My wife %26amp; I are planning on visiting Munich %26amp; some of the other sites in Bavaria including Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Neuschwanstein Castle during the first week of August.
We were thinking keeping Munich as the base, and using public transport to venture to the above areas and returning by the evening to the hotel.
We would greatly appreciate advice on the following:
1. What Hotel 4* category one would recommend, we would like to stay close to the main station, as it%26#39;ll help with our trips to Bavaria (we think ) although my wife is concerned that with the red light district being close, how safe is it ?
2. Alternatively any recommendations of hotels a couple of stops from the main station would also suffice.
3. With reference to making Munich our base is that the best thing to do ?
4. Would one recommend we take a coach tour to Salzberg, or alternatively catch a train to Salzberg and explore individually ?
5. What does one recommend for the evenings and nights in munich, my wife and I are found of Chinese, Indian and Italian cuisine, hence some recommendations would be appreciated.
Look forward to your advice.
With regards
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1. I recommend the Hotel Excelsior. Very nice, 4-star, with a wonderful breakfast, wine cellar %26amp; restaurant...
3. I personally love using Munchen as a %26quot;home base%26quot; - especially when hitting Switzerland %26amp; Austria, etc.
4. The bus day trips to Salzburg are affordable, comfortable, and easy from the city center. Please see this web site: Autobus-Oberbayern.de
5. There is a great little italian cafe - just across fro the main train station, on Bayer strasse. Look for the Hacker-Pschorr canopies.
tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i19629-Mike_s_M…
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To be honest I dont suggest people use Munich as a %26#39;base%26#39; and then do long day trips... Why not spend 2 or 3 days in Munich then rent a car and enjoy the alpine regions. Support the local areas by actually staying in them, experiencing them,,, rather than the splash and dash,,, its such a waste of your time... relax... enjoy Munich, then leisurely take the drive past the lakes towards the mountains.... and stay in a local %26#39;pension%26#39; (bed n breakfast) away from Rick Steve diciples... you will enjoy it so much more than getting up early every day to rush off to %26#39;the castles%26#39;, %26#39;the salt mines%26#39;, %26#39;the authentic wood carvers in oberammergau%26#39; etc etc... as for the food... munich isnt exactly known as a mecca for chinese or indian... why not try the local specialties while youre in town? you can get bad chinese and average indian food anywhere in the world... if you speak german i can send you a link for restauarant guides... munich has many strengths... hospitality, liveability, food, beer etc etc... but ethnic foods dont make this a great city...
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I second Kepinitreals advice, don%26#39;t try to stick with the ready-made tours but use your time in Munich to see and enjoy the city and then head out to discover the region. You will see more and have a much better time than when having to take a bus or train early in the morning of every other day and getting back late and tired.
As for the %26quot;red-light%26quot; district near the main station, don%26#39;t be afraid you%26#39;ll probably barely notice it...
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Thank you all for your advice. We will update once we have visited.
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1. I don%26#39;t think that you necessarily need to stay right by the train station (Haputbahnhof) if you are doing many day trips. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn make access to the train station easy from all parts of the city. **Though there might be some issues with service disruptions that I think I saw mentioned on another post.** I stayed in the Marienplatz area and found it easy to get from there to the main train station for various day trips.
3. I just got back from a trip using Munich as the base for multiple day trips and enjoyed it. I went to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, Mittenwald, Oberammergau and Salzburg using Munich as my %26quot;home base.%26quot;
4. Take the Bahn from Munich to Salzburg and explore on your own. You can get the Bayern Ticket and get to Salzburg in 2 hours for 29 EUR. When you%26#39;re in Salzburg consider buying the Salzburg card, the cost of the card includes admission to all of the attractions in Salzburg.
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It worth buying Bayern ticket? Which are the advantages?
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I%26#39;m coming to this a bit late but will throw in my 2 cents:
1. Re: hotels, I echo suggestion you stay in city center rather than by the train station. Being just off Marienplatz is much more interesting and it will only take you about 10 minutes (including the inevitable standing around - the train ride is 2 mins) to get there from the train station. I recommend either the Bayerischerhof or the Torbrau.
2. A couple of really good Italian restaurants:
- Buon Gusto (Talamonti) - fantastic grilled seafoods and pastas
Hochbrückenstrasse 3 (just off Marienplatz)
- Lago di Garda: small family run place with outstanding pizza and other classic Italian dishes
Baaderstrasse 2, (near Deutsches Museum - take a taxi if you don%26#39;t want to walk)
3. KepinItReal%26#39;s comment about doing German food when in town is spot on. IMO, the best German restaurant that has fare much lighter than traditional Bavarian is Zum Alten Markt, which is right on the Viktuelien market. Most everything comes fresh from the market. The interior decor, with its intricately coffered wooden ceiling, came from a 400-year-old Tyrolean castle. It%26#39;s a small and very popular restaurant so I strongly recommend reservations: 089/29-99-95
4. The Bavaria ticket costs 28 Euros and gets you free travel throughout Bavaria for an entire day (beginning at 9:00 am) for up to 5 people. See more at bahn.de/international/…laender_tickets.shtml
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I third the recommendation of visiting Munich for a short time, see what interests you there, and then rent a car and visit the German and/or Austrian Alps or the Franken part of Bavaria to the NW. Then there is no need to constantly backtrack to Munich wasting your valuable vacation time, and if driving, you can just throw your luggage in the trunk and forget it. To me, the best parts of Germany are the smaller towns, rural sights, and countryside. All major cities were heavily destroyed in WW II, and what you are seeing there for the most part are restored buildings from the 1950s, not the originals.
And being from Dubai, for a pleasant change of temperature and scenery, I would visit the Alps. That%26#39;s the time for Neuschwanstein and Garmisch-Partenkirchen and other Alpine places, not from Munich.
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Hi Rajnimisha,
I agree with the posters above that staying in a smaller town or village in Bavaria is a wonderful experience and will bring you closer to the mountains and the gorgeous landscapes.
However, you really don%26#39;t have to rent a car to enjoy the area! There is a dense network of trains and busses that will take you from towns to villages to castles, all without hassle and without care. It%26#39;s a slow but wonderful way to travel, to enjoy the journey, and to maybe interact with the local residents.
You can get all the schedules for your possible trips at the German rail site,
www.bahn.de
Have fun!
s
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Just got back from that area yesterday.
As for going to Salzburg, take the train on your own.
I got the 24 hour Salzburg card at the train station for EUR 24 and feel that I really got my money%26#39;s worth. I%26#39;ll be posting a report over on the Salzburg forum in a few days.
The Bayern ticket is a real bargain. Not only does it include your 2nd class train travel, it also includes your local Munich subway, train and tram travel.
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