So many decisions: Bavaria

Consider visiting Augsburg, about 50 miles west of Munich. We lived there for four years and loved that city.

Enjoy the Passion Play, we saw it when we lived in Augsburg, it is amazing.

If you had more time, you could take in The Romantic Road. It is loaded with intact medieval walled towns.
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com

I found a place in Schwangau that we could snag for a good price.

For which nights is it available? Whether it's all 5 nights Wed thru Sun, or just Fri thru Sun, that seems to beat moving to G-P for three nights when in fact you have no clear reasons to be in the G-P except catching a ride after the play and "hiking somewhere." On Friday, you would go to Linderhof (20-min. bus ride, 9:58 departure from Schwangau town hall?) and maybe Ettal after that, then just return home to Schwangau. There's hiking everywhere you look when you wake up in Schwangau on Saturday.

As for your ride after the Sunday night play... Sunday (the worst day of the week for public transport out of Schwangau) looks very bad via public transport - just one early-morning bus - but you could look into a pre-arranged taxi ride. To O'gau and back should be in the neighborhood of €150.

https://www.taxi-allo.com/taxi-cost-oberammergau-taxi-price-bayern-taxi-fare-germany

But if you're splitting that with your travel partners, and you're not paying for the additional transport to Garmisch, maybe that's a price worth paying. I'm sure a car rental for 1-2 days would run much more.

Your schedule has you arriving in Salzburg on Tue. So you could get to Reutte in about 45 minutes on public transport for that hiking that you have in mind, and back to Schwangau for one more night (Monday.) But I think I'd book Salzburg for Monday night instead and skip the day trip to Reutte. You still want to hike on Monday? Surely you will not already have run out of hiking options around Füssen and Schwangau! There'd be plenty of time for that prior to making an afternoon train ride to Salzburg. You don't feel like hiking again that day? While you could possibly visit Dachau, you might instead find it more enjoyable to set sail for Salzburg - with a stopover at Herrenchiemsee Palace, on the island of Herreninsel in Chiemsee Lake. It's a minor detour off the main train line that you will use to reach Salzburg.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g635849-d1420974-Reviews-Schloss_Herrenchiemsee-Herreninsel_Upper_Bavaria_Bavaria.html

Suggested Monday schedule: Early shuttle to Füssen station, Füssen > Prien by train (stow bags in Prien-station lockers) and head to the ferry dock for the short ride to the island. Return to Prien station that afternoon for Prein > Salzburg train ride (1 hr.)

When you wake up in Salzburg Tuesday morning, you'll have time for some additional sightseeing or outings that you might have overlooked... Hohenwerfen Castle and falconry show in Werfen, for example, which IMHO, is a good deal more interesting than the Ehrenberg ruins. The Eisriesenwelt is near Werfen as well. And for another hike, you might enjoy the Sound of Music Trail - which starts in Werfen.

Dachau is a somber and sobering experience well worth a 2-3 hour visit. Definitely day trip if you're spending 4-5 nights in Salzburg. Also, IMO you should consider working in a couple of nights in Munich (maybe 2 Munich and 3 Salzburg).

Thanks for the responses!

Russ, re. "no clear reason for staying in GaP"... I haven't found a train/bus from O'gau to Fussen/Schwangau that runs that late at night, on a Sunday. There is, however, a train that runs hourly from O'gau to GaP that would get us "home" about midnight after the play. I will keep in mind your idea of getting a taxi. But, I think I'd prefer to rent a car for several days instead.

We could stay in O'gau on the night of the play. That could be done no matter where we stayed the other nights (Fussen, Schwangau or GaP). There is a lot to see using GaP as a hub (Zugspitze, Mittenwald, Innsbruck), I just don't have details of what exactly we would do. Spending a day outside in the Alps would be a nice respite from touristy spots.

We are traveling from Sept 20 to Oct 3 or 4. I think we want to spend our time equally between outdoors and indoor. So I'm trying to leave time for spontaneous activities like renting a bike.

Love the suggestions for Schloss Herrenchiemsee and Werfen/Hohenwerfen. Hadn't heard of either but will try to fit them in. Dachau will stay in the plan but may move to the start of the trip. Not sure if we want to spend time in Munich during Oktoberfest. Anyone know if it would be crowded then?

The sole reason for suggesting the round-trip taxi on Sunday was your objective of staying 5 nights in one place. But if in fact you're OK with keeping your Füssen area place (or the new option you just tossed out in Schwangau) AND a place in G-P (a place I think I suggested several posts ago) - and if the option of Sun night in Oberammergau is now back on the table - that IMO is what you should probably do. At that time on Sunday night you probably want to be within a few steps of your room.

Wed + Thu: as planned

Fri: Get an early start. As we both know, there are a ton of options in/around Garmisch. Zugspitze? Partnachklamm?

• Füssen > G-P with one change in Pflach. The train ride between Pflach and G-P is very scenic.

https://www.bahnbilder.de/1024/db-425-145-0-als-rb-593678.jpg

Sat: I'd pick Mittenwald for this day. 20 minutes by direct train.

Sun: G-P > O'gau, 9:40 - 10:20, 40 minutes by direct bus 9606:

https://www.ammergauer-alpen.de/extension/portal-ammergau/var/storage/images/media/bibliothek/bilder-ohne-filter/sonstiges/busfahren/21549-6-ger-DE/Busfahren_front_magnific.jpg

(You'll see Ettal Abbey on the way.) Drop bags, see O'gau. Play.

Mon: Leave bags at desk. Bus 9622 to Linderhof (10:25 - 10:47) and tour.

Bus 9622 (12:50) to O'gau for bags or change there for bus to 9606 to Ettal (13:25) if you want to see that.

