Help - Munich 24-31 Dec

We stayed at Hotel Uhland in Munich. Loved it. It's a refurbished mansion in a more residential area yet close to the train station, public transportation and about 15 minutes from Marienplatz. They had a very nice breakfast and family rooms.

You will be able to make use of the great Bayern tickets to get to neuschwanstein and Salzburg. For Salzburg, if that's a day trip, be very organized to make the most of that day. Salzburg is a lot to cover in a day. If you do want to spend a couple days in Salzburg, we stayed at a family run inn, Hohenstauffen. Very convenient to the train station, about a 20 minute walk to the old town, well priced, clean, great breakfast, family rooms.

You will get mixed opinions on Neuschwanstein. I liked it, tho I wouldn't return. We did it on a day trip and did Hohenschwangau first. It was actually lived in, its furnished and provides history and context for Neuschwanstein. An alternative or an addition to Neuschwanstein is Nymphenburg. It is within the city of Munich and easily reached by bus.

I recommend the Residenz and the lovely treasury. Just pace yourself, its huge and can get to be overkill. If your kids are into beer, they will probably enjoy the beer halls. I brought my kids when they were early 20s. The Hofbrau is a bit touristy, but there is often music and locals do go there. We just went there for beer. We did eat at Augustinerbrau, both on the Marienplatz and another one by the train station. We went into and enjoyed all the churches in the old town and followed the Rick Steves guide suggestions.

Hey Erick,

Based yourself in Munich then visit towns like Rothenburg, it's a Xmas wonderland there. Nuremberg is a nearby town which is also worth a day trip. It has the best Xmas market in all of Europe. The kids will love both places.

https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/christmas-markets/nuremberg/

https://www.bavaria.by/visit/rothenburg-ob-der-tauber/

Thank you so much for the input. I will definitely look into that. If you think of any other tips, I’d love to hear. Cheers!

Erick - While in Bavaria, check out Regensburg. It's a vibrant medieval town nestled on the banks of Danube river, encompassing a notable number of historic structures spanning two millennia. Completed under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the town was the first capital of Bavaria, playing host to numerous dukes, kings and bishops for centuries.

https://tourismus.regensburg.de/en/explore/unique-features/christmas/christmas-markets.html

https://www.bavaria.by/experiences/city-country-culture/christmas-markets/christmas-markets-regensburg/

It's a 1 hr and 30 min train ride from Munich.

Regensburg will definitely be on the itinerary. Thanks. I was wondering if anyone had any experience in Garmisch Partenkirchen? I retired from the military and they have a military resort called Edelweiss. It looks like a winter wonderland. Cheers!

You will have basically missed the Weihnachtsmarkts. I would go with the car with so many places to visit in so little time. 26 December is also a German and Austrian Holiday. You might consider the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena across the border in Austria from Garmisch-Partenkirchen as an alternative. No guarantee of snow, but there should be some manmade snow on the slopes and of course on the Zugspitze. Everything will be still decorated for Christmas. Maybe some skiing or ski lessons? This is high ski season so places will be booked early and at top rates and may not book for only one to two nights. I'm retired military too, but I prefer to stay in German/Austrian places rather than Edelweiss. Good deal for young Soldiers, but if you want to experience the culture stay in a local establishment. Silvester/New Years can be crazy with personally purchased fireworks in Germany!
https://www.zugspitzarena.com/en
https://www.bergfex.at/ehrwald/webcams/c816/

Thanks for your service and insight. I also like to immerse myself in the culture. My kids havent' been to Europe before so they are very excited. Skiing may be an option too. With only 6 days really in country we are limited. My mother grew up in Berlin Germany but that is a long way from Munich. Just trying to find out people's favorite things to do in the Winter near Munich. Thanks again for the insight!

When we were last in Munich hubby and I went to the LMU (university) and saw The White Rose Museum. At the time it was very small but has since relocated and grown. The White Rose group was a resistance group during WWII made up of mostly university students. And maybe a few professors. I think there has been a book and movie about it, but since your kids are college age, they may find it interesting. Of course, you can imagine how it ended up with the Nazis, but I hd never heard of this group until we were in Munich.

Have a Great time!
Mimi

OK, I'm retired military and have been to Germany over a dozen times since my last tour over there. A lot of people on this site don't grasp how different things can be with your advantages. First, I'd base out of the Edelweiss instead of Munich. The location and availability of things to do are that good. MWR can, and will, get you major discounts to any attractions, usually 20% often 50%. Use that service to visit the castles, Partnach, museums, Salzburg, and go skiing or sledding. They can also book reservations at local restaurants, provide transportation (included in all day trips, provide English speaking guides who are local and really know what's going on, and other services too. They can get you to and from all the castles, Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, etc...

Another reason to base out of there is you know you are going to have a good Christmas experience. They will be open, they will have the food and activities for travelers, and you're smack in the middle of a great, small, locality with some neat traditional customs you can take part in.

Munich is going to be shut down from noon on the 24th thru the 26th. Garmisch is not. I'd plan on skiing; MWR will provide everything including lift tickets, cheap. The runs are Olympic quality. There's also a huge spa and the Olympic swimming facility open.

