Munich/Fussen?Garmisch

Not really. But what do you mean by "see castles". If you just come out to Hohenschwangau and say, "there are the castles", then head for Garmisch-Partenkirchen, you might have time. But, if you take the castle tours, by the time you're finished, it will be too late, physically or practically, to go up the Zugspitze.

We have contemplated arriving in Garmisch and spending the night with a trip up the Zugspitze the following morning, any reccommends on hotel/Band B in Garmisch? I do want to tour the castles. Perhaps Garmisch and Oberammergau the following day with a return late to Munich?

Hi Melanie, Never stayed in Garmisch, but it makes sense to spend a night for what you'd like to do. I'd leave Muncih early, get to Garmisch and if it's a clear day, head to the Zugspitze. If the day is cloudy/rainy, head over to Neuschwanstein and hope the weather is better the next day for the Zugspitze. I guess what I'm saying is to be flexible and that having 2 days is better than having just the one-day day trip. Plus, the scenery around Garmisch is outstanding. If both days are cloudy/rainy (I hope not!), check out "Mad" King Ludwig's Linderhof palace, which is nearby. The interior is far superior to Neuschwanstein IMO. Paul

It is not viable to do that. A good castle tour takes 3h to be fully appreciated. The Zugspitze is best seen in the middle of the day, sun upright, over at least 3 hours to explore well the other observation areas, have a nice lunch etc.

"any reccommends on hotel/Band B in Garmisch?" Try the Fraundorfer: http://www.gasthof-fraundorfer.de/english/index.php

If you want a less expensive room, stay in Oberammergau. The RVO bus takes about 40 min to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and drops you at the Bahnhof. The train up Zugspitze leaves from there.

Andre, what do you mean by "a castle tour"? Time on the bus from Fuessen, standing in line at the kiosk, climbing the hill to Neuschwanstein and back down, touring both castles? Maybe, but A castle tour takes about 35 minutes (per Hohenschwangau website) and is guided. So, in 35 min you are out the door. Up the hill to Neuschwanstein and back has never taken me an hour. In 1988 I had lunch in GaP, then went right up the Zugspitze. It was already socked in. I would recommend going up first thing in the morning, while it's still clear.

Thank you all for the wonderful advice!! My husband has decided he wanted to add Venice in our trip too, wow, I have been reading Rick's guides and trying to follow all the advice about not trying to do too much, we have 4 nights London, 4 nights Paris, flight on easyjet (per advice on this site) to Venice 3 nights, and then overnight to Salzburg on train with the end at 4 nights Munich. We are not big museum goers but, the castles are a must, historical sites, Dachau, Marienplatz, etc. Any advice on the train from Venice to Salzburg? We are staying close to the train station in the city center of Venice as I have researched that getting around the city with luggage is a hassle. Wow, sorry for rambeling, and again, any advice is so helpful from those that have been there!!

If you are interested in Garmisch, I enjoyed my hotel stay at Hotel Mercure. I got a very good deal online for it, and the breakfast is AMAZING. It is not the traditional small Bavarian hotel or B&B, but the food is quite German and quite good.

From Venice to Salzburg, you can find schedules and fares on the Austrian Rail website, www.oebb.at. Choose english, upper right. When you type in "To:", type "Venice" and it will give you a dropdown with choices; pick "Venise Santa Lucia" (Venise is the German spelling of Venice). You will find three daytime connections to Salzburg. These connections using an Intercity bus run by Austrian Rail from Venice to Villach and an Austrian express train from there. The connections that say from Venice Tronchetta are the same bus, just another stop, on the mainland. When you click on "ticket and price" you will see the standard fare, about €83, but with advance purchase, you can get a Sparschiene fare (clover leaf) as low as €29. There is also a direct night train (no bus). It's really scheduled for people going to Vienna (Note that it gets into Salzburg at 4 AM).