4 days in Munich
Munich is best known for Oktoberfest but the thought of going there when 7 million drunk people are shoulder to shoulder in the beer tents freaks me out. I prefer Europe in the Spring anyway so I was extremely excited to learn that Munich also hosts a Springfest - and it was going on when we were there! Munich is so much more than it’s beer festivals though so if you go for one, be sure to see the other sights the city has to offer. We spent 5 nights in Munich which allowed two days of exploration around the city and two day trips. We stayed in an Airbnb very close to the main train station. It was clean and comfortable (my two basic requirements) but the area wasn’t ideal which was due to it’s extremely close proximity to the train station. While we didn’t have any issues at all (and dozens of reviews state the same), I’m just not sure I want to recommend it as we definitely saw nicer areas we could have stayed in. Getting around Munich is easy - you can walk or take the train, tram or bus. They offer city passes like most European cities do allowing you to select the number of travel days you need and unlimited travel within those days for a certain area.
Things to do in Munich
I didn’t even know that Springfest existed before this trip. And honestly, I’m not even sure how I found it because you can’t find a lot of information online about it (this is their website which is vague to say the least). So I was very pleased to see a blog post by Christina over at HappyToWander.com this year that covers all the ins and outs of attending Springfest so definitely check out her post (I also suggest using her other posts as I did to get info on Munich because she lives there!). Springfest is held at Theresienwiese, just like Oktoberfest is. It’s just on a smaller scale. I read that visitors and locals alike wore dirndls and lederhosen to the festivals. We had already seen plenty of people in them around town so I was all about getting one to wear. I used this blog post from SurvivingEurope.com to help me navigate buying one in Munich. It ended up costing me around 80 euros. A lederhosen will run you about twice as much due to the leather. The woman in the store helped me put it on, which I suggest because as she was helping me I realized I had no clue what I was doing, just don’t be alarmed if she pushes your boobs around. There are multiple options to purchase dirndls and lederhosen around Marienplatz with various price points. Once dressed we took the tram over to the stop closest to the fairgrounds and walked right in. There are beer tents, food vendors and games and rides. We went mid afternoon on a Thursday and didn’t have to worry about any reserved tables or crowds (see photo evidence below!). By the evening it was much more crowded but, we had made friends at the Hofbrau garden and they invited us to join them at their reserved table in the Augustiner Keller tent and we had a fantastic time. We drank a ton of beer and ate very little food so the train ride to the airport the next day was a miserable one. So follow Christina’s advice in the above linked post about pacing yourself. Whether you want to go in the spring or, attend the original Oktoberfest, I highly recommend you listen to episodes 102 and 103 of the Jump podcast with Traveling Jackie.
Prost! Enjoying our first biers of Springfest.
Marienplatz, mentioned above, is a plaza in Munich. It’s the heart of Munich with plenty of shops, restaurants and things to see. Probably the most popular thing is the Glockenspiel. Think of it as a giant cuckoo clock that has two to three shows each day. At Christmas time it hosts the Christmas Market. Very close to Marienplatz is the famous Hofbrauhaus and the Viktualienmarkt. The Hofbrauhaus is one of the few locations open on a Sunday so expect it to be packed. We went on a Tuesday evening and sat right down in the courtyard. Viktualienmarkt is an outdoor market area with vendors and some small restaurants. The center of the area holds Munich’s Maypole and we happened to be there on May 1st. It’s a holiday in Germany so some of the vendors were closed but we were able to sit by the maypole with some currywurst and bier. A restaurant that we enjoyed in Marienplatz was Ratskeller. The entrance is in the plaza but the restaurant itself is underground. We ate there our first evening (as it was open on a Sunday) and did so without any reservations.
Marienplatz, Munich, Germany
Some of the sights in Munich do require some public transportation to access if you’re staying close to the city center. The English Garden is considered Munich’s Central Park and well worth a visit in good weather. The garden has plenty of walking/biking paths, fields for relaxing or playing and, by the Chinese Tower, Munich’s second largest outdoor beer garden. There are plenty of tables to sit at where you can enjoy a Hofbrau beer and some food. The 1972 Olympics were held in Munich and their Olympic Park has plenty of outdoor space to enjoy as well as the Olympic Tower - you can take a ride up to the top for some expansive views of Munich. The park often hold events there but there is still plenty to do even when nothing else is going on. If you’re a soccer fan you can visit Alllianz Arena, home to the FC Bayern Munchen football team. On non match days, you can pay for a tour but you can also just walk around the outside and visit the gift shop. A great restaurant and bier garden a bit out from the center is Augustiner Keller. We saw it on an Travel Channel show and it did not disappoint. The food and bier were both great and the beer garden area we sat in was expansive and beautiful. We went earlier in the evening and were able to do so without a reservation but you needed one the later in the evening it go. Augustiner Keller ended up being the host of the tent we spent the most time in at Springfest.
