exbayern

Very easy by car, but do note that many of the outbuildings and fountains will not be available. They are closed and/or boarded up for the season, and sometimes even earlier than scheduled if the weather is colder than the norm. So if you are going in the shoulder season you may be disappointed, although it is still a decent visit.

But still a very nice trip with a side visit to Oberammergau or Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is especially stunning on a crisp sunny day.

From Salzburg take the A8 north, exit Irschenberg over Bad Tölz, and join the A95 south. Total time about 2 hours depending on traffic conditions.

From Munich an easy trip south on the A95.

Note that if there is snow the trip is not quite so nice; there is a steep winding hill at Oberau. In that case train plus RVO bus is still possible.

The Linderhof website has driving directions here in English http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/engli...t/howtoget.htm

etch5895

And if you can manage to squeeze this trip in by this weekend, you'll still be able to catch the tail end of the Nürnberger Volksfest, which is at the fairgrounds right in this area. Think a mini-Oktoberfest that is much less expensive and less crazy. There is only one big beer tent (Tucher), but their Volksfestbier is very good (and strong!) Additionally, the other food vendors at the restaurant are serving up excellent Franconian beers-a real treat to go along with your bratwurst. From the Hbf, take Tram 7 to its turn-around station (Bayernstrasse, I believe) and walk in to the fest (just follow the crowds).

Sweet Willie

about 8 years ago I was in Munich for two days. One full, long, fun day was spent at Oktoberfest, the other day was spent going to Andechs Monastary (thank you LH738 for the recommendation!!) and an attempt at visiting Dachau but it was closed.

It has been awhile since Mrs Sweet Willie & myself have been to Germany, we will be in Munich for nearly 4 full days (arrive 9:40am on a Wed & depart at noon on a Sun)

Andechs is a must (as the Mrs wasn't with me on the first trip) as well as Dachau. I'm thinking that both could be done in a day from my recollection.

Is there enough to do in Munich proper for the remainder of the trip (2 & 3/4 days) or should I look into the other day trip suggestions on this thread?

We really enjoy soaking in a place we travel to so I'm thinking we should just stay put in Munich but....

Marathon Man

Dachau is a place I have not yet been. I am versed in much of the history but not everything, and now I think it is time my children see and experience some of this. They are a bit young but lessons about life, death, humility, etc must be learned nonetheless.

Does anybody have thoughts on my wife and I taking our 10 year old daughter and 8 year old son to see this place?

We will be in Munich proper for 2 days/nights and staying near the München Hauptbahnhof, the city's main train station, and one of our days there can be for this trip if it's appropriate/doable. This is our best chance of going there for a while now.

Later in our trip we will be doing many of the things already shown in the thread, some of which I have seen but want to take them to such as Garmisch-Partenkirchen (staying in a B&B not in town centre), Neuschwanstein Castle, lakes and hikes in the areas, and later a drive to Salzburg where we stay next.

We leave for Munich on July 11 from BOS and arrive on July 12. I was considering the Dachau trip for the 13th.

I anyone has tips or advice on it, please post or PM. If people have best tips on getting there by train, etc, please let me know. We can change our car rental that we have reserved for July 14 to drive to Garmisch and later Salzburg but we would rather not do that if possible.

Thanks,

MM

WorldLux

I'm not sure if you can appreciate Dachau (or any KZ for that matter) at the age of 10 to the fully extend. I agree, that you have to teach your kids about that part of the history as well, but I think, that it might be rather premature to do it at such a young age.

The last WWII location I've visited in the last couple of months was Hiroshima. It's an absolute must see while visiting Japan, but I've noticed that many children seemed rather bored by the memorial park and apparently simply didn't realize the importance of it.

In the end, it is however impossible to generally recommend visiting or not visiting Dachau with children. You certainly have to take into account the interests of your children.

If you think that Dachau is not suited for your children, you might look at alternatives in and around Munich. There's a Legoland near Günzburg, a Ravensburger Spieleland (Ravensburger is a very popular German brand for puzzles) near Ravensburg. If you want to stay in Munich, you can always visit the Deutsches Museum: They have a huge selection of topics.

https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/directions.html

Marathon Man

Thank you for the information.

We do have a lot to do in Munich so Legoland wont be one of the things on our list, but I had a few reasons for sharing this place with my kiddoes.

For one, we live in a rich society with every comfort and many taken for granted. No matter how good we have been at parenting, there are some things young people just cannot yet grasp--like how easy life can be especially if you are doing well and nobody is sick or in trouble.

They kind of need a wake up call anyway, for a variety of reasons, and so while we are gone and family is house sitting our home and keeping each kid's room nice and cozy for our return by probably leaving some nice present behind, it is time for them to experience what will likely be just one half of one day seeing what life could be like if you lived back then, or even if you lived now in places like Syria, etc. Not every kid is happy or has both parents or even one. What you say or do could land you in prison or in trouble... that is not the case back home in our comfortable world.

