In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Dachau is the nearest: 11 to 13 minutes by regional train, then a bus, and entry is free. Nuremberg is 1 hour 41 minutes by ICE, Salzburg 1 hour 55 minutes by the regional RE5 and Regensburg 1 hour 23 minutes by direct regional train. Neuschwanstein is 2 hours 18 minutes with a change, and the castle is seen only on a timed ticket. Rothenburg and Berchtesgaden are long days: about 3 hours each way. The Bayern-Ticket (€34 for one, €44 for two) covers regional trains from 9:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. In November 2026 the Eagle’s Nest closes after the 8th and the Zugspitze is shut for three weeks from the 9th. Or book a tour: Neuschwanstein by train and busad is from €71, the Salzburg day tripad from €79 and the Rothenburg and Romantic Road tourad from €82 (GetYourGuide). The Rothenburg tour replaces six hours of trains.
The day trips compared
Train times are for the timetable valid to 12 December 2026; it changes on 13 December. Fares are the Bayern-Ticket (€34 for one person, €44 for two, €54 for three, €64 for four, €74 for five, second class) plus the entry prices set by each operator. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
| Trip | Getting there on your own | Cost on your own, one adult | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neuschwanstein | Change at Buchloe, then bus 73 or 78: 2 hours 18 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes plus 8 to 10 minutes | €34 plus the €21 ticket and €2.50 booking fee: €57.50 | €71 | A timed ticket is needed; same-day tickets sell out by late morning |
| Salzburg | RE5 from Hauptbahnhof, 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 8 minutes, hourly | €34, plus the fortress €15.50 and Mozart’s Birthplace €18: €67.50 | €79 | Passport needed; the RE5 is covered by the Bayern-Ticket |
| Dachau | RB16 or RE1 to Dachau, 11 to 13 minutes, then bus 726 | MVV day ticket for zones M to 1: €11.70 | €41 | Entry is free; a memorial site |
| Nuremberg | ICE, 1 hour 41 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes, or RE1, 1 hour 51 minutes | €34 on the RE1, plus the sights | €79 | The Memorium is closed on Tuesdays |
| The Zugspitze | RB6 to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1 hour 23 minutes, then the cogwheel train, 75 minutes | €34 plus the round trip at €70.50 to €78: €104.50 to €112 | €125 | Closed 9 to 13, 16 to 20 and 23 to 26 November 2026 |
| Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest | RE5 to Freilassing, then the S4: about 2 hours 50 minutes | €34, the Eagle’s Nest €34.70 and the Königssee boat €23.40: €92.10 | €68 | The Eagle’s Nest is open to 8 November 2026 |
| Herrenchiemsee | RE5 to Prien, 1 hour 2 minutes to 1 hour 9 minutes, then a boat | €34, the palace €14 and the boat €11.50: €59.50 | €59 | Winter hours from 25 October |
| Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Two or three changes, about 3 hours | €34 | €82 | About 6 hours on the train for the round trip |
| Regensburg | RE25 direct, 1 hour 23 minutes to 1 hour 27 minutes, hourly | €34 | None | The RE2 is the alternative, 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Linderhof | Train to Oberau and two buses: 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes | €34 plus the palace at €11: €45 | €76, with Neuschwanstein | The Moorish Kiosk is under scaffolding |
When a tour is worth it
A tour earns its price where the train is slow or the day is a fixed plan.
- Rothenburg. The train is six hours for the round trip. The Rothenburg and Romantic Road day trip by busad (from €82, 10.5 hours, 4.5 stars from 2,560 reviews) is the sensible way to go, and a night in the town is the better one.
- Neuschwanstein. On your own it costs €57.50, against a tour from €71. The difference pays for someone else to handle the connections. Neuschwanstein and Linderhofad is from €76 (17,080 reviews).
- The Zugspitze. A tour from €125 costs €13 to €20 more than the train and the lift on your own, and takes away the planning. The van tour with Garmischad is 9 hours.
- Berchtesgaden. Nearly six hours of trains for the round trip. The Berchtesgaden foothills and Obersalzberg tourad is from €68 for 10 hours.
- Salzburg. The day trip by train with a guidead is from €79, against €34 for the train ticket alone. The Salzburg, St Wolfgang and Salzkammergut coach tourad is from €74 for 11 hours and is the only way to see St Wolfgang and the lakes in a day.
Not worth a tour: Regensburg, which has none from Munich, and Dachau, where the memorial is free and the train takes 11 minutes. The tours there buy a guide and the transfer; the Dachau page says what to ask.