The Olympic Tower inside Olympic Park, Munich, Germany
Two Day Trips from Munich
There are so many places to visit on day trips from Munich but we settled on two so we could also see plenty of Munich itself. Salzburg was our first trip so we could add another country to our list and Füssen was second so we could visit Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle is reportedly Walt Disney’s inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland (and also shown during the Soarin film at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World) - and we all know my Disney addiction is strong so it was a must see for me.
Salzburg
Salzburg is in Austria and is famous for some scenes of the Sound of Music being filmed there. SurvivingEurope.com has some great Salzburg tips as the couple who runs the website lived there for two years. The train ride from Munich to Salzburg took just under 2 hours and you get a little bit closer to the mountains. We walked towards the Old Town area and the Hohensalzburg Fortress from the train station. The fortress sits up on a large hill and really can’t be missed. On our walk there we passed Mirabell Gardens which was used as a Sound of Music Filming location (look for the pegasus statue). The gardens are free to explore and were beautiful during our springtime visit. Getting to the fortress from the gardens requires you to walk across the Salzach river and through the Old Town which will allow you to also see Mozartplatz and Residenzplatz. You’ll observe some beautiful architecture, fountains and a monument dedicated to Mozart who was born in Salzburg. Once you reach the entrance to the fortress you can take a steep 20 minute walk or ride the funicular. The entrance tickets include the funicular and have varying amounts that dictate what areas you can access. We chose the basic ticket and were happy with that. We still got to see a fair amount of the inside but what is really spectacular are the views of Salzburg from the fortress. On one side you have the old town and river and the other, the Alps. The fortress has two restaurants, one on each side. During our visit the one overlooking the old town wasn’t open so we went to the one on the back. The seating was all outdoors but it was a gorgeous day so we enjoyed some Austrian schnitzel and Stiegl beer alongside the magnificent Alps.
Views from the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg, Austria
Füssen
Getting to Füssen from Munich took about two hours. Our ride there was direct but coming home we did make a train change so that was closer to a 2.5 hour trip. There are tour groups that can book all of this for you but we like doing things on our own schedule. Once at the train station in Füssen you’ll need to take a bus to get to Neuschwanstein. This isn’t as intimidating as it sounds, Füssen is small so essentially everyone getting off the train and onto the bus is going there so just follow the crowds. You’ll by a bus ticket and take the short 10 minute ride while getting to see some of Füssen. We actually waited a bit for the crowds to die down by getting a pastry and espresso in a nearby cafe. When the bus drops you off, you are at the Ticket Center, not the castles. Everyone talks about Neuschwanstein but there are actually two castles there. The most famous is Neuschwanstein but Hohenschwangau is also there and was where King Ludwig lived while Neuschwanstein was being built. The biggest piece of advice is to buy your ticket in advance as soon as you know what day you are going to go. We changed our minds on the date and by the time we made a decision, they were sold out for the day we needed. You can still go and see the outside of the castle and explore the grounds, you just can’t go in. Some things I read said the inside was not that exciting as it also was never finished. We went anyway even though we couldn’t go inside. I enjoyed seeing just seeing the castle and the experience so I was fine with that. From the ticket center you could take a shuttle, a horse drawn carriage or just walk. We chose the free option and it really wasn't that bad of a walk, just a steady incline. Around the castle are, of course, some souvenir shops and places to eat. They were doing some construction on the castle while we were visiting so some areas were closed. Nicola at the Polkadot Passport has some good tips on visiting Neuschwanstein which includes good photo locations.
Another fun thing to do in Füssen is take the Tegelbergbahn. It’s a cable car up Tegelberg Mountain that also has activities like a toboggan run and paragliding. We took a bus from the stop at Neuschwanstein right to Tegelberg (just know that bus is going the opposite way of the one others will be taking back to the train station). The ride up the Tegelbergbahn is quite scenic and offers views of both castles. At the top of course is a restaurant. I’m sure the views are equally impressive as the ride up but the day we were there, we enjoyed our strudel and hot chocolate surrounded by clouds. We were able to take the bus from Tegelberg right back to the train station to head back to Munich.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Füssen, Germany