Bavaria and Salzburg: Oktoberfest, Neuschwanstein and Lake Chiemsee

1. Day 1: Arrive in Munich

   Munich Airport to your hotel in central Munich, then the old town

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Munich
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Munich Airport (MUC); most overnight flights from North America land in the morning. A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive of about 40 minutes into the city, and your room is ready from mid-afternoon (we hold your bags if you arrive earlier). The hotel is central, within walking distance of Marienplatz, so you can rest or wander out on your own. At 4 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: how the festival works, what the tent day involves, and where the quieter beer gardens are. Then a short walk through the old town: Marienplatz and the New Town Hall, the twin domed towers of the Frauenkirche, and the Hofbräuhaus from the outside, packed in festival week. Dinner together is the welcome dinner, Bavarian cooking at a traditional restaurant in the old town. We keep the first night short on purpose, since most of you will have flown overnight and the week ahead is long.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Munich Airport (MUC)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Old-town walk: Marienplatz, the New Town Hall and the Frauenkirche
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the 4 pm briefing

   Activity: Plan to land by early afternoon to join the briefing and walk.

2. Day 2: Munich Residenz and Andechs Monastery

   Munich Residenz, then Andechs Monastery above the Ammersee and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Munich
   Day 2 details

   We are at the Munich Residenz when it opens at 9 am, before the festival crowds wake up. For four centuries this was the palace of the Wittelsbach dukes, electors and kings of Bavaria, and in about two hours your guide takes you through the long Renaissance Antiquarium, the gilded Ancestral Gallery lined with portraits of the family, and the Rococo Rich Rooms (Reiche Zimmer). At 11:30 am we drive about 50 minutes southwest to Andechs, a Benedictine monastery on a hill above the Ammersee, where the monks have brewed beer for centuries. Lunch is together in the monastery's Bräustüberl: roast pork, dumplings and a glass of the house beer, or a soft drink. Then the pilgrimage church, with its Rococo interior, and a guided tour of the monastery brewery, booked for the group. We are back in Munich by about 5 pm. The evening is free: a first look at the Theresienwiese on your own, or a beer garden that stays calm in festival week.

   Included

   • Munich Residenz Museum with your guide: the Antiquarium, the Ancestral Gallery and the Rich Rooms
   • Lunch at the Andechs Bräustüberl
   • Andechs pilgrimage church
   • Guided tour of the Andechs Monastery brewery

   Optional experiences

   • Residenz Treasury
   • Evening at the Theresienwiese on your own

   Easier option: Stay in Munich after the Residenz; the Hofgarten and the Englischer Garten are a short walk away.

   More active option: Walk up to the monastery from Herrsching on the Ammersee, about an hour on a forest path, and meet the group for lunch.

   Free time: Free evening and dinner

   

3. Day 3: The Wieskirche and Neuschwanstein

   Munich to the Wieskirche, then Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, and back

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Munich
   Day 3 details

   This is the longest driving day, about 255 km and three and three-quarter hours in all, broken into three parts. We leave at 9 am and drive about an hour and a half south to the Wieskirche, the pilgrimage church standing alone in the meadows near Steingaden, its white and gold Rococo interior listed by UNESCO. Then about 40 minutes on to Hohenschwangau, below the castles, for a sit-down lunch. We book a timed entry to Neuschwanstein for about 3:30 pm, well before the last tours of the day, after the coaches from Munich have taken their midday slots and started home. Before it, walk up to the Marienbrücke, the footbridge over the Pöllat gorge, for the view of the castle against the mountains, or take the horse carriage most of the way. The guided tour inside runs about 35 minutes through the rooms King Ludwig II finished, including the Throne Hall and the Singers' Hall. We leave at about 5 pm and are back in Munich by about 7 pm.

   Included

   • The Wieskirche
   • Sit-down lunch at Hohenschwangau
   • Neuschwanstein Castle timed entry and guided tour

   Optional experiences

   • Horse carriage up to the castle
   • Hohenschwangau Castle

   Easier option: Take the horse carriage or shuttle bus up to the castle instead of the 30 to 40 minute walk.

   More active option: Walk up to the Marienbrücke and on to the castle on foot, about 2.5 km and 150 m of climb.

   Free time: Free evening and dinner

   Activity: The longest drive of the trip, broken by the Wieskirche and lunch; no stretch is longer than about 1.75 hours.

