ScShifflette
Glen Allen
Make sure you get a place near the Stadtmitte or the Isar River. There are so many. Hostels are a great experience. Like a cheap Bed and Breakfast, but the host families are wonderful and so is the food. (usually included in the price). A lot of times these are people who own one of the old huge houses and rent out rooms just to pay the bills to heat the darn thing.
It is always worth seeing Neuschwanstein and its neighbor Schwanngau. The whole region is great- Garmisch and Oberammergau are opportunities for photographers. If you like hiking and gorges, the Partnach Glam is also right there. It’s been carved from glacier water. Still being carved today. So, yeah! I’d take the trip.
In Munich stay in the middle of the city in the shopping district. Great food, street vendors, entertainment and of course, food. The subways are also little oases of interest that we used to visit OFTEN as high school kids. All around the Isar are parks. April will be full of flowers.
jmose
Huntington
a little extra info, we will be traveling with another couple, who has a young daughter (18 months) so a hotel would probably be the best.. thanks for the info though, keep it coming!
QueenoftheHighway
Los Angeles
I can’t give you any hotel advice (I stayed in hostels), but it’s worth it to go out to Dachau. It’s not at all far from the city.
raschema
München
Our visitors usually stay at the Novotel München City. It’s right at the S-bahn (Rosenheimer stop), which runs through the middle of the city. Another one that is more family owned is the Münchener Kindl, which is located between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz (right off the shopping street).
A few extra tips for you. The subway prices are 11 euros each person over 6 yrs old for the weekly ticket if you only need the inner 2 rings – or you can buy a partner daily ticket for 9 euros for up to five people. Children under 6 are free. Both passes are good for buses, Ubahns, Sbahns, and strassenbahns (street cars). I’m not sure if you are coming from Florence by train or flight… The ticket you would use from the airport is 18 euros (since it’s in the outer rings, but it is good all day.
If you want to go to Neuschwanstein you should get a schönes Bayern ticket that costs 27 euros if bought from a machine or 29 if bought at the ticket counter. (This ticket can also be used as a daily ticket for up to 5 people as mentioned above). You can take any train that is not an ICE and it takes 2 hours. This ticket is good for up to five people as well. If you choose to go with a tour company it will cost 35 euros per person + the castle entry fee. The advantage of that is having a guide and they prebook tickets, but I think you wouldn’t have that long of a wait that early in the city.
Let us know if there is anything else we can help with!
cowcul8r
Wisconsin
I don’t know about hotels, but I would definatly recommend Neuschwanstein. I was in Germany for about 3 weeks, and I’d have to say that is the single most memerable part of my experience. If you get the oppertunity, I’d hike up to the castle, too. I don’t know if this is an option with a small child, but keep it in mind.
maudlinsoui
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
When I was in Munich I stayed at Tryp Munchen hotel for a very reasonable fee (I believe it was around $50 a night. It was clean, updated, and comfortable. They also offered a nice breakfast.) It was just a couple blocks from the train station and about a 10 minute walk to the city center.
I would definately recommend Neuschwanstein. Personally I took a Greyline tour, which included a stop off at Oberammergau, as well as Linderhof Castle. Oberammergau was chock full of hand crafts and gifts at very resonable prices. My cuckoo clock was over 100 euros cheaper here than within the city. At Neuschwanstein, for around 5 euros you can take a horse drawn carriage to the top if you don’t want to hike it with the child. Also as previously stated, Dachau is nearby and worth the visit. Enjoy!
bayerntrips
Ironwood
There are lots of choices of hotels. I like the Hotel Splendid Dollman, which is near the subway stop of Lehel – a short walk from downtown. If you are looking to save money, consider the Hotel am Viktualienmarkt or the Hotel am Markt. The Hotel am Markt is quite inexpensive for central Munich and is located in the middle of the open air market. The location can be a bit noisy and there are no frills here, but it’s 4 feet from Bratwurstherzl – a beloved Munich restaurant, and only about 3 blocks from the Hofbrauhaus. Hotel am Viktualienmarkt is also in the middle of the action, but a tad nicer.
