My daughter and I are traveling to Munich for 1 week first week of March. We arrive on Saturday and leave the following Friday. We are planning to travel to Salzburg by train on the Tuesday and then coming back to Munich on the Wednesday. While in Munich we were planning to visit Neuschwanstein one of the days. However, I've read the castle is undergoing renovations, with large tracts of scaffolding across the entire front of the castle and then more in some of the rooms. Being that is one full day of our trip is it worth the trek? Other closer excursion suggestions? We are planning to visit Dachau, but read that is a half day visit. Thank you!
Posted by
NorthCarolina
1065 posts
We used RS recommended Radius Tours for Dachau - totally wonderful. It was 1/2 day tour. Also did their tour to Regensburg. We loved them and plan to use them again when we return in Sept. Sorry I can't help you with the Castle questions.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
"Being that is one full day of our trip is it worth the trek?"
Even after renovations, N'stein will still offer an overcrowded tour of less than 30 minutes. There isn't all that much to see there to justify the nearly 5-hour round trip.
Other closer excursion suggestions?
Nymphenburg Palace has more to see and do and is right in Munich. I would figure half a day there.
https://www.theworldisabook.com/16991/munich-with-kids-nymphenburg-palace/
https://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/index.htm
For a full-day excursion in the Alps, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (only 70 minutes by direct train) and Mittenwald (30 minutes further) are good options. In G-P, try the Fraundorfer's Bavarian Evening dinner/culture event.
https://hastingshouse.typepad.com/hastings_house_us/2007/04/mittenwald_germ.html
https://www.gapa.de/en/GaPa-on-site/Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Attractions
To visit an old-world town with a medieval center with UNESCO World Heritage status, Regensburg is accessible by direct train in about 90 minutes - it would require most of a day:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1155
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187312-Regensburg_Upper_Palatinate_Bavaria-Vacations.html
Dachau takes only half a day but it will ruin your whole day. You probably understand why, because you probably already know a lot about the Holocaust and concentration camps. I think a lot of people just include it because it's one of the few things they already know about Germany, or because it's something they are "supposed" to do according to Rick Steves and others. But it's not a tourist attraction. Go there for personal reasons or if you feel you will learn something new and insightful about that horrible time, but it's not something I particularly recommend to the general public.