Day Trips From Munich

Having one city as your home base and exploring out from there each day makes so much sense in my mind. By exploring the areas around where you already are, you get the opportunity to see things you might not have otherwise. Traveling to Europe doesn’t mean just visiting the big cities. You don’t get a real feel for the area you are in by only staying in the big cities. Getting out and exploring is a must in my opinion.

Here are my top 5 recommendations for day trips from Munich, Germany.

Salzburg, Austria- Only about an hour from Munich from train, Salzburg is home to rolling hills, delicious food and scenery unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg in the 1960s and many of those sites from the movie are still very evident today. Salzburg is best experienced on foot, walking through the romantic roads and small connecting alleyways. Salzburg’s high fortress provides amazing views of the whole city and is not to be missed.

Neuschwanstein Castle- About 2 hours from Munich lies the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. This is a very popular tourist attraction but is not to be missed. Make sure to get your tickets in advance, and we recommend doing a tour that includes a bike ride, swim and traditional lunch.

Nuremburg- About 90 minutes from Munich by train, Nuremburg is for all of the history buffs out there. The bombings in WWII destroyed most of this city but it has since been rebuilt and is just a beautiful as it was prior to the war. Best experienced by foot, make sure to visit the 1000 year old castle which is located at the highest point in the city. Nuremburg also plays host to one of the most notable Christmas Markets if you are visiting in the holiday season.

Dachau- Only about a half an hour from Munich, Dachau is a sobering day trip. Home to one of the concentration camps from WWII, Dachau housed over 200,000 prisoners, many of which were subjected to inhuman conditions and medical experiments. Many of the prisoners died while here. While a very hard day trip to take, it is a very meaningful one.

Chiemsee  - About an hour by car or train from Munich. We recommend driving if possible because you get to take the Autobahn to get there! Upon arrival to the largest lake in the Bavaria region of Germany, hop on a boat (which departs every 30 minutes) and enjoy your 15 minute ride to the first of two islands on the lake. The Herrenchiemsee island includes a palace, built by King Ludwig and modeled after the famous Versailles. Tragically, King Ludwig passed away prior to finishing the construction of his palace and it was never finished. It still stands today as only half completed. The Frauenchiemsee island hosts a monastery and traditional churches, along with shopping and food.

Does my bike spoke analogy make more sense now? Can you picture Munich as the center of your wheel and then all of these surrounding trips as the spokes out?

Had we not taken these day trips when we were in Munich, we may not have gotten to experience the lesser known areas around the big city. Chiemsee was on of my favorite days spent in Munich.