World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Munich  - Excursions
Excursions

For a Half Day

Dachau:
Just outside Munich (Alte Römerstrasse 75) and easily accessible by MVV transport (S-Bahn to Dachau; then bus 724 or 726 to Gedenkstätte), the former concentration camp at Dachau makes for an unmissable, if emotionally draining excursion. The Konzentrationslager-Gedenkstätte (Concentration Camp Memorial) (tel: (081) 31741; fax: (081) 312 235; open Tues-Sun 0900-1700; admission: free) consists of a central building housing a moving museum, a reconstructed barracks and the camp crematorium (including a gas chamber that was mercifully never used). Memorials to the victims can be found throughout the grounds. The entrance to the site is still guarded by the iron gates with their infamous message - Arbeit macht frei ('working makes one free'). There is documentary film shown September to May.

For a Whole Day

Schloss Neuschwanstein:
Variously known as the Swan King, the Mad King and the Dream King, Ludwig II (1845-86) is a legendary figure in Bavarian history. His extravagance and artistic imagination are exemplified in three elaborate castles: Schloss Herrenchiemsee (to the east of Munich), Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Neuschwanstein (both in the Alps to the southwest). The latter (tel: (083) 628 1035; fax: (083) 628 990; open daily April to September 0830-1730, October to March 1000-1600; cost: DM12) was the model for the castle at Disneyland, and fully lives up to its fairytale reputation with elaborate turrets and a stunning setting.

Oberammergau: Famous for its Passion Play, the small village of Oberammergau is an attractive destination for a day trip, offering an Alpine setting, rural charm, elaborately painted houses and a long tradition of woodcarving. The tradition of the play began in 1634 as a thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague and has since been performed every ten years. Further information is available from the Verkehrs- und Reisebüro Gemeinde Oberammergau OHG, Eugen-Papst-Strasse 9a (tel: (088) 229 2310; fax: (088) 2292 3190; e-mail: tourist-info@oberammergau.de; website: www.oberammergau.de).

Starnberger See: Munich's nearest lake is a popular place for the inhabitants of the city to escape to on weekends and to sunbathe on its shore. Many German TV stars and politicians own properties around this picturesque and quiet lake, which makes it a perfect location for celebrity spotting.



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