My family of two adults and three children ages 13, 11 and 9 is planning a trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland this summer. We will fly into Munich and spend three days before picking up our car and driving to Salzburg. After a few days in Salzburg we will drive to Fussen for a few more days before driving off to Switzerland. On our drive day between Munich and Salburg we are planning to visit Neues Schloss Herrenchieusee. We always like to have one stop when travelling between cities. More then one stop drags the trip out too long and tires out the children. Where would people suggest we stop between Salzburg and Fussen.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1706 posts
Rattenberg
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
What do you like to see? I like natural, scenic things, so I would suggest you stop at the Wendelstein, a mountain in southern Bavaria.
There are several ways to get to the top of the Wendelstein. There is a cog railway from Brannenburg, on the Inn, or a cable car from Osterhofen (next to Bayrischzell). In 2009 I did the trip with public transportation, I went from Brannenburg, up by the cog rail to the top of the Wendelstein, then down by the cable car to Osterhofen and then kept going, but since you have a car, you need to come back down by the same means. The cog train takes a lot longer than the cable car, so I would suggest you go to Osterhofen and take the cable car up. You can actually get to Osterhofen by going through Brannenburg and going over the mountains (a spectacular drive by itself), past Tatzelwurm, and down to Bayrischzell, then to Osterhofen, which is a short distance from Bayrischzell. The drive part takes only about a half hour longer than taking the A8 to Füssen. Depending on how long you stay on the top, the Wendelstein part will take 2 to 3 hours.
Posted by
NYC area
2981 posts
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, Alberta
57 posts
Thank-you for the two suggestions. I have been doing some of my own research. A place to stop that has come up is Bad Tolz in Germany. They have a spa and waterpark there called Alpamare. This may be fun for the kids. Has anyone ever been there and what were your experiences. What else is there to do in Bad Tolz other than the spa and waterslides?
Thanks
Posted by
Oberpfalz, Germany
1389 posts
Tegernsee, Schliersee or Spitzingsee? All nice lakes. Tegernsee is the most touristic with many hotels cafes restaurant etc. You can take a lift to the top of the Wallberg. Schliersee in the middle and Spitzingsee is almost rural, but nice and electric boats for rent in summer. In winter Spitzingsee is for skiing and I would avoid unless you go to ski. Schliersee and Spitzingsee are 15-20 minutes drive apart.
I've been to Bad Tölz (in February) and there is not a lot going on other than the old city center.
Posted by
4 posts
I did a quick check on the alpamare spa and saw on several German sites that it is closed. (If anybody knows better, please correct).
I don’t know this area, but if I were in your place and the kids would not be pushing to see the castle Tratzberg, I would stop in Murnau am Staffelsee. I know it is more than halfway (about 2 hours from Salzburg), but it looks like a good place to stop: a pretty bavarian small town on a warm lake with a good looking swimming beach right in town (floats, diving board, restaurant for snacks and drinks), and a couple of small museums (not overwhelming).
Here is a picture of the swimming beach in Murnau (complete with a “Beach and Burgers” restaurant).
http://kurtis-eventgastronomie.de/de/freibad
I gather there are more swimming areas around this lake and small islands to visit, one with ruins of a monastery (Woerth). From my experience traveling with kids, a water - related stop is always a great happiness booster. Germany has many open air swimming pools, look for signs for “Freibad” or “Therme”. They are typically in a nice green location with slides and diving boards, but not as crazy as a full blown water park. Very reasonable entry. And educational: take part in the German summer life, far from the tourist crowds.
Murnau was a place that attracted artists at the beginning of the last century, in particular expressionist painters (Franz Marc, Kandinsky, Gabriele Muenter, artist group “Der Blaue Reiter”). The “Schlossmuseum” has an exhibit about them, also a room with “Hinterglassmalerei” (reverse glass painting), a traditional painting technique in Central Europe. This could be a really different art related stop than all the "big sights" in Munich and Salzburg.
http://www.bavaria.by/b6e41d02-3c2f-4a9e-5062-06dd74150a35.html
Unfortunately, I don’t see a lot of information about Murnau in English, so if you have a more specific question, I will be glad to try and find the answer for you.
Also, the Wieskirche, a Unesco World Heritage site, is on the way to Fuessen - Rick Steves has information on that.