trip to germany

Hi Fran,

Based in Berchtesgaden close by are:

Koenigssee boat trip; Jennerbahn cable car; Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest); Salt Mine tour and Salzburg

www.berchtesgaden.de/en/startseite.html

www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/lakes/objects/koenigss.htm

www.jennerbahn.de/jennb/live/jennb_navi/liveindex.php?jennb_navi_id=33

www.kehlsteinhaus.de/en/index.php

www.berchtesgaden.de/en/salt-mine-berchtesgaden

Paul

I can't help you with lodging in Munich; the only place I ever stay there they only speak German.

However, if you want to stay in Freilassing, 50 min from Berchtesgaden by train, 8-12 min from Salzburg, I can recommend Hotel Rupertus. It's a short walk from the train station, the owner speaks English, and a double room is €55/nt, with breakfast.

If you stay in only one central location, it has to be Munich. Dachau is a Munich suburb, easily accessible by the S-Bahn, Fuessen and 2 castles at Hohenschwangau are about 2 hours away by train.

You said "4 castles". I think you are also thinking of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (?). Linderhof is a short bus trip from Oberammergau (also worth a short visit). You could do both from Munich in a day.

The Eagles' Nest is outside of Berchtesgaden, which is about 3 hours from Munich. It might be worth spending a couple of nights in Berchtesgaden, visiting Herrenchiemsee on the way and the Eagles' Nest on the full day in between the nights. Be sure to also see the Dokumentation Center in Obersalzberg, at the base of Kehlstein, the mountain on which the Nest sits.

As far as castles, there is a much older castle at Burghausen, about 2 hours from Munich by regional train.

Ok thanks for the suggestion. Looks like we could stay in munich for a few days to see Dacchau and fuessen (castles) then go to Berchtesgaden for a couple of days - see Eagles Nest. I'm not familiar with the area so is there more to see and do in these areas. Thanks.

Salzburg is very close to Berchtesgaden. There is a bus called the Watzmann Express that goes between Berchtesgaden Hbf and Salzburg Hbf (46 min, €9,- pP RT). You could also take the train (1h22m, change in Freilassing) to Salzburg and use a €28 Bayern-Ticket (all day regional train pass) for the four of you, RT.

You might also want to take an overnight trip to Rothenburg (also possible with a Bayern-Ticket).

Lee suggested Herrenchiemsee, a castle located in Lake Chiemsee (Ludwig built this one, too, modeled it on Versailles). This is accessible by boat from Prien, halfway between Munich and Salzburg. In the summer, there's a miniature railway from the Prien Station to the lakeside dock area and right near there is a so-called "Erlebnisbad" - large indoor-outdoor pool with all sorts of neat stuff. The kids might like this as a break from sightseeing (so might you). Nice lakeside hotels with restaurants all around. A lot of tourist spots in Europe have web cams, by the way, as does Prien.

Garmisch is quite worthwhile. So is Bad Tölz, half way between Munich and Garmisch. For relaxation alpamare.de might be of interest...

I would use at least two different towns as a base to day trip from other wise you will spend a lot of travel time back tracking. Munich and Salzburg are not too far apart and the Herrenchiemse palace is about half way between them. My wife and I enjoyed Salzburg more than Munich. Ludwig's castles and Wieskirche are a great (but long) day trip from Munich. Two castles and a church are almost too much for one day. At Salzburg I like Frau Ballwein's rooms on Moosstrasse. The bus stop is at the end of her drive, a very short walk. It is listed in Rick's book.

Definitely consider an excursion to Salzburg, it is an absolute magical city! It is also a very compact city, marvelous for exploring the inner city on foot, it is very easy to get around!

Hi Fran

Adding another vote for Munich and Salzburg! 2 great locations for many day trips.

If you are considering trying a "Sound of Music" tour which was suggested above (which isn't a bad idea to get acquainted with the city and surrounding area), stay away from "Bob's" Sound of Music Tour.

Also consider taking the train to Lake Hallstatt and then a ride on Stefanie across to lake for a visit to the beautiful town of Hallstatt. A wonderful day trip.

Thank you all for the responses. If we're able to make this trip looks like we'll stay a couple of days in Salzburg and a couple in Munich. Thanks again.

To learn more about what there is to see at Dachau (Munich area) and the Eagles Nest (Berchtesgaden area), see:
http://thirdreichruins.com/munich.htm
http://thirdreichruins.com/dachau.htm
http://thirdreichruins.com/bgaden.htm
http://thirdreichruins.com/obersalzberg.htm
http://thirdreichruins.com/kehlsteinhaus.htm

There is so much to see in these areas, it would take way more than a couple days to do it! I recommend the Eagles Nest Tours - that will hit the highlights of the World War II history in that area:
http://www.eagles-nest-historical-tours.com/EN/eagles-nest-tours/index.php?navid=2

You can take a guided tour to Dachau as well, but you can also go by bus and tour it on your own just as well.

Fran,
We went to Germany two summers ago with our kids (ages 18 and 15) and had a blast. We stayed at Hotel Uhland in Munich which was very reasonable, quiet and the staff was very helpful. If I went to Munich again I would definitely stay there. We took the train starting in Munich (1 night), Fuessen (1 night), Salzburg(3 nights), Munich (1 night), Rothenburg (1 night) and back to Munich(1 night). It was a very doable trip. Salzburg is central to many places you mention on your agenda. Have fun!!

This past spring I visited Königssee - fantstic scenery! Also did the Jennerbahn (cable car to the top of a mountain overlooking the Köningssee). A MUST do in my book.