aggressive itinerary for Bavaria--Do-able or not?

"Could we do everything on the above list (minus the Zugspitze) in 1 day?" That's an insane itinerary and totally not doable.

Is your ambition to »hit« those destinations, or to appreciate and enjoy them?

we also LOVE to get off the beaten path a bit and would love to find some more adventurous ways to see the beautiful scenery.

Problem is that to get off the beaten path requires you to SLOW down. The beaten path has nice roads, transport links with frequent service, good hotels, plenty of restaurants.

If you are arriving in Munich from the US or Canada, I definitely wouldn't want to get into a rental car and start immediately on a long drive. What happens if/when the sleep deprivation and/or jetlag hits your driver?

As the last poster noted, if your are landing after a transatlantic flight, do not underestimate your level of impairment from jet lag. Your reaction times will be significantly slowed, no matter how alert you feel. And you'll have to navigate around one of the most congested sections of the Autobahn network.

Thank you for the reality check. Now where would you go? What is do-able? I'm thinking one busy-see-the-sites sort of day and one more mountains/scenic/nature sort of day. What would you do? What would you recommend for us?

Another reality check. Please do not drive the same day you arrive. Jet lag, lack of sleep, and not being familiar with the local road system can all be a problem. There are some people that are not bothered by any of those things. Others think they are ok but are really driving somewhat impaired. Still others are complete zombies and should never drive the same day. Don't mean to rain on your parade, just something to think about.

I'll add to the warnings about your arrival day plans. I lived in Germany (in O'gau) for 3 years. In that time we did several trips back and forth to North America. I would no more hop in a car and drive several hours after arrival than I would jump out of an airplane without a parachute.

Once you leave the Autobahn, those roads can become narrow and very twisty turny. Driving takes longer due to slower speed limits. Not to mention the sometimes steep grades at the same time - switchbacks with no room for error. ( The drive up to Ettal is a perfect example) Would you want to do that when groggy from jet lag?

If you MUST get out of Munich that day, consider taking a train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It's fairly central for what you want to see. Rent a car there the next day. You could easily drive to the Wieskirke, Linderhoff, O'gau, Ettal in one long day. But you wouldn't have a lot of time at any one place.

Then drive to the castles and Fussen the next day, returning via a detour through Reutte. Be sure to book your castle tickets in advance. Note that Reutte is in Austria. You'll have to check to see if you'll need to buy a vignette for your car for that short stretch of road. I can't remember. But again, you're trying to cram a lot into one day. The castles are very time consuming. I doubt that you'd have time for the hike up to the ruins.

The Zugspitze could be done right from Garmisch on your 3rd morning, but I think I heard that the cable car will be closed for renovations work starting this month. I don't know for how long. That's an awful lot to do in the time allotted, and makes no allowances for the jet lag that can affect you for the first few days.

The Zugspitze could be done right from Garmisch on your 3rd morning, but I think I heard that the cable car will be closed for renovations work starting this month. I don't know for how long.

Until dec 21, when the new cable car will open (tomorrow is the last day of the present one). In the mean time the cog wheel train will go more often: http://zugspitze.de/en/winter

We will certainly take into consideration the jet-lag. We are quite familiar with it. That being said, I would still love some details regarding things we COULD do. How much time, on average, will it take for each of these? Are there some that are easily left off the list in order to make room for the others, or even something that I don't know about?

"I would still love some details regarding things we COULD do."

OK but we need some help from you. We can see that you are SUPPOSED to arrive at MUC at 1 pm. But "2-3" days is more than a little vague - no way you're going to get specific suggestions with only that. On what date do you arrive? Dates matter when it comes to tight scheduling. And when your time is up, on what date at what time must you be ... WHERE? We don't know where your trip is to end.

"...we also LOVE to get off the beaten path... Are the above listed items the coolest things to see or are we missing something...Are there some that are easily left off the list in order to make room for the others, or even something that I don't know about?"

Of course there are other great places to visit that Rick does not cover in his book. He basically writes about the beaten path.

"How is the best way to use that 1/3 of a day coming from the airport on the way down?"

That's enough time to go somewhere in the Alps, check in, freshen up and have a nice meal...

If your plane is almost on time, you should have time to clear security, collect your bags, hit a bathroom and ATM, walk to the airport train station, and catch the 14:33 train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (16:54.) Buy the Regio-ticket Werdenfels day pass for 4 people (€44.) Find your hotel, freshen up, then enjoy the Bavarian Evening dinner and music at the Fraundorfer Inn.

"...would love to find some more adventurous ways to see the beautiful scenery."

IMO the most beautiful alpine town is Mittenwald. It's not adventurous, but you can take the train there in 30 minutes from G-P.

Will you be walking the Partnach Gorge? It opens in May, one of the most popular activities in G-P.

Hi Juliana,

How many nights are you staying in Fuessen/Reutte?
We like Fuessen (www.hotel-hechten.com) and we don't "get" Reutte as a place to stay. Less than ordinary.

We usually drive a few hours from Munich airport to our first destination.

Arriving @1pm and getting your stuff, through the airport and to the car, you'll be on your way around 2 to 2:30pm.
Right after leaving Munich airport (easy), stop at a rest stop/gas station and buy the Austrian Vignette (Highway toll sticker for the car windshield for 9 Euro).

You'll likely reach Fuessen by about 5pm. First day is a wash basically.
Day 1- Have tickets pre-booked for Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein's first English tour of the day. If not, get there by 8:30am. Fuessen is 10 minutes drive from Neuschwanstein. Afterwards, if it's nice, go do the Zugspitze from Ehrwald, Austria or if it's a cloudy/rainy day, head to Linderhof.

A mile or so from Neuschwanstein is the Tegelberg. There you can ride the cable car and/or Sommerrodelbahn (luge ride), which is a lot of fun.

Don't worry about getting" off the beaten track" for scenery. It's all around you in the Fuessen area.

Paul

We will get there on a Thursday and will need to be back to Munich on Sunday night for dinner. We have a few meetings on Monday morning and then we leave on Wednesday to drive to Nürnberg and then up to Berlin. We are not stuck on Reutte and are completely open to other options. What is the gorge like?

You should be able to do most of your list with 2 1/2 days. All day Friday, Saturday and some of Sunday.

Paul

Thank you all for your comments. I am wondering what a reasonable time frame would be for the following destinations: Ettal Monastery, Zugspitze and the Partnach Gorge.