Munich Hotel advice for Steamboats and everyone

[jayl65]

Hi , I will be traveling to Munich for a Peter Deilmann cruise on the Mozart for the Music cruise starting 10/07/07-10/14/07. We will be arriveing in Munich the week before on Sept 30. I failed to realise this was during the time of Octoberfest. Although this is a very exciting addition to our trip to Germany and a welcome one. I am finding hotel rooms a problem. I would like to find a twin or double room for 2 people for around $150.00 usd. It seems that everything I'm finding online is over $200.00 and up. I know it is a peak tourist season, but there has to be a nice safe hotel that is more reasonable. I will be in Munich for 3 nights before heading out to Rothenburng and the countryside. Please any advice would be helpful. In my naivety, I thought I was planning early. Now I find this might not be the case. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks very much. Jamie

[steamboats]

Hi Jamie,

 

Unfortunately I can´t be much of a help regarding this question. Prices are definitely skyrocketing during Oktoberfest time and a lot of hotels are booked a year in advance.

 

Maybe check with

 

http://www.muenchen.de/Tourismus/6942/index.html

 

and their booking machine.

 

Ibis Hotel is a more low budget hotel chain in Europe (rooms are small but clean and o.k., breakfast buffet is available for extra costs). They usually start with 69 EUR per night. I´ve checked the one close to the Central Station and it is 132 EUR during Oktoberfest (http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/index.html).

 

If you don´t concentrate on downtown hotels it might be easier to find something. Munich has a very good public transportation system. You only have to make sure your hotel is close to a suburban train (S-Bahn) or subway (U-Bahn). You might also try towns like Unterfoehring, Ismaning or Freising (Freising is close to the airport). Then check the address of your hotel with http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/index.html for public transport to downtown. Don´t take any hotel close to the trade fair center. Most of them are far away and with no connection to the public transportation.

 

A lot of TAs and Tour operators do have holds on rooms.

 

steamboats

[jayl65]

Thanks Steamboats.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me. I took the Deilmann cruise because it was the first one in the value season and did'nt even think of trying to book rooms in Munich or Octoberfest being that time. I will check the hotel you suggested and I have emails out to several that I have not heard back from yet.

Jamie

[joek]

You might try http://www.venere.com. I've had good luck there. They usually have maps showing the hotel location and bus and subway stops.

[jayl65]

Thanks everyone. I booked the last room at Hotel Munchner Kindl today. Tripadvisor gave it good reviews and it is very centrally located. Only disadvantage is that it is on the third floor with no elevator. Guess I can't get to drunk before heading back for the night. Also, Renate who runs the place was very helpful and quick with her responses. Just glad I started as early as I did. Otherwise, I don't know what I would have done.

Jamie

[steamboats]

Jamie,

 

Great location! It´s about a block away from the pedestrian zone (which is the center of the downtown area and main shopping area). Here´s a link to google maps

 

http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&hl=de&q=Damenstiftstra%C3%9Fe+16,+M%C3%BCnchen&sll=50.092393,10.195313&sspn=24.373247,63.896484&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=48.13754,11.568518&spn=0.012344,0.043001&*****=1

 

We flew to the US on Sep 30th this year and Munich airport was a mess. Our flight to Philadelphia was totally overbooked and they were looking for volunteers offering a free roundtrip at check-in already! I never saw such long queues on our airport. Obviously US Airways didn´t realize that this was the last Oktoberfest weekend and that everyone who has booked also shows up and wants to fly.

 

For a first impression I can highly recommend a one hour bus sightseeing tour with

 

http://www.stadtrundfahrten-muenchen.de/eng/index.html (Grayline)

 

The tour is called Munich City Highlights and it´s live narrated in German and English (I did it myself this May with friends from the US). They also offer day trips to Neuschwanstein castle and other places.

