7 Incredible Off-the-Beaten-Path Day Trips from Munich

Matt and I spent our honeymoon in Germany and Austria and visited some AMAZING places! We stayed around Wilder Kaiser in Austria because we wanted to be in a quiet area in the mountains, but all of the day trips we took around the area were close to Munich (and don’t worry, we spent time in Munich, too!).

We researched some really unique sights and visited places like the longest castle complex in the world and a replica of Versailles on and island in a lake! Famous places like Neuschwanstein Castle and Salzburg are easy day trips from Munich, but if you want some more off-the-beaten-path spots, these are some incredible day trips from Munich! 🙂

7 off-the-beaten-path day trips from Munich

Innsbruck

Salzburg is a great day trip from Munich, but if you want to visit a smaller town in Austria, go to Innsbruck! It’s under a 2 hour drive from Munich, and you can easily walk around and see most of the city in a day. We saw the gorgeous architecture, took tram into the Alps, ate delicious pizza, and visited the famous Golden Roof.

Matt and I loved everywhere that we visited, but our day in Innsbruck was probably our favorite! It’s a beautiful city, and I loved the combination of historic architecture and the Alps. So if you get the chance to visit Innsbruck, I definitely recommend it.

Burghausen Castle

Have you heard of the longest castle complex in the world? I hadn’t until we started planning our trip! It’s a little over an hour from Munich.

Burghausen Castle wins the award for the longest castle in the world, and it dates back to 11th century. It was built up over the next few centuries, so it’s kind of like different castles combined in one complex. People actually live in parts of the castle (how cool!) so you can’t tour most of it, but it’s really fun to walk around the complex and see views of the town!

Herrenchiemsee

Herrenchiemsee is an exact replica of Versailles on an island in the middle of a lake! It’s about an hour from Munich, and then you take a short ferry ride across the lake. The island is also a beautiful place to see, and if you have more time, you can visit some of the other islands on the lake.

You can’t take photos inside Herrenchiemsee, but believe me when I say it’s a small replica of Versailles! Ludwig II built Herrenchiemsee to be identical to Versailles, down to the Hall of Mirrors. Ludwig II is known for building the Neuschwanstein Castle, but Herrenchiemsee was so elaborate and all the resources had to be shipped in across the lake that it was more expensive than Linderhof and Neuschwanstein castles combined!

The Silent Night Chapel

The famous song Silent Night was written and performed for the first time in the small town Oberndorf, and you can go visit the chapel there! It’s under two hours from Munich, and if you go to Salzburg, it’s right on the way. The actual church where Silent Night was performed burned down, so they built a chapel as a memorial for it. It’s also a pretty town to walk around and see the river that separates Germany and Austria.

Matt and I visited Burghausen, Herrenchiemsee, and the Silent Night Chapel in one day, and it was a bit of driving but totally doable in a day!

Hintersteiner See

Now for some beautiful nature destinations!

Matt and I chose where we stayed to be near Hintersteiner See because it’s such a beautiful lake! It’s an hour and a half from Munich, and it’s so worth it. It was a chilly, rainy day when we went, but it was still one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve seen. You can’t really go swimming, but it’s a pretty area to leisurely walk around and take in the mountain views.

Stimmersee

If you want to go swimming, visit Stimmersee! It’s about an hour drive from Munich. Matt and I stayed near the lake and went swimming one day, and I will warn you, even in August it was pretty cold. But if you’re brave, it’s a beautiful area to swim! It’s said to be the second cleanest lake in Austria, and it was crystal clear.

Lake Königssee

Another beautiful lake to visit is Lake Königssee, and it’s under two hours from Munich. Lake Königssee is much bigger than the other lakes we visited, so it was much busier and you need to take a boat to see most of the lake. But it’s a gorgeous lake and great area for hiking, so it’s definitely worth visiting!

We went for a short hike and then took a boat ride across the lake. There are two places where you can get off on the boat ride and explore other parts of the lake, and we grabbed a great lunch in a beer garden.

Any of these day trips from Munich are amazing to visit, and if you can visit them all in a trip, even better! I would love to go back soon and find more off-the-beaten-path places to see because I know there are even more beautiful hidden gems in that area 🙂

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