Mitterfels Germany. Munich. Need Day Trip Ideas

[jlwquilter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jlwquilter]

Hello! We'll be going to Mitterfels in late September. My DH will be working in Straubing for the week while DD (12) and I do the tourist thing. We'll have a rental car as needed.

I am pretty sure we'll go to Salzburg for a day trip. Hopefully Sunday Sept. 25 as DH visited last time he was there and would like to go back if possible. Is Sunday a good or bad day to visit? Are shops and things open on Sunday?

I just read about Prague being a possible day trip. How feasible is this? A long day doesn't bother us if it's worth it. It's seems to be about 3 hr. by car per MapQuest. I was thinking of taking a train vs. driving but the trains seem to take closer to 5 hours!

We will spend one day and night in Munich itself before flying home. Is anyone really familiar with Munich?? I have two hotels reserved and am trying to figure out which on to keep, the one that would get us most easily to a few highlights. I particularly want to visit the museums with the Old Masters paintings. What are one or two other things in Munich that we MUST see?

We will happen to be in Germany during Oktoberfest. We hope to do the beer hall thing during our stay in the Straubing/Mitterfels area. Does anyone have a specific recommendation? We'd like to do a beer hall on our night in Munich but I am concerned that we'd get 'closed out' as we wouldn't want to go until early evening, after sight seeing. Will this really probably happen?

This trip is just confirmed so I have alot of researching and planning to do. Fun!

[puppymommo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close puppymommo]

I'd definitely suggest seeing the Rathaus-Glockenspiel which is in Marienplatz in the heart of Munich. It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The whole show lasts somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes long depending on which tune it plays that day.

Prague is a beautiful city. From what I remember it seems alot more than 3 hours away from Munich but I did take the train.

I second the idea of going to Salzburg. I did it as a day trip from Munich by train. I don't know anything about Sundays, though. I might suggest visiting one of the castles in the area. I don't have any particular ones to suggest as I didn't go to any.

Sounds like you will have a wonderful trip.

[vinolover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vinolover]

Don't forget about the nice smaller towns close to Mitterfels. Passau has a beautiful church that has classical organ concerts. I agree, Prrague would be much too far for a nice day trip. Dachau is very moving.

On a pretty Munich day take a walk through the Englisher Garden and stop at one of the many outdoor cafe/beer gardens for lunch. We loved seeing the Frauenkirche and the royal palace too.

[MargeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MargeS]

Castle: Schloss Neuschwanstein, Germany

The castle that inspired Disney. Not too far of a train ride from Munich, but best to check with someone there in case my memory is failing me...

"This is a must for all castle lovers; Castle Neuschwanstein. To me the most spectacular of the of the King Ludwig castles. The castle itself is in the shade 90% of the time, but the view is spectacular. The valleys are drenched in sunlight. Take a coat, because unless it's the heat of summer it's gonna get cool. So, you made it to the castle now what: buy a ticket down in the little town. It is clearly marked and tickets are timed. You can get a ticket just for Neuschwanstein or Hohenzollern or both. When I went there was not enough time to visit both castles since it was during the winter. The castle is about 30-40 minutes uphill. I would suggest to get a carriage ride. They cost 5,- euros each way and are worth it. You will see their stand right outside the ticket building. Just hop on and off you go. Make sure to take the time and visit the Marien Bruecke and the overlook."

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Castle: Schloss Neuschwanstein, Germany

The castle that inspired Disney. Not too far of a train ride from Munich, but best to check with someone there in case my memory is failing me...

"This is a must for all castle lovers; Castle Neuschwanstein. To me the most spectacular of the of the King Ludwig castles. The castle itself is in the shade 90% of the time, but the view is spectacular. The valleys are drenched in sunlight. Take a coat, because unless it's the heat of summer it's gonna get cool. So, you made it to the castle now what: buy a ticket down in the little town. It is clearly marked and tickets are timed. You can get a ticket just for Neuschwanstein or Hohenzollern or both. When I went there was not enough time to visit both castles since it was during the winter. The castle is about 30-40 minutes uphill. I would suggest to get a carriage ride. They cost 5,- euros each way and are worth it. You will see their stand right outside the ticket building. Just hop on and off you go. Make sure to take the time and visit the Marien Bruecke and the overlook."

