Enough time to cherish - mom and daughter travel to austria.germany

Hi! We probably need just a bit more information. Where are you flying in to? Where are you flying out of? When are you traveling? Summer? Fall? Winter? If you are flying in on day 1 and flying out on day 6, you really only have 4 days (arrivals and departures eat up a lot of time.) Still you can really get a good taste in those 4 days. Just don't be overly ambitious. Just for fun, I'll assume (you know what happens when we assume!) that you are flying in and out of Munich (probably wrong, I know). If that was the case I'd get a rental car with a GPS and a sticker for Austria (a "vignette") and drive straight to Salzburg and spend 2 nights there. In this fantasy trip I'm recommending a car because, with so little time, it's faster. Then I'd drive to Berchtesgaden and spend a night there. Then, frankly, I'd drive back to Munich and dump the car there and enjoy Munich until its time to fly out again. Wishing you a fantastic and memorable trip with your daughter!

Thank you for your response. We are traveling from London on May 2nd arriving in Munich at 9:00 am and don't fly out on May 7th until 2200 hours. I want to spend as much time as possible in the mountains and nature of Austria but also want to show my daughter some castles, history, architecture. I'm fine with a drive by of Neuschwanstein - we don't need to tour it but would want to spend more time on the grounds of Hohenschwangau castle or Linderhof. In my dream world we would do this: Day 1 Arrive in Munich - visit Marienplatz, Glockenspiel, Old Town, Virtualmarkt, and Fruhling Fest then drive out of city to spend the night on the way to or in Salzburg Day 2 Spend the day and over night in Salzburg, see Fortress, Royal Albert Palace Day 3 Drive through to the Grosssglockner Alpine Pass Road then on to Innsbruck area for overnight. Day 4 Innsbrook - Hofburg Castle, Hofkirche, vernicular to top of peak. Overnight in area
Day 5 and 6 on to Garmisch - Konigsee, Hohenschwangau, Partnach Gorge and Oberammergau for quick visits then head back to Munich for flight at 9 pm. Too much? Having a car will allow us to see more in the short time..I just want to be sure to get my fill of the mountains and not too much in the city.

Your arrival day sounds not only extremely rushed, but also dangerous. You want to sight see all day long after a trans-Atlantic flight and then get in a car and drive? Suggest staying in town over night, sight seeing to your hearts content and then head out early the next morning to Salzburg. You will find yourself more refreshed and not so tired, meaning you will enjoy this trip a whole lot more. Getting behind the wheel in a tired and jet-lagged state should be avoided. Alternative is to sight see a bit, then simply hop on a regional train and head down to Salzburg. Edit: Sorry I missed the post about you traveling in from London. Guess you won't have jetlag then. :-) Garmisch is another near-by location to Munich that has gorgeous mountains and great hiking.

You say you will be arriving from London. What does that mean? Will you have spent time in London before moving on to the continent, or do you just change planes in London on your way from Minnesota? That will make a big difference in terms of what you can realistically expect to accomplish on your first day in Germany.

we will be in london for four days prior to our flight to munich.

You should be well rested in that case and I would pick up the car upon arrival to maximize your flexibility during you short time there. If you intend to pick up a car in one country and return in another you will pay a hefty premium for that privilege. It is financially much to your advantage to pick up and drop off a car in the same country.

You could stay in Munich and alternate days sightseeing there and taking train excursions. I recommend Nürnberg, Bamberg, and Salzburgall 1-2 hrs away. Or, stay a few days in Munich and then go to Reutte, Austria or Füssen, Germany. From there, seeing Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau, Linderhof (Ludwig's castles), Oberammergau, and/or Garmisch is easy w/ a car. The walk from Schluxen to the castle complex is a must. You can bus or cab backor bike it. Beautiful. Have fun!

Karen: You definitely know what you want to see. Unfortunately, your time frame will not even allow you to hit the highlights. Have you considered spending two nights in Munich taking in some of the spirit of the city? I enjoy the Nymphenburg Palace and the Royal Apartments in the city. Dachau is another important stop. And some beer halls. Then move over to Salzburg for one night. Spend the day touring Salzburg and drive down to Innsbruck for two nights. Innsbruck is a great city to do day trips out of, and your castles and southern Bavaria stops could be made on they way back to Munich. The Grossglockner Highway trip should be saved for another trip, but you have incredible alpine vistas all around Innsbruck.
I'm sure you're going to have experiences few mother/daughter duo's ever get to enjoy together.

The OP says "I want to spend as much time as possible in the mountains and nature of Austria but also want to show my daughter some castles, history, architecture. I'm fine with a drive by of Neuschwanstein - we don't need to tour it but would want to spend more time on the grounds of Hohenschwangau castle or Linderhof." I'm nor sure why people are suggesting city stays when she wants to spend time in the mountains and nature. With 5 days you can see a lot by car. Trains are great, but for a quick trip it's not as flexible. Using Via Michelin you can estimate distances and driving times between your desired destinations. Get a good road map and plan a logical route, trying to avoid wasting time backtracking.

I didn't see Linderhof on your list of sites, but there are some wonderful grounds to explore there, and it's a beautiful palace (the only one that he completed) to boot. Also a bit of hiking near Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau, but not as extensive, in my opinion.

If you are keen on nature or more secluded spots, drop München altogether and focus on the mountains themselves. It will serve you much better. I also have a personal opinion: "soaking in" the environment and scenery is not as much as seeing a lot of things like we were a guide book writer ourselves but taking time to enjoy the experience. A good route maybe starting in Salzburg and slowly making your way to Swizterland. Consider taking the better part of a day for travelling on the Silvretta Scenic Route (search for Silvretastraße on Google, you will find their website with English version and see if you like what is there). You can include in that general direction a 2-day stint that begins early in Innsbruck, then drive to Mittenwald, stop around lunch time for 4 hours on the Zugspitze in Garmisch-Paternkirchen, then heads to Oberamngenggau where you stay for the night. Next day you drive through the scenic route through Linhorf castle site. You can then go to Fussen (which is close by) to visit the fake Neuschwanstein site and stay in Fussen, or head back to Austria and keep you easterly direction. I particularly like that areas of Austria aorund Landeck, from where you can head down to Switzerland, accessing it to one of the most back-door possible accesses :D