Best Natural Beauty in the Southern Half of Germany.

We lived in Augsburg, Germany from 1987 until 1991. Bavaria is very scenic, but also attracts a lot of tourists.

Garmisch is a ski resort, but in the Summer is it beautiful and you can go up to the top of the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. The Romantic Road that goes through Oberamergau, Augsburg, Douauwurth (sp), Dinkelsbuhel and Rothenberg on the Tauber is wonderful. Also, the area around Berstesgaden and Salzburg, Austria is very scenic. The view from the Eagle's Nest is amazing.

The other scenic area is the Black Forrest in the SW part of Germany, Triberg and Friberg. In between, is Lake Constance, or as the Germans call it the Bodensee and the Rhine Falls is in that area.

Assuming you mean "gets overlooked by North America tourist" here is my suggestions for very scenic areas that are not on the common tourist route:

• Allgäu - Most tourist just touch the edge of Allgäu in Füssen but they are really missing out of some great scenery just to the west in the Allgäuer Alps. Oberstdorf is a good location for visiting the area.
• Kochelsee and Walchensee - Two very scenic lakes
• Tegernsee and Schliersee - Very convenient from Munich by BOB train. Good combination of lakes, mountains and villages.

Keep in mind these areas are all very popular locally so I wouldn't consider them as overlooked, just not typical for most North America tourists.

DJ

I'd agree with DJ. Just go south from Munich and you will find beauty. Avoid places that you have heard of like Garmisch Partenkirchen and instead head for where the Germans go, like Bad Tölz, and you will find all sorts of cool stuff.

You don't really have to go very far really. It is all around.

I also agree with DJ. The Oberallgäu is spectacular.

Allgäu: Anywhere in the Iller valley from Immenstadt to Oberstdorf and beyond that up the Austrian Kleinwalsertal is great.

Kochelsee to Walchensee: Several times I've taken the bus between Kochelsee and Walchensee. It's beautiful.

Tegernsee and Schliersee: Take the BOB beyond Schliersee to Bayrischzell. From there you can take the cable car up to the Wendelstein or a bus over the mountains to the Inn river via Tatzelwurm.

Thanks for your suggestions! Has anybody been to Salzburg as a day trip from Munich? We are thinking of doing that. Also as was mentioned head south from Munich into the Alps.

We spent some time in Bavaria in 2015, with our main purpose being to take in the natural scenery. One of the days we went to the Berchtesgaden National Park. We took a cable car up Mt. Jenner. Had a nice lunch at a restaurant near the top and then hiked back down. There were a couple of nice tiny places to get food & drinks on the way down also. Absolutely stunning views. You can take the cable car back down though if you aren't able to hike (my mom did this, while the rest of us hiked). The next day we took a boat over to Kirche St. Bartholomae. The weather was beautiful so we spent some time hiking (this time flat ground!) and swimming. While in the area we stayed at this little B&B which has AMAZING views of the mountains. The host and breakfast were also fantastic and for a very affordable price. http://www.friedwiese.de/enska/isl.htm

Also, if you are after beautiful views, consider stopping and having lunch on the outdoor patio of the restaurant at Andechs Monastery if you are traveling from Munich to Bavaria. We weren't sure what was best, the food or the view.

Lastly, we also took a day trip to Salzburg. It was a very full day, and I could have spent more time there. But, we really enjoyed it. We went to Mozart's home. Took a bike tour with Fraulein Maria's Bicycle Tours (recommended in the Rick Steve's book) which was nice because it allowed us to see some of the counrtyside. And we finished off with a Mozart concert at the Mirabell. It was a fabulous way to end the day.

If you can't tell, that was a magical trip for me:)

Has anybody been to Salzburg as a day trip from Munich?

Yes, many times. It’s an easy day trip from the Ostbahnhof in Munich. I recommend traveling by train vs driving as the highway between Munich and Salzburg is usually crowded. The train is faster and easier.

DJ

The only concern I have with using the Ostbahnhof instead of the Hbf is that last summer I chose not to get on a train because it was already full (or full enough for me) from the Hauptbahnhof. Granted that the platforms are much easier to get to at Ostbahnhof because the Meridien trains at the Hbf use a remote platform a fair walk from the main station, but getting on the train ahead of time and staking out a place is more appealing to me than standing. Salzburg is a pretty popular place - even more in the last few years when many more tourists from parts of the world which didn't use to travel are now traveling as well as all the other tourists from around the world.