Munich Easter Week--Salzburg--Day trips or overnights elsewhere?

I'd spend more time in Salzburg, and go out to Berchtesgaden.
The week will have bigger crowds, as many folks are on vacation the week after Easter. Businesses may be closed Easter Monday.
N'stein Palace isn't my favorite, I feel it's the definition of "tourist trap."
Have a wonderful family vacation. Safe travels!

Thank you Pat for your suggestions and thoughts on the castle. Can you elaborate a bit more on visiting Berchtesgaden? I don't believe the Eagle's Nest will be open this time of year, nor do we feel compelled to visit the Nazi sites. Would this area still be worthwhile? I know spring weather may impact some of our options.

...day trips from Munich (Neuschwanstein Castle, Dachau)

Staying in Salzburg makes good sense, as it has lots to offer and requires 3.75 hours round-trip if you were to attempt it as a day trip. Good choice.

Neuschwanstein (not a true castle, btw.) is one of those day trips that does not make sense, IMO. It's+ 5 hours round trip + the not-insignificant time required to march up to the entrance. I can't say it was a great tour, personally, but even if it had been wonderful, it was only 25 minutes long... and I think they're now getting around $24 per head with the ticket convenience fee included. I'm with Pat. Don't bother.

Dachau: IMO this outing is essential only for those who deny the Holocaust. Most of us know what the Holocaust was about and can already grasp the details of what happened there without re-visiting the graphic details and experiencing the inevitable nausea. You only have a week to see today's Germany (in your case, just a small part of Bavaria, actually) and unless you are Nazi-era historians, or some of your relatives perished there, I don't see the point of drawing the ugliest part of Germany's past into your sightseeing experiences.

More doable, worthwhile day trips - just my opinion of course...

• Regensburg, Germany's best-preserved medieval town (3 hours round trip by train from Munich.)
• Andechs Monastery and Brewery

I don't know if your plans include Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. But I found it a good deal more informative, historically significant, and interesting than Neuschwanstein Palace.

Betchtesgaden-there's so much more to the area other than the Eagles Nest retreat, which is at higher elevations.
The lake and waterfalls are beautiful, good hikes, and the boat ride very peaceful. I must admit I don't know if the park closes in the off season. Now I'm curious....

https://www.berchtesgaden.de/en/nature/lake-koenigssee

Looks like the Koenigsee area is open year round. Have a great trip!

Thank you Russ for your note and considerations on some of the sites we had planned on seeing and we may now reassess some of these. Appreciate the other recommendations you offered as well.

Pat, thank you for taking the time to find and share a link to Lake Keonigssee--looks absolutely beautiful. We were not planning on renting a car and use the train/bus throughout our travel so I will need to explore that a bit and see if we can reach that area with public transit.

Route question: someone recommended going to Innsbruck, either in addition to Salzburg or in place of, and heading up to Cloud9 bar via the gondola for a drink/hike etc. I'd like to do the SOM bike tour in Salzburg and GF would like to visit Neuschwanstein.

If we need to start and end in Munich, can we take trains or other public transportation from Munich-Fussen-Inssbruck-Salzburg-Munich? Or should we do the reverse order? Russ had also mentioned Regensburg...

Friends who have been recommended renting a car from Munich to Fussen and while the practicality of having a car to travel on our own schedule, and store our luggage along the way, is appealing, I'm not sure of the route to know how complicated it is or isn't navigating these areas. Thoughts?

I'd like to do the SOM bike tour in Salzburg and GF would like to
visit Neuschwanstein.

Previous advice notwithstanding, let's count those two destinations as firmly penciled in.

If we need to start and end in Munich, can we take trains or other public transportation from Munich-Fussen-Inssbruck-Salzburg-Munich? Or should we do the reverse order? Russ had also mentioned Regensburg...

YES, that is a possible routing; which direction you do this loop would be up to you. Bus transportation will be needed for the journey between Füssen and Innsbruck (or vice-versa) because in this mountainous territory there is no direct railway option. Here's a map that shows the gap between Füssen and the railway that gets you to Innsbruck eventually; the bus would connect Füssen with one of the stations on the railway in Austria - maybe Vils, Ulrichsbrücke, Pflach or Reutte.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausserfern_Railway#/media/File:Au%C3%9Ferfernbahn.png

Neuschwanstein could be a day trip from Munich but will require 5 hours of transport round trip.

