of days the choice is spending 2 days in Berlin or Salzburg. What are the speed limits and speed cameras on the road both in Alpine region and Austrian villages? thank you, Hey Lilian – we visited Bavaria in July. People flock here to get away from the rat race for a little while and tend to just laze about on the beach or in a local diner. Thank you for your quick response. Could you educate little bit on that? In case we plan another road trip itinerary for Europe anytime soon (and preferably in summer), we will include Dolomites in our trip again. Grab a friend, download your favorite playlists, pack some clothes and jump in your car. we will be in Interlaken (swiss) so the plan is to drive to Lindau, Fussen, Ettal, Unterwossen and then to Munich. This is the entrance to the world’s largest ice-caves. You can check it out here: You can skip the bits that don’t tickle your fancy. Your adventure looks equally incredible and beautiful! The ice caves were awe inspiring and we would have never thought of it, if not for this article. I must say I am an ardent follower of your travelogues and completely adore your loving posts. From South Tyrol, we had to go all the way to Bischofswiesen in Germany to visit my brother and his family. Could you suggest a small road drive to bavarian Alps for 1 day or 2 days max from Munich. We stayed at Hotel Grunwald Garni. I am trying to do a similar trip this April .We fly into Amsterdam and fly out of Munich . Make sure to leave an extra day or two to visit Munich as it’s one of Germany’s most magical major cities. They helped my wife and I so much in planning our trip. The majestic Grossglockner Alpine Road — with a spectacular 48 kilometres and 36 turns wiggling around the pyramid-shaped Grossglockner mountain. They’re comfortable and scenic B&Bs . Can you help us if we can cover all these places, reasonable hotels & even a van or mini-bus accommodating 13 Nos.? Definitely make time for the drives for they are amazing! Before you enter Austria, remember to buy the vignette for your car. Thanks for the fantastic blog !! What is the driving like on this itinerary? Try the locally-brewed beer or Ettal liqueurs made by the monks at Ettal Abbey. Hey guys, this trip looks really interesting. The Guesthouse seems to be lot cheaper than the Hotel. U guys doin great…. Before you enter Austria, you can buy the vignette at any of the fuel stations near the border. As far as infrastructure goes, Bavaria is well equipped. We, 3 families with kids are planning for a road trip from Prague to Geneva in 10 days. Qui a dit que l’Allemagne n’avait pas de beaux paysages ? Your pictures are beautiful and they sure did lure us to look into Bavarian Alps when we thought about a trip to the Alps! any important information that i might need to know?? Loved your post on the Bavarian Road Trip…in fact decided to visit the Bavarian Alps in September 2018 after reading your post …it was awesome!! Have lunch in Oberammergau and spend the afternoon marvelling at the houses and trying to decipher the tales on their walls. We will be arriving in Munich. Bravo! Drive down to Fussen, a gorgeous town surrounded by the Alps. You might want to confirm with the cave website, but I doubt that you can take a stroller inside , Hi guys ,I need some advice on the road please,1)is it one continual road and 2) are there sections that are very difficult.We have an ageing motorhome and I don,t want to put too much pressure on the engine with difficult climbs Any tips/ suggestion on tolls . So happy to hear that Bavaria is a magical area, isn’t it? A relaxing day spent exploring Ettal and its surroundings needs to be followed by a bout of adventure. The best is to stay in the Garmisch region of Bavaria and do a day trip to Austria. Which excursions are affordable and which are to expensive? The lake is nestled in the Alps and the grandiose setting provides a perfect excuse for a long-drawn meal or coffee and kuchen (cake) at a cafe overlooking the lake. Glad you liked the itinerary and pictures . need to ask you some questions reg the trip in bayern. Choosing Ettal as the base might work, but if you plan to go to Werfen (ice caves), Salzburg, or the eastern side of the Deutsch Alpenstrasse on different days, then it might be too much of a drive out and back. Fantastic blog Thank you, and keep up the traveling and sharing! Just FYI some of the German freeways have no speed restrictions, so be careful of cars flying past you , I truly enjoyed your blog ! We’ve written several articles on Berlin in case you’re interested. Thanks, Hi again Start/End: Munich, Germany – If you’re short on time then the easiest way to do this German Alpine road trip would be to fly in and out of