One day in Berchtesgaden

Day trips from Munich are perfect to explore the area of the Bavarian capital. Joining city life and the amazing Munich tourist attractions with some nature sure makes the trip even more unforgettable.

Traveling to Munich is our yearly thing, as we always pass the city, when exploring Germany. That is why, we have already stopped in several places, which are about an hour drive away, what makes them perfect as day trips from Munich.

Best day trips from Munich

Augsburg

One of my personal favorite day trips from Munich is Augsburg. I know the town well, as I spent one complete month there to learn German.

Augsburg is the third oldest town in Germany and was established by Romans. It is a town full of history, but for many, one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Augsburg is world’s oldest social housing complex – the Fuggerei. But there are other tourist attractions in Augsburg worth your attention too – make sure not to miss the Eiskanal, Riegele Brewery, the Zoo, Botanical garden.

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The town hall (Augsburg, Germany)

Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden is a small town near the German-Austrian border and one of the nicest day trips from Munich, if you enjoy charming towns, hiking, nature and history.

There are many things to do in Berchtesgaden, but the most famous and visited one is the Salt mine Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden, which has been a working mine for more than 500 years. A guided visit is a great family adventure, as there is no age restriction to take part. 

Another great thing to do in Berchtesgaden is taking the ride with a 70-year old gondola. You will also not be disappointed to visit the Eagles nest and Dokumentationszentrum, where you can learn more about the darker history of Germany – the Nazis era.

Not far from Berchtesgaden is also the Lake Königssee and Amlbachklamm gorge – perfect for all the outdor enthusiasts.

Germany, Salt mine  – Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden, theme park

Salt mine  – Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden (Theme parks, Germany)

Lake Chiemsee

If you enjoy lakes and amazing German history with castles, a day trip from Munich to Chiemsee will do the trick.

Just walking along the Chiemsee Lake paths is relaxing and perfect for families. But to tick of the best things to do at Chiemsee is taking the boat ride to the Fraueninsel (Women island) and/or Herreninsel (Men Island). The Herreninsel is the most visited and popular one, as one of the castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria can be visited there. If you notice the similarity with the Versailles castle, you are not mistaken. Fraueninsel is smaller than Herreninsel, but still a nice place to walk around and admiring the charming Benedectine convent.

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Lake Chiemsee

Erding

One of the popular day trips from Munich is also a visit to a small town, just outside Munich. Erding can easily be reached by S-Bahn and most people decide for a visit due to the Erdinger brewery, which is a really interesting and tasty thing to do. Stopping just for a guided tour around the Erdinger brewery is more of a half day trip from Munich, but if you join it with a walk around the town, lunch and fun at the water park Galaxy Erding and/or a visit to the Erding museum, you are good for one complete day.

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120.000 bottles can be filled each hour in the Erdinger brewery

Partnach gorge in Garmisch-Partenkircheim

If you are looking for outdoor day trips from Munich, you definitely should not miss a visit to the mountain town of Garmisch-Partenkircheim. The town is mostly known among winter sport enthusiasts, but we visited it for its stunning 702 meters long Partnach Gorge, which has been declared as a natural mounument since 1912. We have been there during the summer, but the Partnach Gorge is open all year round – it sure must be fascinating in winter months too, when the running water is replaced by ice. A walk along the gorge is really spectacular.

Partnach gorge, Partnachklamm, Partnach gorge Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Amazing Partnach Gorge (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany)

Legoland or Märchenwald Isartal

One of the best day trips from Munich with kids is a visit to Legoland. Seeing more than 56 million bricks in one place is already amazing, but when adding adventurous areas, you got yourself a perfect combination. Legoland and its attractions is more suitable for older kids – most attractions have limitations with kids size from 90 or even 120 centimeters. But luckily there’s also an area with Duplo bricks, where your toddlers can have some fun too.

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Legoland (Theme parks, Germany)

There are many theme parks in Bavaria, but one of them, which is perfect for younger kids and as a day trip from Munich, is the Märchenwald Isartal. Märchenwald Isartal is all about fairytales, but the fact, that it is set up in a forest, makes it a nice hide-away during the summer and sun. Eventhough the Märchenwald Isartal is mostly focused on younger kids, also a bit older kids, age beteen 7-9, will find something for themselves there to enjoy.

Lake Tegernsee

Lake Tegernsee is known as one of the most picturesque and cleanest lakes in Germany, so this is already a very inviting fact. But the Tegernsee area is perfect for so much more – with more than 300 km of well marked paths it is the perfect hiking paradise. In fact, this is actually the recreation center of SE Munich, as it is just around 50 kilometers from the Bavarian capital and has hourly train connections too. Lake Tegernsee is a popular destination all year long and if you are already visiting Munich, make sure to stop at the lake too.

Lake Tegernsee, Germany, Bavaria

Lake Tegernsee, Germany

If you don’t mind a bit longer drive (around 2 hours by car), there are several good options for day trips from Munich too – amazing Bavarian Forest, Nuremberg with its many things to do and Lindau along the Bodensee, to just name a few.

There are a lot more day trips from Munich, you can do, but we listed just the ones we have done so far. But as soon as there is a new destination ticked off, we will add it to the list for sure. Check this blog post about day trips from Munich once in a while, to get few more ideas.