Hi all, There is a group of 9 of us (all adults over the age of 40) that will be staying in a house south of Munich (Rottach-Egern to be exact) Sept 29-Oct 8. We decided to stay there because we were having trouble finding hotels that had open rooms for all of us and the lake there is beautiful! That being said, will there be enough to do for us for 9 nights/10 days? We plan on going to Dachau one day, Munich for a couple of days, the castles for a couple of days, and going to Austria and maybe taking a train down to Italy for a day trip. I've been mapping it out and I think everything I have planned is do-able for day trips. Here's the loose itinerary: Munich - 2 or 3 days Dachau - 1 day Castles - (mainly Neuschwanstein but am searching for other ones to visit) 2 days Salzburg - 1 day (maybe 2) Italy day trip - 1 day ?
2 days to explore Rottach-Egern and the lake I'm thinking this should be enough for us to do, but I wanted to get another set of eyes to check it out and make sure this isn't too overwhelming. 6 of the people have never been to Europe so I got elected the travel "agent". :) Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Munich, Germany
102 posts
Munich provides enough sites to easily cover 3 days. Art, culture, history... just pick what you find most interesting. Will you have a car/van for the remaining time? One day at Dachau is enough, most of the time you'll spend traveling. A day trip to Füssen will be enough for the Ludwig castles there, but there are also his palaces at Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof. Both worth a trip. Oberammergau, Kloster Eberbach, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Wieskirche, Zugspitze, Andechs, and many other world class sites that are all within an hour of you. Salzburg can be covered in a day, you could do two, but as these are day trips, that's a lot of back and forth. I would highly encourage you to also pick out a day and just go hiking in the Alps. It can an be as strenuous or as easy as you like. There are hundreds of miles of well worn hiking trains, many leaving right where you are staying. And this isn't like hiking up into the wilderness, you hike for an hour and come upon a Alpine hut selling beer and lunch. They will surely be able to help you with a route at your hotel, but you can check out the Deutcher Aplenverein for some more information: http://www.alpenverein.de or http://www.dav-huettensuche.de Will there be enough to fill 9/10 days? Absolutely. If well tailored, you can can find a nice balance of activities that will allow you and your group to really get to know this incredibly beautiful and charming corner of Germany. Ask if you have any specific questions...
Posted by
OP
Sunnyvale
49 posts
Thank you so much! I know I will have more questions in a few weeks when I really start planning. We are renting 2 cars. My brothers are very excited to drive in Germany ever since I told them that people actually know how to drive there (unlike here in the US)!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
Tell your brothers not to get too excited. They should get their fill of legal road racing, as some roads see pretty aggressive drivers. But your itinerary is not where the unlimited speed limit autobahns are located. If you're down in the Neuschwanstein area, you're just over the hill from the absolutely breathtaking scenery of Tirol. 3 days in Munich would be warranted as there is much to see and much to drink there. Everybody needs to see Dachau, which can be done in 1/2 day. I went to see Neuschwanstein once, and it was smaller than I expected. I always enjoy Salzburg, the Augustiner Beer Hall and the people. If you want to visit one of the lake cities, visit Hallstadt east of Salzburg. It's very popular.
You probably won't have time to see Italy in your short time in Europe. Venice is 239 miles (4 hrs.) from Innsbruck, which would be a tough one day trip.
Posted by
Oxford, OH, USA
20 posts
If you plan to go to Italy with rental cars from Germany be careful what type and class of cars you rent. Many vehicles are not permitted to be driven into Italy for insurance reasons.
Posted by
OP
Sunnyvale
49 posts
I think we're going to drop Italy from the itinerary and maybe do a couple of days in Salzburg and the area. Or maybe just take a day to relax!
Posted by
San Diego, CA
638 posts
I recommend going to Berchtesgaden and Hitlers Eagles Nest, easy day trip from the Munich area and very near Salzburg. Beautiful area.
Posted by
Byron Center, MI, USA
58 posts
I'm with David, Ann. Hallstadt is a beautiful little town. Check it out on the internet. I think you will really like it! Happy Travels, Sharon
Posted by
Celina, Ohio, USA
74 posts
You might want to consider a trip to the Zugspitze. It's a great place to be on top of the world. We did it easily as a day trip from a town southeast of Munich. You might want to check weather forecasts to go on a clear day, although weather on the top is not that predictable. We hit it great. Cloudy all the way there, until we were in Garmisch and then the sky opened, and the blue came out. We had several hours of forever viewing. Very awe-inspirng, and a beer at the highest biergarten in Germany wasn't half bad either.
Posted by
Northern California
202 posts
I was thinking about doing a day trip to the foothills of the Italian Dolomites. The kids want to see the "Ice Man". Not sure how doable this is. Maybe someone can chime in. :)
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
A quick look at the Bahn website shows that it is a 4 hour train with no changes from Munich to Bolzano, where the Iceman is. I assume it would take at least that long by car. So, much as I loved that museum, it's not a practical daytrip.
Posted by
Northern California
202 posts
Thanks Harold. I just let my kids look at all the details on the website. I guess it will have to be just a virtual trip. :)