Munich International Airport. Have fun in Germany . Hey Janice – we haven’t driven this route during winter but from what we hear, it’s quite a comfortable drive during winter as well. It’s truly beautiful. I will surely take hints from your article on “Things to do in Amsterdam” This adventure needs to be followed with a lazy evening. You must’ve hated leaving Germany – the countryside is just SO gorgeous. Aah Ettal is so gorgeous – when are you going to Germany? Thanks Savi Vid . I have been to munich and garmisch couple of years back with friends and I think those will be doable . Mariane. I’ve spend just enough time at every place I stayed at to see everything I wanted to explore. We set out to discover another three prestigious Best of the Alps destinations (Lech Zürs, St. Anton am Arlberg and Davos), and we took along eight bloggers and influencers (Helin Bereket, Nina Gigele, Jack Harding, Long-Nong Huang, Jan Kaya, Greta Omoboni, … Really helpful. Yummy . As I have a 2 year old. Have an amazing time in Europe. A vignette valid for 10 days costs EUR 8.80 and you MUST stick it on your car’s windshield (inside). Thanks!! Would you mind sharing some photos from your trip with us? I went to Munich last year, and had a chance to explore Neuschwanstein Castle, Dachau Concentration Camp and Salzburg but since I took trains (which was an incredible experience in itself) I missed out on staying in the little Bavarian villages. Read on to Drive to Discover the adventures that await you in Germany! We would like to fit this drive in between our time in Italy and France. Neuschwanstein a été la dernière étape de notre road-trip dans les Alpes Bavaroises. After you’ve repeated the whole getting-up-in-the-morning-and-standing-on-your-balcony-for-hours ritual, we suggest tearing yourself away from your quaint hotel in Ettal and walking to the neighbouring Ettal Abbey. Just make sure you park your car at one of the park-and-ride parking lots outside the city. Absolutely! I wanted to know whether German roads are too stressful to drive on because of the lack of speed limits. I have some different questions then above and you guys might not be able to help me , but still here is my question : I am planning to travel with 2.5 years old son , how feasible will be to travel to fairy and bful castles? Am confused between April and August. Yes, you can drive in Germany and Austria using your Indian license. My concern is driving in a foreign country. I look forward to continuing to read you blog and hopefully use your travel experience to plan future trips of my own! We were able to do the trek uphill and downhill without any issues. Please suggest a route (Cities and towns) for those 5 days so that we can make most of the time..that will be great help where do you suggest i spend the 5 night on that road? Day 4: Fussen and Neuschenwenstein castle Options One Week German Alpine Road Trip with Austria Detour. Flights will vary depending on your port of departure. Do you think it’d still be good weather to do this? Neuschwanstein Castle  is one of the most popular castles in Germany, so its best to get there early to avoid the crowds. Make sure you get them before or as soon as you enter Austria. Read about all our favourite road trips in one place , Do you know we shot an outfit post in a Bavarian forest  when we were in Ettal, Love Germany? Your thoughts? My husband and I are planning something for November or Dcember during the holidays. This looks too good to be true. It’s nowhere near as crowded as Neuschwanstein Castle and that makes it endlessly charming. Welcome to the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (The German Alpine Road). Savi and Vid are storytellers, photographers, and above all two happy souls who love travelling the world and writing about their adventures and misadventures on this website and social media. Hi, I was just looking over your itinerary again and really like it. Also you don’t mention fees on the roads , could you let me know what we could expect please. I love that your itinerary focused on places that are somewhat “off the beaten path”…it made for such a unique and memorable travel experience. What are you waiting for? Any thoughts and opinions are welcome. Insofar as budget is concerned, you will need to set aside €100-€125 per person per day – this includes all meals, mid-range accommodation, car rental, and entrance to attractions etc. Have fun – we wrote all the details and tips we could think about in this article . i have gone through your Bolg and found super. – Are there any farm stay options available? In fact, when we visited Berlin, we went to Burgermeister too, since it was on your must try recommendations! it served as