 

steamboats

[LuAnn]

Please accept another thank you for your wonderful help with us in Munich during our cruise! We had such a wonderful day with you..and your kindness and information was terrific!...the rest of the trip was great ...will write more latter re the Christmas cruise..just trying to adjust back to So Cal time!!!! LuAnn & Kenneth

[patkat]

I live in Munich, but I am American, so if you have any questions, I would be happy to help. I love showing off this great city I have the fortune to live in as an expat. I don't know the hotel, but the location does seem very good - you are on the right side of the ring (i.e. away from the Hauptbahnhof-which can get a bit seedy at night). But, the downtown area is very nice with plenty of good bars and restaurants. You are very close to the City Museum and the new Jewish museum which might be open by Fall 2007. By the way, I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building with no elevator and have survived two Oktoberfests so far! ;)

Kathy

[jayl65]

Thanks Kathy and Steamboats for your help and advise. I almost have everything booked for the trip. Looking at airline tickets now and still have to reserve a car. After that , Its almost done. Ceck out my plans so far and tell me what you think.

• Arrive in Munich on Sunday September 30 in the morning. Staying at Hotel Munchner Kindl www.hotel-muenchner-kindl.de Tour the city and go to Octoberfest. My sister wants to get Birkenstocks somwhere. We will have 3 days in Munich.
  
• Wednesday, October 3rd. Check out and get rental car and drive to Hohenschwangau and Hotel Alpenstuben. We will stay here on the 3rd and 4th www.romanticroad.com/alpenstuben/default.htm Tour Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Checkout Fussen. We will have apx 1 1/2 days here. Cecking out on the 4th.
  
• Head out from Hohenschwangau on the Romantic Road to Rothenburg. Check in at www.gaestehaus-viktoria-rothenburg.de 5th and 6th. We will have apx 1 1/2 days here in Rothenburg. I think we might stop at some of the other towns along the way.
  
• Sunday, October 7th - Rise early and drive to Passau to board Peter Deilmans Mozart.
  
• 7 day Cruise on the Danube. Return to Passau and take train to Munich for a flight out on Monday, October 15th back to the US.

There is part of me that want to head over to the Rhine and take a 1/2 day cruise through the Castle Gorge area. But I think we might be rushing things to much. Any advise on this and where we might shop for the shoes and I have been told I have to bring back the stereotype gifts. A beer stein and a cockoo clock. I don't know if any of these things are less exspensive in Germany, but it seems you just have to do it. Thanks again for you help. Jamie

[patkat]

Hi Jamie,

 

For now (there has been some political talk about changing this), there is no shopping in Bavaria on Sundays or holidays. So, plan your shopping for Mon and Tues as October 3rd is also a German holiday. Touring the castles on Oct 3 is probably a good idea - on most holidays (just doublecheck their website), museums/tourist sites are open as are restaurants and souvenir shops in the vicinity. You can definitely find your beer stein and cuckoo clock in Füssen or in Munich. Some other nice souvenirs are Christmas decorations (if you celebrate Xmas) - and in Rothenburg, you can go to the Kathe Wolfahrt (sp?) shop which has every Xmas decoration you ever needed.

 

For most of your Munich shopping, you want to look along a street called "Kaufingerstrasse". It basically connects the Marienplatz (where the Rathaus and Glockenspiel is) and Karlsplatz and is several blocks of smaller stores and department stores. I am sure you can find Birkies somewhere along there - Deichmann is one shoe store, but I don't know if they carry Birkenstocks. That's also where you can find your stein and clock - steins are also available at Oktoberfest, of course.

 

I would recommend going to Oktoberfest later on Sunday (after 4pm) or on Monday as you normally have to be there by 10am on Sun to get a seat in a tent. And you have to have a seat to order a beer. By Sun evening, a lot of people have cleared out and during the weekdays (especially during the working hours), it is usually pretty easy to get a seat. There are about a dozen+ tents to choose from, so let me know if you need advice about which one(s) to go into.

 

I would be happy to show you around Munich (assuming I am in town then), or help you with any other planning you need.

 

Oh, and Passau is a cute town - if you can walk around there for at least a few hours before your cruise, I would.

 

Kathy

[steamboats]

Hi Jamie,

 

First of all: Forget about the Rhine river! Your schedule is already quite tight. Plan several hours of driving from Neuschwanstein/Fuessen to Rothenburg as you´re not on the Autobahn and have to go through all the nice little towns.