My daughter is familiar with the Ann Frank house in AMS and my wife is Dutch so we have shared many stories of things, but my son thinks the Nazi flag isn't real because he saw it in an Indian Jones movie. So yeah, they need to see things I think.

I do not know if they would be bored and we certainly wouldn't be dragging them from one exhibit room to another to look at old photos or anything. But they need to see and understand what went on here and how such things could happen anywhere. The only concern I had was whether it was too much for them but I am getting an impression having read more on it that this is something only we can answer for ourselves.

BMWMOT

You're clearly trying to do the right thing by your kids and help them grow up in a more wise and worldly way. Good for you.

As you stated, you are the only one that say how your kids would like or not like Dachau. My wife and I (also from BOS) went there in 2012. Granted we weren't with kids but we thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not a 'fun' place but it was an 'interesting' place.

I will just throw this out there- yes you can drive there or take the train from Munich, however we went with a tour guide. We used Radius Tours
http://www.radiustours.com/en/englis...ame&height=367

I find you get so much more out of these places with a guide. With someone telling the kids the history and stories, they may be more interested than just going there and walking around. Just a thought.

offerendum

No, it´s not a fun place, of course not. But I agree it´s an important place.

I think I was around 12 when I visited my first KZ, my brother was 7. It wasn´t a problem, so it´s possible.

WorldLux

That alone should be a reason to take them there.

--- ---

It's rather difficult to give advice without knowing your kids. Some are at the age of 8/10 more grown up than others. Some kids are more sensitive at that age. It is up to the parents to decide whether or not to go. The visit will certainly be educative.

100% agree. While not being fun, visiting important WWII (and WWI) locations is crucial in everyone's education.

Marathon Man

Yes, thank you all of you for tips and information and thoughts on this. I have pitched it to my wife and we will discuss and try and make a plan if it is feasible.

I know the kids will learn a lot of history in school but since we are actually going to the area as a family I figured this could be our best chance and their best chance at seeing it up close.

The Radiustours link above looks like a good one too because the tours you can get through the actual Dachau website appear to be for 14 and above, while Radius can work for our younger aged children.

MM

cottonpatch

Dachau strikes me as a place that can be "scaled" down for younger middle schoolers. It would almost be possible to go to it as a memorial park. It does have some exhibits that explicitly express the gruesome truth of what went on. But those, with a little discretion and reconnaissance, can be given a wide berth as appropriate depending on the intensity level desired by the parents.

At Dachau, you don't find rows and rows of barracks. You find wide open acreage with discrete outlines in the gravel where barracks once stood. This large expanse is mostly surrounded and interspersed with monuments, memorials and chapels as testament to what went on within the camp.

The historic buildings that exist seem to capture the essence of this camp was about without a macabre focus on it.

Going to Dachau has changed my perspective on a number of things. I have been three times over the last 40 years and I look forward to going back next month with my wife and two daughters. My wife of 33 years has never been. My 26 y.o. daughter went with me about 4 years ago and my 23 y.o. daughter (who has been to Auschwitz and other Polish sites) has never been.

Marathon Man

Cross posted

I have been to Oktoberfest 6 times and to Munich and the overall region 9 times. I went to Oktoberfest the last five years in a row and have links and pics and info for all kinds of stuff people should do while there, much of which has been mentioned in this thread. I do one day want to meet Oliver the MOD and buy him some beers and as of right now I am happy to say I WILL attend this year!

I will be with friends at the Le Meridien Munich (https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ridien-munich/), where I had stayed with friends and family many times and it is a great hotel for all your needs. Located near the train station and a 10 min walk to the fest itself, this is a perfect spot for the scene. I will be there Sept 25-29.

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany 2018 will begin at 6:00 AM on Saturday, September 22 and ends on Sunday, October 7. Here is the official site and some other stuff, and they have a great APP too!
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https://www.oktoberfest.de/en/


Outfits/traditional German Costumes or “Trachten”

Women: Dirndl

Men: Lederhosen

Must you wear these things to go there and enjoy Oktoberfest? No, but lemme tell ya, everything is so much better when you do! Over the years I have cobbled together a complete outfit so authentic and Oktoberfesty, that people there walk up to me speaking fluent German and it’s a riot when they find out I’m just another ‘Merkin! Having my lederhosen on even got us into restaurants that were turning down other tourists that weren’t fully into the spirit of the place. But like I said, it is never required to wear any of the traditional clothing. You’ll just wish you had gotten into the spirit if you don’t.

Stores all over the city will sell outfits and pieces and they can range in price, and there are even kiosks near the train station that will sell them. It is not required to wear these outfits but I think it enhances the overall experience and it looks great too. If you do need to buy online, do this well in advance and try:

https://www.germanimporthaus.com/



Authentic German Clothing Store for Lederhosen Dirndl, Bundhosen Dirndl, Dirndl Lederhosen, Dirndl Bundhosen