a good inspiration and a base/starting point for us to plan our Bavarian trip. There should definitely be car rental options near the central station – we rented from the airport so unable to comment. La Route des Grandes Alpes is another legendary alpine road trip, this time through the French Alps. We have booked the ferry from the UK already. This is the first one, covering the Japanese Alps, an area in central Honshu, from Tokyo to Numazu. We are thinking of taking our kids to Germany and Austria next summer and I love this itinerary- it has everything we were talking about. Choose one or two based on your personal preferences – scenic castles, castles with great art collections etc. What would you recommend, To be honest, we preferred Berlin out of the two (it’s a tough choice though :)). Once you’re in Salzburg, walk around and absorb the atmosphere. You can check here for prices. However well-stocked supermarkets are few and far in between. Thanks, Hey Fakhree – 9 days should be enough to cover the part of Germany you have in mind. The 1st 5 days are planned in Amsterdam Bruges and Ghent We fly into Munich and are looking at doing a road trip through the Bavarian Alps. Hi.. how much time it takes to explore Deutsche Alpenstraße by road? The quality of your pictures is amazing. 3. While planning for our Germany/Austria trip I stumbled across your blog, and ended up using several of your suggestions for hotels and activities. 10 If you find a fabulous little restaurant on the side of the road - spend an hour or two. Im definitely tempted. If you, like us, enjoy sampling local food, then you’re in for a treat. Thank you so much for posting these. It was a phenomenal trip and greatly appreciate all of your advice and suggestions! I have a couple of questions: It’s easy to spend the better part of the day at this nightmarish complex. I loved your pictures for sharing with my friends who’ll be traveling with and have never been at all. Speed limits vary from region to region so you should keep a lookout when driving. Is it possible to rent the car at Munich Airport and drop it off in Salzburg? Thanks for the wonderful post! Fussen, Neuschenwenstein castle; Ettal abbey, Oberammergau, Garmisch Partenkirchen, and Partnach Gorge. Congratulations on the upcoming milestone , That’s a great itinerary. It should be – I think there’ll be snow but if you have the right car with proper snow tyres there’s no reason for not driving this route at that time. You might have to crouch at certain points but its worth it. I an my husband are planning a trip to Austria, Germany & Switzerland. Do you recommend getting cash and if so how much do you recommend to carry as cash? Your road trip has inspired us to do the trip March 2017. Day 5: Ettal abbey, Oberammergau, Garmisch Partenkirchen European Road Trip ideas for every itinerary- Cornwall is a fantastic choice. You have chosen the famous German Alpine Road in the 28th place. Thank you, I have done this route many years ago and it is just a beautiful piece of the world with great art (castles). On your way back, stop by at Chiemsee, a freshwater-lake in Southern Germany. We mite change the intinerary depending on our travel & convenience. But it’s bit crowded especially in summers. We look forward to planning our next trips based on your travel exploits too! This was a wonderful article. Here’s the link: https://www.bruisedpassports.com/wheres/spain-road-trip-itinerary, As for Germany, you could stick to the first 4-5 days of this itinerary and skip the bit that spills into Austria. Check in at your hotel/B&B in Unterwossen and prepare yourself for an otherworldly adventure the next day. Some of our favourite things to do include visiting the Viktualienmarkt, a farmers’ market that is a daily fixture in the city centre. You will drive past dozens of Bavarian villages. I suggest emailing Blaue Gams and confirming before you book . As you can tell f, HUGE GIVEAWAY Also, do you have any hotel recommendations near Ettal / Oberammergau? As for Werfen ice caves, we did not need any special equipment, but please keep in mind that we went in July. We followed a lot of your recommendations (Unterwossen, the Ice Caves, a Gorge (though we did Leichensteimklamm, instead of Partnach Gorge), Dachau) and it turned out to be one of the best road trips. Hi Savi/Vid I do want to keep the layover day in Munich after our flight from Rome. Start in Vienna then drive through idyllic villages, bustling cities and some of Europe’s highest mountain ranges. You might want to stock in Munich before heading to the countryside. We live in India and hold valid Indian licenses and were wondering if we can hire car and drive on Indian license. Hi guys – I