Weekend in Bavarian Alps: where to go?

Public transportation or car?

Public transportation only.

My wife and I traveled through the region in 2015, following a biz trip to Munich for me. We rented a car (I understand not a planned option for you) and drove to Salzburg [wonderful city with views of the Eastern Alps] for two days, then on to Berchtesgaden [stunning Alpine views], stopped briefly in Innsbruck [another beautiful city snuggled in the lap of the Alps on several sides], and finally spent two nights near Neuschwanstein before returning to Munich. We also rode the cable car up into the clouds at Zugspitze [amazing views] but did not stay in the area. The Salzburg/Berchtesgaden axis is readily accessible from Munich, within 2-3 hours by train connections [Berchtesgaden by bus from Salzburg]. You could easily stay in Salzburg for one night [we stayed at the wonderful small Hotel Elefant superbly located in the Old Town: https://www.hotelelefant.at/en/], and would never regret the visit to Berchtesgaden! In any event, enjoy your trip and safe travels.

Hi,
Garmisch and Berchtesgaden are both beautiful places - if I would have to choose and only Garmisch or Berchtesgaden would exist I would go for Berchtesgaden.

But seems that most travelers striving for one of these :-) Therefore I would suggest to give Murnau a try. I personally do really like the Blue Land a lot:

https://www.dasblaueland.de/ English available as well

Have a good time.
Mignon

balso, either Garmisch or Berchtesgaden would be worth a trip. Both are easily accessed as a weekend trip and both areas are incredibly beautiful with a lot to see and do.

I would say Garmisch has the nature edge with its incredible gorges, the small lakes like the Geroldsee or Eibsee, and the mountains, of course. It's also closer to Munich so you would definitely get there more quickly. And if it's been on your radar, then there's something about it that must appeal to you.

On the other hand, Berchtesgaden has the Obersalzberg documentation center, "Eagle's Nest", Lake Königssee, salt mine and Berchtesgaden National Park, plus the scenery.

No matter which you pick, either would be a good choice. Or for that matter, any of the choices named here.

Forgot to add this - one of the advantages of choosing Garmisch is that it's very close to Mittenwald - only about 20-30 minutes by public transport. So you might consider staying in this area (in either location) and visiting the other.

And I just saw your other question about staying at the Eibsee hotel. It's supposedly a beautiful hotel and would be a wonderful place to stay but it would not be as convenient as staying in town if you are planning on visiting other areas.

According to the hotel, there is bus service into town so it's certainly doable. You might try contacting the hotel and ask them how often the buses run in September.

A suggestion for a slightly less frequented and closer to Munich located destination: Tegernsee or Schliersee. I would tend to the latter, even if the lake is smaller, because there is an affordable hotel at the waterfront in Schliersee, whereas such hotels in Tegernsee and Bad Wiesee, let alone Rottach-Egern, are expensive.

Saturday afternoon: Take the train in the direction of Bayrischzell and get off (after four stations and 20 minutes) in Osterhofen. Follow the path back (in direction Schliersee) for 150m and take the underpass under the tracks; then you can see the valley station of the Wendelsteinbahn; take the gondola up to the Wendelstein and walk up to the top on the summit trail (hewn out of the rock, walkable with normal shoes). From there you have a great view over the whole panorama of the main alpine ridge. Boards explain which mountains you can see.

Sunday: Take the train (one station to Fischhausen-Neuhaus) and the bus up to the Spitzingsee, a small lake at an altitude of 1000m. There I see three possibilities: 1. hike around the Spitzingsee (very simple, flat, about 1.5 hour). 2. Take the old fashioned Taubenstein cable car up to the Taubenstein (leave the bus at the station "Taubensteinbahn") and from there hike up to the Rotwand (about 300 m ascent, good views; walking time approx. 3h, without using the cable car 5h). From the Rotwandhaus, a (sometimes steep) path leads back down (900m descent, 2hrs) to the village of Spitzingsee and to the bus (departure at the chapel) to Fischhausen-Neuhaus. 3. Easy mountain tour over the Tegernsee mountain range to Tegernsee (approx. 18km, approx. 600m ascent and descent; description in German here). You will end up near the Tegersee train station, from where you go back by train to Schliersee with one transfer in Holzkirchen. 4. Easy hike without ascents through the mountain forest ("Valepp") to Rottach-Egern at the Tegernsee. On a paved road to the Forsthaus Valepp (refreshment stop), from there to the Moni-Alm. From there either by cab or bus to Tegernsee train station.

