We will be traveling to Munich in June and had planned to rent a van (7 of us) for day day trips to the Castles, Dachau, and maybe Salzburg. After looking at all the benefits and costs I'm a bit stumped whether we should rent/return it at the airport and avoid the shuttle bus fees or take the shuttle (to Kings Hotel) and rent a van from the train station for our day trips. I've driven in Europe before (2 months in London and France) but have never driven something as big as a van there. I do not plan to drive it in the city except to depart and arrive for our day trips and perhaps to/from the airport. Of course my wife votes for anything but my driving as she fears getting lost on the way to/from the hotel and airport and the narrow city streets. I'd appreciate comments from anyone who may have rented on their first time to Munich. Cost difference seems to be around 140 Euros if I just rent at the airport(including parking) and avoid the shuttle fees. Thank you in advance for your help!
Posted by
OP
Denver
40 posts
Actually, that's a good point. I had considered trains for Dachau and Salzburg but not for Neuschwanstein since we intend to hit other points in that area such as Hohenschwangau, Wieskirche, Oberammergau, maybe Linderhoff Castle, maybe Zugspitze or Reutte (Ehrenberg)and possibly just explore a bit. I didn't find any easy or timely way other than driving. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Munich's subway system services the airport by transporting passengers directly to/from the center of the airport to the rest of Munich. Dachau is easily reached by train and bus. Salzburg is also easily reached by train and the Bayern ticket lets 5 people travel together on a single low-cost ticket.
The castles...presume you mean Neuschwanstein, is about a 5 minute taxi ride from Fuessen which is also easily reached by train from Munich.
Sounds like you don't need a van. Go with your wife's intuition.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Jon, it looks to me like you are just looking for an excuse to drive. Do you know that Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are right next to each other? Wieskirche, IMO, is not worth the effort, but it is on the way to Oberammergau and Linderhof. And you also want to see the Zugspitze and Reutte. Sound like a multiday trip. There is plenty of public transportation to all of those places if you just do your research. I have spent weeks in So. Bavaria and never needed a car.
If you arrive in Füssen with a Bayern-Ticket, there is no need to take a taxi to the castles. The bus is included in the Ticket and leaves a few minutes later from in front of the Bahnhof.
Deutsche Bahn has special fares for groups (6 or more), but, if not, two Bayern-Tickets, for €54 total will get you round trip from Munich to Füssen, and back.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Jon, rental car companies add the same 19% service charge they add to rentals picked up at the airport at train stations as well. So you'd have to pick up the van at what they explicitly call a downtown location. Having a car/van in Munich doesn't make a lot of sense as all you do is pay for its parking! Can you not take the S1/S8 trains from the airport to downtown Munich to your hotel? There are group tickets available as well and they're not expensive. If your hotel is not located close by an S-Bahn station then take a taxi from the closest station (when traveling with all your luggage). That would still be cheaper than a shuttle bus...
Posted by
OP
Denver
40 posts
Thank you all for the feedback. Its been very helpful and I've changed my plans based on your comments. We will now be taking the S1/S8 to and from the airport as well as trains to Dachau and Salzburg. I'm still going to rent a car/van for the Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau, Wieskirche, Oberammergau and Linderhoff loop (Rick has a pretty good outline of a one day driving tour through these sites). So it appears that we will likely only need the car/van one day (yes, I am a drivaholic so I'll get a one day fix). Andreas, thank you for the tip about train station rentals - I'll arrange to find a downtown location.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If you will be driving to Linderhof be sure to purchase the Austrian Vignette for your automobile or be prepared for a fine if you're caught without it while driving in Austria.
Have you considered spending 1 night around the castles? There's a little town called Horn that is a great place for a short stay. Lots of nice hotels at very good prices. Use that as a base for your trips to the castles and surrounding areas.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
While you are in Munich area you can use a "Partner Day Ticket" (Partner-Tageskarte) for up to 5 people. For the greater Munich area it is 18 euros, including the airport and Dachau. For most sights within the inner district (quite extensive) the Partner Day Card is 9 euros.
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/index.html
Look under Ticket/Prices near the upper left.
In addition to the cost benefit, trains are treat for us when traveling to Germany. Instead seeing the country from a private bubble you are traveling with Germans and other tourists. It is immersion travel and gives us a bit more feel for the people and the country.
Regards, Gary