Best routes & methods to travel from Budapest to Munich?

Method of transportation?

when is the trip?

Planning trip for May/June 2016. Would prefer car travel over 4-6 days to see the sites, but would like to hear the pro's & con's of mode of transportation you've experienced. Am also interested in cities & sites you have seen on this route. Thanks.

Hey Jim, I rode the train from Munich to Budapest in August 2013 and it was great. I left Munich in the afternoon and arrived in Budapest in the early evening (I think around 1930). The scenes were great; saw a lot of wind farms and beautiful farms and pastures.

The advantage of trains is it is quicker and whereas the advantage of a car would be able to see more. As I recall the cost was not too bad. I bought some fresh fruit and cheese and meats for my dinner before boarding the train; I wish I would have got something to eat from the dining car as I did on subsequent train trips. The cost would have been about the same.

The train I took into Budapest was on the German Railroad which was high speed and nice; however, when I left Budapest to go to Bratslavia and onto Prague after a few days layover the trains were old Eastern European (dirty and worn out). If all possible schedule with the German Railroad.

Just a side note; when I was in Budapest all of the streets around the train station were tore up, construction around the station. The station appeared it was nice at one time but with all of the construction it was dirty. Also, I've been in contact with a friend and they said the refugees have taken over the station to a point you can't hardly get in (not viloence but over crowded). Hopefully when you go the refugee situation will be manage better. I'll also be in Europe during the same time, Belgium, Holland, and France.

If you have time in Budapest go to the KGB Museum; it is eye opening and it really well done. Also, take in the River Walk where the Iron Cross killed thousands of Jews in 1944/45.

Enjoy your trip.

Ken, thanks for the feedback about rail travel. Good to know. We are leaning toward car travel since there are stops we want to see in Hallstatt, Austria and Fussen, Germany, in addition to driving Zell Am See in Austria.

Good luck and safe travels

Another advantage to the train vs a car is that the driver gets to enjoy the scenery, too.

Take the train from Budapest to Attnang-Puchheim, then change to a regional train to Hallstatt.

A few years ago, I went by train from Obertraun, across the lake from Hallstatt, to Innsbruck via Stainach-Irdning. That route was scenic, particularly the part from Obertaun to Stainach-Irdning. You can either take the boat across the lake to Hallstatt Bahnhof, then the train to Steinach-Irdning, or you can walk the ½ km along the pedestrian road to Lahn and take the bus to Obertraun. The Hallstatt Bahnhof is not manned, but has a ticket automat; the Bahnhof in Obertraun has a manned ticket counter.

From Innsbruck, it's a nice, scenic train ride over the mountains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Seefeld and Mittenwald (both worth a stop).

There are multiple routes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Füssen. The most direct is by RVO bus via Oberammergau. You can also take the train (Außerfernbahn) through the Tirol to Pfronten-Ried and then an RVO bus to Füssen. Or, you can get off in Reutte and take a bus to Füssen. Except for the bus from Reutte, this can be done with a Bayern-Ticket (all the way from Mittenwald, if you do it in a day).

Trains or flights will be the best way to get from Budapest to Munich. Because of the immigrant crisis in Europe, the train line from Budapest to Munich breaks at Salzburg. However since you aren't going until next year, it may be open by then. You'll just have to check closer to your departure. For schedules look on www.bahn.com and for budget flights, look on www.skyscanner.com.

I hope this helps some