Apart from being a wonderful city in itself, one of the things I liked most about Munich is that there are so many other incredible locations close by that make easy day trips if you want to get out of the city and explore the region a bit more.

Bavaria is a beautiful part of Germany – so beautiful it makes me wonder why it took me so long to visit! The south eastern part of the country is full of traditional pretty little towns, picturesque mountain landscapes, lush green countryside and magical castles. Every place we visited just made me fall in love with this part of the country more and more so here are some of the best day trips from Munich that will have you feeling like you stepped straight into the pages of a fairytale.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Germany is full of castles but you really cannot find one more magical than this. I mean King Ludwig II, who had the castle built, was even known as the Fairytale King! Neuschwanstein is the ultimate fairytale castle being the inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle.

There are actually two castles here both within the same town. Hohenschwangau Castle is a smaller yellow castle and is fascinating to see inside, but of course visiting THE Disney castle, Neuschwanstein was going to completely overshadow it and leave me completely and utterly spellbound, especially with its location perched high over the forests and its stunning mountain backdrop. It doesn’t look real in photos and even in real life it’s hard to believe that such a magical place really truly exists.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Being a bit of a longer drive away from Munich along the Romantic Road (yes, it’s really called that – do you really need any more persuasion to visit?), we decided to get the train to Rothenburg, as 2 and a half hours in the car with a baby is not anyone’s idea of fun. The distance also makes this the perfect place to spend a night or two so that you can really get a feel for the place and make the most of the incredibly pretty town once the flocks of day trippers have left.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is seriously the prettiest town I have ever seen. Every cobbled street is lined with the cutest houses with pointy roofs, with shutters and flowers bursting from each window, water fountains trinkling around every corner and adorably tiny cafes and trinket shops dotted around. Although the town is said to be the inspiration behind the village in Pinocchio, it also reminded me so much of the village that Belle lives in from Beauty and the Beast. It really was THAT pretty. So pretty that I must have taken at least 57,426 photos and even then I still didn’t want to leave!

Salzburg

Only a couple of hours from Munich being virtually on the border of Germany, I couldn’t resist a quick trip to Salzburg. It was mine and Evie’s first time visiting Austria and I fell in love with the small but wonderful city so much that I already want to go back to explore more.

It’s a beautiful city, easy to walk around, so much to do for young children, and the food (especially the cake!) is fantastic. There are lots of locations around Salzburg where The Sound of Music was filmed and even though I’ve never actually seen the movie (terrible I know) I can completely see the magic and beauty that would have appeared on screen.

Berchtesgaden

Another Sound of Music location, Berchtesgaden Land is just dreamy. Right on the border of Austria, an hour and a half from Munich and only 30 minutes from Salzburg, this national park can easily be visited as a day trip but I would recommend a longer stay to fully appreciate the beautiful area and to enjoy the serene and peaceful countryside.

Whether you take a boat ride across the twinkling Lake Konigssee, climb up to Eagle’s Nest which was once a hideout of Hitler’s, or simply wander around the pretty old town square, the beauty of Berchtesgaden is sure to wow anyone.

Have you done any other day trips from Munich? What places should I add to my list? Let me know in the comments below or at:

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