6 Days in Bavaria: Castles, Alps & Beer Halls
Munich beer halls, the fairy-tale castle behind Disney's, Germany's highest peak and an alpine lake, on a six-day Bavaria road trip from a Munich base.
Munich beer halls, the fairy-tale castle behind Disney's, Germany's highest peak and an alpine lake, on a six-day Bavaria road trip from a Munich base.
Skip the rental car for now, the S1 or S8 train runs straight from the terminal to the city center in about 45 minutes, and Munich's old town is easiest on foot.
🚆 ~45 min S-Bahn to the center 💵 ~€13 one-way ticket 🕐 Trains run every 20 minThe Neues Rathaus's carillon acts out a 16th-century tournament and dance at 11 AM and noon (plus 5 PM in summer), with 32 figures and 43 bells.
🚶 Central square, easy to reach on foot 💵 Free to watch 🕐 Shows at 11 AM & noonMunich's most famous beer hall since 1589, all long communal tables, liter steins, oompah music, and pretzels the size of dinner plates.
🚶 5 min walk from Marienplatz 💵 ~€30 dinner & a Maß of beer 🕐 Arrive by 7 PM for a tableThe Wittelsbach family's summer palace, with a canal-lined park and the famous Gallery of Beauties, reachable by tram straight from the center.
🚋 ~20 min on Tram 17 💵 ~€10 palace entry 🕐 Opens 9 AM, quiet before the tour groupsThe four-cylinder tower and futuristic BMW Welt showroom sit right next to the 1972 Olympic Park, a must for anyone into design or engineering.
🚇 U3 to Olympiazentrum 💵 ~€12 museum entry 🕐 Allow 2-3 hrs for bothThis market square's communal beer garden rotates through Munich's six big breweries, and by custom, you're welcome to bring your own picnic as long as you buy your drinks there.
🚶 Central, near Marienplatz 💵 ~€25 dinner 🕐 Best in the early evening sunKing Ludwig II's unfinished 19th-century fantasy castle, the direct inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Entry is timed and pre-booked slots sell out weeks ahead in summer.
🚗 ~1 hr 40 min drive to Hohenschwangau 💵 ~€21 castle ticket 🕐 Book the earliest slot you can getKing Ludwig II's boyhood home sits on the opposite hill, a warmer, more lived-in yellow castle where he could watch Neuschwanstein being built from his window.
🚶 10 min walk from Neuschwanstein's base 💵 ~€21 castle ticket 🕐 Combo ticket saves time & moneyGermany's southernmost town has a compact, pastel-colored old town with a riverside monastery, a relaxed base for the night before the mountains.
🚗 ~10 min drive from Hohenschwangau 💵 ~€30 dinner 🕐 Sunset over the Lech riverThe Eibsee cable car climbs nearly 2,000 meters in ten minutes to Germany's highest summit at 2,962m, with views into Austria on a clear day.
🚗 ~1 hr drive from Füssen 💵 ~€68 round-trip cable car 🕐 Go early, clouds build by middayA carved rock-wall gorge with waterfalls and tunnels, an easy 1-hour walk from central Garmisch that feels far wilder than the short approach suggests.
🚶 ~20 min walk from town 💵 ~€6 gorge entry 🕐 Mid-afternoon, cool inside the canyonGarmisch's old-town street is lined with painted Lüftlmalerei house facades, a scenic backdrop for a schnitzel dinner after a day in the mountains.
🚶 Walkable old town 💵 ~€28 dinner 🕐 Golden hour on the painted facadesOnly quiet electric boats are allowed on this glacial lake to preserve its famous echo. The ride out to the red-domed St. Bartholomä chapel is the highlight of the whole trip for most visitors.
🚗 ~2 hr drive from Garmisch 💵 ~€24 round-trip boat 🕐 Book the early boat, it fills upA special bus climbs a one-lane mountain road to this former Nazi-era retreat at 1,834m, now a restaurant with the best panoramic view in the Berchtesgadener Land.
🚌 Shuttle bus only, no private cars 💵 ~€27 bus & elevator 🕐 Only open May – OctoberGermany's second-highest mountain looms right over the town, a dramatic backdrop for a last alpine dinner of the trip.
🚶 Walkable in central Berchtesgaden 💵 ~€30 dinner 🕐 Alpenglow on the peak at sunsetBavaria's largest lake sits conveniently on the drive back to Munich. Passenger ferries from Prien cross to Herreninsel in about 15 minutes.
🚗 ~1 hr 15 min drive from Berchtesgaden 💵 ~€10 round-trip ferry 🕐 Ferries run roughly hourlyKing Ludwig II's unfinished answer to Versailles sits on its own island, complete with a Hall of Mirrors. Return the ferry, then drive the last stretch back to Munich.
🚗 ~1 hr 15 min to Munich after the ferry 💵 ~€10 palace entry 🕐 Early afternoon, before the driveMunich Airport has rental return counters right at the terminal, so plan the final drive to land two to three hours before your flight.
🚗 Rental return at the terminal 💵 Rental already paid 🕐 Arrive 2-3 hrs before your flightOnline tickets cost the same as day-of tickets but guarantee a slot, walk-up tickets in summer often sell out before 10 AM.
A regional day pass covers unlimited regional trains and city transit for up to five people, handy for Day 1 and 2 before you pick up the rental car.
At traditional beer gardens with communal tables, it's a protected Bavarian custom to bring your own food as long as you buy your drinks there.
The quiet lake behind Hohenschwangau has a walking path with a classic reflection view of Neuschwanstein and a fraction of the castle courtyard's foot traffic.
The turquoise lake at the base of the Zugspitzbahn is a scenic stop in its own right if the summit queue looks long.
A short detour from Berchtesgaden, the little Ramsau church against the Reiteralpe peaks is one of Bavaria's most photographed, quieter scenes and almost never crowded.
Where to next
