Starwood Preferred Guest - Munich/Salzburg

My husband and I taking a long weekend (3 nights, 4 days) flying into Salzburg in December (hoping for some Christmas atmosphere, but not really sure what else to do at this time of year there). We are Platinum and were planning to use points for the 3 nights accomodation, combining both Salzburg and Munich.

My initial thought is that the hotels on the outskirts of the city look nice, but they are probably nicer in the summer and with the short trip, it probably makes sense to stay in the city center. The higher category hotels in the cities don't sound all that impressive, so I'm leaning toward the 4 Points in Munich for 2 nights and one night at the Sheraton Salzburg. Do either of these include breakfast or any particularly good platinum treatment?

Also, I'm having a tough time figuring out how to get from Salzburg airport to Munich. It looks like there are trains from the city center, but I can't find a price anywhere. Does anyone know if there are buses or some other less expensive way to get from one city to the other?

Finally - any recommendations of what to do in the area when it's cold in December would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

My husband and I taking a long weekend (3 nights, 4 days) flying into Salzburg in December (hoping for some Christmas atmosphere, but not really sure what else to do at this time of year there). We are Platinum and were planning to use points for the 3 nights accomodation, combining both Salzburg and Munich.

My initial thought is that the hotels on the outskirts of the city look nice, but they are probably nicer in the summer and with the short trip, it probably makes sense to stay in the city center. The higher category hotels in the cities don't sound all that impressive, so I'm leaning toward the 4 Points in Munich for 2 nights and one night at the Sheraton Salzburg. Do either of these include breakfast or any particularly good platinum treatment?

Also, I'm having a tough time figuring out how to get from Salzburg airport to Munich. It looks like there are trains from the city center, but I can't find a price anywhere. Does anyone know if there are buses or some other less expensive way to get from one city to the other?

Finally - any recommendations of what to do in the area when it's cold in December would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Getting from Salzburg Airport to Munich is very very easy. Get a bus or taxi the short distance from the airport terminal to the city center. The main bus station is next door to the rail station.

From the rail station, you can buy a single or round trip ticket to Munich - no need to book in advance and the staff at the ticket office are helpful. There are trains at least once an hour to Munich. A slow train (called RegionalBahn (RB) or RegionalExpress(RE) in the timetables) will take just under 2 hours, while a fast InterCity(IC)/EuroCity(EC) train will take 90 minutes but cost a little more. The Four Points Munich City Centre is one stop on the local railway from the main station, or a 10-15 minute walk from the main station. In German, the main station is known as the "Hauptbahnhof" (abbreviated to Hbf on timetables).

Train times are available from German Railways from their English language website.
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?getstop=1
Just enter "Salzburg Hbf" as the departure point and "Munich Hbf" as the arrival point.

There is also a bus from Salzburg Airport to Munich Airport, operated by Lufthansa, but to be honest I would take the train as the Munich Airport is a long way from downtown. The train is also likely to be cheaper and runs much more frequently.

You will have plenty of things to do - December will see lots of Christmassy events, and this part of the world does Christmas better than almost anywhere else. For example, in Salzburg you are a short distance away from the village where Silent Night was first performed!

You can buy a Bayern-Ticket for ~24EUR. The ticket is valid in Bavaria (including Salzburg to Munich) and restricted to the following trains: RE, RB, IRE, S-Bahn and public transport in Munich (2. class) for up to 5 people.
Travel times: Mo-Fr, 9am - midnight and Sa, So whole day. Not sure if you can buy the ticket at Salzburg main station.

http://www.bahn.de/-S:PtVOSN:dBgAENNNdSvmVdNNNY1M/regional/view/bayern/bahnregional/freizeit/bayernticket.shtml

I'll echo the above for the public transportation, but it is also an easy drive if you rent a car. This will give you more flexibility in your travels.

If you would really like to see something Christmas-like, I would highly recommend you drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It's a precious historic town, and at Christmas time they do things extra special. Also up in the Alps you can stop by Garmish-Partekirchen on the way to Salzburg

Salzburg is also really great. Try it for Mozartfest one year if you ever decide to make a return trip. Salzburg is also the first place I ever gambled. Casino Winkler that is up on the mountain. Salzburg - very nice! ^

M8

Welcome to FT, mldukie. :)

Loved SZG and if I can pass on only one recommendation it's to set aside more than just one or two nights to this lovely little city to do it justice.

Enjoy your travels.

Stayed in Munich and Salzburg this past May. Given your short time in Salz, you should think about staying at the Goldener Hirsch instead of the Sheraton (which is where I was and is lovely, but is about a 10-15 minute walk to the center of town. The Hirsch, which will surely be more points, is much closer and has much more of a Bavarian feel than the more typically setup Sheraton.

The 4 Points in Munich is just fine. There’s no real ventilation system in the rooms (a problem in summer heat, not when you’ll be there), just use of the window, a small vent above it, or the terrace door. But it’s far closer to things than the other Sheratons. The metro system in Munich is easy and convenient even if you choose to stay further out.