G-P and M'wald probably have probably had their way with your feet by now. While you could head to Reutte and do some more hiking over there, I would just save the trail work for later in the Salzburg area. You might spend Monday & Tue in between Oberammergau and Salzburg - Dachau? Prien/ Chiemsee Lake for 2 nights? Chiemsee and nearby Aschau are outdoor-activity meccas - the lift in Aschau gives you access to the Kampenwand:

https://www.kampenwand.de/index.php?rex_resize=620w__chiemsee_gondeln-4.jpg
https://q-ec.bstatic.com/images/hotel/840x460/439/43953086.jpg
https://www.bergpixel.de/wp-content/uploads/Aschau-Kampenwand-1.jpg

This trip looks quite simple and economical by public transport. I wouldn't pick up a rental car. And if I did, I wouldn't pick it up at the airport immediately after an overnight transatlantic flight (Jet-lag, potential impaired driving in unfamiliar territory, not a sound plan at all IMHO.)

Wow, so much to chew on. Thanks for all the info and links! I appreciate the insights and will do some more fine tuning!

I see now that Dachau is kind of out of the way.

I'm not trying to talk you into going to Dachau. I went to Munich for years before I finally found the time in my schedule for a visit. It just wasn't a high priority.

However, I wouldn't call Dachau "out of the way" unless Munich is also out of the way. Dachau is a suburb of Munich. The S-Bahn gets to the Dachau Bahnhof from the Munich Hbf in just over 20 minutes. The Memorial is another 7 minutes away by bus (after about 10 minutes to make the change). If you are staying in Munich, it's an easy day trip.

Thanks Lee, We all would like to go there, so it's still in the itinerary. With the Oktoberfest going, housing looks pretty expensive all over Munich, so we may take a train there in the morning, see Dachau by early afternoon and then move on toward Chiemsee or Salzburg.

Edited plan:
Leave Seattle Tues, Sept 20
*Wed-Arrive in Munich 13:05, train to Fussen for 2 night stay
*Thurs -Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, Marienbrucke, Tegelberg luge, maybe Tegelbergbahn
*Friday-bus from Fussen to Linderhof (maybe Ettal Monastery) on way to GaP for a 3 night stay.
*Saturday-weather permitting, spend the day outside/hiking? Zugspitze? Mittenwald?
*Sunday- bus to O'gau (Ettal on the way?), tour the town, Passion Play (we have tickets). Train back to GaP.
*Monday, train from GaP to Reutte, Ehrenberg castle ruins, Highline 179. Stay one night in Reutte. Or could stay closer to Dachau if I knew somewhere on the way. Preferably a town with interest (timbered houses or walled city). But, I have a cheap rental in Reutte for now. If we need more to do, we could go to Zugspitze? But a relaxing day is ok too.
*Tues- early train to Dachau to tour the Camp. Train to Prien am Chiemsee or Salzburg
*Tues or Wed til Sunday- see all the Salzburg sights plus maybe: Hallein salt mine, Hallstadt.
*Sunday-Werfen/Hohenwerfen? then head toward Zurich.
*Monday-Fly home (for our friends)
Wed or Thurs fly home (us)- may spend our extra days in Lucerne. Husband wants to add Liechtenstein to our list.

FYI, we are moving from Fussen to GaP because there is such poor transportation from O'gau on Sunday night. GaP is nearby, rental is cheap, it's a good hub for day trips. I ruled out staying Sunday night in O'gau as the prices are too high and there is no cancellation after booking.

Thank you for all your suggestions for improvements!

Friday-bus from Fussen to Linderhof (maybe Ettal Monastery) on way to GaP for a 3 night stay.

Füssen > Linderhof - Have a look at your travel connections - they look problematic to me that Friday morning. Long journey times (2-3 hrs.) on 3-4 different buses, then later you'll have another hour or so to G-P on 2 more buses afterward. Ettal is better but you're still doing multiple bus trips with luggage.

Füssen > Reutte OTOH is less than 30 minutes on one bus... 8:03 - 8:30, or 9:13 - 9:42 for example. Later that day, direct trains run hourly until late evening from Reutte > G-P. (This routing is the same uncomplicated routing through the Tirol that I suggested in my most recent for getting to G-P on Friday.) I see you've added Mon 9/26 for a day in Reutte, but why not just do Ehrenburg and Highline 179 on Friday on the way to G-P?

As for Linderhof and Kloster Ettal... On Sunday, you're already going to Oberammergau; fitting in one or the other before the play might be doable. Have you looked at that option? OR... since your most recent plan had you staying in the area Monday night anyway in Reutte (which you already handled on Saturday with your Reutte stopover) you could just spend that Monday night in G-P instead - and Monday morning make a second day trip to the O'gau area to see both the monastery and Linderhof. When you leave the area on Tuesday morning, starting from G-P instead of Reutte will save you more than an hour's time on the trip to Dachau or Prien or wherever you are going.

Back to Friday's Reutte stopover... you will need a place to stow your bags. This page from Reutte's TI office (which is near the rail station) seems to indicate that lockers are available there or nearby. I would contact the office to find out for sure, and if not, whether the TI office itself will hold bags for you. In Germany, this service is fairly routine where lockers are otherwise unavailable.

Ehrenberg is best visited from Fussen, without luggage. You will also have luggage when you visit Linderhof.

I'm curious as to what's the attraction to Liechtenstein? I've only seen it from a bus window, and was glad to move on to more interesting places.

Both Linderhof and Reutte have luggage lockers. Linderhof, I read that on their website. Reutte, I contacted the TI and got confirmation.

That's a good piece of information which you shared about the Reutte lockers, ptlovesot. Thanks for that.