Best day trips from Munich by train

Munich is a superb base for day trips: the Alps are on the horizon, the lakes of Upper Bavaria are a short train ride away, and Austria starts less than two hours to the east. The short answer: Neuschwanstein is the most famous trip and needs the most planning, Salzburg is the best city trip, Lake Starnberg and the Chiemsee are for lake days, and the Dachau Memorial Site is the most important visit of all.

Day trips from Munich at a glance

Times are typical connections from Munich Hauptbahnhof including the last bus or boat where needed. On weekends, regional trains to Füssen and Salzburg can be full; take an early one.

Neuschwanstein: King Ludwig's fairy-tale castle

How to get there: regional trains run from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Füssen in about two hours. From Füssen station, local buses take around ten minutes to Hohenschwangau, the village below the castles. From there it is a walk uphill of about 30 to 40 minutes, or a shuttle bus or horse-drawn carriage for part of the way. Door to door, count about two and a half hours each way.

What to see: Neuschwanstein Castle, built for King Ludwig II from 1869 and never completed, with its singers' hall and throne hall; the Marienbrücke, the bridge over the Pöllat gorge with the classic view of the castle; and Hohenschwangau Castle, the yellow castle where Ludwig grew up. The interior of both can only be seen on a guided visit with a fixed time slot.

How long: a full day. Tickets for the interior are sold online by the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau for a specific time; in summer and on weekends they sell out days or weeks ahead, and only a small number is held back for sale on the day.

Best for: first-time visitors to Bavaria, families, anyone who loves castles. Here a guided day tour from Munich really helps: it takes care of the train, the bus and the timed ticket, which is the part that goes wrong most often. You can compare Neuschwanstein tours on Viator^* and Neuschwanstein tickets and tours on Tiqets^* – check whether the castle ticket is included or only the transport.

Salzburg: Mozart's city

How to get there: regional trains and long-distance trains run from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof in about an hour and a half. From the station, it is a walk of about 20 minutes or a short bus ride to the old town.

What to see: the baroque old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace, the cathedral, the Residenzplatz and St. Peter's Abbey with its cemetery. Above it all stands the Hohensalzburg Fortress, reached by funicular. On the other side of the river Salzach lie the Mirabell Gardens.

How long: a full day. With two days, stay a night – Salzburg is lovely in the evening.

Best for: music lovers, architecture, Christmas markets in Advent. Our article on Salzburg's Christmas markets 2026 has the dates.

Lake Starnberg: the closest lake

How to get there: the S6 S-Bahn runs from the city centre to Starnberg in about 30 minutes. The landing stage of the lake steamers is right opposite the station; the boats of the Bavarian lake shipping company sail from spring to autumn.

What to see: the promenade in Starnberg, a boat trip to Berg or Possenhofen, where Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") spent her summers, and the Rose Island off Feldafing. In the lake near Berg, a cross marks the place where King Ludwig II was found dead in 1886. On clear days, the Alps rise behind the lake.

How long: half a day, a full day in summer with swimming.

Best for: a relaxed day, families, swimmers – the lake is clean and its shores have public bathing areas.

Chiemsee and Herrenchiemsee Palace

How to get there: regional trains run towards Salzburg to Prien am Chiemsee in about an hour. From the station, a small historic steam train, the Chiemseebahn, runs to the harbour at Prien-Stock in season; otherwise it is a walk of about 20 minutes. Boats of the Chiemsee-Schifffahrt take about 15 to 20 minutes to the Herreninsel.

What to see: Herrenchiemsee New Palace, Ludwig II's copy of Versailles, with its Hall of Mirrors, visited on a guided tour; the Fraueninsel with its Benedictine convent and fishing village, a short boat ride further; and the lake itself, the largest in Bavaria.

How long: a full day for both islands.

Best for: fans of Ludwig II, lake landscapes, a quieter alternative to Neuschwanstein.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

How to get there: the S2 S-Bahn runs from the Hauptbahnhof to Dachau station in about 25 minutes; from there bus 726 goes to the "KZ-Gedenkstätte" stop. In total, count less than an hour from the city centre.

What to see: Dachau was the first concentration camp set up by the Nazi regime in 1933 and the model for many others. The memorial site shows the former roll-call square, the reconstructed barracks, the crematorium area and a large permanent exhibition. Entry is free; guided tours and audio guides are available at the visitor centre.

How long: at least half a day. It is not a place to rush, and many visitors do not plan anything else for the same day.

Best for: everyone who wants to understand German history. With children, prepare the visit together beforehand.

Nuremberg: Franconia's old town

How to get there: ICE trains on the high-speed line run from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Nuremberg in a little over an hour.

What to see: the Imperial Castle above the old town, the half-timbered houses around the Albrecht Dürer House, the main market square with the Schöner Brunnen, and the churches of St. Sebaldus and St. Lorenz. The Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the courtroom of the Nuremberg Trials show the city's 20th-century history. In Advent, the Christkindlesmarkt is one of the most famous Christmas markets in Germany.

How long: a full day.

Best for: history, medieval architecture, gingerbread and grilled sausages.

Train or guided tour?

For almost every trip from Munich, the train is the best option. For trips within Bavaria, the Bayern-Ticket of Deutsche Bahn is often good value: one day of unlimited travel on regional trains and many buses for up to five people, valid on weekdays from 9 am. It also covers the buses from Füssen to Hohenschwangau and the regional trains to Salzburg. Long-distance trains like the ICE to Nuremberg are not included; train connections^* can be compared on Omio.

A guided tour is worth it for Neuschwanstein, because of the timed tickets and the transfer from Füssen, and possibly for Dachau, where a guide adds a lot of context. For Salzburg, the lakes and Nuremberg, you do not need one.

How many day trips fit into a Munich trip?

With three days, Munich itself is enough: the old town, the museums, the English Garden and Nymphenburg. From four days, add Neuschwanstein or Salzburg; with five days or more, a lake day as well. Our article how many days in Munich shows the split.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made three-day plan for Munich with times, walks and a map for each day. With one tap you copy it into the app and add a fourth day for Neuschwanstein or Salzburg. The app shows the weather for your travel days – which helps to choose a clear day for the lakes and the Alps – and with the offline package you have the map without a connection, also in Austria. YesTrip is free.

Munich trip planDay by day, with map and tips

If you want more than a day out to Neuschwanstein, drive the whole Romantic Road in 7 days from Würzburg to Füssen.

* Ad – Partner link: if you book there, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same.