Bavaria in February

[Kattouswhiskers]

Hello

We're going to do a snowy week in Bavaria this Feb over half term. I don't know the area at all, but there are direct flights and it's a massive contrast to where we are living at the moment. Kids are 6 and 9.

Currently the plan is:

Friday-Monday: Munich (museums, galleries, maybe the Zoo)
Monday-Friday: Travel to centre parcs Allgau. CP plus tobogganing, maybe some gondola riding etc.
Friday-Monday: Not planned, fly back from Munich late afternoon on Monday.

So: where would you recommend to stay or stop off between Allgau and Munich on the way back? I also fancy the giant pool and spa place near the airport in Munich but maybe we can do that the last day. We don't ski so that's not an option

I am guessing we'll need to hire a car which is fine (I prefer the train but getting out to other things might be challenging), but I don't really need one in Munich, although we might want to return it to the airport. What's the likelihood of being able to park, or is there a rental place somewhere not-annoying in Munich?

Any suggestions for the Allgau area also good, we'll probably have to prise the kids away from the pool but I don't want to be there all week with no outings.

It looks cold but not ski-wear cold? Good coats and thermals should do it?

I'm excited! It's sort of a delayed 40th birthday trip.

Fussen and Neuschwanstein castle

I know the area around Füssen and Kempten pretty well - my family has a holiday flat there.

Neuschwanstein is well worth seeing, i would also take the cable car up Aggenstein (the mountain Neuschwanstein is built on) if the weather is decent. Alternatively there is 'Burgruine Falkenstein' nearby if you fancy an add-on - a small ruined castle on a little hill. Great views and you can drive up all the way.

I wouldn't go to Centerparks personally - there is so much to discover everywhere without overpaying for a special park. There are some awesome leasure centres with slides and saunas etc all over Allgäu if that's appealing, and of course many walks, mountains etc.

Tobogganing can be done in a lot of places, some mountains have dedicated Tobogganing routes that ate separate from the ski slopes. You take the cablecar/lift up, then go down on your sledge. Great fun. Ice skating can be done indoors, e.g. in Füssen, or on may lakes if it's cold enough.

Happy to help with any research!

Meant to add: Pfronten, Nesselwang or Füssen are pretty good bases for exploring by car, if you're planning on Neuschwanstein anyway. Plenty of decent accommodation and close to the A7

Oberstdorf also a great base camp if you want to be a bit further up.

Hire a car well in advance for better prices. Not all companies have an airport pick-up point or work after 5pm!! Taxi from central Munich to the airport is around €100, so factor that in.

Thanks everyone. Thinking of spending the last few nights in or near Garmisch-Partenkirchen so we can go up the Spitzhof and do some smaller town stuff. It's also not too far from Munich for the flight.

I'm actually really struggling to find self catering in general, anyone have any good recommendations that aren't air bnb?

Also, I have no ice driving experience at all (we live somewhere the driving is nuts, but it's hot). I'm assuming the roads are well gritted?

Garmisch is nice! 'Ferienwohnung' is what you're looking for.

Booking.com is worth checking out, and there are a few German sites to try: FeWo-direkt, Fewo24, traum-ferienwohnungen, probably others

Garmisch also has its own accommodation search: www.gapa-tourismus.de/de/GaPa-vor-Ort/Unterkunfte/Unterkunfte-suchen-und-buchen#/unterkuenfte

Many holiday flats will look quite dated, with massive oak furniture and flowery fambrics, but they are generally of decent quality. Watch out for those charging extra for towels, sheets etc.

I find driving a lot less stressful in Bavaria than in the UK. The roads are generell maintained, wide enough (unless you're completely off the beaten path) and drivers are fairly well behaved. Traffic is very manageable, although Munich can be busy of course. Snow is cleared quickly from most roads and there are many gritting trucks about. A rental car will probabhave winter tyres on. I tend to have snow chains in the car for the worst case scenario but haven't needed them in ages.

We've done pretty much that holiday before and it was an absolute family favourite. There is so much to do, that we used CP as a base for a swim, nice house and spa but spent most of our time out skiing or hiking.

Going up Zugspitze if visibility is good would be a very memorable day trip. There is both a cable car and a funicular railway - you can go up one and come down the other. There is a decent restaurant on top, with good Käsespätzle if I remember correctly (irregularly shaped freshly pasta with LOTS of cheese and crispy onions). The view is spectacular, as you'd expect.

In Garmisch there is a fabulous self catering block by the old Olympic stadium and another by thr train station. But you are going in peak ski season so it may be very busy. Never knew there was a Centre Parc!

It's unlikely to be snowy in Munich, so no need for ski wear unless you are playing in the snow. The Deutsches Museum is a nice day out in the warm in Munich too. And ice skating at the OlympiaZentrum.

Unless you are driving in a snowstorm or very early in the morning, all the roads will be treated. Snow chains aren't permitted on most roads.

Hi, I'm from Northern Bavaria, don't know Allgau well, but somewhere around there is a place called Murnau where there was an artists colony in early 20th century, associated with expressionism and abstraction. Google 'Blaue Reiter Murnau'. There's a museum dedicated to them there.

No sights recommendations, but do eat some maultaschen while you’re there. Yumm!

If you're feeling up to it a day trip to Dachau. I can understand how you might not want to take children though.