There are many other possibilities for easy mountain tours (e.g. Königsalm - Schildenstein, Hirschberg), about which I will gladly tell you more if you are interested.

Another vote for Tegernsee. It's so easy to get to from Munich via public transportation. Yes, the hotels are more expensive than Schliersee but honestly they are not that bad. For example, I'm in Tegernsee Sep 15-21 and paying less than €100/night.

It's only one hour by train (http://www.bayerischeoberlandbahn.de/) from Munich. Since it is a touristy area there is a lot of good infrastructure for visitors (restaurants, hotels, pensions, etc) including a great Brewery/Restaurant right on the lake, Bräustüberl Tegernsee. The lake has several small villages surrounding the lake which are joined by bus (free if you are staying in the area), a foot/cycle path or ferries. I usually rent a bike when I'm there. While the mountains are not as dramatic as GaP or Austria there is still plenty of good hiking. One good hike is to take the cable car up to the top of Wallberg and hike to a nearby hut for lunch and a beer.

One cool thing about Schliersee is the Markus Wasmeier Freilichtmuseum (folk museum): Brunnbichl 5, 83727 Schliersee, Germany. See some historic farm houses and get a feel for traditional upper Bavarian culture. Food is good too!

DJ

I should add there is a half marathon around Tegernsee the morning of Sept 18th which will means some roads will be closed or partially closed that morning.

DJ

balso,

If you're interested in the annual autumn "Almabtrieb" tradition of cows coming down from the mountains and returning to the valleys below, there appear to be 2 events in the Mittenwald area on the weekend of 17 and 18 September:

• Krüner Almabtrieb mit Dorffest und Bauernmarkt: Sa, 17.09.2022 - Krün, Krün
• Almabtrieb der Rinder: So, 18.09.2022 - Festplatz am Riedboden, Mittenwald

( more at Alpenwelt Karwendel )

So many good tips! Thank you, everyone. I'll research the various places... And I wish I had longer than a weekend 😅.

I think Eibsee Garmisch is a good choice for your short stay (time will be short). You can catch the cog train from Garmish to the Zugspitze/Eibseebahn parking place and return into Garmisch proper (check the times/Fahrplan). The hotel is a short walk away from the parking place. You can also stop by the Alpspitsbahn and take it up to the AlpspiX as a cheaper alternative to the Zugspitz. Surprised you can stay at the Eibsee Hotel for such a short period. Last I enquired a week was the minimum stay. The Eibsee Hotel recently went through renovations too. In town I recommend the Staudacherhof. I've walked nearly around the Eibsee a few times and on a calm good weather day it reflects the mountains like a mirror. Hope you have good weather!

https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/eibsee-hotel/
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/eibsee-nord/
https://nl.bergfex.com/garmisch-partenkirchen/webcams/c6129/

Hi!
Just reporting back to thank you again for all the tips! Due to the poor weather I've settled for Salzburg instead, and I have no regrets, so I'll save the tips for another time 😊

Salzburg is always a good choice - one of my favorite places! Glad you enjoyed it!

I'm still here in Salzburg and it's really great for a 36-hour break. Glad I came; it is not the kind of destination I would have chosen if I didn't have a paid-for ticket to Munich in the first place.

After spending 5 days in rainy and cold Tegernsee myself I think you made the right call! At least I was happy with my half marathon time.

DJ

Congrats DJ!

Cool rainy weather was always my favorite running weather.

I really can't figure out the big deal about "Almabtrieb" or what in other places is called Wiehscheid (separating of the beasts), when the cows are brought back from the summer meadows.

In early spring, 2001, I was in Fischen, in the Illertal, just below Oberstdorf. I hiked to a small town near. It was a dairy town, and the cows had been in the barns all winter, and it was a warm spring day. The town reeked from the cows. I would think that the real celebration would be when the get those smelly animals out of the barns and back to the Alpine meadows.

The big deal is that people are happy that no harm done to neither people nor animals during the summer. This is worth a celebration.