Regensburg could be a good destination if you'd like to see a smaller medieval town, which you don't have as of yet, and it could be visited as a day trip from Munich (3 hours by train round trip) or on the way between Salzburg and Munich (using a detour route which would have you on the train for 5 hours or so.) At least these 5 hours will get you to your next destination.

I just don't know how much time you have or what you would enjoy most. I'd look at stealing a day from Munich.

Here's an alternative for you.

• DIRECT Train from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (80 minutes.) Use it as a travel hub. Drop bags. Consider visiting the Partnach Gorge (should reopen by Easter) and/or Mittenwald (nearby Alpine village, take train, 20 min.) that same day.

• Do a day trip to Füssen from there. Train to Pflach + bus 100 to Füssen for your N'stein visit; lv G-P 9:04, arrive Füssen 10:30. Return to G-P later. Do the Bavarian Evening at the Fraundorfer in G-P.

• Travel from G-P to Innsbruck (85 minutes by train.)

• Travel Innsbruck to Salzburg (1.75 hours)

• Travel Salzburg to Munich (1.75 hours.)

Thank you so very much Russ for taking the time to share such a detailed response! I will look into these options. Appreciate your knowledge and insight here!

As mentioned above, the week after Easter will be busy due to the school holidays. But this applies to Munich as well as Berchtesgaden (and especially Königssee) and Salzburg. So it's not the case that everyone only meets in Munich for vacation. People also travel within Bavaria, including to Salzburg.

Easter Monday is a public holiday and all shops are closed. But of course, all the sights are open. If the weather is good, you can find many Munich residents in the English Garden at Easter.

Thank you Mignon for your comments on the holiday week. We will use the time to orient ourselves to the city and see as much as we can weather permitting. The gardens seem like a great place to spend some time and we are open to any other suggestions you may have for either Easter Sunday or Monday.

There's a lot of activity for children in Munich over the Easter weekend. There aren't really many extra activities for adults. So it's more business as usual, like sightseeing, strolling or if the weather is good enough go to a beer garden for lunch.

A beer garden in Munich is a must. If you're already in the English Garden, you can head to the beer garden at the Chinese Tower. If you pass by the Eisbach Surfers beforehand, that's definitely worth a visit too. https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/sports-leisure/english-garden

Or you can head to Nymphenburg Palace. The park there is also ideal for a stroll when the weather is nice. https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/urban-districts/nymphenburg-palace

Thank you Mignon for the links and ideas for Easter/Easter Monday. I think it will be a blessing to have a slower day after our flights and get our bearing for the rest of the trip.

I am getting a bit overwhelmed making decisions on our plans and plan on diving into this more thoroughly this weekend so I can finalize our route, hotels and know train/bus schedules and move on to being excited about the trip! I am wondering if I am trying to plan too much or that we are switching hotels too many times in the middle of the week given we will start and end in Munich.

Thoughts on how to best manage this--what to keep and what order/home base to use?
Sunday/Easter: arrive Munich mid-morning / stay Marienplatz area
Monday: Marienplatz, sightsee gardens, beer gardens

**Must do one of these middle days in no particular order: SOM Bike tour Salzburg (9:30 am only time), Neuschwanstein (?? day trip from Munich, GP or Innsbruck? all options take a good part of the day with travel).
Would love to see places like GP, Innsbruck and Regensburg but am also realizing we probably don't want to be moving to a new hotel every night/other night either.
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: Munich, flea market and fruhlingfest
Sunday: return flight

