Best alps day trip from Munich?

Thanks Perry! I noticed you're in Pearland, I have a lot of family very close to or in Pearland :)

You could go down to Garmisch, through Innsbruck and back to Munich. With an extra day, you could hit the highlights of Salzburg on this travel loop. We especially like to get up on the mountains and drive from village to village..
My favorite day trip of all time is going over the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway, south of Zell-am-See. It takes you over the second highest mountain in Europe and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Ending in Lienz, Austria, you can go west and hit the autobahn that takes you north through the Brenner Pass into Innsbruck.

I don't know if I would go all the way to Innsbruck, but Seefeld, a little south of Mittenwald is worth going to.

Instead of Salzburg, for a real alpine experience, go to Berchtesgaden.

About the same distance timewise, is the ski town of Oberstdorf, in the Illertal of the Oberallgäu. From Oberstdorf, you can go by bus up into the Alpine valley of Kleinwalsertal, probably the closest you'll get to a Switzerland experience in Germany (but Kleinwalsertal is actually in Austria).

Sorry, I hate to be "that guy". But...

Although I agree that the scenery along the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is amazing, the notion about Großglockner being the "second highest mountain in Europe" refuses to die on this website. The second highest peak in Europe is Dychtau in Russia. Even in the Alps, Großglockner doesn't crack the top 50 in terms of elevation. It is, however, the highest mountain in the eastern Alps and in Austria, and the second most prominent peak of the Alps. But second highest? Not by a long shot.

I'm also "that guy" who constantly points out the misconception concerning the height of the Grossglockner.

I wouldn't really call a drive from Munich to Zell am See, over the Grossglockner to Lienz, across the Dolomites and then back up through Innsbruck to Munich a day trip.
Paul

I need advice on the most scenic alps day trip we can take from Munich by train? Garmisch with the Zugspitze, Mittenwald, Innsbruck, other?

I'll throw in a different suggestion than what is typically recommended. Garmisch is not really a nice town and it's main claim is the proximity to outdoor activities. Mittenwald, Innsbruck and Salzburg are nice but I see a trend of getting further and further out of Munich for what is supposed to be a day trip. Some of the suggestions above would have you on a train for longer than your actual destination.

As an alternative, do what a lot of locals do and just make a day trip to the foothills south of Munich. The BOB train serves most of this area and you can even get a combo BOB-MVV day ticket (31€ for up to 5 people). Take a lift up one of the mountains, Brauneck or Wallberg for example, and hike from Hütte to Hütte grabbing a snack and beer when you get hungry. Chances are you will be near a nice lake like Schliersee or Tegernsee for a stroll as well. You will encounter a cow or two (or more).

You won't be able to say to saw the second highest "this" or the longest "that" but in this part of the Alps people are more interested in taking it easy than trying to compare how great their mountains are compared to the rest of the Alps.

DJ

Garmisch is not really a nice town and it's main claim is the proximity to outdoor activities.

I'm going to disagree there. There's a small area around the Hauptbahnhof that mostly consists of unattractive postwar buildings, but the rest of the town is very pretty. The Partenkirchen side is even nicer, particularly the area around Lugwigstraße with all the painted houses. I definately agree, though, that the biggest attraction is the access to mountain activities.

Still, based solely on the relative attractiveness of the resort towns, I prefer Oberstdorf. This might take a little longer to reach via train from Munich, however (correct me if I'm wrong, Lee).

Thanks all - this is a lot of info to process but I'll work my way through it.

Is Innsbruck really that far? I'll look into Seefeld and Berchtesgaden.

We are going to Strasbourg and Lucerne after Munich, but not for long.

Amy

Berchtesgaden is probably the farthest away (over 2½ hrs). I would not suggest it for a day trip.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the closest (1½ hr). Seefeld is just a little farther (2¼ hr). Innsbruck is almost 3 hrs going via Garmisch.

Oberstdorf is farther than Seefeld (under 2½ hrs), but not as far as Innsbruck.

if she wants an Alpine mountain experience Berchtesgaden and Oberstdorf would be the best.

I would have to agree with DJ. I was not all that impressed with Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It's too large for me; over half of the places I've stayed in have been smaller. The area on the BOB line are pretty, but not particularly mountainous. But if you go almost all the way on the Bayerischzell branch, to Osterhofen (1¼ hr), you can take the cable car up to the top of the Wendelstein. You could stop at Schliersee on the way out or back.

If your trip doesn't have to be mountainous, but you want scenery, take the train to Mittenwald, then the 9608 RVO bus to Kochel am See (change in Krün). The ride from Krün to Kochelsee is really pretty, particularly the part along the Walchensee. From Kochel am See, you can either come back to Munich by train via Starnberg or go on by bus to Bad Tölz and come back on the BOB.