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Day 1: Munich- the Bavarian capital.
Accommodation: 5 Star The Charles Hotel, Munich.
Check in to the 5 Star Charles Hotel in the heart of Munich’s historic centre. Spend your day indulging in the hotel’s opulent facilities or explore some of the city centre’s highlights, with the New Town Hall at Marienplatz, the cultural district of Maxvorstadt, historic Haufbrauhaus Beerhall, and famed pedestrian shopping street of Kaufingerstrasse all within walking distance of the hotel. A quick metro ride to attractions such as BMW’s headquarters and museum at Olympiapark or the spectacular Nymphenburg Palace.
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Day 2: Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle (Schwangau) via via MIttenwald.
Accommodation: 4 Star Ameron Alpsee Hotel, Schwangau.
Your car will be delivered to the hotel in the morning and one of our team members will provide you with a vehicle familiarisation overview and route briefing. Once they hand over the keys, your adventure begins!
Heading south along the autobahn, you’ll have an opportunity to explore the performance limits of your car. Soon you’ll turn off the autobahn and drive along the shores of some of Bavaria’s most popular lakes before lunching in the classic Bavarian town of Mittenwald.
In the afternoon you’ll experience more of the forest, lakes and peaks of southern Bavaria before your last stop in Fussen, the picturesque intersection of the German Alpine Road and the equally famous Romantic Road. The day culminates with an overnight stay at the Ameron Hotel, located on shores of Alpsee, alongside the Neuschwanstein Castle tour departure area.
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Day 3: Neuschwanstein Castle to Tegernsee, via Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Accommodation: 5 Star Das Tegernsee Hotel, Tegernsee.
After breakfast, you’ll likely want to take advantage of your location and take a tour of the inner rooms of Neuschwanstein. Once back in the car, you’ll cross the border into Austria to drive one of our favourite, little known regional backroads before rejoining the Alpine Road and making your way to turquoise waters of Eibsee, alongside Germany’s highest peak, Zugspitze.
After lunching amongst the traditionally frescoed buildings of nearby Garmisch-Partinkirchen, the route winds along the scenic Isar River with its rocky shoreline and nearby gorges before making its way cross country to Bavaria’s most popular resort lake, Tegernsee. Your hotel for the night is perched above the lake, looking out across the water to the nearby Wallberg and Mangfall Alps.
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Day 4: Tegernsee to Berchtesgaden via Königssee.
Accommodation: 5 Star Kempinski Berchtesgaden Hotel, Berchtesgaden.
After rising to a breakfast overlooking Tegernsee, today’s tour covers what we consider to be the most scenic section of the German Alpine Road. Having said this, after a quick morning break at a local waterfall, we once again do a quick ‘cheat’ and duck across the border into Austria for a lakeside lunch.
Once lunch is done, you’ll quickly rejoin the Alpine Road and motor through a series of traditional Bavarian towns before arriving at the thermal town of Bad Reichenhall. After a visit to the town’s signature, century old confectioner and café, you’ll take the less travelled, scenic road on to what is generally considered Germany’s most stunning lake, Königssee.
Following Königssee, we move on to the old town centre of Berchtesgaden. This small cobblestoned area is considered to be the quintessential German Alpine town, with its frescoed buildings, centrepiece castle, traditional beer gardens all guarded over by the surrounding peaks of The Alps.
For those interested in taking the bus and elevator ride to the historic Eagles Nest, the departure point is a short drive from the town centre and only a few minutes from your hotel for the night, The Kempinski Berchtesgaden. This luxurious spa hotel is set in the mountains above the town, with rooms gazing out directly over the Berchtesgaden Alps.
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Day 5: Berchtesgaden to Salzburg (Optional Hallstatt loop)
Accommodation: 5 Star Sacher Salzburg Hotel, Salzburg.
The first section of today’s tour is the scenic Rossfeld Panoramastrasse toll road. This scenic route is a well-maintained, purpose-built tourist loop, with plenty of sidings and carparks available to pullover and enjoy the expansive views of SalzburgerLand and BerchtesgadenLand.
For those wanting to get to the city of Salzburg as quickly as possible, our direct route will take you less than an hour from Rossfeld, with a couple of interesting optional stops available along the way. For those wanting to explore a bit more of the Austrian Alps before settling into Salzburg, read on.
Our optional Salzkammergut loop crosses into Austria from Rossfeld with the first stop being a traditional, Austrian lunch on a relaxed outdoor terrace overlooking one of the finest vistas in the region. From here you’ll make your way to the UNESCO World Heritage listed village of Hallstatt. This tiny town nestled on a strip of land between an alpine lake and the surrounding mountains has plenty of attractions, including the Charnel House with it’s 600+ painted human skulls, as well as the Salt World museum and panoramic view platform above the town.
The last stop on the way into Salzburg will be in the pretty alpine town of St Gilgen, on the shores of Wolfgangsee. This is a lovely little town to stroll around and once done, you can stroll along the short lakeside promenade or choose one of the lakeside bars or gelateria to have a well earned afternoon treat.
A short 30 minute drive west will see you at the doorstep of the Sacher Hotel in the heart of Salzburg. Throw the valet your keys and get ready for an evening exploring one of Europe’s cultural icons. A quick stroll across the Stats bridge alongside the hotel will see you in the pedestrian only old town with access to its myriad attractions, from the Mozart museum in the composers birthplace, to the Dom Quartier, Mirabell Palace and imposing Hohensalburg Fortress. There’s actually so much on offer in Salzburg, if your calendar allows it, we recommend considering an extra night in the city to enable you to enjoy as much of it as possible.
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Day 6: Salzburg to Munich, via Burghausen.
Accommodation: 5 Star The Charles Hotel, Munich.
About 10 minutes drive from the Sacher at Salzburg airport is Red Bull Hanger 7. This monument to Red Bull’s endeavours and achievements in all forms of motor sport and aviation is not just for the hardcore fans. It’s a unique well-executed space with several well-regarded gastro options, including a Michelin Starred fine-dining restaurant that’s open for lunch on weekends (and dinners all week).
After a morning wander around Salzburg, the route quickly crosses back into Germany and onto the town of Burghausen. The quaint old town is looked over by it’s namesake castle, which at over 1 kilometre, is the longest castle complex in the world. You can take your time wandering the grounds and enjoying the various viewing points before lunching on the terrace of the castle’s restaurant.
The final run back into Munich has been specifically chosen to allow to enjoy the performance of your car one last time. Roadworks or unusual traffic aside, this stretch of autobahn is usually relatively lightly used so makes for a ‘relaxing’ way to make your return to München.
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Day 7: Munich
In the morning, we will pick-up your vehicle from The Charles and the day is yours to spend exploring Munich. If you’d like to continue your experience before returning to Munich or beyond the Bavarian capital, please contact us to customise the perfect add-on.
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& more
If you’d like to extend your European motoring adventure or add-on other locales or experiences, talk to us about customising the above itinerary to suit you.
