Offbeat Munich and Bavaria: 5 Days
Five days is where Munich stops being the destination and turns into the base camp proper, with room to leave Germany entirely for an afternoon and not feel rushed about it. Same spine as the shorter versions, extended by one border crossing; see the 4 day cut or the 7 day version for the full run.
| Day | Focus | Distance/time from Munich |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base camp settle-in near the Hauptbahnhof, a fast taste of the Altstadt | in Munich |
| 2 | Neuschwanstein Castle, Füssen and Schwangau | about 3 hrs door-to-door |
| 3 | Dachau Memorial | about 50-60 min door-to-door |
| 4 | Zugspitze via Garmisch-Partenkirchen | about 1h15-1.5 hrs by train |
| 5 | Salzburg, Austria (or Nuremberg, faster and no border) | about 1.5-2 hrs by train |
Book these before you go
- Compare Munich hotel rates near the Hauptbahnhof , the base for four separate train mornings
- Reserve Neuschwanstein’s timed entry up to 8 weeks out, or book a guided day tour instead
- Check Zugspitze cable car tickets before committing a day to the summit
- Compare guided Salzburg day tours from Munich if the train timetable math is not worth doing yourself
Day 1: Land, base camp, and one taste of the Altstadt
Ride the S1 or S8 in from the airport, 40 to 45 minutes, €13.60 single, or €16.10 for an Airport-City-Day-Ticket. Base yourself near the Hauptbahnhof, not Marienplatz: four of the next five mornings start with a train from there. Walk the Old Town loop once, Marienplatz for the Glockenspiel and Viktualienmarkt for lunch, and leave the rest for the full Munich guide on a return visit. Dinner at Augustiner-Keller beats the Hofbräuhaus on both beer and atmosphere.
Day 2: Neuschwanstein, the whole day
Give this the entire day. Neuschwanstein sits near Füssen and Schwangau, about 3 hours door-to-door, and entry is a fixed-time, roughly 35-minute guided tour only, no walk-up option. Adult admission is €21 (€20 reduced) plus a €2.50 online booking fee; the Kings-Ticket combo with Hohenschwangau Castle runs €43.50 (€38.50 reduced). Book through the official Hohenschwangau ticket center up to 8 weeks ahead, tickets collected in person at the center in the village, and lock a summer slot before flying since 10am to 2pm sells out first. Expect some scaffolding inside from the ongoing restoration.
Day 3: Dachau Memorial, and a slower afternoon
Take the S2 to Dachau (20 to 25 minutes) then bus 726, or walk roughly 30 minutes. The memorial is free, open daily 9am to 5pm (last entry 4:30pm), closed only December 24. This is a solemn site, not a sightseeing stop; check the official memorial site for current tour times and give the morning the pace it deserves. Spend the afternoon quietly, prepping for the mountain day ahead.
Day 4: Zugspitze, Germany’s roof
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is about 1h15 to 1.5 hours by train, and from there the Zugspitzbahn reaches Germany’s highest peak. A full round-trip ticket runs €78 for an adult (2026 rate, valid from May 23), one-way €46. The summit view is entirely weather-dependent, so check the official webcams before committing the day, and expect valley queues by 9am on clear summer weekends.
Day 5: Salzburg or Nuremberg, whichever fits the mood
Salzburg is roughly 1h28 to 1h43 by the fastest Railjet, averaging closer to 2 hours on regular services, and crosses into Austria, so carry ID even though routine Schengen checks are not expected. The Altstadt below the Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart’s birthplace justify the crossing on their own. If four days already spent on a castle, a memorial and a mountain feels like enough border-crossing math, Nuremberg is the faster, no-passport alternative at 1h11 to 1h16 by ICE with departures roughly every 30 minutes. Either way, close the trip with dinner near the Hauptbahnhof and confirm the return train the night before rather than the morning of.