Here is my 9-day itinerary for a visit to Germany and Austria with a focus on WWII and castles! I followed this itinerary on a trip with my family in late May 2018. We packed a lot in for just over a week and ultimately had a great time and saw most of the major sites for the region of interest to us. Now that I am a bit older and enjoy spending longer in locations, I probably would cut a few of the day trips (like Nuremberg and Salzburg) and spend more time in Munich and maybe a smaller town in the western region of Austria. But overall, I want to showcase what all we were able to accomplish!
We traveled in late May and did experience a bit of rain most days; it never lasted very long, but we were glad to have brought rain jackets and umbrellas. At the time of our travel, the crowds were not overwhelming at any of the locations we visited which was a pleasant surprise.
Day 1: Arrive in Munich, Germany
After departing the US the night before, we arrived in Munich in the early afternoon on Day 1. Leaving the airport, we took a 40-minute ride on the S-Bahn train to Munich Rosenheimer Platz and checked into the Holiday Inn Munich City Centre, which was a great base for our time in the city and was walking-distance to Old Town in about 20 minutes. Happy to be in Europe, we made our way to the main city square--Marienplatz--and enjoyed an Apple Strudel and watched the famous show put on by the Glockenspiel.
Day 2: Munich
For our first full day, we spent our time exploring Munich's Old Town. We strolled through the Victuals Market (Viktualienmarkt), peaked in the New Town Hall in Marianplatz and the cool library on the third floor, visited St. Peter's (Peterskirche) and Frauenkirche, and rested our feet at the famous Hofbräuhaus. The Hofbräuhaus is a 3-story beer hall dating back to the 16th century and has lots of beer, food options, and usually some sort of live show going on. It was fun--even for the non-beer drinkers in my family!
Afterwards, we explored the lovely Hofgarten before making our way into the Munich Residenz, a former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs. The tickets were around $10/person and during non-winter months it is open until 1800, with the last entrance at 1700. The palace was beautiful and we particularly loved the Hall of Antiquities! We were able to get an audio guide and experienced few crowds inside.
Day 3: Day Trip to Nuremberg
We took a morning train from Munich to Nuremberg, which was just over an hour. Once there, we enjoyed wandering through the beautiful city center on this free walking tour. It was a nice way to get acquainted with the city and see the main sites, including the medieval church of St. Lorenz, the town square, and the Church of our Lady with it's glockenspiel. We had to take shelter from a quick rainstorm which landed us in the Imperial Castle of Nuremburg. It had lovely views of the city and a lot of interesting medieval weaponry and armor!
After exploring the more romantic history of the city, we reflected back on a time more recent and more shameful: when the city served as the Nazi Party Headquarters at Kongresshalle. We visited the informative museum and saw what was left of the rally grounds where Hitler gave speeches to his followers. Hitler had built the stadium to be bigger than the Roman Coliseum and vowed it would stand 1,000 years. In actuality, it was already crumbling and visitors cannot even use the front steps to enter anymore. It was an eerie place, but an important part of history to remember and acknowledge. I would only recommend visiting if you are really into WWII history; this part of town wasn't as nice and there was not much else around, though it was easily accessible by a quick train ride from the center.
Day 4: Munich
For our final day in Munich, we started the morning picking up a car in the city center to prepare for our next several days. Afterwards, we drove about 30 minutes to the Dachau concentration camp. The visit here was emotional and is hard to put into words. Entrance is free, and we paid a couple euros a person for an audio guide. This concentration camp was one of the first built by the Nazis in 1933 and was the longest running one until its liberation by US forces in April 1945. At least 41,500 people died at this camp, though the true number is likely much higher. The now-memorial site is extremely informative and an important place to visit to ensure that history never repeats itself.
After a heavy morning, we ventured to Nymphenburg Palace just outside the city. This was the primary summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria and is home to not only a stunning palace, but beautiful gardens. We were able to grab a late lunch here with lovely views of the gardens. A ticket to the palace was less than $10/person and was a fun way to pass the afternoon.
After returning to the city and relaxing at the hotel, my mom and I ventured out for one last walk around the Old Town area of Munich and really enjoyed our stop at the gorgeous baroque Asam Church.
Day 5: Austria
After checking out of our hotel, we drove about an hour and a half to Salzburg, Austria, to complete my mom's dream of seeing some filming sites for The Sound of Music. We parked at the Mirabell Parkplatz, which was convenient but a bit expensive. Salzburg is a beautiful city worth visiting, even if you are not a Sound of Music fan! It is also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
We opted to do a self-guided tour of The Sound of Music sites, which started right next to where we parked at Mirabell Gardens. The entrance to the gardens is where Maria teaches the children "Do, Re, Mi." My mom particularly liked the entrance statues because, with the children imitating them, they were featured on her beloved record album. The gardens also have a fountain, hedge tunnels, and steps that were all key scenes in the "Do, Re, Mi" movie sequence.
After the gardens, we walked across the river about 15 minutes to Residenzplatz, which is home to a beautiful fountain. Maria dips her hand in this fountain after she leaves the abbey and begins to sing "I Have Confidence". Taking a break from The Sound of Music, we rode the funicular up to Hohensalzburg Fortress, which had amazing views of the city. A ticket into the castle is about $12/person and had several cool ancient history displays.
