Hello! My wife and I are flying in/out of Munich in mid-August and will have 9 nights in the area. The last night will be spent in Munich or near the airport for a 9 AM flight back to the US the next day. We are interested in seeing some sights in Munich as well as in the Alps of Germany and Austria. I assume we would need a cat to explore areas like Garmish. What are your favorite towns in that area? What are some good hotels and thing to do? We are thinking about maybe 3 nights in Munich and the rest in the surrounding area. Thanks for any suggested itineraries!
Posted by
Northwest Arkansas
1070 posts
Consider a trip out to Andechs Abbey.
Posted by
Maryland
1118 posts
Trains to Garmish-Partenkricen are frequent from the Munich HBF and if you are adventurous the local bus system from there is very extensive. They are slow perhaps that is the everyday Germany. Salzburg is only 90 minutes away by train. Innsbruck is not much farther. Nuremberg id 60 minutes north of Munich. Regensburg is similarly close. Dachau, although not for the faint of heart, is in the western suburbs of Munich and can be reached by public transportation. As for hotels... I always start with the RS guidebook recommended hotels to identify areas of interest and then investigate further on my own through looking at Booking.com to see price points and locations. Day 1 arrival and do the RS walking tour downtown, Day 2 explore, Day 3 Museums or Dachau, Day 4 head to another town and repeat your exploration for Day 5, 6 and 7, Day 8 do something you missed on your first go around. Day 9 end at he airport.
There are websites for EVERYTHING like:
Posted by
below Canada / above Mexico
356 posts
In Aug/Sep 2025 my wife and I spent a few days in Munich, the Alps of Germany and Austria (Salzburg - with a day trip to Berchtesgaden, and Vienna). Our itinerary and additional info is in our trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-austria-bavaria-aug-sep-2025
Posted by
Paradise
8032 posts
We are interested in seeing some sights in Munich as well as in the Alps of Germany and Austria. I assume we would need a cat to explore areas like Garmish.
If I had to make a guess, I think this forum gets 3 posts asking about Bavaria for every post that asks about some other area in Germany. So In August you will be sharing Bavaria with zillions of your fellow travelers, and you should plan accordingly.
Your "favorite towns" request will likely turn up Rothenburg and the Romantic Road towns, chief among them being Füssen, as well as Berchtesgaden and Munich. If you wish to avoid the results of heavy tourism (scarce room availability, higher prices, overcrowding, etc.) then consider visiting places you have never heard of instead.
You don't need a car for Garmisch, or to visit the Zugspitze (with everyone else,) or MIttenwald (very cute alpine village 20 train minutes from Garmisch.) Rail (red) and bus (green) map below:
You might want to try staying in Oberammergau, which is near Ettal Monastery and Linderhof Palace (popular tourist destinations.) It has good connections to Garmisch as well.
Below are some places in Bavaria that I like very much; they are generally off the radar of tourists from the USA and most have been ignored by Rick Steves.
Places near Nuremberg:
Bad Windsheim:
Iphofen... 2 pages of photos: https://stadtbild-deutschland.org/forum/index.php?thread/2985-iphofen-galerie/
Bamberg... UNESCO World Heritage city:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bc/4d/c1/bc4dc191b3a25c5d084fd1e60e5aea84.jpg
https://en.bamberg.info/sehenswertes/
I suggest you stay in Nuremberg (wonderful city on its own) and daytrip to the towns listed above by train.
All the places I've mentioned are accessible by train.
As for rooms... Germany's standards are very high. I wouldn't pay much attention to whether Rick Steves has included your prospective hotels in his book - this is only a guarantee that you will be bumping into fellow Rick Steves readers. What you probably should pay attention to is the presence of AIR CONDITIONING if you expect to sleep comfortably. August temps are variable, but hot days can be very hot in places without it.
Posted by
Paradise
8032 posts
Suggestions for Austria...
Werfen, a direct train ride from Salzburg:
https://www.burg-hohenwerfen.at/en/
https://www.eisriesenwelt.at/en
https://werfen.at/en/holiday-themes/the-sound-of-music (Trail to Alpine meadow)
Posted by
Schwerin
4589 posts
I assume we would need a cat to explore areas like Garmish.
No, a cat is not necessary, also not a rental car. Check train and bus connections on https://int.bahn.de/en.