Munich So little time so much to see!

When are you going? Nymphenburg has some gardens. The Residenz is huge and gets to feel like overkill. You could do a walking tour (see RS guide) and can see the exterior around the Residenz. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Residenz, but if its late spring or summer or fall, I think Nymphenburg would have the edge. In terms of Salzburg and Neuschwanstein, if your husband has been, what is his suggestion since he knows you? If you are a Sound of Music fan, I would think it'd be Salzburg. I spent 3 nights and 2 days in Salzburg. For me, A day trip would be very short

Thanks for the advice! We are going the last week of April. He suggested letting go of the castle.

Salzburg was a fabulous city to visit long before the SOM hit the screen. Figure 3.5 hours round trip by train. Even without SOM you won't have time to enjoy everything in just a day.

Neuschwanstein: takes nearly 5 hours round trip + 1 hr. plus walking there and back from the bus stop. All that for an overcrowded and hurried 30-minute tour. It's a fanciful modern palace with a faux castle facade, btw - not a castle.

https://www.dw.com/en/is-neuschwanstein-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/a-17887035

Hardly a difficult choice, IMO.

Russ is correct, Salzburg is much more than SOM. It is a very beautiful city.

I am inclined to agree with you. With so much train time, I'm thinking we just stay in Munich at take advantage of all that there.
As two week vacation Americans it is so frustrating to be so close to some of the great things to offer in Europe and you can't take advantage of them. : (

If you must leave Munich choose Salzburg and ditch Neuschwanstein. I loved the Residenz. You can choose to do the shorter tour of the palace (though I did the long one) and don't miss the Treasury. So much beautiful bling! Dachau is also a must. If you don't have time to go to the outskirts to see the gardens of Nymphamburg maybe do the English Garden instead. The Asam Church is really cool, and don't miss Old St. Peter's, the Frauenkirke, the Nazi Documentation Center, or the Viktualienmarkt. If you have to ditch something I would say ditch the BMW museum. And you already said you want to see the Alte Pinakothek, so that's great. So much to see in Munich! Been twice and need to go back. Have a great time!

I am going to Munich 2 days early before the RS Munich Salzburg Vienna tour that begins in Dec. I'm there for the Christmas Markets!
I want to see Dachau and consulted with a RS staff person at the Travel Festival last weekend in Edmonds, WA, who told me it is a half-day trip and easily accessed by bus from Munich (I think she said, I don't have my notes handy). Just thought I would add that since you mentioned it in your post. I also plan to see the Alte Pinakothek. Christmas Markets and maybe either the Residenz or Nymphenburg Palace and of course other sights.

I agree with your husband about eliminating Neuschwanstein. It's more a palace than a castle-real castles were defensive fortresses and are much older.

Dachau is easily reached by train; faster than by bus. It's fairly depressing, but should be seen.

Ditch the castles and Salzburg. Add the Deutches Museum.

Go to Nymphenberg if you like gardens. Go to the Residenz if you want to see the Crown Jewels.

I'll agree that you'll find plenty to see in Munich to fill your time. If you decide just to stay in the city, you can probably squeeze in both Nymphenburg and the Residenz but I'll admit to the (mostly reconstructed) Residenz burning our interest level out in a fairly short time. In fact, the only room that made any lasting impression was the Antiquarium. Then again, rooms and rooms of gilt and fancy old furniture don't do much for me in the first place so it's probably a matter of personal taste. :O)

I will agree with Alte Pinakothek and a stroll through Englischer Garten. In addition to weirdly fascinating Asam Church, I enjoyed stops into some of the others even if a lot of them, like the Residenz, had been extensively reconstructed after WWII. A few of them:

Frauenkirche: burial place for members of royal Wittelsbach family. Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV's cenotaph is impressively massive!

Michaelskirche: King Ludwig II of Neuschwanstein "castle", among others, is buried in the crypt here along with other members of the Wittelsbach family. Also of interest, the son of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's wife by her first husband, is buried here as well. Eugène de Beauharnais married a daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.

Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan: a Baroque froth of white stucco, more assorted Electors of Bavaria and their kin are snoozing away in the crypt.

Bürgersaalkirche : another pretty Baroque church, the grave of beatified priest Rupert Mayer, in the lower church, is venerated by Catholic pilgrims. His is an interesting story even if, like me, you're not of the faith.

Heilig-Geist-Kirche and St Peterkirche (Alter Peter): 2 other very pretty churches. Look for the peculiar, jewel-adorned skeleton of Saint Munditia in a lefthand side chapel of Peterkirche. Her bones are said to have come to Munich in 1675 from the catacombs of Cyriaca in Rome, where she was allegedly beheaded in 310 (Wikipedia). From a little box on top of her glass enclosure peers the astonished-looking, blue-jeweled eyes in the head ("caput") of Saint Erasmus/Elmo.

Thank everyone so much. I believe we have decided to opt out of our trip to Heidelberg (2 days) and stay in Munich in order to take advantage of more of the city. There is so much to see! I sincerely appreciate all your advice! I have added the Deutsches Museum. Everyone raves on it!

Now....what do after 5 pm?

After Munich we are headed to Switzerland for the second week. Interlaken and then Luzern.

Evenings are for sitting outside listening to music and having a drink or two. It's a good time to make friends.

We are going the last week of April.

Now....what do after 5 pm?

One recommendation I would have during your trip is to visit Frühlingsfest. It's the Munich Spring Festival and is like a mini Oktoberfest without the tourists (held this year from April 26 - May 5). It's on the same fair grounds as Oktoberfest. You'll see lots of locals dressed in traditional clothing and have a opportunity to visit some beer tents. It's definitely worth an afternoon/evening.

Hope this helps,

DJ

Thank you, Dj!
That is an excellent suggestion!! I didn't know about that! We will definitely take advantage of that! I will research some more on the event and add it to our must do's!

Thanks again!

A couple of favorite things not mentioned -- if the Neue is closed for renovations, there is the Lenbachhaus which has Kadinsky and the Blau Rider artists in a lovely setting. There is also an Egyptian museum which is worthwhile. I'd definitely recommend following the walking tour in the RS guidebook. You'll get a great overview of the city and see what you might like to explore in further detail.

If you're interested in Dachau, the Munich Walks (they meet at the Marienplatz near the glockenspiel) have very interesting and pleasant guides for a reasonable price. They also make getting there simple if you don't feel like figuring out the train/bus routes there, though it's pretty simple. That's a good half day. In the evening, maybe try some opera at the Staatsoper, one of the world's best opera houses.