We are traveling (2 adults, 2 teens) in October to Germany. Landing in stuttgart on Wed mid-day. from here we want to go to Dachau and possibly see some of Munich. We need to return to Ludwigsburg by early Friday morning. My question is would it be better to rent a car or use the train for the above travel. We will be tired when we land and I am also not sure if we should stay in Stuttgart Wed. evening and then leave early on Thursday for Dachau? or would it be better to go directly to the area around Dachau wed. evening and be nearby our destination for Thurs morning. The second option might give us more time in Munich on Thurs. before heading to Ludwigsburg for friday morning business. this is our first trip to Germany. Feeling very excited but also overwhelmed. Help with travel plans, transportation and acommdations would be great. Thanks. Imy
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
If this is your first trip to Germany (overseas also?) then you're underestimating the power of jetlag you'll be facing when you get to Stuttgart if you're flying from Eugene. That said, you should get a connecting flight from Stuttgart straight to Munich. Don't even try to land in Stuttgart and then take the few hour train. On Thursday you can take the train back from Munich to Stuttgart after you've seen Dachau.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
I would not advise driving on the day you arrive in Germany. I've fallen asleep the first day on the train before; thank goodness I wasn't driving. Although Dachau is fairly close to your route into Munich, the train connection that way is fairly complicated, and you might not get there in time to see enough. It only takes a little more than two hours from Stuttgart to Munich. Go straight to Munich, see some of the town, get a good night's sleep, then go to Dachau in the morning. It's an easy trip from town, only 38 min by S-Bahn and bus.
Posted by
Eureka, CA, USA
7 posts
Definitely don't drive after arrival. I have flown many times from California. You will be tired and German roads require a high degree of alertness, (although the autobahn from Stuttgart to Munich is not particularly fast due to congestion). I would take the train or fly directly to Munich. I have never found a bad hotel in Germany. And we have stayed in all price ranges, from little gasthaus with the toilet down the hall, to the fancy business hotels.
Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Peoria, IL, USA
14 posts
Agree with all about driving. We drove in August from Stuttgart to Munich and the many sections of road construction (which looks to be years from completion) had traffic standing still and moving slowly for hours. Sittting in traffic with jet lag is NOT advisable.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
If you haven't left yet, I would definitely suggest taking the train instead of driving. The trip to Munich from Stuttgart is just over 2 hours and is very pleasant. Dachau is right outside Munich. Stuttgart doesn't get written up much but it's a beautiful city (i'm not just biased because I live here!) with stuff worth seeing. Don's miss the palace as Ludwigsburg - there's only one English tour daily (1:30 pm I think?) so make sure you look into that if you go. If you're a first-time visitor to Germany Stuttgart's Old Palace, New Palace, and Schlossgarten will all be fun sights to explore, all easy to visit from Ludwigsburg which is just a suburb of Stuttgart. Traffic around the area makes driving annoying - I can get to Ludwigsburg in 30 minutes via public transit, but driving there takes me nearly an hour, even though it's only 20 km away. Forget the car, just get an english public transit map at the Tourist Info center in Stuttgart (across the street from the main train station) and use vvs.de - they have an english option - for trip planning help.