Bavaria in a week
Ok, so the title is misleading. There is no way to see Bavaria in a week, but we sure did try.
I’ve always had such interesting experiences in Munich. My first time visiting the city was in August 2014. I was backpacking through Germany in 3 weeks and Munich was my first stop. I did the usual day trips - Dachau, Schloß Neuschwanstein, Salzburg… before moving on to Nürnberg, Berlin, and Frankfurt. I went back in 2017 and 2018 for Garmisch Partenkirchen, in 2019 to interview restaurateurs for work, and in 2023 to see Partnachklamm and hike near Oberammergau. This time in 2024 was to show my parents around.
Getting around (cheaply)
Previously I’d used the Bayern Ticket. For 25€ plus an additional 5€ per co-traveller, this was a good deal. My sister and I used this ticket to visit Garmisch Partenkirchen, Passau, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Würzburg, and many other cities in Bavaria. The only drawback was that it would become invalid as soon as you crossed a state boundary even if you were on a regional train (RE, BRB, etc.)
The newly introduced Deutschland Ticket fixed that problem by being a Germany-wide ticket. And it’s significantly cheaper at 49€ per month. There is however a caveat. Since it’s a subscription, the official apps automatically renew it for the next month with latest cancellation being in the first week of the month. In our case, this would mean that we pay for 2 months when we intended to use it only for a week!
Autobus Oberbayern to the rescue! This was the best Reddit discovery I’d made in recent times. Not only did I discover that the Deutschland Ticket could be used on a regional train crossing over into the next country, but also that Autobus Oberbayern has an option to immediately cancel your subscription so that you get charged only for 1 month - here’s the link (thank Reddit).
Where to stay (in Munich)
I’ve done Bavaria with youth hostels, pension hotels, and now with a community-based Aparthotel. My last Aparthotel experience was a 6-month stay in Paris in 2013. It’s AirBnB but with a cleaning service and restaurant.
I booked our stay 4 months upfront and given how crazy Munich prices are, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I paid €976 for 7 nights for 3 guests. I refused to spend 7 nights on a sofa-bed, so some of the ‘extra’ cost came from upgrading to a 2-bed setup. It did not disappoint. Far from it, to be honest.
Wunderlocke Munich is 15mins away via a direct U-Bahn from Marienplatz and 20-25mins away from München-Ost and München Hbf. I immediately felt the Hoxton (favourite stay in Barcelona) vibes as soon as I walked in. I loved that the room came with a yoga mat and the hotel had a heated pool, a Peloton-fitted gym for my Rocycle cravings, and a sauna to heal my soul. (Yes, I enjoyed all of these facilities during my stay)
Where to go (if you must leave Munich)
I am not really a city-person. I love a good museum every now and then, but I prefer being outdoors. Here’s all the places we visited instead of spending time in Munich.
Schloß Herrenchiemsee
This holiday turned into a Ludwig II Castle Tour. Herrenchiemsee was first on the list. It’s a bit of a journey. You take the RE heading to Salzburg and hop off at Prien am Chiemsee to transfer to a really cute cog-wheel train which brings you to the port. The ferry from the port brings you to the island which houses the castle. It’s a 15min walk from the port but you can choose to go by horse carriage instead.
Schloß Schleißheim
After a short ride on the S-Bahn and you’ll find yourself in a tiny village of Oberschleißheim. The castle is a 2-stop bus ride away from the train station. Alternatively, you could walk.
Zugspitze
I will never get tired of this view. At this point, I have visited it 4 times - twice to the top and thrice to Eibsee. I would turn it into an annual visit if I could. The €75 fare to the top is steep, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the top of Germany, unless you are me.
Schloß Linderhof
This one turned out to be the trickiest trip of the lot. We attempted it twice before succeeding on our third attempt. The bus and train schedules were a nightmare to navigate. The bad weather just made everything additionally worse. All that being said, it is a beautiful castle and the grounds have so much to offer. I did get tired of hearing how much Ludwig II admired Louis IV.
Burghausen
The longest castle in the world was my favourite among the 4 castles I visited in 5 days. The entry is free and there are so many cute gardens to enjoy. With good weather, you can easily spend a day eating ice cream while you walk the longest castle in the world. Borderless EU will never not amaze me. Looking at the houses in Austria across the Salzach tickled me.
Salzburg
Without a doubt my favourite city in Austria. My first time in 2013, I was traveling alone and I met a group of girls celebrating their friend’s Junggesellenabschied. My second time was in 2018 with my sister who wanted to see Hallstatt on NYE. My third time was with my parents - my mom who was seeing Salzburg for the first time outside of The Sound of Music and my dad who was returning after 22 years.
Munich will always have my love for its unmatched Käsespätzle and Flammkuchen. But it shall forever remain a city I stay in to visit other places around it. Until next time, Garmisch Partenkirchen!