As far as I can remember the science museum in Munich is excellent.

Sorry - as mentioned above - the science museum is actually the Deutsches Museum

I love the Deutsches museum. I went there as a child and as a teenager. Does it still have the salt mine reconstruction?

Another vote for Neuschwanstein castle but get there early, there’s a lot more to see than you think, the walk up is actually quite a satisfying trek and book castle tickets in advance. The other things we did when we were in that area were Dachau and then we went on to Nürnberg which we are definitely going back to as there’s a lot more we wanted to see there than we thought!

There is lots to do and see in Bavaria in February, and there’s often snow even in the lower lying regions, though thanks to climate change it’s become less predictable.
I used to live in Munich and it can get very cold, so make sure to bring plenty of layers and woolly clothes! Especially if you’re normally used to warmer climes. Also remember sturdy shoes with some grip, and warm socks. If you have them, bring walking boots.
Public transport in Munich is good, and the centre is very walkable. There’s a direct S-Bahn from the airport into town, no need for a car or taxi to get to most places. Parking is a nightmare and very expensive.
Garmisch is also easily reachable by regional trains. I don’t know the Allgäu well and you might need/want a car there for more flexibility. If you’ve never driven on snow or ice it might be challenging. Yes, roads get gritted fairly efficiently, but it’s still a different kind of driving, and smaller roads might take a while to get cleared. And sometimes there is so much snow that the gritters can’t keep up. Plus you’re presumably driving on a different side of the road to what you’re used to, you’ll have hilly or mountainous terrain in parts, and on the autobahn you’ll be surrounded by lots of experienced drivers with fast cars and there’s no speed limit. I don’t want to scare you but go into it with your eyes open and rent a car that’s sufficiently motorised so it won’t struggle up a slope in the snow.
The website bahn.de is good if you want to check out train/public transport options.

Some ideas for things to do:
In Munich, if it’s cold enough that the canals freeze over, you can do „Eisstockschießen“ on the canal near the Nymphenburger Schloss. Similar to curling but very relaxed and no brooms involved if I recall correctly. Great fun. Wear warm shoes and socks! You can combine this with a visit to the Schloss if you like.

In Garmisch on a cold sunny day you could go hiking in the snow and see the magical Partnachklamm - a very narrow valley with a mountain stream running through it that turns into frozen waterfalls you can walk behind. You can combine this with walking up to the Partnachalm where you can get some hearty Bavarian food and drink, and then you can rent sledges from there if you dare and go down the mountain at speed. (Once again, appropriate footwear is essential).

The swimming pools and spas are generally amazing and clean. Sauna areas are beautiful and extensive but remember this is Germany so you (and everybody else) will be going au naturel in the sauna areas.
Normally there’s things like the heated outdoor swimming pool in the Dantebad which I would recommend. However better check these places‘ websites before you go about what exactly is open/available this winter. Germany used to get a lot of its energy in the form of Russian gas so there are big efforts to cut back.

Schloss Neuschwanstein is very touristy but worth a visit. There are also a number of other lesser known Ludwig-Schlösser, eg Herrenchiemsee which is on an island in the Chiemsee lake.

Have a fabulous time!

Thank you for all of this everyone it's super useful.

I am used to driving on the right (and idiots speeding) and narrow, rubbish roads but nothing slidey...

@FinanceLPlates thanks for all those tips- sadly it looks like the pool is closed but I'll see if I can find some sort of alpine sauna somewhere else. I'm obsessed with outdoor pools in the winter so hopefully there will be somewhere.

Nesselwang Leisure Centre (Alpspitz Bade Center) has a warm, bubbly pool that extends to the outside. Great when it snows! I'm sure there are others though.

Also @ThreeLocusts that's a brilliant tip; DP is VERY into abstract expressionism.

Dachau not this time. Not sure youngest DC will behave appropriately. I think I'll take them back when they're a bit older and better able to understand the context.

We didn’t love it to be honest.
Very pretty but crowded and too touristy for us, same with Titisee.
I hope you get snow but the last few times we went to Bavaria in winter we didn’t

Nuremberg is nice though and while Dachau is very upsetting it’s interesting and if approached with the correct mindset it’s worth doing

Also look at Erding and the thermal spa there

Something to keep in mind (although it may have changed since I visited a few years back), but everything in Munich was closed on a Sunday. We really struggled to find any touristy things open apart from the hop on hop off bus. We ended up buying tickets for that & just sitting on the bus for a few hours before heading to a beer hall 😂

Yes shops are generally closed on Sundays in Germany. Museums should be open, though they often close on a Monday or Tuesday instead. Worth checking the opening hours before you go. „Ruhetag“ means it’s closed.
Murnau is pretty and there’s a lake and lovely quite easy walks with great views if the weather is right for it.
If you’re into expressionism the Lenbachhaus in Munich is good. It also has a nice café
www.lenbachhaus.de/en/

Lots of museums and attractions will have English language websites.

The Deutsches Museum (Science museum) does regular live demonstrations of an electric bolt hitting a Faraday cage with an intrepid museum guard inside - it’s quite spectacular and very noisy!

The swimming pools/spas in Munich are run by the Stadtwerke, the municipal water and energy suppliers. They are gorgeous and clean. The website seems to be in German only but if you speak some German or use google translate etc. it might still be useful: www.swm.de/baeder