Hi! Now that our trip to Augsburg is coming closer, I am trying to pin down some of the specific details (thankfully we have all our tickets, accommodations, etc set). We are in Augsburg for an event, but hope to have enough time to dart off once or twice for a day trip, so I am trying to figure out which trips make the most sense. We are spending a couple of days in Munich before we arrive in Augsburg, so we don't need to include Munich as an option.
So here are my questions: First, we LOVE the mountains, so we hope to do Zugspitze one day. What is the best way to buy train tickets? When I look at the Bahn site, I am confused because there are many options that include "Zugspitze" in the description, and I'm not sure which is correct. Also do I need a separate ticket for the cog train? Is that the best way to get to the top or are there options? If we want to see the lake too, will we have time in a one day trip?
Second, we would love to visit a very sweet old German village (not too touristy). Is there one near Augsburg that would be good? Do you recommend Rothenburg? Any other recommendations are welcome!!
Finally, for the two days we have in Munich, I am most interested in finding fun things for a 16 year old girl (my son will be pretty tied up). We are really not too interested on this trip in doing museums, seeing castles, etc, but would rather have a more relaxed visit sitting in cafes, finding clothing boutiques that would appeal to a 16 year old girl who likes fashion, and walking around cute and nontouristy neighborhoods. Any ideas or suggestions? I studied in Munich many many years ago for a year, and I think I remember that Schwabing was the cool place to be - is that still the case or should we head somewhere else?
Thanks in advance!