"Off the Beaten Path" places near Munich

It's not exactly unknown to tourists, but not on the radar for most visitors from North America...look into Landshut. The Altstadt is huge and very colorful (I thought Salzburg's actually compares unfavorably), and it has a nice castle overlooking.

If you want an Alpine locale, I suggest Oberstdorf. Once again, not exactly unknown to visitors (in the winter, it's Germany's second largest ski resort), but relatively unknow by visitors from outside of Europe. It's a beautiful town and offers several good mountain excursions. I also love that a small herd of cows commute through the back alleys every day, to and from their pasture. It's not part of any special event, just part of daily life.

The entire Illertal (valley of the Iller river), from Oberstdorf down to Immenstadt. inlcuding Fischen, is worth a look.

I would not call Neuschwanstein, Nürnberg, or Regensburg "off-the beaten-path" either. Consider Landsberg am Lech, Donauwörth, or Nördlingen, west of Munich, or Burghausen or Zwiesel east of Munich. South of Munich are the towns of the lake district, Schliersee and Tegernsee. Pfronten is a beautiful alpine resort town in the Tirol, unknown to most Americans, and within striking distance of Neuschwanstein.

Everything I've mentioned a readily accessible by train.

"not touristy." Certainly not North American touristy, I suggest also Ingolstadt and Augsburg.

, I suggest also Ingolstadt and Augsburg.

Ingolstadt in combination with the small but beautiful baroque towns Eichstätt and Neuburg an der Donau could make a nice day.

off the beaten path

Greding - walled village between Ingolstadt and Nuremberg.

Kloster Reutberg - like a mini Andechs but without the tour buses.

Tegernsee - quaint alpine lake surrounded by five villages.

Wasserburg am Inn - historic town situated on a a sharp bend on the River Inn.

DJ

Edited for spelling.

Klosterruetberg - like a mini Andechs but without the tour buses.

You probably mean Kloster Reutberg in Sachsenkam near Bad Tölz - yes, very true, and the beer (and the food) in the Bräustüberl is much better. But without a car, getting there is rather uncomfortable. Bathing in the nearby Kirchsee ist great.

Thanks for catching the spelling error as I tend to be sloppier typing on my phone ;) . Getting to Kloster Reutberg without a car is not difficult. Just take the S-Bahn to Holzkirchen and grab a taxi (it's what we always do). Alternatively it can be reached by bus although I've never done this myself.

Yes, the nearby Kirchsee is great for swimming in summer. The shallow water means it's warmer than most other nearby lakes.

DJ

My favorite is to take the S8 southwestbound to the end of the line at Herrsching. Walk a couple hundred meters to the lakefront and board one of the stately paddlewheel ships which cross the Ammersee to my favorite untouristed Bavarian village, Dießen am Ammersee. Dießen is a popular destination for German weekenders, but it's not on the international tourist grid at all. Walk through Dießen up to the baroque-rococo Marienmünster Abbey (1730). Return to Herrsching by ship and take a taxi or bus, or walk three miles up a forested trail, to Kloster Andechs, where Benedictine monks have been brewing great beer since the 15th Century. Photos of Dießen, Herrsching and Andechs here.

Or take S1 about 20 minutes from Hauptbahnhof to Oberschleißheim, and visit the magnificent, colorful, and relatively untouristed Schleißheim Palaces, summer home of the Bavarian royal family. Aviation history buffs will enjoy Flugwerft Schleißheim (aviation branch of the Deutsches Museum), a short walk from the Schleißheim Palaces.

Tourists have yet to discover Ingolstadt, a charming, friendly town about halfway between Munich and Nürnberg. There are many historic buildings in the old center, including the former Anatomy Building of the University of Ingolstadt, now the German Museum of Medical History. Gardens in the courtyard are made up of medicinal herbs and plants. The building was the setting for Mary Shelley's original 1818 novel Frankenstein. Tours are available of the Audi factory, just outside the old center. Ingolstadt self-guided walking tour available here.

Love, love, love Passau. River cruises go through there, but several years ago we didn't find that tourism overwhelmed the charms of the area.

Awesome information! Thanks for all of the ideas! Decisions....decisions......decisions.......

And yes, I agree.........Neuschwanstein, Nuremburg, & Regensburg are not "off the beaten path" locations. I was looking for places much less touristed than these. What I wrote was a wee bit confusing.....sorry.

Because it's a heavily-populated region with good transport links, most picturesque towns in that area will still be pretty heavily stocked with twee cafes, gift shops and so forth. It's just that outside the big name locations the tourists and trippers will be German rather than foreign.