For fun I asked chatgpt to plan a trip with some of our considerations and here is what I got (after some corrections on travel times between cities that were not correct initially). Would this work in reality or too rushed?
Sunday 4/20: Arrival in Munich (Easter Sunday)
• Arrive in Munich: Morning or early afternoon.
• Check-in at your hotel in Munich (Double and Single rooms).
• Explore Munich: Relax and enjoy Marienplatz, the Easter Markets, and perhaps Hofbräuhaus for dinner.
Monday 4/21: Munich (Full Day)
• Morning: Visit Deutsches Museum (science and technology museum).
• Lunch: Viktualienmarkt for local food.
• Afternoon: Visit Nymphenburg Palace or enjoy Englischer Garten.
• Evening: Dinner at a traditional Bavarian restaurant or beer garden.
Tuesday 4/22: Day Trip to Neuschwanstein Castle****
• Morning:
o Train from Munich to Füssen (depart at 8:00 AM, arrive at 10:00 AM; approx. 2 hours).
o From Füssen, take a bus (Line 78) to Neuschwanstein Castle (takes around 10-15 minutes).
o Visit Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle (about 1.5 hours for each).
• Afternoon:
o After the castle visit, you can explore the town of Füssen or return to Munich.
o Train from Füssen to Munich: 4:00 PM (arrives at 6:00 PM).
• Evening: Return to Munich for dinner.
Wednesday 4/23: Munich to Salzburg
• Morning:
o Train from Munich to Salzburg (depart at 9:00 AM, arrive at 10:30 AM; approx. 1.5 hours).
o Check-in at your hotel in Salzburg (e.g., Hotel Elefant or Hotel am Mirabellplatz).
• Afternoon:
o Explore Salzburg’s Old Town or visit Mirabell Palace and Gardens.
o Optional visit to Mozart’s Birthplace or Hellbrunn Palace.
• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant.
Thursday 4/24: Sound of Music Bike Tour (Salzburg) & Travel to Innsbruck
• Morning:
o Join the Sound of Music Frauhling Maria Bike Tour at 9:30 AM (approximately 4 hours).
• Afternoon:
o After the tour, explore Hohensalzburg Fortress or enjoy lunch in the city.
o Train from Salzburg to Innsbruck: Depart at 2:30 PM, arrive at 4:30 PM (approx. 2 hours).
• Evening: Check-in at your hotel in Innsbruck (e.g., Hotel Schwarzer Adler).
o Explore Innsbruck’s Old Town and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Friday 4/25: Innsbruck Morning Exploration & Return to Munich
• Morning:
o Explore Cloud9 or take the Nordkette Cable Car for panoramic alpine views.
o Alternatively, visit the Golden Roof or Innsbruck’s Old Town.
• Early Afternoon:
o Train from Innsbruck to Munich: Depart at 2:00 PM, arrive at 4:00 PM (approx. 2 hours).
• Evening: Check-in at your Munich hotel. Relax and prepare for the Red Cross Flea Market the following morning.
Saturday 4/26: Munich Flea Market & Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival)
• Morning: Arrive at the Red Cross Flea Market at 7:00 AM to explore the market and shop for unique finds.
• Afternoon:
o Head to the Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) to enjoy the festivities, beer gardens, and rides.
• Evening: Enjoy dinner at the festival or another traditional Munich spot.
Sunday 4/27: Departure from Munich
• Morning: Depending on your flight time, visit Marienplatz or Englischer Garten for one last stroll.
• Departure: Head to Munich Airport for your flight home.
And regarding adding day trip on Monday to Regensburg--not sure if we would have more options of things to see/do here or Munich on Easter Monday
1. Regensburg – Worth Adding to the Route?
It’s certainly possible to visit Regensburg as a day trip from Munich on Monday, especially since Easter Sunday might have some closures. Here's a bit of guidance:
• Option 1: Day Trip on Monday
If you’d like to visit Regensburg, it could make a lot of sense to do this on Monday. Many attractions in Munich may be closed or have reduced hours for the Easter holiday, so a visit to Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage city, could be a perfect alternative.

If you’d like to visit Regensburg, it could make a lot of sense to do this on Monday. Many attractions in Munich may be closed or have reduced hours for the Easter holiday, so a visit to Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage city, could be a perfect alternative.

Yes, a good alternative for Easter Monday.

But the same issue as throughout all of Bavaria – many more tourists because it's school holidays and all the shops are closed.
At Easter, all museums, etc., are open as usual in both Munich and Regensburg.