As noted you will miss the main Christmas markets. But, if you take the tour to Oberammergau and Ettal on the 27th or 28th I'll bet you'll find plenty of stuff for next year. Salzburg will be fairly similar.

Neuschwanstein is neat for about an hour, Linderhoff is much better. If it's not clear I'd pass on Neuschwanstein entirely, as it's main draw is for pictures.

Expect snow or rain. Do indoor tours those days, or go to Munich or Salzburg. The weather can be very different a few miles away.

Doug,
Thanks. I agree that cars are much more flexible than trains, but my concern is having a large car for 5 people (and luggage) would make it very difficult to park. I know when I've driven in Italy and the UK, that has been a concern. Are the roads and parking spots set up for larger vehicles? Cheers!
Eric

KGC,
I had forgotten about the discounted tickets and the possibility to get them through MWR. I've looked into Edelweiss' availability while I'm there, but it looks booked online (or as a retiree I am not able to book yet). Whatever the case, I will look into it more. If my kids didn't have to be back to college (or got out earlier), I would look at extending my time in Germany. Then I could see a lot more things on our "to do" list. Thanks!
Eric

Edelweiss has rooms available from 25-29 DEC. I'd book now. If you have trouble call; they will work with you. Seriously, I'd stay in Garmisch, and I'm speaking from very specific experience.

Being in Garmisch over Christmas is going to be a whole lot better than in Munich. Feel free to ignore those who have never been in Germany at Christmas time. People telling you to go here and there for a Christmas market without realizing when those markets close as most of them close on the 22nd or maybe the 23rd. Hardly any market in Germany is open on the 24th and if so, it will close at 13:00.

Have stayed at the Edelweiss twice, and for a family, it may be your best deal as has already been recommended. Otherwise, you will find yourself on the 24th with nothing to do, no place for dinner, and the 25th, 26th are holidays with packed restaurants and museums that may or may not be open. There isn't usually snow in Munich at this time of year anyway.
I would take the train too, so much easier and a lot cheaper.

I’ve stayed at Edelweiss Lodge/Resort in Garmisch-P and am headed back there in July. I stay in the cabins but have used resort amenities at the main hotel. Pros: nice facilities that will be open when you need them, and reasonable prices. Bus stops right outside the back entrance. If your kids are skiers (or would like to give it a try) packages available. Cons: mini-America in midst of Germany. 5 years ago I would say restaurants should be used for convenience sake only. Otherwise, eat in town. Perhaps they have improved in the meantime.

Garmisch-P is absolutely full of things to do and you will find that there are a variety of day tours or activities offered through the lodge which helps a great deal. Take a good explore through their website. Interestingly, this facility was not available to retirees for about 5 years. It just recently became available again and we signed right up as we had such a good time before on our stay there previously.

Retired Military myself. I have stayed at Edelweiss while on active duty. I was not thrilled. Being in Germany to experience the country, it missed the point to stay in an American Military Facility. Maybe my quirk.

Although the markets are generally closed after Christmas, towns are not. We really liked Regensburg and I will add Augsburg. We liked Munich as well. There is plenty to do without markets. I noticed signs in Rothenburg saying that many facilities would be closing for a break just after Christmas.

We drove cars for our six years living in Germany. It was great. We find using trains easier now. Trains are less flexible for rural stops but handier for getting into city centers. In the winter we prefer the towns.

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I have a reservation at Edelweiss as a place holder for the trip as I can cancel up to 60 days prior without penalty. If they didn't have a 5 nights minimum stay at Edelweiss, I'd like to spend a couple of nights there and then move to a small town. Ideally, I was thinking of staying a couple of days in downtown Munich to start as the Christmas market's last day is the day we arrive, 24 Dec. I'm going to map everything out and talk to the "kids" and see what everyone wants to do. It seems like there are a lot of options no matter what way you go. I wish we would have more time to explore everything, but with kids at 3 different colleges, these are the days we have.

Erick don't forget Regensburg Germany

Are you flying out 31 December or will you be in Germany for New Years? If you are able, then I would recommend Regensburg for Silvester/New Years. People line the Danube and shoot off their fireworks. Cafes, bars, clubs all are open. I recommend the Hotel Orphee if rooms are available, but it can be pricey.

Basing in Garmisch is best, as several retirees have mentioned. We've stayed at Edelweiss as well----and took tons of day trips from there. Unpacking once is often preferable over going from city to city, but that's sometimes unavoidable. My husband enjoyed driving in Germany/Austria/Switzerland---except in big cities of course. Not sure your college kids will be thrilled with Neuschanstein, so that might be skippable for this trip. We went to Innsbruck as well. Eagle's Nest might be interesting to them---but remember it will get dark pretty early, so plan your 'scenic' things when it is light!

Eagles Nest is not open during the time the OP is visiting. It closes in winter.

We lived in Augsburg for 4 years and I still wonder so many want to visit Germany in the Winter.

At Christmas time in Bavaria it gets dark about 4:30 and days are very short. Also, bring heavy overcoat, gloves and hat. Hope you enjoy the cold.