Day 1: Munich — Beer Halls & Baroque

Arrive in Munich and check into your accommodation (Hauptbahnhof area for convenience). Start at Marienplatz for the 12:00 Glockenspiel, climb Alter Peter (€3) for the classic view. Lunch at the Viktualienmarkt (€6–10) — grab a Leberkässemmel and a Radler from the market beer stalls. Afternoon: tour the Residenz (€10, 2 hours) — the Antiquarium hall is one of Europe’s great rooms. Evening: Augustiner-Keller beer garden for a Mass and Schweinshaxe under the chestnut trees — the classic Munich welcome.

Accommodation: Munich — hostel dorm €30–45, budget double €70–110

Entry costs: Alter Peter €3, Residenz €10

Day 2: Munich — Parks, Surfers & Palaces

Rent a bike (€12–15/day) — this is the Munich way. Cycle through the Englischer Garten, watch the Eisbach surfers (free, always entertaining), visit the Monopteros temple. Cycle the canal path to Nymphenburg Palace (20 min) — explore the free palace grounds, visit the Badenburg indoor pool (€4, built 1720s). Lunch at the Hirschgarten beer garden (cheapest Mass in Munich at €7.80) before cycling back. Evening: farewell dinner in the Glockenbachviertel, and an early night — tomorrow the adventure really begins.

Transport: Bike rental €12–15/day

Entry costs: Englischer Garten free, Nymphenburg gardens free, Badenburg €4

Day 3: Rothenburg — Medieval Perfection

Drive north to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2.5 hours). The Romantic Road from Munich to Rothenburg is scenic — stop at Harburg Castle (€4, 20-minute detour) for one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval fortresses. Arrive in Rothenburg by midday. Walk the full 2.5 km of the medieval city walls (free), climb the town hall tower (€4) for the panoramic view, visit the Medieval Crime Museum (€7). Stay the night in Rothenburg — after 5 PM when the tour buses leave, the city becomes almost empty and the evening lantern-lit atmosphere is unforgettable.

Accommodation: Rothenburg — guesthouse double €60–95

Driving time: 2.5 hours from Munich

Day 4: Neuschwanstein & Füssen

Drive south from Rothenburg to Hohenschwangau (2.5 hours). Visit Hohenschwangau Castle (€15, Ludwig II’s childhood home) in the morning, then hike up to Neuschwanstein for your pre-booked afternoon tour (€17.50, book 2+ weeks ahead). Walk to Marienbrücke for THE photo of the castle against the Alps (free). Afternoon: drive 5 minutes to Füssen — explore the medieval old town, Hohes Schloss, and St. Mang’s Abbey. Evening: dinner at a traditional Gasthaus in Füssen — Schäufele with potato dumplings and a local wheat beer.

Accommodation: Füssen — guesthouse double €55–85

Driving time: 2.5 hours from Rothenburg

Day 5: Garmisch — Zugspitze & Gorge

Drive from Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1 hour). Take the Zugspitze cable car to Germany’s highest peak (2,962 m) — the view over four countries is worth every euro of the €62 fare. Spend 1–2 hours at the summit, then descend and drive 20 minutes to the Partnachklamm gorge — a 700-metre ravine walkway carved into the rock (€6). The roar of the river echoing through the narrow canyon walls is an experience that stays with you.

Accommodation: Garmisch — guesthouse double €60–100

Driving time: 1 hour from Füssen

Day 6: Garmisch — Alpspitze Via Ferrata & Eibsee

For the adventurous: take the Alpspitzbahn cable car (€34 return) up to 2,050 m and tackle the Alpspitze Via Ferrata — a protected climbing route with steel cables and ladders. No experience required if you’re fit and sure-footed (rent a via ferrata set for €15 at the base). The final ridge walk to the summit cross (2,628 m) is exposed but thrilling, with views straight down to the Eibsee 1,200 m below. Allow 4 hours return from the cable car station.

For the non-climbers: take the Eibsee-Seilbahn cable car down to the Eibsee lake (free descent with Alpspitzbahn ticket). Walk the 7 km Eibsee circuit trail — the turquoise water, surrounded by the sheer walls of the Zugspitze massif, is one of the most beautiful lake walks in the Alps (2 hours, easy). Swim in the lake in summer if you’re brave — the water is bracingly cold (15–18°C). Evening: Gasthaus dinner in Garmisch’s Ludwigstrasse — try Steinbier (beer brewed with hot stones) at the Brauhaus Garmisch.

