Munich area travel.

Stay and see Munich first, since you have several sites there on your to-do list. Rothenburg is quite out of the way and you don't have time for it. After Munich, you could take a direct train to Vienna, allotting three days to each city. That would be an easy, sensible plan.

The main reason to drive between Salzburg and Vienna would be to squeeze in a small-town stop such as Hallstatt and/or towns along the Wachau valley of the Danube, but timing is really tight. If you do drive, then Mauthausen concentration camp makes a more memorable visit than Dachau.

Thank you. I agree with you. i would rather eliminate as much driving as possible. I love trains. I had never heard of the concentration camp you mentioned. I've watched many programs on the camps but that one was unfamiliar to me. I have a history degree and really like to visit very pertinent locations but not necessarily tourist traps. I assume you think the train would save time and money? thanks again.

Hi Ron,

I agree that with only 6 days, Rothenberg will need to be cut (it's about 3 hours from Munich, with 2-3 changes). If you arrive at 10:00 in Munich, you will be tired and jet lagged, but could see the Residenz that first day. On the second day, take the 30 minute train/bus ride to Dachau (a must see sight, in my opinion). Rick's Germany book has very good instructions on how to accomplish this. On the third day, use a Bayern ticket for the 2hr ride to Salzburg and stay there either one or two nights. After Salzburg, it's a 2.5 hour train ride to Vienna for your remaining 2-3 nights. Reading some good guide books will help you decide how to best divide up your 6 nights.

We've stayed at Pension Lindner right in the heart of Munich and had a very large ensuite room with a wonderful breakfast included. Pension Lindner

Enjoy your trip!

This past August I spent nine days in Munich and environs, and never ran out of things to do -- and I didn't even make it to the most touristy attractions (photos here). German trains are so convenient, you likely won't need a car unless you stay somewhere way out in the suburbs. Driving is awkward in parts of the central city, and impossible in others. Bayern-Tickets covering the whole state of Bavaria, and MVV passes (for all Munich-area S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and busses) for groups like yours are surprisingly economical.

Some quick suggestions, all accessible via Bayern-Ticket from Munich: Nürnberg; Ingolstadt; Regensburg; Augsburg. Go to the spa town of Bad Wörishofen on a Sunday, and take a sightseeing flight in a classic 1958 Russian-built, 11-seat Antonov An-2 biplane.

These are closer to town, all accessible on the MVV system:

-- Andechs Monastery, then take the elegant steamship across Ammersee from Herrsching to my favorite untouristed Bavarian village, Dießen;
-- Oberschleißheim palace and Flugwerft (aviation museum);
-- BMW Welt, factory and museum;
-- Therme Erding (spa, sauna, waterpark).

Or just walk, and see the WW2 sites in and around Königsplatz (the new NS Doku-Zentrum on the site of the Nazi headquarters building should be open by the time of your visit); Deutsches Museum; Viktualienmarkt; and Englischer Garten. The walking tour in Rick Steves' Germany guidebook is excellent.

I second Dawn's recommendation of Pension Lindner. I was alone and traveling on the cheap, so I stayed in one of the small single rooms with bath down the hall, but the larger en-suite rooms are excellent, too. Location is great, just a few steps from the newly-pedestrianized Sendlingerstraße, and convenient to Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt. The only downside is that there was a large construction project in progress right next door at the time of my visit. It was a bit noisy during the day, but at night it was forest-like quiet; no city noise at all.

Munich's history ranges from the grand and noble to horrifyingly evil, and everything inbetween. Read up on it before you go, and it will enhance your visit. Today, though, Munich is friendly, educational and accessible.

Ron,

I agree with the others that using trains or other public transportation would be a better option than a rental car. Hopefully Lee will chime in on this post as he has some good reasons to articulate on that point.

You indicated at the end of your post that "a Our Sons are leaving". Could you elaborate on that?

I also agree that given the short time frame and the focus of your trip, it would be prudent to skip Rothenburg ODT this time. As your focus is mostly on history, you have more than enough to keep busy during the time you have. For some of the sites in Munich, you can either tour on your own (packing along a copy of the Germany guidebook would be a good idea), OR you can take a few organized tours with Radius Tours or others. I find that's often a good way to get lots of information on the history in a short period of time. As I recall, the guide that conducted the Third Reich walking tour was a retired U.S. Army officer. He had lots of great information to offer.

Some of the sights in the area you might consider.....

• Spend some time in Munich as there's LOTS to see. In addition to the Residenz, the incredible Deutsches Museum (16 kM of exhibits) can take a full day and is well worth a look.
• Dachau Concentration Camp can be done either on your own or with a tour. It was the first of the camps (opened in 1933), and many of the others built later were structured in a similar way.
• Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles are located a short distance from Munich in Füssen. Again, can be done on your own or with a tour (if on your own, you'll have to make the time-specific reservations for the Castle tour).
• Berchtesgaden - one of the interesting sights there is of course the Eagle's Nest. However it may not be accessible in mid-April due to snow on the access road. There's also the Dokumentation Centre & Bunkers just above the town, which are very interesting (most of the displays are in German, but you can rent English audioguides). As I recall, there's a Salt Mine there which can be toured.
• Salzburg - if you have time to stop there for a night or two, the Hohensalzburg Fortress is an interesting place to visit (and great views of the town). There's also lots of Mozart history there.
• Matthausen Concentration Camp (as mentioned previously) is on the way from Salzburg to Vienna. It's a bit "off the beaten path" when travelling by rail, but certainly possible. You may find it helpful to have a look at THIS website. If time permits and given your interest in history, you may want to visit both camps.

Normally I'd also suggest a visit to Hallstatt which is an extremely beautiful small town and also has a famous Salt Mine. However, with the short time frame, it would probably be better to skip it this time.

"-- Therme Erding (spa, sauna, waterpark). "

Go there. Just go...