 

Oktoberfest: This year the Oktoberfest is Sep 22nd - Oct 7th. I wouldn´t advice you to visit the Oktoberfest on a weekend or on Oct 3rd (which is the German "July 4th") in the evening. Go there at lunchtime when it´s much easier to get a table. If the weather is nice and sunny I prefer the beergardens (most of the tents do have outside tables). Most of the tents do have special lunch menues (mainly valid Mon-Fri) which are much cheaper (not the beer, only the food). I´m working close to the Oktoberfest grounds and those are the worst two weeks of the year!

 

Kathy is referring to the pedestrian zone between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz (which is also called Stachus). Kaufinger/Neuhauserstrasse are the main shopping areas. You will find two major department stores there, Kaufhof and Karstadt. Kaufhof is located at Marienplatz and Karlsplatz. Karstadt has three stores close to Karlsplatz (different deparments in all three stores). There´s a shop on the right side (direction Marienplatz to Karlsplatz) selling beer steins and clocks only. Sometimes you can also get a good deal at the department stores. Another big one (Hertie) is located between Karlsplatz and the central station. You will also find Birkies at the department stores (and there are some tourist traps next to the central station). Deichmann does only have its own brands.

 

Kathy, forget about shopping on Sundays in Bavaria!! This will never happed I fear. The Bavarian parliament (or lets say the leading party) discussed a 24 hour opening but except Sundays and holidays. Unfortunately they weren´t able to find a solution and stopped all.

 

Lines at Neuschwanstein can be quite long. Be there in time!

 

Reserving a rental car make sure you get an automatic gear!

 

As for Passau: There´s a new port facility in Passau which is about 6km out of town. This part of Passau is called Lindau (not the one at Lake Constance). Check your docs carefully where the MS Mozart will depart. You definitely will need a car (cab) to get to Lindau. I heard that those ships starting/ending in Passau are redirected to Lindau. Those ships which only make a shore stop are still stopping downtown. I haven´t heard anything recently about the MS Mozart. We still docked downtown last April.

 

steamboats

[jayl65]

Thanks for the advice. I'm geting more excited by the moment. I finaly purchased airline tickets last night. I had checked before the new year and I have to say it is getting more difficult to fine flights this time of the year. The prices are going up all of the time and I found that many of the orriginal flights I had checked into had been sold out already. So anyone looking to head to Munich for Octoberfest beware. Book your airfare now!

Jamie

[skandls]

DH and I are planning to be in Munich after Oktoberfest. We are flying into Berlin on a Thursday and staying there over the weekend (the last one for Oktoberfest). We then want to take the train (maybe on Wednesday) to Munich - to take delivery of a new BMW....:D Staying in Munich until the following Tuesday.

 

Any suggestions as to hotels, restaurants and transportation between the two cities would be appreciated.

 

We thought about going for Oktoberfest - but 100,000 party people drinking beer was a little too much for me. I don't even like crowds at Disneyland.

[steamboats]

Hi skandls,

 

To be true, I´d fly from Berlin to Munich. There are a lot of cheap airlines. Condor, LTU, Germanwings are flying from Berlin-Schoenefeld, TUI, dba and LH are flying from Berlin-Tegel. Airberlin is also flying from Berlin-Tegel and has offers starting EUR 29 per person.

 

The fast train (ICE) needs about 6 hours

 

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/international_guests.shtml

 

As I´m living here I don´t know any hotels :D . But you will find all major chain brands in Munich. It also depends on your budget. There are two big new hotels right next to the central station (Dorint Softel and Le Meridien, both 5*) and lots more in the vincinity. I posted some websites earlier in this thread. If you found something I can tell you more about the location/area.

 

There are lots of good typical Bavarian restaurants in the downtown area

 

http://www.donisl-muenchen.de/ (low budget)

http://www.augustiner-restaurant.com/ (best beer of Munich)

http://www.weisses-brauhaus.de/ (best wheat beer of Munich)

http://www.kuffler-gastronomie.de/de/muenchen/haxnbauer/index.php (great pork legs, you can watch them on the grill in the window walking by)

http://www.andechser.de/ (best dark beer of the Andechs monastery)

 

Unfortunately not all of the websites are available in English.

http://www.schuhbeck.de/ (Michelin star cook, Bavarian cuisine, reservations only, pricey)

 

For public transportation in Munich see

 

http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/

 

Best choice is a partner day ticket valid for all day (up to five adults, inner district) which is currently EUR 8.50 (but the prices raise by April). This ticket is also available for three days in a row. There are also two different tickets including discounts for attractions and restaurants (Munich Welcome Card and - I forgot the name of the other one - another one which is available at every ticket machine).

