Hello,
My family will in staying in Munich for a week in July. After reading other posts, we've decided against renting a car. Can anyone recommend a few good day trips from Munich that would only require train travel? We've already arranged a day in Salzburg.
I'd appreciate any suggestions!
Thank you in advance.
Here are some suggestions for day trips from Munich.
My favorite is to take the S8 southwestbound 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)
Or take S1 about 20 minutes from Hauptbahnhof to Oberschleißheim, and visit the magnificent, colorful Schleißheim Palaces, summer home of the Bavarian royal family. Aviation history buffs will enjoy Flugwerft Schleißheim (aviation branch of the Deutsches Museum), a short walk from the Schleißheim Palaces.
Tourists have yet to discover Ingolstadt, a charming, friendly town about halfway between Munich and Nürnberg. There are many historic buildings in the old center, including the former Anatomy Building of the University of Ingolstadt, now the German Museum of Medical History. Gardens in the courtyard are made up of medicinal herbs and plants. The building was the setting for Mary Shelley's original 1818 novel Frankenstein. Tours are available of the Audi factory, just outside the old center. Ingolstadt self-guided walking tour available here.
Nürnberg is a good day trip by train from Munich, also. There is much to see and do there, but if you plan your visit carefully you can accomplish a lot in a day trip.
Despite having a huge and vibrantly colored Altstadt, an impressive castle, and hosting one of Europe's largest medieval pageants every four years (Landshuter Hochzeit), Landshut somehow barely gets mentioned in many English-language guidebooks. I visited Landshut for the first time a few days before my first trip to Salzburg... and I can honestly say I found Salzburg's rather small, monochromatic Altstadt a bit a let-down in comparison.
Nearby Erding hosts the pinnacle of the German spa experience, the amazing Therme Erding. You can easily spend all day relaxing here.
Hi Amanda,
King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee Palace is an hour away.
For stunning alpine scenery, either Garmisch with the Zugspitze trip or Mittenwald with the Karwendelbahn trip. These are about 1:30 from Munich.
Paul
My favorite day trips from Munich by train would be Landshut, already mentioned by Tom, and Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Medieval structures.
https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Other-2/April-2014-Landshut/
https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Travel/Regensburg-April-06/
We also really liked Nördlingen with its surrounding wall, many town gates and half-timbered houses.
https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Germany-April-2016/Nördlingen/
Munich is a train hub and great for day trips. Hope you enjoy it. We love train travel in the area.
Thank you all for some wonderful suggestions. Can't wait to try these trips!
