To visit or not to visit...Munich?

If you have the time, I would not skip Munich. It's a great, fun city with a lot to see. It's also a great gateway to the Bavarian Alps (Neuschwanstein, etc.) and a city easy to navigate, so you can get a lot in in a relatively short time, IF you are pressed for time. Some highligts of Munich I loved, and that you can do in a few day's time; Marienplatz, Frauenkirsche (sp!); including walking all the way to the top for a great view of the city, Nymphenburg Palace, The English Gardens, The Deutsches Museum (fantastic science museum), The Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne Museums, The Residenz (home of the Wittelsbach family, now a museum), strolling down ritzy Maximillian Strasse and, of course, The Hofbrauhaus beer hall! Dachau (moving and important experience; Germany does, after all, have a very dark past....) is a very easy morning or afternoon side trip (about 30 minutes by SBahn outside the city center). From Dachau train station, there are buses marked "KZ" which take you to the concentration camp/museum/memorial. If you are car buffs, The BMW Museum and factory tour (you must sign up for the tour BEFOREHAND) are also great; they are across from the '72 Olympics Stadium at BMW's Munich headquarters. From Munich, you are about a 2 hour train ride to Fussen, which is a handy homebase for exploring Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau (Neusch, espeacially, is really something to see; walk over to Mary's Bridge for a breathtaking sideview of the castle and surrounding Bavarian countryside). Their are excellent guided tours of the insides of both castles. If it's your first time to Europe, Munich and Bavaria are the quintessential German experiences and ones you are sure to love. Hope this info helps!

I talked to my cousins this weekend about the trip I am planning for May. He is German, and they've been many, many times. She suggested that, when we go to Neuschwanstein, to also see Linderhof. She likes that castle better than Neuschwanstein; more "castle-like," fewer people.

I just got back from a Germany/Austria vacation and spent 3 nights in Munich. We enjoyed it and it is a good base to use. Nymphenburg Palace is a nice place to visit. We enjoyed the Marienplatz area, especially with the Christmas markets going on. A few years ago we stayed in Fussen and visited Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau castles and enjoyed both of them. My visits have been during slow times so things were not crowded.

Just took the train from AMS to Munich, fifth time in Amsterdam and third time in Munich. I really like Munich and find it a lively city with enough to do for a week,as well as excellent day trips like Regensburg, the castles, Dachau. Spent an entire day at Deutsches Museum the first time thru. I prefer Bavaria and the friendly people to Switzerland. The food is good, too. Linderhof is an excellent suggestion and you can see it the same day as the other two castles if you start early and have reservations for Neuch/Hohen.
Sounds like a fun trip, don't forget to take a vacation from your vacation as our fearless leader says. .

Mary, Hopefully you'll be able to meet the group in Denver. You'll be able to get the absolute best advice from experienced travellers!!! On your original question, I wouldn't skip Munich. It's one of my favourites! The previous replies highlighted some of the great attractions there. Happy travels!

Munich, castles, and Dachau shouldn't be too hard to fit in. I think you should have time for either the Rhine or the Swiss Alps on the way. (If you are interested in history, especially medieval history and Napolean, I'd go with the Rhine. If you want to do adventure sports and see really huge mountains, go to the Swiss Alps.)

Munich and Bavaria are great, but you've got one month and are already hitting 5 places. With 6, that's 5 days each place, not counting travel days, like losing a day flying in and flying back. Getting down to Munich and back will take another 2 days out of that. If you do decide to go, Linderhof is really nice and worth half a day, but I'm not sure about transportation down there. If Lee's on here, he'd know. I'd hate for you to have to rent a car just for a half day trip. I do think that Neuschwanstein is a must-see, though.

Yeah, I like Munich too, but it's tough on budget travelers during Oktoberfest when prices go ballistic, and it's extremely crowded... I would not just stop along the Rhine, if I were you, but stay there awhile instead. September is the month for smaller weekend wine festivals throughout the area. Accommodations are generally cheap and plentiful if you book in advance, with private B&B's generally in the 40-60 Euros-per-night range for two. And the castles (Burg Eltz, Marksburg) aren't of the 130-year-old, fanciful Neuschwanstein type, but real medieval castles constructed 800-1,000 years ago.

$4000 is only about €3000 at today's exchange rate. That's €100/day for two. I think I travel pretty economically, get good train fares, find inexpensive accommodations (in advance), eat well but don't splurge. Over four trips (8 weeks) since 2004, I've averaged €66 for one person, just for the basics - transportation, accommodations, meals. Two people won't be twice as much, but will be close. I try to avoid staying in major cities (it's cost me, for example, €20 more just for overnight in Munich, and not during Oktoberfest). I've spent only 10% of my nights there. You include two of the most expensive cities in Europe (London and Paris). I suggest that you make an itinerary, set your accommodations in advance, and figure the cost of transportation, and see it there is anything left for meals. Maureen: Oberammergau is accessible by train or bus from the Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen line. From there you can take a bus to Hohenschwangau or Linderhof. Linderhof is a short bus ride. You can't spend too much time at Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau because the tours are a set time, but I spent most of a day at Linderhof, wandering the the grounds, seeing the palace, visiting the grotto, and having lunch. Mary, I see you are in Denver. There are some of us (Frank from Centennial, Arnold, myself, and a few irregulars) who meet every month on the third Saturday (next meeting January 15) at Panera Bread in Aspen Grove. Come on out. We'll be glad to give you some advice.

I like Munich but not enough for the detour. Many of your other stops are major cities. I would use the time to see small towns along the Rhine/Mosel for a change. I agree with Lee about your daily budget. I do not think that it would work in Germany, which is a relative bargain in Europe, let alone the other places that you mention. You need to cost things out.

I love Munich but I usually don't put Munich, Paris and London in the same trip. I usually keep the British Isles for themselves because there is enough to see for an entire vacation. Same for France. Amsterdam with Munich is a natural, plus be sure to throw in Cologne, the Rhine and Salzburg. On a limited budget you need to skip Switzerland. It's expensive even by relatively expensive European standards.

Mary, Fall is our favorite time to visit Germany. We arrive in Frankfurt, stop in Bingen for our first Bratwurst of the trip and then on to the Mosel/ Rhein. If you time it correctly, you can hit the Rhein during the "Rhein in Flamen", which is a fireworks show simulating fighting between the castles on either side of the Rhein. The place is crowded, but it's a friendly crowd. Our greatest memories are of eating Schwalderkirchtorte on the banks of the Rhein during the fireworks show and drinking cheap Apple wine. At the end of the same week we were drinking beer in the Lowenbrau tent at Oktoberfest. Gotta love Germany!
Enjoy your trip

A month is a lot of time, but Munich is a long ways from any of your other stops. Munich is closer to Prague and even Budapest than it is to Amsterdam. As someone else mentioned, your budget is low considering that you are staying in big cities, and very big and expensive ones at that. We like to travel frugally too, used to be able to do a two week trip in Europe for $6000 total for two. Now it's more like $8K. So $6K for a whole month is a stretch. I would say stick to stay within your budget a practical option might be to try some smaller towns in some of the other countries mentioned. Belgium would not be easy on the budget, but is worthy of a visit for Bruges and Brussels -- that solves the proximity problem but not the cost. A much more logical add though in terms of location. Your best bet to make your budget might be to stay a week in smaller French towns.