4. Day 4: Oktoberfest: a reserved table in a beer tent

   Central Munich to the Theresienwiese and back

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Munich
   Day 4 details

   A slow start, then at 10:30 am your guide walks you to the Theresienwiese, about 25 minutes on foot from the old town or two stops on the U-Bahn from Karlsplatz (Stachus). We go round the grounds before the midday crowds: the rows of brewery tents along the main street, the Bavaria statue above the meadow, and the Oide Wiesn, the historic section with old rides, brass bands and a smaller tent, which has its own entry fee that we cover. At about noon we take our reserved table in one of the large beer tents for the midday session, which usually runs until about 4 pm. Without a reservation, getting a whole group seated together is hard, which is why we hold the table weeks in advance. The reservation comes with vouchers, usually for two litres of beer (or soft drinks) and half a roast chicken per person; the exact tent and package are confirmed when the tent confirms. After the session, stay on the grounds, try the rides, or walk back to rest. The evening is free.

   Included

   • Guided walk round the Theresienwiese
   • Entry to the Oide Wiesn
   • Reserved table in a beer tent for the midday session, with food and drink vouchers

   Optional experiences

   • Bavaria statue viewing platform
   • Fairground rides

   Easier option: Leave the tent early; the guide shows you the U-Bahn back to the hotel.

   More active option: Climb the stairs inside the Bavaria statue to the viewing platform in its head.

   Free time: Free late afternoon, evening and dinner

   Activity: Tents are loud and crowded; soft drinks are always available and no one has to drink beer.

5. Day 5: Lake Chiemsee and Salzburg

   Munich to Prien am Chiemsee and Herreninsel by boat, then Salzburg

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Salzburg
   Day 5 details

   We leave Munich at 8:30 am for Prien am Chiemsee, about 90 km and an hour east, and take the scheduled boat across to Herreninsel. A walk through the woods brings us to Herrenchiemsee Palace, King Ludwig II's copy of Versailles, where the guided tour takes in the Hall of Mirrors. Lunch is together on the island, then the boat back and about 45 minutes on to the border and Salzburg, arriving by about 3 pm. After check-in, your guide walks you through the old town on the left bank of the Salzach: the cathedral squares, the Franciscan church, and up by the FestungsBahn funicular to Hohensalzburg Fortress for the view over the domes and south to the Alps. At about 6 pm we walk along the river to the Mülln quarter and up Augustinergasse to the Augustiner Bräustübl, the monastery brewery's beer hall, where beer is drawn from wooden barrels and you buy food from the stalls in the hall. Stay as long as you like.

   Included

   • Chiemsee boat from Prien to Herreninsel and back
   • Herrenchiemsee Palace guided tour
   • Lunch on Herreninsel
   • Salzburg old-town walk with your guide
   • FestungsBahn funicular and Hohensalzburg Fortress
   • Walk to the Augustiner Bräustübl in Mülln

   Easier option: Take the horse carriage from the boat landing to the palace (it runs in summer; we confirm it for your dates), or walk the 15 to 20 minutes at an easy pace.

   More active option: Walk down from Hohensalzburg to Mülln along the Mönchsberg path instead of returning to the old town first.

   Free time: Free dinner and evening

   

6. Day 6: Salzburg to Munich Airport

   Salzburg old town, then Munich Airport (MUC)

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast
   Day 6 details

   Breakfast early, then at 8 am your guide walks you up Getreidegasse before the shops open, when the wrought-iron signs and the narrow passages between the houses are quiet. We stop outside Mozart's birthplace at number 9 and finish in the University Square, where, on market days (Monday to Saturday), the stalls are setting up. At about 9:45 am we load the van for Munich Airport (MUC), about 175 km and two hours back through Bavaria, arriving by about noon. Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm. Your guide travels with you and sees you to the right terminal. If you would rather fly from Salzburg Airport, 15 minutes from the old town, or stay on in Salzburg or Munich after the festival, tell us when you book and we drop you there or leave you at the hotel instead. A note for packing: beer steins and glass souvenirs travel best wrapped in clothes in your checked bag.

   Included

   • Early walk on Getreidegasse to Mozart's birthplace and the University Square
   • Drop-off at Munich Airport (MUC), or Salzburg Airport on request

   Activity: Book a flight from Munich leaving after about 3 pm.

   

Wildlife and weather: Late September in Bavaria usually brings daytime highs of 15 to 20 °C, cool evenings and a day or two of rain. The Alps are often clear on dry days, which is when the Marienbrücke and Hohensalzburg views are best.

• Munich4 nights
• Salzburg1 night