Hi Kara,

There are a few suburbs around Munich that have regular light rail or train connections to the Hauptbahnhof.

Personally, I lived in Garmisch, which is about 50 miles south of Munich. Nestled right in the palm of the Alps, it’s sure to be more picturesque than other areas near Munich. Check out scenese of Garmisch at my Flickr photo set to see what I mean.

Alternatively, if you’d like to stay closer to the metro Munich area, try Tutzing or Dachau.

Tutzing is southwest of Munich and located on a lake (I can’t remember the name offhand) famous for the mysterious drowning of King Ludwig II. It’s a nice recreation area. It is served by the light rail as well as regular train connections.

Dachau is infamous for being the site of the first concentration camp setup by the Nazis. It is a humbling site to visit and highly recommended. Again, this site is also served by light rail and regular train connections. Dachau is located north-west Munich and is, at most, twenty minutes away by rail.

Note that the trains generally end service around 11:00 p.m. or midnight, so it’s advisable to have a plan to get back to your hotel before then or you may find yourself sleeping at the train station. It’s not uncommon to pass out on the train as well, so having a sober friend to tag along will help keep you in the right place at the right time.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any hostels or hotels to recommend because I lived so close to Munich. Perhaps other 43 Places members or other sites like wayn.com (Where Are You Now) could help with specific accommodations.

Take a look at this Google Map for a map of Munich and its surrounding suburbs. You may want to try looking up specific towns and finding contact information online for their visitors center.

It’s easier and quicker if you call hotels or visitor centers, so you may want to consider using Skype or any other VoIP provider to make the international calls; they’re cheaper than using a landline.