Hi gang,
I am going to be in Munich for about a week in late July, and wanted to explore some day trip ideas. I've been to Nuremberg and Salzburg. I am looking for a place easily reached by train, a well-preserved quaint small town to stroll for part of the day, and then return to the city early evening.
Passau looks charming. Would that be a good choice? I've also heard the towns of Banberg and Landshut mentioned.
Thanks!
I don't know how far Passau is from Munich by train, but if not too long of a ride, it makes a good excursion. The old town doesn't take that long to explore, however, so if the trip isn't too long, see if you can combine it with something else (Landshut, perhaps?) Veste Oberhaus, the castle overlooking the town, looks impressive from the outside, but the inside contains mostly a rather un-interesting local history museum. At least the view down onto the city from here is killer.
Bamberg's a little too far for a daytrip.
Other options- Burghausen, mainly for the huge castle (the Altstadt is pretty as well, if not very large). Alpine towns, such as Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Oberammergau. Chiemsee. Rosenheim. Erding (not so much for the town, which is nice enough but for the awesome spa).
It takes 2 h 10 min. by train from Munich to Passau. It is a pretty town on a long triangle like penninsula on the confluence of Danube and Inn Rivers. Nice walk around that penninsula. You can take a boat, too. Passau is charming and it would be a good choice.
I arrived in Passau by boat, but it certainly worth visiting. Lots of history, shopping, and good beer. Also a wonderful baroque cathedral.
Augsburg. Regensburg.
I know it was a 'rush job' and a very long day, and some people here would think I'm nuts, but I did a triangle day trip from Munich to Regensburg to Passau and back to Munich. They were both wonderful towns and both well worth the trip even if I didn't get to see everything I had wanted to. Munich to Regensburg is 1-1/2 hrs, Regensburg to Passau is just over an hour, and Passau back to Munich is 2 hrs 15 min.
I know it was a 'rush job' and a very long day, and some people here would think I'm nuts, but I did a triangle day trip from Munich to Regensburg to Passau and back to Munich.
I actually think that's a very good idea, since neither city really has enough to occupy an entire day.
We loved Passau, Regensburg not so much. In Passau, take a bus up to the castle and explore, then walk down. Same for the Mariahilf church. There's plenty to do for a couple of days, in my opinion. Bamberg is great as well - probably farther away from Munich, though I'd have to check to be sure.
We have not visited Passau but we have been to Bamberg and Regensburg as day trips from Nuremberg and liked them both very much. Perhaps favored Bamberg a bit more but both were nice and we felt comfortable with a longish day in each town. The historic centers of both towns are UNESCO World Heritage sights. I believe Bamberg was spared during WW II and Regensburg essentially as well, so both are well preserved and not reconstructed. A quick Rome2Rio scan shows train journeys from Munich to Bamberg at 2 hours and Regensburg 1.5 hours, each way. Both towns were favorites during our travels in the region. Bamberg is noted for smoked beer if that might influence your decision. Have a great trip.
'a well-preserved quaint small town to stroll for part of the day'
This is one of my favorite parts of Germany for cities that enjoyed with a casual stroll. Passau's charm imho is its water fronts and old town. We had no trouble filling two days in Advent season peaking into various corners of the town and stopping here and there at a cafe.
Regensburg has more to see. The cathedral, the river front, St. Emmeram's, the Unesco museum in the bridge tower, the Roman gate, etc. There are as many churches as days of the year covering a wide variety of architectural styles. All the sights are visited by way of alley ways, plazas, and narrow streets. My wife and I return to Regensburg every year and find something new to see.
Landshut's attraction for us is the collection of Baroque building facades. They are also great views of the town from the castle.
http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Other-2/April-2014-Landshut/38726799_vsK4kd
One other note, Bamberg is beautiful but is farther away. The two hour train rides are on high speed, more expensive trains. Using the economical Bayern Ticket, it takes 3-4 hours each way to Bamberg. A great destination for another trip?
http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Other-2/Bamburg-2014/38749938_bTSHpS
Regensburg and Passau are both excellent. They both have beautiful cathedrals (the organ concert mid-day in Passau is supposed to be amazing). In Regensburg we took a tour that included the underground Jewish documentation center which was absolutely fascinating (the old remains of the jewish quarter are under present-day Regensburg). There's also a restaurant in Regensburg with very limited hours - Dampfnudel Uli - that has the most amazing Dampfnudel. We also stopped at Der Hutmacher in Regensburg and picked up an authentic German hat for my husband.
In Passau, we wandered and enjoyed multiple beer gardens (including the one overlooking the city at Das Oberhaus). To me, Passau was more laid back than Regensburg, but Regensburg was by no means a bustling metropolis.
