Bavaria + Austria Road Trip (10 Days)

If you have the time, a road trip in Bavaria would be my suggestion. Having experienced a part of it during my time there, I felt that it could have been better if we had more time. Not to mention having loads of money to do such a road trip, unless you are planning to sleep in the car.

This list is by no means definitive, you are still the master of your journey.

• Day 1 : Arrive in Munich, rent a car and drive to Würzburg, the start of the Romantic Road.
• Day 2 : Enjoy Würzburg.
• Day 3 : Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
• Day 4 : Augsburg, Landsberg am Lech, Steingaden (Wieskirche) and Füssen.
• Day 5 : Schloss Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof. Oberammergau.
• Day 6 : Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck.
• Day 7 : Innsbruck.
• Day 8 : Drive from Innsbruck to Salzburg.
• Day 9 : Salzburg and maybe visit the various tributes to the Sound of Music.
• Day 10 : Drive back to Munich with a stop at Herrenchiemsee.

As you can see, there’s quite a lot of journey to be taken which also includes accommodation. Maybe this is the dream trip of a lifetime or maybe someone could come up with a cheaper, ‘lite’ version of the trip.

Munich Day 2 (Part 3)

“We are off on a road trip! Woohoo!”

“Pack your bags and let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Imagining conversations aside, the whole family got into the car for a road trip back to Munich from Neuschwanstein, with a few stops along the way. You might be wondering — where in the world did that car came from? To cut a long story short, my family did their shortened version of the Romantic Road from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Neuschwanstein the day before.

Read below for 5 tips before your road trips

Breaking out our lunch of sandwiches in the car, we came prepared. But before that, I think I need to put a few things straight in preparation for this road trip.

1) Preparation

Going through the maps before hand is a good idea before the trip, especially when noting landmarks and highlights along the way. Plan it beforehand on Google Maps to make sure you cover what you wanted to see along the way.

2) Licence & Registration

Make sure your driving licence is up to date and to get yourself a reliable rental car. Where I come from, we need to obtain an International Driving Visa before being allowed to drive on foreign soil.

3) Maps/GPS

If you are still following the old fashioned way, then by all means, get yourself a road map. Especially the detailed ones. If not, any GPS will do, either a standalone or the one in your phone.

4) Essentials

No road trip is complete without food/drinks and if it is your preference, some good music to listen to while driving.

5) Company

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a couple of friends, or in my case, my family and go!

Munich Day 2 (Part 2)

We were waiting for my family (Mum, Dad, QS and GC) at Marienbrücke. What made it more interesting was that they had spent the night here at one of the hotels in Hohenschwangau. So by theory, they were supposed to be waiting for us instead of vice-versa.

Please bear in mind that the tickets are time-based

As the crowd was picking up, we finally saw a glimpse of them. A bit of frantic waving and the whole family was gathered on the Marienbrücke. We have half an hour before our first stop – Schloss Neuschwanstein. Please bear in mind that the tickets for the castles are time-based and they are also language-based. Do check their website for details. You need to time them perfectly, taking into account the photo-taking, the journey and the queue.

Bigger picture of Neuschwanstein (click to enlarge)

The distance between Marienbrücke and Schloss Neuschwanstein is a 15-minute brisk walk, most of it downhill. Halfway through the route, there is a lookout area in which you can get a nice panoramic view of Hohenschwangau below and Füssen some distance away.

Munich Day 2 (Part 1)

Although this post was titled as Day 2 in Munich, we didn’t spend that much time here at all. Today we are about to embark on a round trip and also meeting up with the rest of my family who are also doing their own version of the Europe trip.

We had to wake up early this time around to catch the regional train to Füssen. It is a small town at the edge of the Germany-Austria border. Travelling by train takes about 2 hours to reach, same goes if you are travelling by car, so why do all the work?

Get the Bayern Ticket. €29 per ticket, valid for 5 adults

Tip: There is this ticket combo thingy known as the Bayern Ticket. Only applicable to Bavarian local transport. So no ICE or any transport outside Bavaria. One ticket is good enough for 5 adults and it is only €29 per ticket. I think it lasts for 24 hours. But a few trips to and fro for 5 would most likely cover the price of the ticket nicely.

At the unholy hour of 530am in the morning, there is not much of activity at the Munich Hauptbahnhof, so make sure you know where you are heading to. Get on the train, free seating, any side of the train would do. Both will give you good views.

View of the Alps from the countryside (click to enlarge)

The train left right on time and soon we were rolling through the countryside. I feel that most Germans are environmentally friendly, because we saw quite a number of farmhouses or even houses in the countryside that have solar panels installed on their roofs! Compared to my country where we basically have sunshine all year round, there is no such initiative. It is even prohibitive to have them, at most, only to heat up the shower.