Bavaria

[scrappydappydoo]

DH has always wanted to see the Neuschwanstein castle and we thought a holiday in Bavaria would be good fun - do the castle and explore the area maybe a bit of Austria too get DD to practice her german- etc etc
Can anyone recommend a good town to base ourselves in - maybe near a lake/forest. Any other tips welcome!

I'd definitely recommend a stay in Munich. It has so much to offer. From Munich it's about 1hr 40mins to Neuschwanstein Castle which you could either do in a day trip or on the way to Innsbruck.
Loads to do in and around Innsbruck. I'd recommend the Swarovski Crystal Works, Audioversum, Mutteralm Adventure Mountain and the Nordkette cable car.

When we did that area we stayed in Ehrwald in Austria. Mainly because it was much cheaper than going the other side of the border into Germany. Couldn't recommend the area more, the mountains and cable cars are just stunning. I don't understand why more people don't go tbh.

A perfect stay for a bit of rest and relaxation in Austria www.landal.com/parks/rehrenberg

I would recommend Landsberg am Lech which is a medieval town on the Romantic Road, with almost no tourists. The pools run by the water company are great, waterfalls, city walls, etc. Or Ammersee for lake and activities.

We didn't book tickets to go inside Hochschwanstein as you have to do so in advance (can in theory on the day but by 10.30 were booking for 5pm with an hour queue), but that didn't matter for my small kids.

Would agree that Munich is well worth visiting and Neuschwanstein castle is an easy day trip from there on the train. Or if you want a more rural/mountain base then Mittenwald is lovely with good hiking nearby - about 2 hours from Munich on the train. You can easily take the train across to Austria as well from Mittenwald as it's near the border.

If you want to be near a lake then there are some ideas in this article: www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/aug/14/top-10-lake-holidays-bavaria-munich-germany

Fussen is lovely, spent many summers there as a child.
Stayed in Aschau in Chiemgau too which is lovely but not sure how far it is from neuschwanstein.
The alps are so geared up for kids and families. Love it there!

Love Innsbruck too, would go back there in a heartbeat!

Lots of great ideas! Thank you - just need to narrow it down. Munich is on the list but only for a visit - would prefer to stay outside of city. Just trying to get a balance so we don't suffer from castle fatigue!

I've stayed in Fussen, highly recommend it. Beautiful place.

Bavaria is a wonderful place!
I would recommend Bodensee/Lake Constance or Munich.

Munich well worth seeing and whilst you could do a day trip to Neuschwanstein agree with others re staying in Fussen. If you want to go inside the Schloss recommend booking tickets ahead.

Mittenwald is a very picturesque Alpine town and right on the Austrian border. There’s a hike around a canyon nearby which I would recommend and it crosses between the countries. Make sure you try the cheese and spinach dumplings (knödel).

Gorge Near Mittenwald

DH is from Munich and if we visit we usually stay in Erding, absolutely love it.