Adventure is Out There: Bavaria on a (mid-range) budget

This past May, my family went on our dream vacation to celebrate my sister graduating from college and getting a job as a high school math teacher! Since we rented a large van for the duration of the trip, it ended up being more expensive than my usual budget vacations, but it was worth the splurge if you can swing it.

Trip details, briefly: 6 people total, stayed in a hotel in the countryside near Munich and got around via a 9 passenger van. The weather in May was lovely, though unpredictable (most days had rain in the forecast, but it only rained half of the days). Also note that many things are closed on Sundays in Germany.

How to get there:

We flew from SFO to Munich (layover in Atlanta) and met my family in the airport, where we picked up our rental car. From there, it was easy to drive to our hotel.

Where to stay:

I highly recommend Schweiger's Landgasthof if you have a rental car. It's a quaint hotel tucked into the countryside outside of Munich--impossible to reach if you don't have a car. The restaurant associated with the hotel is outstanding, and the prices aren't too far out of budget (€15-20). Breakfast is included, and they even packed us a breakfast on our departure day, since we were leaving before breakfast started!

What to do:

Here are the day trips that we did:

Koenigsee and the southeast corner of Germany - Koenigsee is Germany's highest alpine lake, and it is stunning! We were lucky enough to have good weather when we saw it. There are options for boat tours, but we opted to do a short 1.5 mile hike around part of the edge (follow signs to Malerwinkelweg). Drive through Berchtesgaden National Park. Stop in Prien am Chiemsee, a charming lakeside town. From here, take a boat to the island of Herreninsel to see the palace Herrenchiemsee (we didn't go inside).
Munich - We drove to Erding, parked, and took the S-bahn into the city. Get the group ticket if you have 2 or more people. Things to see in Munich:

Marienplatz, Neues Rathaus, and Glockenspiel (check the times for the clock shows)
St. Peter's church, Viktualienmarkt (great place for lunch), Hofbrauhaus beer hall
Residenz
Deutsches Museum - a really fantastic science museum; set a time limit otherwise you can easily spend all day here
Neue Pinakothek - highly recommend! Only €2, and it's worth it just to see one of Van Gogh's Sunflowers :)
Dachau - concentration camp outside Munich that can be reached on the S-bahn if you don't have a car. Allow at least a half day.

Northwest on the Romantic Road -

Augsburg
Donauworth
Harburg - stop to see Schloss Harburg and short hike to the Altstadt (Old Town)
Nordlingen
Dinkelsbuhl
Rothenburg ob der Tauber - park outside the town walls. Highly recommend the restaurant and biergarten Zum Schwan. The medieval torture museum is a quirky, educational stop. The town's signature dessert - schneeballen - aren't all they're cracked up to be, but it's a fun snack.

Southwest to the southern part of the Romantic Road and western German Alpine Road -

Bad Tolz
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Zugspitze - we didn't stop because of bad weather
Schloss Linderhof - King Ludwig II's smallest castle. We didn't go inside, but was worth it to see the outside
Neuschwanstein Castle - must see! Even if you don't have a rental car, try to find a way to get here. This stunning castle is worth the distance.

Salzburg - Note that to drive on the highway in Austria, you need to purchase a vignette to put on your windshield before you cross the border.

Park near Schloss Mirabell and walk through Mirabellgarten
Walk by the Dom and peek inside
Hike up the hill towards Festung Hohensalzburg (castle) for a great view of the city
Walk through Mozartplatz to Nonnberg Abbey (from the Sound of Music)
Stiegls Brauwelt (brewery)
Restaurant for dinner - Gasthaus Reiterhof - a short drive from town. Highly recommend!!

The Glass Road -

Drive through Regan to Glaserne Wald - large glass tree sculptures by Weissenstein Castle
Zweisel
Frauenau - stop at Glasmuseum
Neuschonau in the Bavarian Forest National Park - lots of beautiful places to stop along the way for photo ops. Restaurant: Landgasthof Euler - delicious!!

Lindau + excursion into Switzerland and Austria - Lindau is a beautiful little town on the shore of Bodensee (aka Lake Constance).

Walk around Altstadt and have a Bavarian breakfast (bier, weisswurst, + pretzel) on the lakeshore
Drive through Austria into Switzerland. Note that Switzerland also requires a vignette for driving on the highways, though it is €30. We opted to stay off the highway, so we didn't have to buy the vignette. Stop in St. Gallan and walk around - beautiful churches and monasteries.
Stop in Bregenz, Austria for dinner at Kloster Keller, a delicious restaurant in the wine cellar of an old monastery