I am going to Munich for work the first week of February. I will be in Germany for 5.5 days total with 1 of those days being work. My current plan is to do Munich for 1 day and take day trips to Dachau on one day and King Ludwig's castles on another. The question is, what do I do with my remaining 1.5 days? Is it worth it to try to drive to Rothenburg? (Does anyone have experience driving in Germany in the winter?) Or I could stay a night in Bavaria to see more of that area instead of doing a day trip from Munich. Or? Keeping in mind it will be cold and snowy and I live in California! Thanks!!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Go here to browse comments about Dachau, including the travel time, some options for getting there, and thoughts about whether you should go with a tour or do it yourself:DachauYou can find more by searching on Dachau using search box, upper right. Dachau is just beyond the northwest edge of Munich, only about 10 miles north-northwest of the city center.
Posted by
NYC area
2981 posts
Hi Bree,
You could also visit Ludwig's Neues Schloss (Herrenchiemsee Palace) 1 hour from Munich. An amazing palace on an island in the Chiemsee.
www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisch/n_palace/index.htm
For an overnight trip, I'd highly recommend Mittenwald, Germany. It is one of the most picturesque towns (if not THE most picturesque) in Bavaria. It's about 2 hours from Munich and I believe very easy by train. I know that the beautiful old town pedestrian zone is an easy 5 minute walk from the train station in Mittenwald.
Paul
Posted by
NYC area
2981 posts
Hi again Bree,
If you're interested, we have some photo's of Mittenwald at:
www.worldisround.com/articles/324763/index.html
Salzburg, Austria is also another worthwhile place for an overnight. It's about 2 hours or less from Munich.
Paul
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9222 posts
Pop down to Garmisch. The Zugspitz is amazing and the town is nice too. I would recommend riding the trains over driving. Might be a lot of snow and it is much more enjoyable looking out of the windows of a train then trying to drive. The trains here are wonderful! Just for the record, Munich is a large city and 1 day might not be enough. Perhaps schedule more time for the city itself?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Or I could stay a night in Bavaria ...
I think you mean spend a night in Füssen (Fuessen). It looks like you entire trip (Munich, Ludwig's castles, Rothenburg) is in the German state of Bavaria.
A night in Füssen might not be a bad idea. It would allow you plenty of time to tour the castles (and the town), then, the next day, you take the bus over to Pfronten and pick up the train to Garmisch. From there you could go to Mittenwald, if desired, or to Oberammergau and Lugwig's palace, Linderhof.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Bayern-Ticket:
Note that the link shown by Harry gives information on all Länder tickets in Germany. These are passes valid for unlimited travel for a day (after 9 AM weekdays) in 2nd class on regional trains in a German state. (Land is state in German, Länder is plural). You'll find the Bayern-Ticket on that page under Bavaria (Bavaria is English for the German state of Bayern).
A good explanation for just the Bayern-Ticket can be found at the bottom of the Bayern-Takt homepage. In addition, there is a good map of the rail system in Bavaria here.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
You might consider a day trip to Regensburg.
Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its medieval buildings and squares. The main tourist-center/pedestrian-zone is a short distance from the train station. There is a fine Gothic Cathedral and the remains of the Roman fort that once stood there. The Danube river front was very appealing to me. The Altstadt is a series of squares connected by alleyways much like Rothenburg except that it has fewer tourists and a larger German population.
It can be reached by RE or ALX trains in about 1:30 hours with the Bayern-Ticket.
Regards, Gary
Posted by
Auburn, ca
48 posts
We did the Radius Tour to Dachau & it was worth it. It is a very sobering place & our guide was wonderful. Get a lot of info
Posted by
Portland
1 posts
I'm a native of the Midwest and happy to drive in snowy weather, so long as it's not stupid snowy. What's it likely to be like around Munich that time of year? I'd love to drive the romantic forest and castle roads.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
"I'm a native of the Midwest and happy to drive in snowy weather, so long as it's not stupid snowy. What's it likely to be like around Munich that time of year?"
I am also from the Midwest and lived in Germany for some years. No one call tell you what the weather will be like in February. It might be rainy, snowy or sunny - cold or mild. It does not take a lot of snow for the roads to be slick as you must have experienced yourself.
Although it is cheaper to rent a car in the US before traveling to Germany, I might hold off until I get there and see what the weather is like.
Learn the train system as a back-up. We traveled by car (our own) while we lived in Germany but much prefer trains now that we are returning.