Accommodation: Garmisch (second night)

Entry costs: Alpspitzbahn €34, via ferrata kit rental €15, Eibsee access free

Day 7: Berchtesgaden & Königssee

Drive east across the Bavarian Alps from Garmisch to Berchtesgaden (3 hours) — the A8 autobahn through the mountains is one of Germany’s most scenic drives. Arrive by midday and take the electric boat across the Königssee, Germany’s cleanest and deepest Alpine lake (€27.50 return, 35 minutes each way). The boat cuts its engine at the echo wall for a traditional trumpet demonstration that echoes off the 2,500-metre rock walls. Disembark at the St. Bartholomä pilgrimage church — the red domed church on the lake’s western shore (free). Walk the 30-minute trail from the church deeper into the valley or just sit by the lake and absorb the silence.

Accommodation: Berchtesgaden or Schönau — guesthouse double €60–90

Driving time: 3 hours from Garmisch

Day 8: Eagle’s Nest, Salt Mine & Documentation Centre

Morning: Visit the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest) — Hitler’s mountain retreat, now a restaurant with a spectacular Alpine view (bus to the base €30 return from Berchtesgaden, including the bus ride up the steep mountain road and the elevator ride through the mountain to the top). Spend 1 hour at the top — the view over the Alps to Salzburg is extraordinary, and the historical context is sobering.

Afternoon: Visit the Dokumentation Obersalzberg (€5) — the excellent museum about the Nazi history of the Obersalzberg region, built on the site of the former SS barracks. Alternatively, visit the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine (€20, 80-minute tour) — the oldest active salt mine in Germany, where you slide down wooden chutes between levels and sail across the underground salt lake. Evening: drive 30 minutes to Salzburg, Austria, and check in.

Accommodation: Salzburg — hostel dorm €28–40, budget double €65–100

Entry costs: Eagle’s Nest bus + elevator €30, Dokumentation €5, Salt Mine €20

Day 9: Salzburg — Mozart & Sound of Music

A full day in Salzburg — and leave the car behind, the city is walkable. Start at the fortress Hohensalzburg — take the funicular up (€14 return for the combo ticket with the fortress interiors). The view over the old town from the fortress walls is one of the best in Europe. Walk down through the Altstadt to Getreidegasse, Mozart’s birthplace. Visit the Mozart Geburtshaus (€12) if the queues are short.

Afternoon: Explore the Mirabell Gardens (free, where the Sound of Music children danced around the Pegasus fountain). Walk across the footpath to the Schlosspark Hellbrunn for the trick fountains (€15, 1.5 hours) — a Renaissance summer palace with bizarre water features that spray unsuspecting guests. Evening: dinner at a traditional Salzburg restaurant — try Salzburger Nockerl (a fluffy soufflé dessert) and Stiegl beer, Austria’s oldest brewery (founded 1492).

Accommodation: Salzburg (second night)

Entry costs: Fortress Hohensalzburg €14, Mozart Geburtshaus €12, Hellbrunn Palace €15

Day 10: Return to Munich

Take the scenic 1.5-hour drive from Salzburg back to Munich (the A8 crosses the border pass with the Chiemsee lake visible on the right). If you have time, stop at the Herrenchiemsee Palace — Ludwig II’s copy of Versailles built on an island in the middle of the Chiemsee lake (ferry €12 return, palace tour €12, 3 hours total). It’s a fascinating counterpoint to Neuschwanstein — even more extravagant, even more absurd, and entirely unfinished.

If you need to return the car by midday, drive directly to Munich Airport (45 minutes from Salzburg) or the city centre rental return. If you have a late flight, spend your final hours at the Hofbräuhaus for one last Mass, or at the Alte Pinakothek art gallery (€8) for one of Europe’s finest collections of Old Masters.

Driving time: Salzburg to Munich 1.5 hours (direct autobahn)

Optional stop: Herrenchiemsee Palace — ferry €12, palace €12 (from Prien am Chiemsee)