Still need help for car travel in Bavaria

Shay,
We have several regulars who are knowledgeable about German travel. Today they may have been watching basketball.
Sunday morning about noon, "bump" your topic to the top of the stack and let's hope they see it. (You bump a topic to the top of the stack by being signed in and editing your post, just change a punctuation mark and then put it back the way it was, and your topic will magically appear at the top of the stack instead of being buried on page 2 or 3. Apparently not that many people here look on page 2 or 3).

"... Munich, which seems to be so 'touristy'." Reminds me of the old joke, "No one goes there, it's too crowded." Yes, there are a lot of people, tourists", in Munich, but that's because it's such a worthwhile place to visit.

As for day tours, there are also a number of places you can go to for a day outside of Munich, but I would not recommend taking a tour. With a little research, you can do it on your own.

I'm not familiar with the highways in the area, because I have found that you can get almost anywhere in Germany with public transportation, and it's a lot less expensive, and less of a hassle, than renting a car. However, I'm sure there is a highway from east to west (Salzburg to Munich). I would suggest a stop to see the palace at Herrenchiemsee. If you really want to do a leisurely trip, drive the Alpenstrasse along the foothills of the Alps from Berchtesgaden to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. You'll go through some pretty towns like Reit im Winkl. The trip over the mountains from Brannenburg to Bayrischzell is particularly spectacular, and from there to GaP there are several lakes (Schliersee, Terernsee, Kochelsee) to see.

If you are travelling by train, centering in Munich may make sense as the train system is centered there. My personal idea is that if you are not in an hurry, a car allows you to see more things (it takes a lot of time to see the three castles on public transportation, still a lot but much less with a car). If you are not travelling in winter the high Bavaria area is exceptionally pleasing, if slow, to drive; it offers a lot of cheap but extremely nice accomodations that could offset the cost of the car rental. A room in Wals, few miles from Salzburg, is cheaper than a room in the city and a pleasant place to be. In villages like Aschau, Grassau, Bad Tölz you can even arrive there, head to the tourist office (Verkehrsamt) and they will find you a room for the night (private homes working as B & B are particularly good value for money). - If you can keep your luggage under control so that you do not spend too much time packing and unpacking, you can even slowly move from East to West. It takes a bit of adventurous spirit, a little German helps, but it is not impossible.

I only recommend to start the visit to Herrenchiemsee very early. The way the castle is laid (first you have to cross by ferry, the 9am ferry is ideal - than you have to walk in the park) means the visit takes a lot of time and being there before the big crowds arrive is a good idea.

"We had originally thought we could drive leisurely to East to West in Bavaria by car, but that doesn't seem feasible when we study the maps."

Really? Why not? There is no Autobahn that directly transects southern Bavaria, but that doesn't mean you can't put together a trip that moves across the state.

"maybe a night or so in Ober" Ober-where? Oberstdorf? Oberammergau? Oberaudorf? Obertauern?

''We want to visit all 3 castles," I assume two of them are Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, but what's the other one? Burg zu Burghausen? Burg Trausnitz in Landshut? Veste Oberhaus in Passau?

It is about 3.5 Hours drive from Zurich to Munich according to google maps. That is a little less than train time. Plus you do not have to even go to Munich if it is not high on your agenda. Drive to Garmisch or Füssen instead.

If a train is preferable, you could train to Ulm, Augsburg, Garmisch or wherever to pick up a rental car.

BTW. Munich is big enough to absorb its tourists unlike the areas around the royal castles. Munich has real neighborhoods and locals dwarf the number of tourists. It is not the romantic view of Bavaria but a large city that I think is pretty nice. You would not feel like it is a tourist trap if you decided to visit.

I can't thank you enough for your time and expertise. I apologize if my original post was vague. I have not been to this part of Bavaria in over 40 years.I appreciate all the suggestions and we will definitely incorporate them in our trip. Kent, I will try to edit my post after I close this reply. That's such a great idea. Thanks!

When you talk Bavaria (Bayern) and not the whole of southern Germany (to include Baden-Württemberg) and stay south of Munich, I think a car and leisure travel for 5-6 days is entirely doable. Munich to Fussen DE to Saltzburg AT and return to Munich (or reverse). A night in Fussen and one or two in Saltzburg. You would travel southern Bavaria close to the mountains. Lots of great places to see including the König Ludwig castles. Some of my favorite areas (mountains and lakes) are Tegernsee DE, Ackensee, AT and Königssee DE ( Berchtesgaden area). Garmish/Mittenwald and Oberammergau are in between. Stay at a different place each night. Check The net and tourist information where you would like to stay. Go with the small hotels or Gatshaus. You will be up and out after breakfast by latest 10:00 with the day to travel and sightsee until 18:00 and the next overnight. Enjoy your dinners in the evening with a glass or two of wine or bier. Maybe plan a place with folks music, a show or something unique. Set an itinerary and pre-program a Navi for the car.

When you refer to Munich as being too "touristy," please remember that a large number of those tourists are Germans from other parts of Germany who love the city..

Shay: I too love Munich. But I also love the Austrian Alps just south of Garmish.

It's great to do a circle trip to Fuessen, Garmish, Innsbruck, Salzburg and back through Munich. Tyrol is absolutely stunning in beauty.

If your flight arrangements have not been made, have you considered flying Open Jaw into one city and out of another? Backtracking into your arrival city to fly home can be very expensive and inefficient. Munich is a very good airport to fly in and out of.

If you are traveling the route from Salzburg too Munich (or vice versa) and want to stay off the autobahn, take a route that brings you along the Chiemsee. It is is really beautiful with a view of the Alps to it's south. My GPS decided that I should get from Berchtesgaden to MUC (Strauss Airport) on the secondary roads several years ago...maybe it wasn't the best route, but it took me past the Chiemsee.

And if you do take one of the bigger autobahns, my advice is to stay out of the furthest left (fastest lane). That lane is the wild west, populated mainly by BMWs and Mercedes going 100 mph and above. They will come up behind you in lightning speed and flash their lights to get you out of the way.

I've used Munich as a hub several times--it works well for that. But, if you want to try other options, consider staying in Salzburg as a hub for Berchtesgaden (or a day trip to the Salzkammergut), and then use Reutte/Füssen as a hub from which to see Oberammergau, the castles, and Garmish. My last stay there was at Hotel Schluxen, which had slipped quite a bit quality-wise. It has since sold, but you might try instead the Hotel Ernberg sum Dorfwirt on the outskirts of Reutte. I would plan a meal at Schluxen, paired with a hike to the castle complex if the weather's nice. I've learned it's more pleasant to stay longer in fewer places than change places/lodgings every or every other day. This area's probably 3-3 1/2 hours from Zürich.

"And if you do take one of the bigger autobahns, my advice is to stay out of the furthest left (fastest lane). That lane is the wild west, populated mainly by BMWs and Mercedes going 100 mph and above."

Won't be an issue on A8 between Salzburg and Munich. It's only four lanes, and traffic is very heavy. You'll barely hit 100 k/hr (about 60 mph).

130 km or 80 mph is the recommended speed limit on the Autobahn where no limit is posted. Trucks are limited to 100 kph/60 mph and not allowed to drive on Sunday unless they have a special permit for the cargo. Pay more attention to the rear view mirror. Landstrasse are 100 kph/60mph, but the traffic and trucks will slow you down anyway. Relax and take your time, nothing to get upset about on your vacation. Enjoy the scenery.