Author Topic: Bavaria on a budget  (Read 1738 times)

Fig

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Bavaria on a budget
« on: May 23, 2018, 08:38:02 AM »
We're visiting a handful of the Bavarian castles in late September. We'll be flying into Munich - but mostly avoiding the city to avoid Oktoberfest crowds and possible price inflation - and travelling around by public transport.

We'll be there for about a week - still choosing locations but we'll be renting one or two apartments. Do you have any tips for our visit? We'll be doing the usual frugal things like packing picnics.

Any hints on travelling gluten-free in Germany would also be useful!
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 08:45:51 AM by Fig »

sfb

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Re: Bavaria on a budget
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2018, 11:12:32 AM »
I did this trip last September but stayed 10 days.  I went clockwise from the airport to Berchtesgaden first.  I really enjoyed Schwangau/Fussen and spent 3 nights there.  In addition to the castles, I took the train up Zugspitze.  I did not care for Baden-Baden or Trier.  My favorite castle was Burg Eltz west of Frankfort, but that may be too far for you.  I stayed in Regensburg the night before I had to fly out and it was an easy drive back to the airport.

The food choices seemed pretty limited-lots of traditional German and Italian restaurants.  Rewe is a more upscale grocery store than Lidl and Aldi.

jjcamembert

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Re: Bavaria on a budget
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2018, 01:20:02 PM »
My parents enjoyed staying in Reit im Winkl and I liked Berchtesgaden as well. You can get better deals in the small towns, but the further from cities you get the less English people speak (if that's a problem). Regensburg and Nuremburg should be easily accessible by train and have nice medieval architecture. I personally enjoy just being in the mountain towns to the south, you can't really go wrong. Tons of hiking, scenery, good food, etc. but less castles/churches.

Gluten free is doable if you eat meat, but it's not really a "thing" like in the US. Lots of meat and potatoes options, as well as salads. Something might come with spaetzle and you just don't eat it. Again knowing the language will help, e.g. schnitzel comes in a variety of forms some fried with bread crumbs (Wiener/paniert schnitzel), but some are just meat with a sauce (Jaegerschnitzel). Many sauces may contain flour as a thickener so beware if it's a big issue.
For cheap lunch delis are your best choice: just buy a thing of sausage and cheese. There's usually at least a meat place (Metzgerei) and cheese place (Kaeserei) in every town, then fruit/vegetables in the grocery store. I was happy subsisting on meat, cheese, bread, nutella, and beer but I think my wife got a little tired of the diet.

imolina

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Re: Bavaria on a budget
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2018, 10:16:03 PM »
We are also planning a trip of Germany next spring. I found that accommodation in Munich is very expensive, so we will stay there only 3 nights, and then another 3 nights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen where you can visit the castles, mountains, etc. You can find a lot of tips and info at tripadvisor.com


Hirondelle

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Re: Bavaria on a budget
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2018, 10:48:46 PM »
Regarding Transport Flixbus is your best friend. Very affordable bus options. Trains can have good deals too, but I've honestly never taken one for short distances, only the longer ones as in night trains.

Some of my favorite places in the area are actually just a little out of Bavaria (e.g. Heidelberg, which is close to Frankfurt).

Gluten free shouldn't be much of an issue. Everyone will understand "Glutenfrei". As mentioned before lots of dishes revolve around potatoes so you will have plenty of options especially for lunch/dinner. Breakfast might be a little more challenging as German breakfast is very bread-focussed, but you can just head to a supermarket for some yoghurt instead.

I just visited Bavaria last week and ended up in some May-version of the Oktoberfest and would totally recommend if you happen to run into an Oktoberfest in one of the smaller villages. Avoid the ones in big cities like Munich, but to me it was great to see it, especially as I didn't expect to run into it :)