Munich vs. Garmisch Part

We are renting a car as our two weeks in Germany will take us from Berlin, through Erfurt/Lutherland sights (spouse is a Lutheran pastor), then south to Munich. We plan on five nights in southern Bavaria, after which we drive northwest to Rothenburg odT, then the Rhine Valley, then towards Cologne; flight home will be from Dusseldorf.

Although we will have a car, we have the same southern Bavarian dilemma - one base or two? Sleep two nights in Munich for walking tour, the Residenz, Nymphenburg, Andechs, Dachau...then three nights farther south. Or do we pick one base for southern Bavaria?

The rest of our trip is booked and this is the last bit we need to figure out. :)

Following this thread! I also have a southetn Bavaria dilemma and would love to hearbwhat others say.

I'll just note that although driving in most of Germany presents few problems, Munich stands out as a huge exception. Parking is scarce and expensive, and navigating the city is difficult even with a GPS. Whatever you decide to do, don't underestimate how painful Munich becomes by car.

"We are arriving in Munich (from Boston) on a Friday morning, then taking a train from Munich to Paris on Monday afternoon..."

Transatlantic overnight flight? One or more of you will be likely be jet-lagged and/or sleep-deprived. I agree w/ Tom about the car in Munich, and you don't want to be driving on Day 1 for sure... at least I wouldn't. Maybe you'll be able to accomplish something in the afternoon - maybe half a day in Munich to see some sights. Then Sat and Sun... If you stay 3 nights in Munich, a day trip to the "castles" (they're palaces) will mean pretty much a full day to visit Neuschwanstein (30 min. tour) and Hohenschwangau (it's nearly 5 hours from Munich's main station by train and bus to the bus stop for the "Hohenschwangau Neuschwanstein Castles, Schwangau" and back.) Garmisch/Zugspitze/Mittenwald would necessitate a second day for a day trip. Well, that leaves you maybe the morning in Munich to see something. But you haven't seen much in Munich OR set foot in Dachau or Innsbruck.

So I could see 3 nights in Munich with ONE day trip somewhere.

I could also see 3 nights just in the mountains with a base in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and a day trip to the palaces, some time on the Zugspitze, doing the Partnachklamm gorge hike, a Bavarian Evening at the Fraundorfer Inn, and an outing to Mittenwald (only about 25 minutes from G-P.) G-P is relatively easy to reach from Munich - only 1:20 by DIRECT train each way. (G-P also has a tourist office guest card you can get for free that offers free local bus transport for gettting around.) So maybe on Friday you head straight to G-P and skip Munich altogether.

Alternatively, you could leave G-P on Sunday evening for Munich, spend the night there, then see one Munich sight that matters to you on Monday morning before leaving for Paris.

I spent two days in Munich and felt like it was plenty. I spent a week in G-P and felt like it was not long enough. I would vote G-P especially with a young person along.

Munich is a great place to visit if you want to spend a weekend in the summer boozing it up in the beer gardens, it's a fantastic experience, and then spend the day at one of the nearby lakes. Other than that there isn't a great deal to see or do. Salzburg is an easy day trip however be aware of tolls when entering Austria by car, you'll need to prepay for them.