On the way back down, we stopped at St. Peter's Abbey (Stiftskirche St. Peter). This church is stunning and its cemetery and crypts were the inspiration behind the Hollywood set for where the Von Trapp family hide from the Nazis before their escape. We also stopped by Salzburg Cathedral (Dom zu Salzburg), another gorgeous church where Mozart was baptized. After returning to our car, we made one final The Sound of Music stop on the way out of town at St. Michael's Church in Mondsee. This is the church that was used in the film for Maria and Captain Von Trapp's wedding, and was about 30 minutes from where we parked the car.
After finishing up at Mondsee, we continued driving about an hour longer to Hallstatt, Austria. This picturesque village on Lake Hallstatt has been made famous recently on Instagram and can oftentimes be quite crowded. We were there late May and it was not too overwhelming, but it was also a bit rainy when we arrived. This village is car-free (except for residents), so you have to take advantage of one of the parking areas just outside, for which there is plenty of signage. We stayed at the lovely Bräugasthof, which was right on the water and had a nice restaurant. This was a quick stop for us, but there is so much beauty to explore in the area and fun adventure activities, including waterfalls, the Hallstatt Skywalk, and great hiking. I would love to go back! After dinner at our hotel, the rain cleared up a bit and made for some beautiful and moody dusk views.
Day 6: Austria and Eagle's Nest
We spent a leisurely morning soaking in the beauty of Hallstatt, which included a walk to Evangelisches Pfarramt to admire the pretty church, cemetery, and views. After checking out of our hotel, we had an hour and twenty minute drive to Berchtesgaden to see the infamous Eagle's Nest. This deceptively beautiful mountaintop tea house was a 50th birthday present to Adolf Hitler, and the surrounding area served as a seat of power for him and housed his former residence. We had pre-booked a tour with Eagle's Nest Historical Tours to start at 1300 and easily found parking near the pickup point by the Berchtesgaden train station. There were also several lunch options nearby.
The tour was wonderfully informative, especially for a family of history buffs. Though the Eagle's Nest was only used by Hitler a total of 14 times (his partner Eva Braun used it more), his primary holiday home (Berghof)--and the homes of other major Nazi leaders--were also on the mountain and connected via an extensive system of underground bunkers. The houses were destroyed in WWII, but the tour takes you to where they once stood as well as the bunker system and the Eagle's Nest itself. The bus ride up to the Eagle's Nest is still the most thrilling bus ride I have been on, but I felt safe the entire time! The views from the top were gorgeous and there were several options for refreshments at the top. The bunkers themselves were a bit cold so we were glad to have brought an extra layer.
After our tour, we hopped back in the car heading west to explore castles the next few days and opted to spend the night somewhere in the middle. That had us completing an hour and a half drive to reach our accommodations at the Alter Wirt in Weyarn, Germany. We really loved this hotel! They have spacious rooms with four beds for families. It also had a nice restaurant on site, though it is not really within walking distance to much.
Day 7: Germany Castles
After an hour drive, we made are first quick stop of the day in Oberammergau. This town is famous for its Passion Play, which has been performed once a decade since 1634 after a vow made by local residents to God to save them from the Bubonic Plague. We walked around the historic center a bit and admired the quaint buildings.
A short 15 minute drive farther, we arrived to Linderhof Palace. This palace was beautiful inside, though no pictures were allowed. This was the only castle that King Ludwig II actually finished. He had modeled it after Versailles and only put statues of French Sun King and builder of Versailles Louis XIV inside and none of himself. It was a very small palace but felt as opulent as Versailles and even included a Hall of Mirrors. A 10 euro ticket includes entrance with a 25 minute guided tour of the castle, as well as access to the gorgeous gardens.
Afterwards, we drove about 50 minutes to Füssen, Germany--the drive also cuts back through Austria. It rained during our drive, otherwise we would have stopped at Ehrenburg Castle in Austria along the way. There is a 20 minute flat hike up to a castle here as well as a cool sky bridge! Instead, we drove straight to our hotel: Luitpoldpark-Hotel, which has nice options for larger family rooms. After checking in, the rain let up a bit and we explored the town of Füssen and enjoyed a nice dinner.
Day 8: Germany Castles
Füssen is the main base to visit the most famous castle in the world: Neuschwanstein. We opted to drive and pay 12 euros to use the parking lot near the castle, though there are public transportation options. From here, you can walk up to the castle in about 20 minutes or take a bus (we opted for this!). We climbed up to Mary's Bridge (Marienbrücke), which is the most famous viewpoint of the castle and well worth a stop. We paid 18 euro/person to gain entry to the castle with a 30 minute guided tour and it's recommended to buy these tickets in advance. Most people that we talked to or read about on blogs comment that the interior was not worth a visit because it remains unfinished after King Ludwig II's death. But my family and I loved the interior! The finished rooms are stunning, particularly the Throne Room and Singers' Hall. Like Linderhof, photos were not allowed inside.
Hohenschwangau Castle--which belonged to Ludwig II's father--is also nearby and has a lot of history. This is where Ludwig II kept an eye on Neuschwanstein construction with a telescope! We opted to skip this castle, but entry and a tour costs 14 euro/person and there are options for combination tickets for all three of the Ludwig II castles.
Afterwards, we took a leisurely two hour drive to the Munich airport to drop off our car and spend the night before our flights the next day. On the way, we stopped at Landsberg am Lech/Kaufering area to see the site of the concentration camp liberated by the US 101st Airborne (KZ Gedenkstätte Aussenlager III Kaufering), which is the focus of an episode in the series Band of Brothers. We stayed at what is now the Novotel Hotel (was a Holiday Inn Express).
Day 9: Depart
We took late morning flights back home!
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