 

steamboats

[patkat]

I live in Munich too and basically second Steamboats advice. I live near the Paulaner Brewery so I am partial to it's beer and I like it's biergarten better as it is just south of the city center (20 mins by foot or reachable by bus/tram) so a little more tourist-free. Their website is not the best, but you can at least have an idea of what is there. They do have a restaurant too, if it is no longer biergarten weather.

http://www.paulaner.de/index_frame.htm

 

I have had people stay at this hotel - basically at the base of the hill (Nockherberg) leading to Paulaner. http://www.nockherberg.de/htm-eng/index-eng.htm

 

In Berlin, definitely get a 3 day pass (I think it also includes discount admission to many museums) and take the 100 bus for a tour of the city.

 

If I am around in Munich when you are here, I am happy to give you the 50 cent tour. :)

 

Kathy

[patkat]

I use this website all the time to get info on what is going on in Munich/Germany - http://www.toytowngermany.com/ - if you go to the forum link on the left, it is broken down by major city.

 

Like today, I found out we are having a "hurricane" in Munich!!! :eek:

 

Kathy

[steamboats]

Hi Kathy,

 

I just picked up my DD from school as all schools closed at noon today because of the "hurricane" :mad: . I had to leave my office within 15 min to be in time.

 

steamboats

[patkat]

Hi Steamboats,

 

Our office is closing early too and my future-DH (who is German) is quite worried about me getting home because of I travel by Sbahn. I am from the East Coast of the USA (i.e. frequent hurricanes) - so I guess I am probably not as concerned as I should be. Hope you don't get blown away! :)

[steamboats]

Hi Kathy,

 

We´re back home already. We also had to take the S-Bahn from Isartor (S8 Airport) and at 12:30 pm we were just fine (not even a delay). I just wanted to check the S-Bahn website (http://www.s-bahn-muenchen.de/) but it´s down. The Newsticker on the MVV website doesn´t show any delays for busses/trams/U-Bahn but the S-Bahn one isn´t working.

 

DH was worried too and wanted to pick us up with his car. I told him to leave his car in the garage at his office and take the bus back home as we don´t have a garage but lots of trees around our condo complex. DH is much more concerned than I am (but he´s still in his office).

 

steamboats

[DeniceRG]

Has there been a hurricane in Munich before? Just curious ... just like this weather is curious ....We had snow in Malibu yesterday!! Unheard of!

 

Denice

[steamboats]

Hi Denice,

 

I never heard of closing schools because of a storm in the nearly 40 years of my life. Nor did I ever hear warnings in the radio or an advice to stay at home because of a storm. They are expecting winds and gust up to 125 mph. This storm will go into weather history for sure. It´s all over Germany and parts of Europe.

 

steamboats

[sneakerstud]

Hello...I'm basically grew up in Munich and if I go back to see my family there I always stay at the Hotel Advokat! It is really centrally located and the breakfast is out of this world...5 minutes walk from Marien Platz with the Glockenspiel!

[LuAnn]

Wow..did not hear anything about this storm until now on the CC board!..hope all is well..sounds WILD!

 

I use a site called tripadvisor.com when researching hotels and B&B's..it's great..reviews by travellers who have stayed at the properties, ratings etc. I've used them MANY times (that's how I found our places in Nuremburg, Vienna and Budapest) and have never been disappointed! Stay safe! LuAnn

[steamboats]

Hi LuAnn,

 

It was quite a stormy night. But at least in our part of the town I couldn´t see much damage except some branches which broke off the trees. They shut down all trains last night (including the suburban trains here in Munich) and Munich decided to shut down all trams at 8 pm. It´s all back and running again this morning. Schools are closed today because of the storm. It´s still very windy with heavy gusts but much less than last night. Lots of streets (including some Autobahn) are closed because of fallen trees. It´ll sure take some time to clean up all that mess. There´s still a storm warning and people were asked to stay at home if possible. I didn´t have any troubles getting to work. DD is staying with my parents.

 

steamboats

[DeniceRG]

Glad to hear you are safe and sound!

 

Denice