My wife and I will be taking a river cruise on the Danube to visit the Christmas markets. We have set up the trip so that we have 5 days in Munich before the cruise and 2 days after. I have been to Munich several time and am trying to figure out day trips that my wife would like. Any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Salzburg remains my number one day trip destination when staying in Munich. Especially at Christmas time, it has one of the most beautiful Kris Kindl Märkte in the German-speaking countries. Take your wife on a horse drawn carriage ride through the old city, walk along the river bank, enjoy some Salzburger Nockerl at the St. Peterskeller - a restaurant which has been serving food since Charlemagne's time.

Totally agree with Diana. I think Salzburg is a great city to visit too. Not sure about your mode of transportation but I traveled in the opposite direction as Munich was my flying out city and it was only about an hour and a half from Salzburg by train. One day I wouldn’t mind visiting Salzburg in December. It’s just one of those places for me!

Have a nice trip!

We will be flying in and out of Munich. While in Munich we will be using the train or taxis to get around (I think).

Thanks a lot. We will definitely make Salzburg one of our day trips. The carriage ride and St. Peterskeller sounds like a great idea.

Now we just need a few more places to visit.

It depends upon the weather entirely, because the other destinations would be alpen/lake destinations with lovely towns and /or castles to visit...

Berchesgarten
Chiemsee
Neuschwanstein
Tegernsee - Rottach Egern

These are destinations that are reachable by regional train from Munich Hauptbahnhof.

People tend to focus on Neuschwanstein, perhaps because it's been in so many pictures, and overlook Hohenschwanstein. While the former may be more picturesque from a distance, I found the latter more accessible and interesting (at least the interior). It was Ludwig's older castle.

Ann

We've been to Munich several times and spent Christmas there one year.
In addition to places mentioned above, here are a few favorite activities:
-We spent some time on the "Romantic Road', choosing Dinkelsbuhl for an overnight stay a few days before Christmas. It was lovely to be there in the evening.
-Go to the Andechs brewery/monastery, near Munich in the countryside and I believe accessible on the U-Bahn. It is a wonderful experience any time of the year, and it will be full of locals enjoying traditional Bavarian food and drink. Wonderful pork shank, wonderful beer brewed there. The facility is huge and welcoming.
-There's always Garmisch-Partenkirschen, a great scenic spot - and the closest real Alpine destination. Accessible by train.
-There is the Silent Night Chapel. I don't know too much about this, but my in-laws drove there on Christmas Eve. I know it is in the mountains, and that the popular Silent Night carol was written there. Around the holidays, there are organized excursions that go there.
-Our favorite beer hall is the Augustiner. As you've spent time in Munich, you probably have your own favorite.
-Our favorite Munich hotel, reviewed on SlowTrav, is the Acanthus.
-You'd be surprised how close you are to Innsbruck and the Italian Alps, if you want to daytrip further. You can get to Innsbruck pretty readily on the train. And there is a little cog railway that goes up into the mountains to Igls from there, if you really want to get away from town.
Have fun! And I hope you get some snow to complete the season.
Linda

Garmisch or the beautiful village next-door to it, Mittenwald .

Ofcourse, I am totally biased because I was fortunate enough to have lived in Garmisch!!
Wonderful part of Germany with many day-trips within reach.

All the best,

Leslie

We've spent twp Christmases in Salzburg, and on each of those trips also spent time in Munich and the Bavarian Alps. Munich has a large Christmas market too.

If you haven't been to Salzburg, there is so much to see and do. You could do a day trip from Munich by train, but if you have the flexibility I'd suggest also consider spending the night and enjoying two days there.

In the Bavarian Alps, Neuschwanstein is beautiful, especially in the snow. And I agree with Ann about Hohenschwangau-- the older castle where Ludwig lived as a boy. It is more intimate and extremely interesting-- also usually less visited. Not far from Schwangau is the Wieskirche, a beautifully-decorated church in a remote location-- well worth a visit if you happen to have a car.

And at Christmas-time we especially love the village of Oberammergau, with it's beautiful painted houses and woodcarver shops.

I have some photos from our last Christmas trip to Salzburg and the Bavarian Alps: Christmas in a Postcard This will put some visuals with some of the suggestions everyone has made.

Kathy

This sounds like it will be a great trip. From this forum we are now up to four day trips. We will definitely go to Garmish, the castles, and Andechs. We will visit several beer halls (I like the Augustiner also). I am going to check to see if Berchesgarten is open and where the Silent Night Chapel is located.
Again, thanks a lot.

...and Fred, please don't forget just to enjoy beautiful Munich with its outdoor markets and wonderful Christmas atmosphere. Be sure to stop by Dahlmeyer for some really great coffee and also the cafe at the Literaturhaus!

I definitely will. By the way, I looked up your B&B. We spend a lot of time in Italy and are interested in spending some time in the Piemonte.