Bavaria/Austria - Chiemsee? Achensee?

[hotpotmama]

Tegernsee?

Have decided we are going to spend some time around fussen area but then want to move over and see a different area of the alps.

So any suggestions? Think we would like to be near a lake as they all look so pretty, but which is a good one for things to do, especially for the kids?

www.fewo-direkt.de/bad-aibling/s/7486/fa/find.squery

here are some ferienhäuser in Bad Aibling that seem to be available. Not directly by a lake, but it is a very beautiful town with baths.

www.schliersee.de/ferienhaus.html

Some holiday houses at Schliersee

holiday house at Prien am Chiemsee

www.fewo-direkt.de/prien-am-chiemsee/s/6147/fa/find.squery

www.chiemsee-travel.de/

more at Chiemsee

Thanks very much nightby night, will have a look at those links.

It looks like the ones that are bauernhofs are more child-friendly and seem to have swings and kids stuff in the garden? Probably more likely to be completely full in August too!

Not sure, but teh bauernhofs are beautiful. Public facilities are usually pretty good round here, eg lots of houses divided into flats have their own playgrounds in teh garden.

Oh, Ive just thought of another place: Hexenwasser, in the Inn valley.
hexenwasser.bergbahnsoell.at/home.html
dd went there with her Kindergarten and loved it.

Hexenwasser looks brilliant, just the place my 3 boys would love (and me too!). Thanks for the links.

Have emailed a few more bauernhofs that I have found with good children's playgrounds etc so fingers crossed....

When you are here, look out for hand painted signs by the side of roads, or at the entrances to villages. Small towns all have a Volksfest, with small fairground, beer tent, live music etc. A sort of miniature Oktoberfest, very atmospheric, and you can take the children in the afternoon/early evening.

Oh, and Riding stables:
www.ponyreithof.de/
they do overnight stays as well, but with full board, so a bit more expensive.

We always go blackberrying in the last week of August on the mountain above this farm.
If you are here earlier than that, you can look out for wild raspberries,and wild strawberries while you're walking up the mountain.

Just realised, teh riding stables has 2 Ferienwohnungen (holiday flats) as well, on their website.

Nightbynight - do you fancy a job as a tour guide?!!

Love it, please keep all the inside info coming.

Have not heard from the places I emailed the other night so think I may have to be brave tomorrow and call them. Hope they understand my pidgeon german, I have visions of Allo,Allo (is that what it was called?).

Is berchtesgaden one of the nicest areas of austria? The pictures of it look stunning.

Try margarethenhof if the others are full, it really is a beautiful place, down at the end of a very small lane, your chidlren can roam around safely.

Berchtesgadenland is the extreme bottom right hand corner of Germany, just on teh border with Austria and yes, it is something special. Konigssee is raved about, and has a magical atmosphere, despite being a huge tourist attraction.

Just thought of something else! lol back in tour guide mode.
There are boat trips across Chiemsee to the islands. I think there is a priory or a schloss (King Ludwigs summer palace? I am not sure) on the bigger island.

Am going to keep this thread and take it with me when we go!

What's Aschau in Chiemgau like? Found a nice place there.

Ive never been to Aschau, but have just checked out the town website, it looks fantastic.

theres a Therme and all!!
Days out in/near Aschau im Chiemgau
www.aschau.de/de/ausflugsziele

We will def visit the museum at Amerang.

try visiting the Therme in the evening if your children are old enough, or you can get babysitting. There may be cheap tickets for the last hours of the day, and you can swim outside in teh moonlight in warm water...

Hows the booking going?

I have just thought of something else that you DONT want to meet...

get a tick kit from a chemist, either in teh UK or here, and read up about ticks. They lurk in grass and woodland, and can bite into you, and hang on for a few days until they are full of blood, at which point they drop off.
They can live for several years in your house, and then pop up and bite you again!!
You need to check your children after romping in the woods, especially navel, nape of neck, under arms, groin etc. to see if they have picked any up.
If they have, then you can remove them with a bit of plastic that you buy at the chemist.
If you get a red ring rash afterwards, you should go to a hospital, as this can be an infection, which is serious.

None of my children have picked a tick up yet, but our cat got loads a couple of years ago. And I know someone who has got the red rash thing twice! but he has been very unlucky.

Urrghh that sounds horrible. Thanks for the tip off. Are they only in Germany and Austria then or do they live in the UK too?

Am not having much luck with accomodation as 2 more places have said they are full. I know I am being a bit picky but I want somewhere where there is good children's facilities like a playground as my 3 need it to let off steam.

Am now thinking maybe I have left it too late to book somewhere for the summer so what about half term? Do Germany have the same half term as us or am I more likely to get the accomodation I want then?

Nightbynight - if we did do half term instead of the summer, would we be better at schliersee or hopfen am see (near Fussen)? Am thinking in terms of things to do and see with the kids as we'd only have a week.

Thanks (again!)

I would say Fussen, because it is bigger than Schliersee. Also, I note that it is near Garmish P-K, scene of the winter olympics in the 30s. There is a stone stadium, which resembles a fortress and shows delusions of grandeur (and is a tiny bit like the old wembley stadium, clearly the style was popular). It is ringed by mountains, and you can imagine the nazi leadership watching the sports there. Fascinating comparison with the olympic stadium in Munich, that was built only about 40 years later, but a whole different era.
Also some great scenery (waterfall) at GaP, it is near Germany's highest mountain.

King Ludwigs famous chocolate box schloss is somewhere down in that direction as well.

The holidays in germany are staggered, so each Bundesland breaks up on a different date. Summer hols in Bayern are from beginning August to mid September, so I guess the holiday cottages are filling up with people from outside.
Half term here will be approx 6 weeks before the beginning of August, but again, it will be different weeks for different Bundeslände.

Are all these really full???
www.urlaub-badfeilnbach.de/ferienwohnungen.htm

this site shows availability ("Verfügbarkeit") for each holiday house - Ive done a search for Oberaudorf, which is a very beautiful skiing village with a summer slide, cable car, walks, bathing lakes within walking and cycling distance. But there are lots of places.
www.fewo-direkt.de/oberaudorf/s/865/fa/find.squery

Ticks are apparently spreading north from southern europe/asia. Horrid things, I hate'em.

Children are much more free round here, especially in quiet villages. How old are yours? If they are together in a group, and older than toddlers, they can roam around by themselves.
All the villages I know have a playground in teh village, although sometimes fairly basic. But there are often little streams or other fascinating natural features for the children to play in.

Thanks for the links, been having a look, ideally after somewhere where the kids can play in the garden, so the bauernhofs seem perfect (if they were free!).

Our boys are 7,5 and 2. Lots of lovely places on there, spent all night looking (again!).

Not heard back from any of them yet re half term dates, am keeping my fingers crossed.

Nightbynight or anyone - can you recommend a decent family hotel in Salzburg for 2 nights that doesn't cost a fortune? Have possibly managed to get accomodation for a week/10 nights, just need a hotel for 2 nights now.

Its a full time job trying to sort out a holiday!!!

Thanks