4 Nights in Munich at the End of July

I've never been before - we're planning on spending 4 nights there in August - so take this for what it's worth. Here's what we're thinking for our itinerary: Arrive Day 1 on overnight train from Orvietto at 8:30. Check into/drop bags at hotel. My wife is going to Dachau on a tour w/ Munich Walk while the kids (6 and 9) and I relax, rent bikes for a few hours and explore the Englishergarten. Dinner at Hofbrauhaus. Day 2 - Day trip to Salzburg using Bayern Ticket (Saturday, so we can get an early start). Day 3 - Use Bayern Ticket (again, early start since it's Sunday) to take train to Fuessen. Tour castles, ride the luge, take the cable car. Day 4 - Drop off a load or 2 of laundry at a laundromat, RS walking tour of Central Munich, Lunch at a Biergarten with picnic fare we get at Viktualienmarkt. Day 5 - 6:30 train to Paris.

Michael - sounds like a nice trip to Munich, but if you want to get good food for a better price, don't eat at the Hofbrauhaus. The food there is mediocre to bad. The Augustiner brauhaus that RS recommends has some of the best food I've ever eaten. Despite it being fairly famous, it's mostly locals eating there every time I've gone. (Although get there early for dinner or call for reservations, it gets packed) The Hofbrauhaus is worth seeing, for a beer and to see the little museum upstairs, but eating is bleh. Orv - You don't need a car to see Munich or castles in the general area. "Must-sees" are hard to define. Obviously the old town in general, which is pretty compact. Beyond that, what interests you? If you like royal residences, Munich has two. I found them cool but I'm into that stuff. If you want to be outdoorsy, walking/biking the English Garden and checking out the biergartens there is a 'must' for me. Munich also has a ton of great museums so it all really just depends on your interest. I would recommend that anyone with a serious interest in Renissance art visit the Alte Pinakotek , the Duerer portrait there is amazing. You might want to do some research on what castles are day-trippable from Munich - there's a lot. Neuschwanstein is the obvious answer for many people, but some here consider it a waste of time because it's not a "real" castle (i.e. an actual fortification and/or an actual royal residence, although it was intended to be the latter)

Thank you Sarah. Great information. What castle close to Munich would you consider worth the time ? Love castles!!

I've been going to Munich since 1987. I could easily find more than three days worth of stuff to see there without even thinking about the art museums or the BMV plant, which don't interest me. I think Neuschwanstein is something everyone should see once, but it is admittedly a fairly new castle. It was built about the same time as the Eifel Tower, but I never hear anyone say don't see the Eifel Tower because it isn't very old. If you want to see more authentic castles, I can suggest two right off. Burghausen has been around for almost 1000 years. The castle itself is on the end of a skinny "peninsula" of land high above the Salzach river on the Germany-Austria border. Then they built a series of walled courtyards extending a km back to where the penisula starts to defend the castle. It would take about 2½ hours to get there by train, bus, and foot. Another old castle is Harburg (www.burg-harburg.de), on the Romantic Road between Donauwörth and Nördlingen. It's about 2 hours from Munich by train, bus, and foot. You can also get there by train alone, but the station is south of town about a km, and there are no buses from there to town. In both cases, use the German Rail (Bahn) website for connections.

We spent three nights in Munich last month. I would recommend a general city tour. Do not miss the sights around Nymphenberg Palace. The central part of Munich around Marienplatz is a great place - lots of great sights and food / beer. If you are a car buff, do visit the BMW Welt. We took a day tour to Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Neuschwanstein. There are plenty of us tour companies that go everyday. Public transportation is great. Just buy a day ticket at any of the U or S bahn stations. There are counters which are one on weekdays or through vending machines (24 x 7). Have a great trip.

My husband and son have visited and revisited the Deutsches Museum which is the world's largest museum for science and technology. It is very large, so be selective on what interests you. I enjoy the Alte Pinakothek Museum and walking around the stores in the Marienplatz pedestrian only zone. Check out these and other sites in the RS Germany tour book. Have a great trip.

I second the Augustiner in Munich. It is definitely worth visiting for a nice relaxed, non-touristy bier and meal. Since you mentioned Salzburg, I would also highly recommend the Augustiner in Salzburg. It is out of the main city area and is a little bit of a hike, but well worth it.