Day Trips from Munich: Excursions by Train and Car

By Daniel Schulz, residir GmbH · Last updated: 13 October 2026

The most popular day trips from Munich are the lakes to the south, the mountains between the Wendelstein and the Zugspitze, the royal castles, and cities such as Augsburg, Regensburg and Salzburg. You can reach Lake Starnberg and the Ammersee in under an hour on the S-Bahn (suburban train), while the Tegernsee, Schliersee and Kochelsee are a regional train ride from the main station. For Neuschwanstein and the Zugspitze, set aside a full day.

We run a boarding house with 54 apartments at Ländstraße 6 in Lehel, opening in autumn 2027. The neighbourhood is ideally placed for day trips: the S-Bahn at Isartor is just a few minutes’ walk away, and the U4 and U5 underground lines run from Lehel straight to the main station without changing. All journey times in this article are guide values as of October 2026 and may vary depending on the connection, engineering works and traffic.

In this article:

• Day trips from Munich at a glance
• Lakes near Munich
• Day trips from Munich to the mountains
• Castles and monasteries in the surrounding area
• Cities for a day trip from Munich
• Days out with kids around Munich
• Day trips from Munich with a dog
• Rainy-day trips around Munich
• Unusual day trips from Munich
• By train or car: getting there and tickets
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions

Day trips from Munich at a glance

The table shows the destinations our guests ask about most often, with approximate journey times. Train times are from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) or the Isartor S-Bahn stop; driving times are from Lehel without traffic jams. If you choose your accommodation in Munich near Isartor or the Ostbahnhof (East Station), you save yourself a trek across the city before every outing.

Destination	What to expect	Train approx.	Car approx.
Lake Starnberg	Lakeside promenade, steamers, swimming spots	40 min on the S6 from Isartor	35 min
Ammersee and Andechs Abbey	Lake, walk up to the monastery	55 min on the S8 from Isartor	45 min
Tegernsee	Lake, Bräustüberl (brewery tavern), Wallberg	1 hr from Hbf	1 hr
Schliersee and Spitzingsee	Lake, easy mountain walks	1 hr from Hbf	1 hr
Kochelsee, Walchensee, Herzogstand	Mountain lakes, summit with cable car	1 hr 5 min to Kochel, then bus	1 hr 10 min
Wendelstein	Rack railway or cable car up to 1,838 m	1 hr 15 min to the valley station	1 hr 10 min
Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Partnach Gorge, Zugspitze, Eibsee	1 hr 20 min from Hbf	1 hr 15 min
Chiemsee with Herrenchiemsee	Boat trip, palace, Fraueninsel	1 hr from Hbf or Ostbahnhof	1 hr
Neuschwanstein Castle	Royal castle near Füssen	2 hrs from Hbf, then bus	1 hr 50 min
Augsburg	Fuggerei, old town, puppet theatre	30 to 45 min from Hbf	45 min
Regensburg	Old town, Stone Bridge, cathedral	1 hr 30 min from Hbf	1 hr 30 min
Salzburg	Old town, fortress, Mozart	1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs	1 hr 45 min

Our usual advice to guests: one destination per day, leave early, come back late. If you are at the Tegernsee in the morning and want to squeeze in Schliersee in the afternoon, you will spend more time on the train than by the water. We cover the classics within the city itself, from Marienplatz to the English Garden, in our article on things to do in Munich.

Lakes near Munich: Lake Starnberg, Ammersee and Tegernsee

The lakes to the south are where Munich locals themselves head most often. That has one drawback: on sunny summer weekends, trains and car parks are packed. On weekdays or in autumn you will have the shores much more to yourself.

Lake Starnberg

Lake Starnberg (Starnberger See) is the quickest way to get to the water. The S6 runs direct from Isartor to Starnberg, and from the station it is only a few steps to the promenade and the pier for the lake steamers. For more peace and quiet, stay on to Possenhofen or Tutzing. In Berg on the eastern shore, a cross in the water commemorates King Ludwig II, who died here in 1886.

Ammersee and Andechs Abbey

The S8 takes you from Isartor to Herrsching on the Ammersee in just under an hour. From there, a footpath leads up through the Kiental valley to Andechs Abbey (Kloster Andechs), about an hour’s walk. At the top you will find the pilgrimage church, the monastery brewery and a beer hall with views across the Alpine foothills. Walk back down or take the bus, then round the day off with a boat trip on the lake.