The trips with their own guides
Neuschwanstein
Timed ticket €21 plus €2.50 online · 2 hours 18 minutes by train and bus · tour from €71
Ludwig II’s castle above Hohenschwangau, seen only on a guided tour of about 30 minutes at a fixed time. Online tickets are sold in the operator’s shop, and the same-day tickets at Hohenschwangau, which “most days” sell out by late morning. The Neuschwanstein guide has both ticket routes, the shuttle bus and the walk down, and Linderhof.
Salzburg
RE5 1 hour 55 minutes · Bayern-Ticket €34 · tour from €79
Hourly from Hauptbahnhof at :43, :47 or :49, and back from Salzburg Hbf at :05 or :07 past the hour, the last at 20:07. Germany checks its land border with Austria until 15 March 2027. The Salzburg guide has the fortress and Mozart’s Birthplace prices. Berchtesgaden is nearer from Salzburg, under an hour by bus: Eagle’s Nest from Salzburg.
The Zugspitze
Round trip €70.50 to €78 · closed 9 to 26 November 2026 · tour from €125
Germany’s highest mountain by cogwheel train and cable car. The Zugspitze guide has the winter prices and the closed days.
Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest
Eagle’s Nest €34.70 · open to 8 November 2026 · about 2 hours 50 minutes each way
The Kehlsteinhaus is reached by a special bus and a lift and closes for the winter. The Berchtesgaden guide has the bus, the Königssee boat and the Dokumentation Obersalzberg.
Nuremberg
ICE 1 hour 41 minutes · RE1 on the Bayern-Ticket 1 hour 51 minutes · tour from €79
The Imperial Castle, the Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the Nuremberg trials courtroom. The Nuremberg guide has the opening days and the Christkindlesmarkt from 27 November.
Dachau
Entry free · RB16 or RE1 11 to 13 minutes, then bus 726 · tour from €41
The memorial at the site of the Dachau concentration camp. The Dachau Memorial Site guide has the English tour times, the way there and the tours from Munich.
Other trips
Herrenchiemsee and the Chiemsee
Palace €14 · boat €11.50 return · RE5 to Prien 1 hour 2 minutes to 1 hour 9 minutes · tour €59
King Ludwig II’s unfinished copy of Versailles stands on an island in Bavaria’s largest lake. The ticket “Herrenchiemsee Island” (€14, €13 reduced) covers the New Palace on a guided tour of about 40 minutes, the King Ludwig II Museum and the Augustinian Monastery museum, and children under 18 are free. The boat from Prien/Stock to Herreninsel is not included: €11.50 return on the 2026 price list and €12.20 on the 2027 one. From 21 September 2026 to 14 May 2027 boats leave Prien/Stock at 8:00 and on the hour to 17:00, then 18:30, and return from the island at :15 past the hour from 9:15 to 17:15, and at 18:15. The palace is open 9:00 to 18:00 until 24 October and 10:00 to 16:45 from 25 October to March, and closed on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday (9 February 2027), 24, 25 and 31 December. The fountains run only from early May to 3 October.
The New Palace on Herrenchiemsee, seen across the fountain pool. Photo: Guido Radig, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
The steam train from Prien station to the harbour runs from mid-May to mid-September (chiemsee-schifffahrt.de). Outside those months the harbour is about 30 minutes’ walk from the station. The Herrenchiemsee day trip from Munichad is from €59 for 9.5 hours (4.9 stars from 150 reviews), the same as the total on your own.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
About 3 hours each way · Bayern-Ticket €34 · tour from €82
A walled medieval town on the Romantic Road. There is no direct train. One route is the ICE at 08:53 to Augsburg, the RE80 to Steinach (bei Rothenburg) and the RB82 to Rothenburg, arriving at 11:51; the RB82 takes 15 minutes and runs hourly. Trains back leave Rothenburg at :05 past the hour, and the 14:05 reaches Hauptbahnhof at 17:04 and the 18:05 at 21:07. The round trip is about 6 hours on the train, and the ICE is outside the Bayern-Ticket. The tourist office names the Holy Blood Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider in St Jakob’s church as one of the town’s top sights (rothenburg-tourismus.de).
The Plönlein in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, with the Siebers Tower behind. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Rothenburg and Romantic Road day trip by busad is 10.5 hours from €82 and stops at Harburg Castle, the listing says. For most readers it is the tour or a night in the town.
