Itinerary realistic?? 2.5 Days in Munich, then Salzburg, then Vienna, then Budapest--Sep '24

9/6: Munich toward Salzburg by train
--Stop at a lake en route to Salzburg (is Chiemsee where there's an island with a castle on it?) to see another Ludwig castle/palace. How far from the train station to a town on the lake—which one would you recommend? Worth a stop here or just get to Salzburg? We have some flexibility.

Get off the regional train from Munich at Prien am Chiemsee. Take the 481 bus from the station to Chiemsee-Schifffarht Ludwig Feßler KG. Or take the historic steam train Chiemsee Bahn. Boats go on a regular schedule to the Herreninsel and the Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee. When you are done, you can tour other islands on the lake or return to Prien am Chiemsee and continue to Salzburg. Info here: https://www.chiemsee-schifffahrt.de/en/home

You can use a Bayern Ticket for all rail transport Munich to Prien am Chiemsee to Salzburg if you leave Munich after 9 am.
https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/regional/regional-day-ticket-bavaria

It is not goofy to see the Sound of Music sites, if you love the movie.
And near Berchesgaden, I really love the boat ride on Koenigsee.

I also don’t feel like you are rushing through, which I like.

OMG there is so much to consider on this trip!! Thank you for the info on Chiemsee....now I'm going to complicate it a bit, or at least muddy the waters. Would really value your feedback.

1. Re Dachau & Dokumentation Center: A German friend felt there was a lot of duplication here....do you feel that's true? If so, then on our arrival in Munich, we could go visit the Nymphenburg Palace & Gardens right away.

   • Are there luggage lockers at Hbf, where we could just leave our luggage & train directly to Nymphenburg? We are looking at a couple hotels near Englischer Garden (Unsold Factory Hotel for one--know it?) -- feels like we'd spend excess time to take our bags and "drop" them there, only to turn around and go back to Nymphenburg.
   • Is Olympia Park walkable from the Palace? We could enjoy that true, if time. Safe place later into the afternoon/early eve? Eat there or head back toward town centre first?
   • Not car people, but who doesn't admire BMW. Isn't there a "quick overview"/mini-museum that shows some of their prime work without going to the museum, so we could just get a taste of it?

2. Chiemsee stay vs. Berchtesgaden/Hallstatt day trip(s) from Salzburg?

   • See the two areas are different directions, but Hallstatt has great reviews and Berchtesgaden still has WW2 interest. Worth it to GET to Salzburg & make time for both areas? Probably need to be by tours; seems pricey to rent a car for these. Separated as they are, doesn't seem to lend itself to an overnight stay at either place, unless I'm missing something.
   • BOTH towns have salt mines....recommend one over the other?
   • BOTH have spectacular views and lovely lakes. More time in the mountains. Thanks for your feedback. So helpful! I have to keep reminding myself that we'll ONLY get a taste of the area anyway, but there is so much of the world to see, it may not be feasible to come back here, either. 1st World Problem! Thanks.

There are lockers at Munich Hbf, but because of construction at the station, they may be limited.

Hallstatt may get great reviews, but I have heard it has become "over touristed", meaning tons of day trippers. It might be worth an overnight stay.

We enjoyed the SOM tour in Salzburg and I loved the house that had Mozart's piano-I don't remember the name of that house.

Sounds like a great trip.

The SOM bicycle tour was so fun, and one of our best memories in Salzburg. Plus, you get to see more than just SOM sights so it’s like two tours in one because you go past some other delightful sights.

It's a good itinerary. I have a few thoughts:
Munich
I understand wanting to break up Dachau and the Dokument Center, but do you really want your very first thing on your trip to be the Holocaust? I'm not mocking, I'm just asking. If it's an important aspect of your trip, I totally understand. I have relatives who perished. You will have museums and memorials in Vienna and Budapest if you want to evaluate.

You mention visiting the town of Dachau in addition to the camp/museum. On such a short Germany trip, I think that's a waste of time.

Maybe juggle your schedule to provide an emotional break. On a sunny day, English Gardens is a nice counterpoint to Holocaust time. Watching the urban surfers is a fun and lighthearted antidote to the overwhelming sadness. If the weather sucks, maybe one of the nearby art museums?

Salzburg: You really only have one full day + a few nibbles on the bookend travel days so skip day trips to the Eagles Nest/Dokument Center unless you want to give up time in Salzburg. Or eliminate the Chiemsee stopover. I can't comment on the "value proposition" of Chiemsee because we skipped it.

One Vienna suggestion I always make is the Haus Der Musik; a museum to the great composers/music theory. Here's my tip: Go in the evening when the place is pretty deserted and you can really experience all of the cool exhibits.

In Salzburg, we did our own DIY tour of the sites that were within the city. Just didn’t make it out to the estate and lake where the back of the house was filmed. But we saw a lot! This site was a great resource: https://www.salzburg.info/PDF/01_Salzburg/som_locations.pdf

I’d also add Helllbrunn Palace and the fortress to your list in Salzburg. They’re really different but both spectacular.

We were able to accomplish all of this in 1.5 very full days. I’d have loved to spend longer though.

Must sees in Vienna depend on your personal interests. There are wonderful palaces and museums from the Habsburg empire and excellent art museums. St. Stephen's and the Karlskirche are beautiful. The city has amazing open spaces and parks. Very walkable. Great music, but I think September is a bit of a down time as summer is ending and the autumn season has not yet started. Ride the ferris wheel in Prater at sunset.

Regarding WW2 and Vienna, there are Holocost and vicitims of Nazism memorials, but I am not aware of any museums with in-depth perspectives on WW2 overall. Though, you can still visit some of the flak towers built during the war. To get a post-war perspective you can visit the "Third Man" museum and take a tour. Like Berlin, Vienna was divided into occupation zones.

Fascinated by WW2 & Nazis,

Budapest is dripping with WWII history and Cold War "commie" history.

Including a long lunch in the cafe on site, we spent the best part of a day at Nymphenburg. A bit further north, Schleissheim Palace is also worth a visit.

I don't know if there are lockers in Prien station but Chiemsee is an excellent trip. Two main island stops on the ferry, one with the palace, the other, smaller island with an abbey and two or three restaurants. Great place to visit on a nice day. No need for an overnight, move onto Salzburg later in the day.

Only two full days in Salzburg, spend your time there. On top of the downtown sites, walk by the river and cut across to Hellbrunn. Augustiner for a beer and bite to eat, or something similar. If you think one full day is enough, consider Werfen castle and ice caves, or St Gilgen and Wolfgangsee. Hallstatt is very pretty but may need alot of legwork to reach.

We spent 6 nights in Vienna on our honeymoon in '87. Don't know if my opinion is relevant anymore but I remember enjoying it very much. Just general walkabouts. Vienna Woods. A trip to Krems. Schonbrunn, for sure. Take in a wine village: we visited Grinzing, read about in Frommers or Fodors, though there are a few which are more highly regarded. There's a fantastic museum with a number of Bruegels (my kind of thing). Lots of statues on the roads, good for silly poses.