Five Lakes Region: Wörthsee, Pilsensee and Weßlinger See

Together with the Wörthsee, Pilsensee and Weßlinger See, Lake Starnberg and the Ammersee make up the Fünfseenland (Five Lakes Region). The three smaller lakes are warmer and ideal for swimming in summer. You can also reach the Wörthsee on the S8 – get off at Steinebach.

Tegernsee and Schliersee

The Tegernsee is one of the best-known lakes in Bavaria and takes around an hour from the main station on the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB regional railway). On the northern shore you will find the Bräustüberl in the former monastery, while in the south a cable car climbs the Wallberg. By boat you can travel almost all the way round the lake. The smaller Schliersee is on a different branch of the same railway and is quieter; from there a bus continues to the Spitzingsee.

An honest word about swimming spots: many shores are private, and the public bathing areas fill up early in high summer. If you come by car, you will often pay steep parking fees at the lakes and still spend ages looking for a space. In summer the train is usually the more relaxed option. The Königssee near Berchtesgaden, at a good two and a half hours away, is a stretch for a day trip; there it is worth booking a holiday apartment in Bavaria for a few nights on the spot.

Day trips from Munich to the mountains

The Alps begin around 60 kilometres south of the city. For a day trip from Munich to the mountains, regional trains and buses are therefore all you need – a car is not essential. Before any outing, check the weather and the operating times of the mountain railways; in autumn some close for maintenance. If you would like to stay longer, you will find tips on a holiday apartment in the Alps in a separate guide.

Kochelsee, Walchensee and Herzogstand

From the main station, a regional train takes just over an hour to Kochel am See. A bus then carries you over the Kesselberg road to the Walchensee, whose water glows an almost Caribbean green in summer. From there the Herzogstand cable car takes you up, and the summit is a further 45 minutes or so on foot. If you are fit, walk the ridge across to the Heimgarten.

Wendelstein

There are two ways up the Wendelstein: the historic rack railway from Brannenburg and the cable car from Osterhofen on the railway line to Bayrischzell. At the top, at 1,838 metres, you will find a weather station, a small church and an observatory. On a clear day you can see all the way to Munich. If you go up one way and down the other, however, you will need a bus connection to get back.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Partnach Gorge and Zugspitze

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is about 80 minutes away by regional train. From the Olympic ski stadium you can walk to the Partnach Gorge (Partnachklamm), a narrow ravine with a path running right above the white water. In winter, icicles hang from the rocks, and after storms the gorge is sometimes closed.

To get up the Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres Germany’s highest mountain, take the rack railway from Garmisch or the cable car from the Eibsee. The ticket costs considerably more than other mountain railways; you will find the current price on the official website. The Eibsee at the foot of the mountain is worth a visit even without going to the summit – a circular trail takes you round the lake in about two hours. On fine days, though, it gets very busy.

Another destination on the same line is Mittenwald, with its painted houses and violin-making museum, about 30 minutes beyond Garmisch. Bad Tölz, with its steep Marktstraße, lies on the Bayerische Regiobahn line towards Lenggries instead and makes a good half-day combined with the upper Isar. Murnau am Staffelsee, also on the Garmisch line, is known for the Murnauer Moos wetlands and the Münter House.

Castles and monasteries in the surrounding area: Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee, Schleißheim

Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace

Neuschwanstein Castle is the best-known attraction in Bavaria and a full day out from Munich. By train it takes about two hours to Füssen, followed by a bus to Hohenschwangau. The castle can only be visited on a guided tour at a fixed time, so reserve your tickets online well in advance. Without a ticket you can still admire the castle from the outside and from the Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge), provided it is open.

Linderhof Palace near Oberammergau is the smallest of the three royal palaces and far less crowded. It is awkward to reach without a car, but by car you can easily combine it with a stop in Oberammergau.

Chiemsee and Herrenchiemsee

Covering around 80 square kilometres, the Chiemsee is Bavaria’s largest lake. Regional trains from the main station or the Ostbahnhof reach Prien in about an hour. From there, in summer, the historic Chiemsee railway takes you to the harbour, and a boat carries you on to the Herreninsel and Herrenchiemsee Palace. Ludwig II had it built on the model of Versailles, but it was never finished.

On the neighbouring Fraueninsel you will find a Benedictine convent and a small fishing village.