Regensburg
RE25 direct, 1 hour 23 minutes to 1 hour 27 minutes · Bayern-Ticket €34 · no tour from Munich
The Danube city. The RE25 leaves Hauptbahnhof at :44 past the hour and returns from Regensburg at :51; the RE2 leaves at :40 and takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 32 minutes. Both are regional trains on the Bayern-Ticket from 9:00 on weekdays. Regensburg Tourismus calls the cathedral the only Gothic cathedral in Bavaria. It runs guided tours of the cathedral from Monday to Friday at 12:30 and of the cathedral and cloister every day at 14:30, both from the Infozentrum at Domplatz 5, and the Tourist Information at Rathausplatz 4 is open Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 18:00 and Sundays and holidays 9:30 to 16:00 (tourismus.regensburg.de). The Walhalla memorial at Donaustauf, near the city, is one of the sights on the €40 Bavarian palaces ticket described on the Residenz page.
Regensburg’s Stone Bridge and cathedral from the Danube. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Lake Starnberg
S6 to Starnberg · steamers finished for 2026
The lake steamers finished their 2026 season in October. The S6 is cut between Pasing and Gauting with replacement buses from 23 October to 23 November, and the Werdenfelsbahn from Garmisch turns round at Starnberg from 23 October to 9 November, so the trip takes about 1 hour 10 minutes with bus changes on those dates. The Chiemsee boats to Herreninsel run through the winter.
Before you choose a day
| Where | Limited or closed |
|---|---|
| Trains | The timetable changes on 13 December 2026. From 23 October to 9 November the Werdenfelsbahn to Garmisch turns round at Starnberg, with buses to Hauptbahnhof; on 3 to 6 November only the S3, S5 and S8 run through the centre; on the weekends of 13 to 16 November, 27 to 30 November and 4 to 7 December fewer S-Bahn lines run through it |
| Bayern-Ticket | Valid on weekdays from 9:00, and all day at weekends and on public holidays. Not valid on ICE, IC or Railjet trains |
| Border | Germany has controls on its land borders from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027, including the Austrian one, so carry a passport or national ID card to Salzburg |
| Neuschwanstein | Open 10:00 to 16:00 until 27 March 2027. Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. The Museum of the Bavarian Kings is closed 9 to 11 November, and the main road through Schwangau is closed until about mid-December |
| The Zugspitze | Closed 9 to 13, 16 to 20 and 23 to 26 November 2026 |
| The Eagle’s Nest | Open to 8 November 2026, then closed until about mid-May 2027 |
| Herrenchiemsee | Winter hours from 25 October; the steam train to the harbour runs from mid-May to mid-September |
| Salzburg | Funicular maintenance at the fortress from 9 to 13 November 2026 closes its museums |
| Nuremberg | The Documentation Center is closed on 3 and 4 November 2026 and the Memorium on Tuesdays |
| Dachau | Closed on 24 December. The S2 beyond Dachau is replaced by buses from 1 to 9 November and 23 to 28 November, which does not affect the trip from Munich |
| Lake Starnberg | The steamers finished for 2026; the S6 is cut from 23 October to 23 November |
Munich airport to the city and Munich public transport cover the first and last day, and the MVV day ticket applies only to Dachau and Lake Starnberg: the other trips use the Bayern-Ticket or a ticket from DB. What to book before you go to Munich has the city tickets and the entry rules, 3 days in Munich shows where a day trip fits between them, and where to stay in Munich compares the areas. For other cities, see day trips from Vienna and from Berlin, and Salzburg from Vienna if you are travelling on.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way to do a day trip from Munich?
The Bayern-Ticket: €34 for one person and €44 for two, up to €74 for five. It covers regional trains and most local buses in Bavaria, from 9:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends, and reaches Salzburg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Prien for the Chiemsee and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is not valid on ICE, IC or Railjet trains, or on the Neuschwanstein shuttle bus.
Is there a direct train from Munich to Neuschwanstein?
No. Trains run hourly to Füssen in 2 hours 18 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes with one change, usually at Buchloe, and bus 73 or 78 takes 8 to 10 minutes to the castle village. The castle is seen only on a timed tour, so book the ticket before the train.
Which Munich day trips are better as a tour?
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is about 3 hours each way by train with two or three changes, and Berchtesgaden with the Eagle's Nest, a long day that is mostly the train. For Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, Nuremberg and the Zugspitze a tour costs about the same as the train and tickets, or a little more, and fixes the day.
What is closed on the Munich day trips in November 2026?
The Eagle's Nest closes after 8 November 2026 until about mid-May 2027, and the Zugspitze is shut 9 to 13, 16 to 20 and 23 to 26 November. The Neuschwanstein road through Schwangau is closed until about mid-December. The lake steamers on the Starnberger See have finished for 2026.
Do I need a passport for a day trip from Munich?
For Salzburg, yes. Germany has border controls on all its land borders from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027, and the train to Salzburg crosses one. Carry a passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU citizen. The other trips stay inside Germany.
