Offbeat Munich and Bavaria: 6 Days
Six days turns Munich from a city trip into a loose tour of Bavaria with one fixed hotel bed, and adds the day trip most itineraries never mention. Same spine as the shorter versions, one stop longer; see the 5 day cut or the 7 day version for the full week.
| 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) | about 1.5-2 hrs by train |
| 6 | Regensburg | about 1h22-1h23 direct by ICE |
Book these before you go
- Compare Munich hotel rates near the Hauptbahnhof , the base for five 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: five of the next six 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.
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. Check the official memorial site for current tour times and give the morning the pace a memorial deserves.
Day 4: Zugspitze, Germany’s roof
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is about 1h15 to 1.5 hours by train, and the Zugspitzbahn reaches Germany’s highest peak from there. 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 first, and expect valley queues by 9am on clear summer weekends.
Day 5: Salzburg or Nuremberg
Salzburg is roughly 1h28 to 1h43 by the fastest Railjet, averaging closer to 2 hours on regular services, crossing into Austria, so carry ID. The Altstadt below the Hohensalzburg Fortress justifies the trip on its own. Nuremberg, 1h11 to 1h16 by ICE with no border to cross, is the faster pick if a castle, a memorial and a mountain already feel like enough for one week.
Day 6: Regensburg, the day trip everyone skips by mistake
Regensburg is a direct ICE ride, 1h22 to 1h23, no change needed, easier to reach than either Rothenburg or Berchtesgaden. It is a UNESCO-listed, exceptionally intact medieval old town that gets left off most day-trips-from-Munich lists in favor of bigger names, which is exactly why it earns the last slot in this itinerary. Check the official Regensburg tourism site for the current sight list. Close the week here rather than one more ticketed Munich attraction; by day six the beer gardens have earned their reputation and a quiet last dinner near the Hauptbahnhof suits the trip better than a rushed finale.