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Germany – Beautiful Munich and the Bavarian Alps

I spent 10 wonderful days in Germany’s Bavarian Alps. This consisted of a couple of days in Munich, 3 days in Berchtesgaden, and 4 days in Garmesh-Partenkirchen (Garmesh, for short). I flew into Munich and took the train from Munich Airport to Munich city – the train ticket is good until 6am the following day. For ticket information and maps of the various train lines, visit the “Introducing Munich” website. Also, by starting in Munich I had more options and locations to pick up the SiXT rental car. Some people visit the Bavarian Alps via bus; however, I wanted the opportunity to spend more time in each place, and a bus would have limited me.

Make sure to learn from my mistake – I wished I purchased the additional car insurance to drive the rental car into Austria. I had no idea that Germany and Austria were so intertwined. This would have allowed me to explore more and driving to some sites would have been faster.

Munich

Munich was my first introduction to Germany and it is a cute, quaint, and old town. It retained a significant amount of the history and architecture from decades past. Either before or when you arrive in Munich, make sure to download the Rick Steves Munich walking tour. This free tour will take you through churches, Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt, and much more.

Since I took the train from the Munich Airport to central Munich, my train ticket was valid for 24hours. I used my “free 24 hours” to visit the BMW Museum and the Olympic Village. It also allowed me to reduce to pick up the car rental one day later saving in fees – win, win!

When in Munich, watch the famous Glockenspiel in Marienplatz. Link to clock chime times.
All of BMW’s badges representing the makes and models for each year.
There were many one-off BMW cars – this one is the 2010 BMW art car.
Olympic Bungalows – this is where the female athletes stayed. Now it is studen housing and each student can paint/decorate their place
This is the Munich Olympic Stadium and was built specifically for the 1972 Olympics
Do not miss the Deutsch Museum when visiting Munich. It is worth allocating at least a half day.

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Berchtesgaden

When driving from Munich to Berchtesgaden, allow yourself time to visit Herenchiemsee Palace. You can purchase tickets to the Palace ahead of time; however, you will need to purchase the boat tickets when you arrive.

Berchtesgaden is a great home base to drive and see the sites. There is Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, Konigsee Lake, and just driving to see the Bavarian Alps. For Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, bus tickets can be purchased near the parking lot since cars are not allowed. Konigsee Lake ferry tickets are purchased at the ferry departure point. I purchased a roundtrip ticket so I could hop on and off the ferry whenever/wherever I wanted.

Herenchiemsee Palace is modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France.
The view of the Alps from the Eagle’s Nest – Hitlers senior officers would strategize and invite dignitaries here.
Beautiful fall colors in Konigsee Lake.
Bavarian Alps – this is where the final scene of the Sound of Music was filmed.
It stopped raining long enough we were able to drive with the top down.
Sophie’s Cafe – food was great! I did try a Radler (1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade) and I still prefer wine.

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Garmesh-Partenkirchen

I decided to end my Germany trip in Garmesh specifically for Neuschwanstein Castle. Feedback before the trip from people (and blogs that I read) said it will be the highlight of the trip, so leave it for the end. The Castle is amazing and beautiful. To capture the iconic shot below, there is a bridge you have to walk on and the line can be VERY long, so arrive early.

Besides Neuschwanstein Castle, Garmesh has A LOT to offer. The Zugspitze peak, Partnachklamm Gorge, and Alpsbitzbahn Mountain. All 3 of these locations are within a few minutes drive from downtown Garmesh and the Airbnb we stayed at had a beautiful view of the mountains.

When driving back from Garmesh to Munich, make sure to stop and see Neushwanstein Castle and the Andechs Monastery.

View from Zugspitze – Germany’s tallest peak in the Alps. The view is amazing! Be prepared for the cold – it was warm when we left and very cold at the summit.
Here is one of the views from Zugspitze – the green is Austria. If we wanted to, we could have taken the cable car to visit Austria.
The weather can quickly change in the Alps, The sky was blue when we went up to Alpspitzbahn, and then within the hour this storm came in.
Partnachklamm Gorge – this is a beautiful hike inside the gorge that has been carved out by water.
I was fortunate to visit Germany in the fall. There were many spectacular hiking views, and this is just one of them.
Germany’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Cinderella’s Castle is modeled after it
Inside the Andechs Monastery – the Monastery is supposed to have a wonderful view of the valley. The day I was there it was cloudy and overcast.
Centro Kaffeebar is a great little place to grab breakfast in Garmesh
Zum Wildschutz restaurant – they are busy so call to make a reservation. Their dessert was fabulous!

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