Torn Between Two Countries

I'm no expert, only spent a couple nights outside of Munich before our flight out, and only a day IN Munich city. I don't remember seeing any mountains from the city itself, but there are beautiful mountains very near Munich.

In Salzburg you will see mountains "when you wake up and go to sleep" and it isn't as much hustle and bustle either, but can still get crowded.

We love mountains and has seen several alp regions. You MUST get to the Berner Oberland someday.

Hi,

If you want to see "mountains", you won't really see them from Salzburg (not high alpine scenery at least) and certainly not from Munich at all. Maybe in the far, far off distance on a good day from Munich.

Maybe stay in Munich for 1 night?

For beautiful mountain scenery, try Berchtesgaden and the area right around it (30 minutes from Salzburg). The Konigssee, the Jennerbahn cable car trip, Eagles Nest and so much more are in the immediate area.

Mittenwald, Germany, is an option if you are interested in an extremely pretty Bavarian village with an alpine backdrop. Mittenwald is 20 minutes from Garmisch, which has the Zugspitze trip, to the top of Germany's tallest peak at over 9,700 feet. Mittenwald has the Karwendelbahn cable car, which is impressive and half the cost of the Zugspitze trip. Nearby are Ettal Monestary and "Mad" King Ludwig's Linderhof Palace.

Both Berchtesgaden and Garmisch/Mittenwald are about the same amount of time from Munich and Munich airport as Salzburg.

Paul

You can only see the Alps from Munich on a clear day, and only from certain elevated vantage points, like the towers of the Frauenkirch or the hills around the Olympic Stadium.

The Alps are much closer to Salzburg, but it's not in the mountains, rather in the forelands. They're easier to see than in Munich, but you're hardly surrounded by them, and you need a clear line of sight.

If you really want to wake up surrounded by the mountains, then stay in them. The most popular destinations in Germany are Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberstdorf, Mittenwald and Berchtesgaden.

So some perspective - I live on the coastal plain (Gulf) of the Deep South - so my definition of what constitutes a mountain may be VERY skewed :-) ... I found the views of the surrounding 'mountains' in Salzburg to be wonderful - IF - it wasn't raining, which it did a lot. The views weren't as 'mountainy' as you get in Murren, but they were pretty bumpy (notice it's raining :-). Munich (as has been mentioned) doesn't really have scenic views.

However Munich has quite a lot more to see than Salzburg (it's WAY bigger, which some people like and some don't) AND it is also at the center of a better travel network. You might want to try identifying the things that you want to see/do - then figure out which location makes 'more better' sense.

Speaking personally my wife and I found Salzburg (even with the rain) absolutely charming and plan to stay there again.

I love the museums in Munich though!

Have fun!

How about Innsbruck? There are fast trains from Munich if time is a concern. In Innsbruck, you do see the mountains. Just Google the city and look at the photos.