Bavaria is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. With so much to see and do, it’s the perfect spot for any length of vacation, with or without kids. Once you’ve had all the fun in Munich that you can handle, venture out to some of these impressive day trips.
We ventured out to these sights during our three week road trip around the European Alps. Our idea of ‘road trip’ is staying in nice hotels with plush robes, cozy beds, and yummy room service. But if you’d like to skip the pampering and be a true road tripper, find out how to travel Europe in a campervan, motorhome or caravan.
Neuschwanstein Castle
(about 1-hour and 40-minute drive)
The famous “Disney” castle is nestled amongst the gorgeous green hills of Hohenschwangau.
To visit the fairytale palace, you can take a horse and carriage, bus, or hike from the parking lot. I recommend reserving tickets way in advance.
The day we were in the area was a long driving day, so we didn’t tour the castle. We did get some insta-worthies…
Possibly better than the castle itself are all the activities around it on Tegelberg Mountain.
You can take a scenic gondola ride, hike, paraglide, via ferrata climb, or do what we did and go to the adventure park. We all had a blast, not just the kids!
We rode the summer toboggan over and over, and it still wasn’t enough!
Our three year old had a blast jumping from one activity to the next. From rock climbing and rope courses…
To playgrounds and swings…
To tight rope (or belt?) walking…
To zip lining…
To bumper cars…
Grab a cold beer or an ice cream for a little ‘pick me up’ in between all the excitement. The luge and food were fairly cheap. Everything else was free, except you will need Euro coins for parking and the cable cars. If this place were in the States, they’d be charging a fortune.
This adventurous park with views of the castle in the distance was one of a kind. Leave it to the Europeans. An enchanting castle in the middle of this beautiful land just wasn’t enough. They had to add this spectacular park too!
This was one of our favorite days in a three week trip, which is saying something, because we did a lot in three weeks.
Watch my instagram reels under my “Germany” story for more photos and a live video of the luge!
Berchtesgaden
(about 1-hour and 40-minute drive)
A beautiful area for hiking, biking and pretty much anything outdoors.
We stopped at Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) on our way to Grossarl, Austria for panoramic views of the Alps.
It is open May to October. The bus to the top is 28 Euro round trip. Or you can brave the two to three hour hike from the parking lot. There is a restaurant at the top with panoramic views as well as a little hut to get snacks and beverages. There wasn’t much left though late in the day.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
(about 1-hour drive)
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go here, but it was recommended to me by a friend as one of her favorite places in Germany. I see why – the pictures are magical. How could it not be? It’s Germany!
This is home of Germany’s highest mountain peak, Zugspitze.
If you do make it there, don’t miss Partnach Gorge. It’s now on my bucket list!
Garmisch is another region with a summer luge, playground, and beer garden.
Yes, you’ll find these all over Germany. I love it!
Salzburg
(about 1-hour and 40 minute drive)
In the beautiful city where Mozart was born, make sure you eat a Furst Mozartkugeln dessert in his honor and do the Sound of Music bike tour, and not necessarily in that order.
On the way there, hike in Grossarl, a town of Salzburg, slide down into the salt mines if your kids are old enough, or walk our favorite gorge, the Liechtensteinklamm.
Or better yet – stay in Grossarl and do Salzburg as a day trip from there. You could stay at Das Edelweiss – our new favorite hotel. Look under Austria stories on my IG to see why we love it.
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
(about 30-minute drive)
Eh obviously “fun” is not the word I’d use to describe this day trip, but it’s still worth visiting.
Walking through the gates that read “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” gave me chills.
I felt transported to such an awful time and place where atrocities were committed, and not that long ago, really, which is rather frightening.
The stories of the prisoners won’t just touch your heart – they’ll rip it out and tear it to shreds.
I tried to use this visit as a teaching moment with our three year old, carefully choosing my words of course. That shook me even more. My three year old child – so pure and innocent. Part of me wants him to stay that way forever. Part of me wants him to know how cruel the world is, so he can learn from it, change it. We can only hope.
There is no entrance fee however you can pay for a tour.
Young children are allowed in the general courtyard, but are advised to not enter the museum. Just know there is nothing for kids to do, unless they love playing in gravel like my son does. I warned him that it would not be a fun place, but of course after he said “I had fun Mama! I had fun!”
I recommend this if you have enough time. I’ve actually been there twice, because I wanted to share the experience with my husband.
Whether you are looking for history, adventure, or simply relaxing, Bavaria has it all. And Munich is the perfect home base to explore the region. Don’t forget to leave time for fun in Munich also!
