Places and things that are

Innsbruck is very pretty. Views on the Brenner Pass stunning.

Rothenburg ob der tauber - medieval walled city is stunning.

Neuschwanstein - fairytale Disney castle in the Alps.

Rhine Valley

Moselle Valley - a well kept secret which is just beautiful.

Have fun. PottyaboutParis Sydney Australia

Dachau is a sobering reminder of the 2nd world war.

Many of the "must do" activities in Munich involve eating large amounts of meat and drinking larger amounts of beer. It's not a city for vegetarians or abstainers. If you only have time to visit one beer hall, make it the Hofbrauhaus. It may be touristy, but it is touristy for good reasons. If you have time to visit two beer halls... well, take your pick, you'll have no shortage of choices. Every visitor watches the glockenspiel on the Rathaus at least once. It doesn't take much time, so why not? The beautiful Englischer Garten deserves a visit, and if you haven't consumed enough beer, meat, or pretzels yet, get some more at the beer garden by the Chinese Tower. Finally, the one absolute "must" day trip from Munich (if making any day trips at all) is to see King Ludwig's two famous castles (near Fussen) at Schwangau, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Enjoy your trip!

Although the Hofbrauhaus is very famous, I recommend the Augustiner Brewery. It's the OLDEST brewery/beergarden in Munich. It was recommended by the front desk staff at our hotel because it's where the locals go, and it's cheaper than the Hofbrauhaus. We didn't see any other Americans besides ourselves. We sat at a table with some great Germans! http://www.augustiner-braeu.de/#
If you pick up one of Ricks Germany/Austria book, he tells you what his recommendations are. We're going again in August and this will be the longest time that we spend in Munich, and the first time I'll actually be able to do some good sightseeing. I'll be sure to see Dachau Concentration Camp, Alte/Neue Pinakothek, Schloss Nymphemburg, possibly the Deutches Museum (Rick's only 3 star attraction in Munich). Neuschwanstein is a beautiful day trip, too...
We're going to Salzburg, too, and we're going to visit Berechtesgaden National Park.
Enjoy! Munich and Salzburg are great cities!

I haven't been to Innsbruck, but love Salzburg and Munich.

In Salzburg, we enjoyed the Fortress -- and toured it without a guide. Additionally, there is a great giant chess board in one of the squares -- it was a great place for a coffee, pastry and interaction with locals. We liked Mozart's boyhood home, and there were very few people there with us. While there, try a Salzburger Nockerl. It's a cool local dessert made with egg whites -- kind of a meringue.

In Munich, try a lesser known Biergarten. Dachau is very moving -- give yourself time to experience it. I cannot say enough great things about the Deutsches Museum. It is as fascinating as the Smithsonian -- and nearly as large! We also enjoyed a kind of creepy tour of Alt Peter -- the old church. I don't remember the saint that is enshrined there, but her skeleton has been jewel encrusted.

If you leave that area, Schwangau is GREAT. We also enjoyed the Wieskirche, which is between Dachau and Schwangau.

When around the Salzburg area, try to take the Lake and Mountain Tour. I know that you will have a car so you could problably drive there too. We went to Wolfgangsee and took a ferry across the lake to another beautiful little town. It all looked like where "The Sound of Music" was filmed at. Some of the places were, for example the church that Maria and the Captain were married at. It was a beautiful day.

husband and I and our teenage kids (16 and 19) took a bike tour of Munich with Mike's bike tour. We thought it was a great way to learn the history of Munich and to see the sights. They stop at several beer gardens for a light lunch and beer. I also enjoyed Andech's Montestary. It is also in Rick's guidebook of Germany and Austria.

While you are home basing in Bad Ischl, you will be in the center of the the mountain lake district called the Salzkammergut. Halstatt and its lake are beautiful, as is St. Wolfgang See. So are the multitude of other lakes in the area. It is an area of great natural beauty that we enjoyed a great deal.

You are also near Salzburg and it is well worth a visit.

Perhaps less obvious, you are also within a day visit range of the Danube (Donau) River. I really liked St. Florian's abbey near Linz. Melk Abbey on the Donau is even more popular. The Donau valley is lined with castles and churches. It is a nice area to linger over.

The sights in these areas are too numerous to list here, I would recommend a comprehensive guidebook like the Michelin Green Guide.

Regards, Gary

While you are home basing in Bad Ischl, you will be in the center of the the mountain lake district called the Salzkammergut. Halstatt and its lake are beautiful, as is St. Wolfgang See. So are the multitude of other lakes in the area. It is an area of great natural beauty that we enjoyed a great deal.

You are also near Salzburg and it is well worth a visit.

Perhaps less obvious, you are also within a day visit range of the Danube (Donau) River. I really liked St. Florian's abbey near Linz. Melk Abbey on the Donau is even more popular. The Donau valley is lined with castles and churches. It is a nice area to linger over.

The sights in these areas are too numerous to list here, I would recommend a comprehensive guidebook like the Michelin Green Guide.

Regards, Gary

Enjoy the English Garden in Munich. It is a huge park with many differnt kinds of things to see and do.Locals hang out there on weekends and nice days. The Chinischer Turm (sic) features music by local bands and LOTS to eat n drink

Here are two neat things to do when staying in Munich: If you are a fan of a) the book/movie Das Boot, b) Expressionist Art, c) taking a boat trip down to a lovely little place on the Starnberger See, then a good day's outing might be to visit the Museum of Phantasie in Bernreid. The author/painter/photographer/art collector Lothar-Günther Buchheim, who died last February at the age of 89, established this museum to house his collection--reputedly the world's largest--of Expressionist art. If you don't want to pop for the tickets, then just take the S-Bahn to one of the towns along the lake shore, and enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Another great way to spend a day is to visit Bavaria Film Studios; this involves a streetcar ride from the center of the city. There's a daily tour in English, I'm told. The tour is lots of fun and very informative about movie-making in general.

Stroll around the Altstdt in the evening and listen to the groups of musicians (free of charge).