Munich

Regensburg is an hour outside of Munich and a UNESCO heritage site.

Thank you LaRae for you suggestion!

If you're flying into Munich why don't you visit Munich? You definitely don't need a car because the train will zip you from the airport all the way to the Marienplatz in the historic center where there are lots of nice hotels and lots of things to see. It's easy to make some of the usual daytrips from Munich...even without a car.

You will get much better answers to your second question if you tell us what made you choose a week in the Munich area (what are your interests, and what does not interest you), and what you have already planned to see.

The things that we enjoy doing are: 1. Going to a nice café with really good coffee and pastries and nice atmosphere. 2. Walk around in an area that has shops. 3. Visit a Beer Garden. Basically, really simple stuff.
Some good food, nice atmosphere, some walking around, some shopping.

You can base yourself in Munich for all of the above, and if you want to venture out a bit you can safely and easily do it without a car. If fact, life will be much simpler if you don't have a rental car to deal with.

If you really like beer, get the latest copy of "The Beer Drinker's Guide To Munich". It lists the best beer, in the best beer gardens - it's not just a book laying out a drunk-fest. If possible, ditch the car - you're in train country, and there are so many places to visit within a train ride (even an S-Bahn ride). And the fares are cheap! You could spend a day (and a night) in Salzburg (recommended!), a day in Andechs perhaps, and several days in Munich. Salzburg has my all-time favorite beer garden at Augustiner. Maybe train to the Zugspitze...

I don't know your interests but my husband and I will be there in June and plan to spend time at the amazing Alte Pinakothek - !! There are also many beautiful churches, gardens and a great zoo!
A beautiful city full of art, history, food and BEER

Thank you everyone who has posted for my question!!! The Beer explorations sounds great! I am seriously considering the car rental now. Hmmmm...... I will have to think about that more now. One thought is to visit Tegernsee or some other lakes.
Maybe also a drive to Salzburg. Many ideas surfacing........ Already very happy to be going to such a beautiful area.

No wineries in Munich or southern Bavaria, its beer territory. But travel a couple hours to Wurzburg in northern Bavaria, and you are in wine country. Its called Frankenwein after the region and the hillsides are covered with vinyards.

Bräustüberl Tegernsee is on the lake and a short walk from the train station...they would love to see you ;-) (They get the rare '5 mug' rating, and you get a free liter with the coupon in the back of the book!) You can find plenty of wine, just not the wineries so easily...the focus is definitely on the beer. I'm particularly fond of the whites in that region. You could drive to Salzburg, but it's such an easy train trip b/n Munich and Salzburg - a 26€ total round-trip for the both of you...although I recommend staying the night if possible.

You will LOVE Munich. We have been there a couple times, each time returning the car in that city because it is not needed. If you feel like a couple day trips outside of the city the train takes you very quickly and the train station is very centrally located in the city. I would recommend a visit to Dachau (about 30 min by train if I remember right, or Zugsptize in Garmisch- very nice town, shopping, cafes, and very beautiful) Enjoy your trip!

Hello Mary Ann. From Munich, go on day trips to Mittenwald in Bavaria, and Nurnberg, and Salzburg in Austria. A rental car is not needed. Ride in railroad trains. I think the travel time for going from Munich to Salzburg is shorter in a train than driving a car.

In July, you should be able to enjoy a nice afternoon in Englischer Gardens which can include a nice Beer Garden experience. Start the morning in Marienplatz to see the old center, then go through the Viktualienmarkt on your way to the Gardens.

Such wonderful posts from everyone! Big thank you for the tips! Really appreciate all of your kind sharing! I can feel the fun we will have already. Yeah!

Fun is correct! Just get rid of that rental car and save yourself some Euros and headaches.

"3. Are there any wineries to visit?" Germany doesn' really have "wineries" of the sort you have in California. The vintners usually grow the grapes on leased public land, typically on a hill or mountain outside of town. They harvest the grapes and usually the pressing occurs in either a private factory or collective. Bottling and aging may occur at different locations as well. So, unlike in France or California, the operation is usually spread out over several locations, most of which do not share a common owner. You can usually walk through the vineyards, because they're on public land (one of the common places I take my dog for a walk). Due to the dispersed nature of most German wine production, there are very few "all-inclusive" wine estates.

Dear Tom, Very interesting info about the wineries! I think we will taste some great German wines while dining in restaurants.
So, not visiting a winery is fine. I don't know anything about beer yet, but am open to exploring and learning about this loved specialty of Bavaria. Embracing what the people of the region love to drink!