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are very worthwhile, but so are other options in Munich – all depends on your priorities!
jmose
Huntington
Im going to check out the Markt’s website, my priorites are like yours food and beer HA! but my wife wants to see some castles. Thanks!
jmose
Huntington
one more question…
on http://www.hotel-am-markt.eu/
since they have no english website, can you tell me the difference between the economy and standard room?
thanks a million
bayerntrips
Ironwood
Their economy rooms offer a single (Einzelzimmer) or Double (DoppelZimmer) without a WC and Shower. But, the rooms have a washbasin. The rooms are small – really small. No TV’s either, but then again, who would want to waste their time watching TV in Munich?
The Standard room has its own Bathroom, shower, WC, hairdryer, telephone, desk, and TV. It’s bigger too – they 14 m2 versus 9 m2 – square meters.
If you are a light sleeper, be careful about staying here – lots of pedestrian noise and sometimes delivery and garbage trucks in the morning. And, church bells – lots and lots of church bells! Still, the location is awesome!
jmose
Huntington
fantastic, I figured as much with my poor German… but thanks for the sizes, thats a big help. I am not worried about the noise, I lived in brooklyn and could sleep through the fin du monde.
Thats for the picture too, Im getting so excited… Ive been wanting to visit das Vaterland for years!
bayerntrips
Ironwood
I’m sure you’ll have a great time. BTW, the picture is of the alley between Hotel am Markt on the right hand side, and the Bratwursthertzl on the left. Bratwurstherzel is a great place for…, you guessed it…, bratwurst! They have a big grill out on the open in the second room – try to sit there. Another tip is to order a “Helles vom Holzfass” – that will get you a lager beer from the Wooden Barrel. Real beer people swear they can tell the difference! Also, if you are there on a Sunday walk straight down that alley and across the street called, “Tal” you’ll see the Weisses Brauhaus just on the left. Sunday mornings around 9 – 10, the place is hopping for Fruehschoppen – go in an order Weissbier and Weisswurst. With the Weisswurst, peel the skin off and soak it in sweet mustard and have a pretzel with it. There’ll be music playing and people having a great time! Don’t miss it! Viel Spass!
jmose
Huntington
booked the hotel, we got the standard room for 3 nights for 327E the economy room was 100E cheaper but my wife having her own shower is priceless.
Our train out on Sunday is at 930 or so so i think we’re going to miss the brunch, but im sure we’ll have plenty of other time to eat/drink
I cant wait
jmose
Huntington
We had an amazing time, thanks for all your help The hotel for where it was (2 min from Marienplatz) was very affordable and nice 109E/night. The room was very clean, and the tiny bathroom was all we needed. If I ever went back with just the guys, the economy room would be fine, as I never saw anyone in the shared shower.
We spent most nights at the bratwursthertzl where we met some great characters, drank plenty of beer, learned about the “schnitt” The Hofbrauhaus was crazy but we met some real nice people. The market was also a lot of fun. It was funny how early all the bars closed, one night we went out to the internet cafe to print out some tickets we needed and we passed a bar along the way that was PACKED kareoke and all, when we returned back at 11:30pm it was closed.
All in all we had a great time, we went to another bar on a small alley off of Tal and actually got beers in steins. It was a blast.
I recommend this trip to anyone
bayerntrips
Ironwood
Munich is so much fun and the people are great! I’m glad you had a good time and found the Hotel am Markt to your liking. For anyone else reading these posts – a “Schnitt” is a glass of beer that is a little beer and a lot of foam – it’s cheaper that a normal beer and is typically ordered when you are just about ready to call it a night, but not quite. It is sometimes jokingly referred to also as “Rentner Bier” because a lot of retirees order it in order to save money.
You’re right about the early closing times – the Hofbrauhaus closes before midnight and so do most places. However, there are many places that are open, you just need to ask someone where the action is. Since it is normal to start drinking early and imbibe throughout the day, you don’t really need to stay out until 3:00 AM!