wouldn’t usually comment on a blog but I thought I just had to in this case! We did two big sightseeing road trips, one with Lukas parents, and one with my parents. It’s one of the most scenic road trips . You can buy a 10 day sticker for €8.7 I think. Thank you! Cannot wait! Is US driving license valid in Germany or need a IDP. You can get these vignettes at all fuel stations near the border. I am so going ahead with your itinerary. Thanks for a great itinerary. Thanks for a detailed insight. Wondering what to pack for a long road trip, see this post that has a downloadable and Printable Road Trip packing list Vienna. Berchtesgaden is 10 min away, Konigsee (boat trip) and the Jennerbahn (cable car) are 15 min., The Rossfeld Panorama Road is nearby, Salzburg is 30 min., Zell am See is 1:30, the Salzkammergut (lakes region) about 1 hour or so, Salt Mines and luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn) are both nearby in Hallein, Austria. The castles are amazing and you must see them . We’d love to share them with our readers!! You definitely won’t find stores open 24/7. Ramsau is very picturesque. Today, we return our rental to Munich but checking out Herrenchiemsee castle first. We’d love to share them with our readers and tag you. Try opting for a hotel or B&B on the outskirts of Munich unless you are willing to pay extortionate parking charges in the city. I’m currently trying to figure out how to spend 8 days in Bavaria in mid-October and many of these spots are definitely going on the itinerary… My only experience with that was in Ireland where the roads were often very narrow so it was quite difficult to me. We also went to the ice caves in Werfen, Austria which was a highlight (the hike alone up to the caves was unbelievable!). It’s the perfect place to sample Bavarian treats such as Bratuwurst (sausage) and Leberkase (meat loaf). It is EXACTLY what I needed and now I have it all booked thanks to you guys. We are planning a road trip to Germany but we just have 4-5 days for it. We did this road trip from Munich in July. We’d love to share them with our readers on Facebook and tag you . For the neuschwanstein castle , how to visit it ie should be go inside and take a trip of the castle or view it from outside and use the day to check out surrounding places. Yes you do have to stay in Bavaria to explore it. So happy to hear that you found our itinerary helpful. We had a tent and all our camping stuff in the boot ready to camp out! We are planning to cover Munich, Bavaria, Alpine Road, Liechetenstein, Lucerne, Interlaken, Bern, Zermatt & Chamonix. Plz advice from your experience. We’re written a whole article on our crazy experience at The Dachau Concentration Camp and we would highly recommend a visit. This is King Ludwig’s smallest palace. As for vehicles, I believe your only option is to rent a bus or 2 different cars (i’d say go for the latter), Hi guys, we are going to Bavaria in few days. One of the best parts of touring southern German by car is that you'll be free to set your own pace. If so, there are no tolls on German roads however as mentioned once (if) you drive over to Austria, you have to buy a vignette (and stick it on the windshield – this is for tolls on Austrian roads) and this vignette is easily available as soon as you enter Austria or even in Germany close to the border with Austria from any fuel station/kiosk. You can definitely find vegetarian food everywhere but in case restaurants don’t cater to your pallette you can always pick food from supermarkets – we do that a lot especially on road trips. Can we use our phone GPS (google maps) or should we rent a LOCAL GPS? It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime moment, one you won’t forget for years to come. Fly Rome to Munich and then Munich to Paris. It’s hard to take photos inside the caves but these pictures should give you an idea of what lies inside the labyrinthine ice-caves of Werfen. Do v have to stay at Bavaria to explore this stretch? Hey Arwel – the answer to that is ALL of it We were in the car for long periods of time and most of the treks/hikes that can definitely be undertaken with a toddler in tow. Even cold winter months work well if you intend to ski , hey..can we plan this trip in nov? While, I’ve been many, many times (having lived in Germany for nearly eleven years before moving back to the States), I am very much looking forward to a road trip through Bavaria next fall (Oct 2019). I’m planning a trip from the 30th of June to the 5th along the Alpenstrasse then a couple of days in Munich. You almost expect a Rapunzel or Cinderella to peek out of one of the ornamental windows. My wife and I will be spending over a month in Europe in mid June – July 2016. I will email them to you soon , A huuuuge fan this side .. Such a helpful blog – I just wanted to say thanks! D’autant plus que le camp de Dachau est le tout premier camp de concentration et a servi de « modèle » aux autres. Hi Savi Vid, this itinerary is awesome. yes you can always rent in Munich and drop off in Salzburg – different agencies charge different one-way drop off fees so best check that. Can we access all the areas you talked about at that time of year? Rashmi go, go, go. Germany has always been one of my dream destinations! Hi, we are travelling from Australia and are looking to do something like this in very early January 2017. Have fun . Try spotting the Bavarian Maibaum (Maypole), a constant fixture in most villages. Hi, we are looking to do a road trip like the Bavarian , l just have a question, l hate my husbands driving especially on roads with no limits, Will l be safe? I prefer public transportation due to the aforementioned Ireland experience, but suspect it would be hard to do without a car. This winding route is known as the High Alpine Road, which takes you from Salzburg to Carinthia, passing through gorgeous scenery of the Hohe Tauern National Park, with views of almost 40 mountains. please give me yr mail id. Hope this helps. Would like some details on the toll charges while you are shuffling between Austrian and Germany border. EXACTLY what I was looking for when researching a summer 2016 trip to southern Bavaria! Required fields are marked *. Over the next day and a half, explore the sights and sounds of Munich. On the contrary, having Ettal as the base will help as you won’t have to pack and unpack. A place easily dismissed by anyone UK based- we grow up hearing the news stories about 8-hour tailbacks and impossible visitor levels… but visit out of high season and this really is a magical part of the world. Thanks a ton for this post, going to use this for the summer! Roughly around £125 per day (and night) for both of us including accommodation, car rental, food, and drinks. We have 6 nights in Germany. Day 3: The Dachau Concentration Camp I do keep in mind all the beautiful places you mentioned. We have 7 days to explore! One of the best parts of touring southern German by car is that you'll be free to set your own pace. An epic road trip through the Alps in Austria and Switzerland. Once you’ve parked your car, trek uphill for 20 minutes to the cable car, take the cable car to the top of the mountain, and walk for another 20 minutes. Great ideas as we are going next month on a very similar trip – we do however have a 3 year old little girl and was wandering how much of your trip would be possible with a toddler in toe?? Make sure you get a vignette (for road tolls) before getting into Austria – you can buy these at any gas station before or after crossing the border. Just wanted to let you guys know that me & my wife are doing the exact same itinerary (included Innsbruck on one of the easy days) this September mid. If you’re an urban bunny and you’re missing large cities, then hop over to Salzburg for a quick day trip. We pitched up a 3-4 minute-drive outside of the centre at Mer De Glacé, a camp site Lyds had stayed at before a few years ago when she visited the French Alps. Day 10: Day trip to Salzburg, Austria Staying in Germany or taking a day trip to Austria? We then have 9 days for Germany wherein we would like to do Berlin ,Alpine Road and Munich(not necessarily in that order) before we fly back from Munich . What if we tell you there is a section of the Alps that is equally pretty, much less crowded, not touristy, and much much cheaper? Looking for the best road trips in Ireland? and whihc month was it ? It will definitely be cold. Hope I can pick your brain on a couple of things. I was so excited when I chanced upon this post as I am planning a year end holiday to Europe this year! Much Love, You should base yourself in Ettal and then spend the 4 days exploring the places around as day trips – Fussen, Garmisch, Oberamagau, even Munich , My husband and I would do a road trip in Germany from Frankfurt to Fussen through the cities of Romantic road. WE totally love your page and vicariously travel all year round through your photos! Although we planned it differently here and there – this gave a very good overview of the what’s and how’s. Thanks so much for your reports! However, we only have 6 days set aside for the road trip and as such cannot make up our mind on whether to do a leisurely trip covering Ettal and Unterwossen or to try and fit in the national park/carinthian lake region also and eventually drop off our rental car in Vienna(the exorbitant “different drop off location” charges notwithstanding).