandbahn.de/) from Munich. Since it is a touristy area there is a lot of good infrastructure for visitors (resturant, hotels, pensions, etc) including a great Brewery/Restaurant right on the lake, Bräustüberl Tegernsee. The lake has several small villages surrounding the lake which are joined by bus (free if you are staying in the area), a foot/cycle path or ferries. While the mountains are not as dramatic as GaP or Austria there is still plenty of good hiking. One good hike is to take the cable car up to the top of Wallberg and hike to a nearby hut for lunch and a beer. Tandem paragliding from Wallberg might be an option depending on the weather (http://paraglidingtegernsee.info/).

But Tegernsee is still close enough to Munich that you can return to the city easily in case of bad weather or you need one more day in the tents.

http://en.tegernsee.com/

We'd like to head to a smaller town for these 3 days, with still a few options for restaurants, and ample hiking/outdoor activities/sightseeing

Here's a suggestion for a base reasonably accessible to Munich, but that seems like a world away. Take the S8 southwestbound from Munich to the end of the line at Herrsching. Walk a couple hundred meters to the lakefront and board one of the stately paddlewheel ships which cross the Ammersee to my favorite untouristed Bavarian village, Dießen am Ammersee. Dießen is a popular destination for German weekenders, but it's not on the international tourist grid at all. Walk through Dießen up to the baroque-rococo Marienmünster Abbey (1730). Return to Herrsching by ship and take a taxi or bus, or walk three miles up a forested trail, to Kloster Andechs, where Benedictine monks have been brewing great beer since the 15th Century. (Photos of Herrsching, Dießen and Andechs here)

There are a number of good hotels and restaurants in both Herrsching and Dießen.

(my boyfriend is also looking to possible skydive/bungee)

There is skydiving at the grass-runway airfield in Bad Wörishofen, about an hour's train ride west of Munich. In addition to skydiving, on Sundays you can get a 45-minute ride over Neuschwanstein or the Lakes region in a classic 11-seat, Soviet-built Antonov An-2 biplane (advance reservation required; photos here). Finish the day at the delightful Therme Bad Wörishofen, a modern spa/sauna/waterpark complex nearby.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is only 90 minutes from Munich by train,mand offers lots of fantastic hiking, including "Klamm" ( gorge) hikes like this:

https://www.grainau.de/en/leisure_and_activities/experience-nature/hoellentalklamm-gorge

There is paragliding from the top of Wank, one of the mountains accessed by lift from town. You can take a lesson, or (I believe) go tandem. I spent a pleasant afternoon up there after hiking up, watching the paragliders take off. The Kaisershmarrn at the little summit restaurant was very tasty.

Thank you for all of your input! It sounds like there are plenty of great options nearby Munich. We will have to save Switzerland for another trip.

A recent thread made me think of one more option, Mittenwald. On good weather days, especially in October, the areas closest to Munich like GaP or Tegernsee get a lot of day trippers from the city. Mittenwald is a little farther in the Alps than GaP or Tegernsee and the town is smaller so if you are looking for a quieter getaway that still has good tourist infrastructure this could be an option too.

Have fun.

DJ

Thanks DJ!

I've looked into Mittenwald also. I really like the idea of being on a lake while still having the access to the mountains, such as in Tegernsee. Do you find the scenery/ammenity options in Mittenwald or GaP comparable to that of Tegernsee? What about Fussen?

I asked one of my friends who lives in the area where he would spend three days and his responses were as follows: "GaP there is really nothing much to do and it is also not very nice village." "Mittenwald is in the middle of nowhere. But very nice scenery for hiking." "I would stay at the Tegernsee - unless you travel with your loved one and want to spend some quiet day ...."

It's just my opinion and I'm sure others may disagree but I'd rate the scenery in Mittenwald and GaP comparable to Tegernsee but only because of the lake views. If you are rating only on mountain views, I'd put Mittenwald first with GaP a close second and Tegernsee behind them as Tegernsee is really just the start of the Alps and the other two are a few valleys further in the mountains. You will still get great views from the top of Wallberg in Tegernsee.

Regarding amenities and tourist infrastructure, Tegernsee has them all beat with many reasonable hotels, spas, restaurants, transportation, bike rentals, etc. This is what makes it such a popular spot for locals from Munich.

Füssen is a nice town too but unless your main reason to visit is for the palaces then there really isn't a point to head all the way there. Füssen's infrastructure is geared mainly for tourist that are there to visit the palaces.

In summary my opinions:

• GaP and Füssen are one trick towns. GaP for it's proximity to great outdoor activities and Füssen for it's proximity to the palaces.
• Mittenwald has the best scenery and is a very nice village in it's own right but is in the middle of nowhere.
• Tegernsee is not the best in any category except it offers the most things to do in and around the lake and has the best tourist infrastructure. It's also the closest to Munich.

DJ

G-P is nice but touristy esp since the Zugspitz is there. Mittenwald is much smaller, looks nice (been through here many times but never adventures) and I think they have two cable cars you can access for hiking. Personally I would go to Mittenwald over G-P. The ICE train does not stop there, you need to take the local train. You can take the Meinfernbus to Seefeld as well, which is close to Mittenwald, and it is less than ten Euro. Seefeld is a nice small resort town. Innsbruck is also nice two hours from Munich Hbf. To minimize travel time I would stick to G-P, Mittenwald, Seefeld, Innsbruck. Any of these towns has great mountain access.

Switzerland prices will literally be double, especially at restaurants and such. Why take the time to travel there, the mountains in Tirol are nice ;)

Innsbruck is nice in September, there are no students here so it is fairly quiet.