Bavaria and...?

[Anthony Bonner]

So the Bonners are going to Germany in August. we fly into Munich and ten days later fly out of Zurich. It just worked out that I could get decent non-stops both ways by doing that. And now I'm kind of not excited for Zurich.

 

So

1) What should I see in Munich. Kid friendly especially appreciated.

2) Where should I go that is a day trip from Munich (Augsburg? Nuremberg? South>)

3) Where should I go between Munich and Zurich

4) Is a weekend in Zurich worth it? Especially with two small kids?

[Sneakeater]

How could you not go to Baden-Württemberg, which as far as I'm concerned is the center of the universe?

[irnscrabblechf52]

Garmisch

[Behemoth]

Munich: there are lots of attractions/museums etc but if I remember correctly your kids are quite young and what they will probably enjoy the most is the English Garden. There are a bunch of great stops there (working up from Prinzregentenstrasse -- would do it over at least two days):

 

- Haus der Kunst with a drink at the Goldene Bar or coffee on the terrace.

- Surfers on the Eisbach directly east of the museum (under the bridge)

- Fräulein Grüneis, kind of a "cult"organic kiosk, is a short walk up on the Bogenhausen side (good playground across a small field from there)

- watch teens (and occasionally my husband) swim the Eisbach current

- Monopteros to get a view of the "skyline"

- walk up to Chinese Tower, in summer usually there is a bavarian brass bad playing, a large playground with an antique carousel, large pretzels, ice cream etc. for the kids, beer and steckerlfisch for the adults

- from other entrance (Veterinärstrasse) there is Milchhäusel, good organic kiosk attached to a large and very popular playground

- there is a gelato cart (pink) that is usually wanders around, my kids love him.

- Duck pond (another couple of playground on the way) with Seehaus Biergarten. Close by on west side is a great restaurant with a nicer (table service) biergarten, good for kids, called Osterwaldgarten.

- Further north there is Hirschgarten, they have a jazz band on Sundays, Fischer Vroni has a steckerlfisch stand there which for me is a big incentive :-)

 

You could also rent bikes with kid seats or a trailer, and bike down along the Isar to the Flaucher or beyond. If you go a bit farther down Hellabrun is the zoo and it is quite nice.

Big outdoor swimming facilities at Ungerer bad in Schwabing, with a large shallow water play area for toddlers.

 

My kids liked the hunting and fishing museum, oddly enough. Er, cute stuffed animals? Deutsches Museum has a water play section on the lower level. The rest is cool but probably more for older kids. For adults there are lots of interesting art museums.

[Behemoth]

Oh and my kids aren't foodies by any stretch of the imagination but love the Viktualienmarkt. Fun to look around, great options for eating there or self-catering.

[Behemoth]

Day trips. Wouldn't bother with Augsburg. Nuremburg interesting for the history but..eh. Regensburg near the river is quite impressive. Passau I've heard is really beautiful but I've never been. Frankly coming from the US East Coast I would try to maximize time in the Alps. Garmisch is lovely (Zugspitze), Murnau would be a cool day trip on the way as the Franz Marc museum and Gabriele Munter house are in a beautiful area. Salzburg & Innsbrück also very close. Chiemsee with a ferry ride to the FrauenInsel is gorgeous. In August you can swim in all the lakes, they are unbelievably clean.

 

Heading towards Zürich, you could spend a half day wandering around Konstanz (my kids loved the ferry from Friedrichshafen to Konstanz).

 

Zürich old city is quite lovely for a day. I find Switzerland massively overpriced these days though, especially restaurants.

[Rich]

I'll be in Zurich in early December (2 days) for the Christmas Markets. The restaurant prices are simply outrageous.

 

Anything else you would recommend in Zurich?

[Behemoth]

I'll be in Zurich in early December (2 days) for the Christmas Markets. The restaurant prices are simply outrageous.

 

Anything else you would recommend in Zurich?

 

I don't know the city that well, my trips are usually work-related. Off-site meals were rather unspectacular, but if I were there in winter I would try to find a place that does raclette (I mean as a big hunk of cheese and a fireplace, not the little stoves which we do at home).

 

Maybe the Sueddeutsche tips are better than (or at least different from) the NYT ones: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/reisefuehrer/zuerich/essentrinken

[Nathan]

yeah Salzburg for a day trip.

 

Garmisch is gorgeous....I like Bamberg (town centers is beautiful) too. and the kids would like it. And the old breweries for the adults. The cathedral is spectacular too. Both doable day trips from Munich.

[Anthony Bonner]

Dog watching issues have forced a renovation of this trip.. Now its later in September and in to Vienna and out of Venice. Thinking a few days in Vienna, a few days in the mountains (south tirol is what all the cool kids suggest) and then home.

[Behemoth]

Yeah, late September in Munich can get rather expensive...

[Anthony Bonner]

Yeah. We didn't even consider it. Though I think I'd look great in tracht.

[Behemoth]

Everybody looks good in Tracht!

[Rich]

Mraz & Sohn when you're in Vienna - very special.

[Nathan]

A couple trips this fall and December to Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg etc.:

 

Munich and Salzburg we’ve covered (though now that I’ve been at a table in a tent for Oktoberfest I’m glad I did it once but no real need to do it again). Nuremberg’s old town has various tourist-trap sausage places with those tiny Nuremberg bratwursts. All pretty meh. The vaunted Christmas market is spectacular though. That brewery and distillery in the old town with the red beer is excellent though.