A must do but get there early. We stayed in Oberstafen which was a nice little town and was connected to the Austrian border which was a plus for buying gas

[vinolover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vinolover]

A must do but get there early. We stayed in Oberstafen which was a nice little town and was connected to the Austrian border which was a plus for buying gas

Frank, any other recommendations for a week in Oberstaufen? We've been to Salzburg, Munich, Lucerne and the
castles already so want some other ideas in that area. Will be traveling by train and bus, not planning to rent a car this trip.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Frank, any other recommendations for a week in Oberstaufen? We've been to Salzburg, Munich, Lucerne and the
castles already so want some other ideas in that area. Will be traveling by train and bus, not planning to rent a car this trip.

It is a cute small town but on the out skirts of it we found a great wine restaurant in fact they grew there own grapes. To me that was the high light but there were some hot clubs there at night and some nice shops all over. IMO I would spend at least 1-2 nights there to enjoy the area.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

In Munich, be sure to see both of the royal palaces, the Residensschloss in the center and Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace on the outskirts. Regensburg and Ingolstadt have nice medieval old towns. Bertesgaden is also interesting, for the old town, the royal palace, the salt mine, the boat rides on the alpine lake and the Eagles Nest. There are also two interesting palaces on an island in the middle of the Chemsee lake, with regular boats to get you out to the island and back. Cesky Krumlov is a great medieval town, including a castle, over the Czech border.

[jlwquilter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jlwquilter]

This is very helpful! Please keep the ideas coming!

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

I always used rental cars in Bavaria, but within day trip range of Oberstaufen, I would suggest Innsbruck, Austria, as well as the old Imperial mint at Hall in Tirol just to its east. The principality of Liechtenstein is easily accessable by car, but there is no direct rail connection, so you would probably need a bus from Feldkirch. There is not all that much to see in the principality and its castle is not open for tours but at least you can say you have been to one of Europe's smaller countries. The City of Konstanz on Lake Konstanz is interesting, and also near the lake is Schloss Salem, an interesting old palace which is open for tours, and has been the main residence since the end of WWI of the royal family of the old Grand Duchy of Baden.

Frank, any other recommendations for a week in Oberstaufen? We've been to Salzburg, Munich, Lucerne and the
castles already so want some other ideas in that area. Will be traveling by train and bus, not planning to rent a car this trip.

[jlwquilter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jlwquilter]

What is the best way to get to the sites in Munich? Bus? Train/subway? Other? We'll have the rental car still but can't imagine that driving around the city would be a good idea.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

What is the best way to get to the sites in Munich? Bus? Train/subway? Other? We'll have the rental car still but can't imagine that driving around the city would be a good idea.

I have always used public transportation within the city. You are right that driving within the city would be a pain. A lot of things you can walk to from the Hauptbahnhof main train station but you would have to take public transportation out to Schloss Nymphenburg, which is not difficult. I think I would drive to the nearest small town with rail service where you can park free, and then take the train into Munich. Alternatively, you can drive to a town just outside Munich that has S-bahn service and take the S-bahn into the city.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We went to 2 mines in Austria that I highly recommend. The first was The Ice Cavern's in Austria which is huge and you will do a lot of walking be sure to bring your coats it is freezing inside. The 2nd was I think a Salt mine in Germany and Austria,I say both because the under ground the mine went to both. We went down in the actual carts and they gave us what looked like white overalls from the Mario and Luigi game. We enjoyed both but the ice cavern's was a long walk to get to and it was hot out side so you need to bring water as well as warm clothes for when you get inside.

[vinolover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vinolover]

I always used rental cars in Bavaria, but within day trip range of Oberstaufen, I would suggest Innsbruck, Austria, as well as the old Imperial mint at Hall in Tirol just to its east. The principality of Liechtenstein is easily accessable by car, but there is no direct rail connection, so you would probably need a bus from Feldkirch. There is not all that much to see in the principality and its castle is not open for tours but at least you can say you have been to one of Europe's smaller countries. The City of Konstanz on Lake Konstanz is interesting, and also near the lake is Schloss Salem, an interesting old palace which is open for tours, and has been the main residence since the end of WWI of the royal family of the old Grand Duchy of Baden.

Thanks to you and Frank. Good suggestions. I'm starting to put my to-do list together. We like to hike. Any ideas for that in the area (moderate trails)?

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Thanks to you and Frank. Good suggestions. I'm starting to put my to-do list together. We like to hike. Any ideas for that in the area (moderate trails)?

Sorry, I am not much on hiking, so I can't give you any info there.

If you are intent on using trains and buses instead of a rental car, there are clickable links to both the Austrian and German rail systems on the TS4MS Links Directory. You can find timetables for both countries on either site.