Schleißheim Palace and Dachau

For a half-day trip, Schleißheim Palace to the north is ideal. Take the S1 to Oberschleißheim, then walk for about 15 minutes. You will find three palaces, a baroque court garden with a canal and, right next door, the Flugwerft Schleißheim, a branch of the Deutsches Museum with aircraft spanning a hundred years.

The S2 takes you to Dachau, where the concentration camp memorial site commemorates the crimes of the Nazi era. Admission is free; allow at least three hours.

Cities for a day trip from Munich

Not every outing has to be into the countryside. Several fascinating cities are one to two hours away by train, some of them covered by the Deutschlandticket (Germany-wide travel pass). Business travellers with a free day between appointments often ask us about exactly these destinations. For longer projects in the city, serviced apartments in Munich make a practical base.

• Augsburg: 30 to 45 minutes by train. The Fuggerei is the oldest social housing complex in the world still in use, plus there is the town hall with its Golden Hall and the Augsburger Puppenkiste puppet theatre.
• Regensburg: around 90 minutes. A medieval old town with World Heritage status, the Stone Bridge, the cathedral and the city’s oldest sausage kitchen.
• Landshut: just under an hour. Trausnitz Castle and one of Bavaria’s most beautiful old-town streets; every four years the town hosts the Landshut Wedding pageant.
• Freising: 25 to 45 minutes on the S1 or a regional train. The Domberg (cathedral hill), the old town and the Weihenstephan brewery on the hill opposite.
• Salzburg: 1.5 to 2 hours. The old town, Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart’s birthplace; regional trains also depart from the Ostbahnhof.
• Nuremberg: just over an hour by ICE, considerably longer by regional train. The Imperial Castle, the old town and, in Advent, the Christkindlesmarkt Christmas market.

Halfway to Rosenheim you will also find Wasserburg am Inn, an old town on a peninsula in a loop of the river. It is quicker to reach by car than by train.

Days out with kids around Munich

For a day out with kids around Munich, the rule of thumb is: a short journey, something hands-on and a playground nearby. We cover family attractions within the city, from the zoo to the Deutsches Museum, in our guide to Munich with kids. Here are the destinations further afield:

• Wildpark Poing: about 30 minutes on the S2, with red deer and wild boar to feed, and a circular path that is also manageable with a pushchair.
• Flugwerft Schleißheim: aeroplanes and helicopters, some of which children can look inside, whatever the weather.
• Bavaria Filmstadt: guided tour of film sets and a 4D cinema in Geiselgasteig, reached by tram 25 from Max-Weber-Platz, suitable for children from about six.
• Märchenwald im Isartal: a fairy-tale theme park for younger children near Wolfratshausen. The S7 runs to Wolfratshausen; it is best to check the connection for the last stretch beforehand.
• Legoland Deutschland: in Günzburg, just over an hour by car, or by train to Günzburg and then the shuttle bus.
• Lakes in summer: the Wörthsee and Pilsensee are shallow and warm, and many bathing spots have a kiosk and a playground.

Family days out around Munich work better with a picnic from your own fridge than with three restaurant stops. That is why families like to stay in an aparthotel in Munich with its own kitchen. If you are travelling with children in winter, the ski areas at the Spitzingsee and Sudelfeld offer toboggan runs and small lifts, around one to one and a half hours from the city. Teenagers tend to prefer the Zugspitze, the Partnach Gorge or a day in Salzburg.

Day trips from Munich with a dog

With us, a day out with your dog starts right on the doorstep: the Isar meadows are two minutes away, and from there you can walk upstream far into the south of the city. We introduce the Isar cycle path and the loveliest stretches along the river in a separate article on the Isar in Munich.

For a dog-friendly outing into the countryside around Munich, try the circular trail around the Eibsee, the Kiental valley near Andechs or the lakeside path along the Ammersee. Many mountain railways take dogs for a fee, whereas at some bathing spots dogs are banned or only allowed outside the season. On the S-Bahn and regional trains, larger dogs usually need their own ticket, and the Deutschlandticket does not cover dogs. You can read more about dogs in our building on the page about dog-friendly apartments in Munich.

Rainy-day trips around Munich

There are more rainy-day trips around Munich than you might think. Our pick for wet days:

• Therme Erding: one of the largest thermal spas in Europe, reached by the S2 towards Erding and then a bus.
• Herrenchiemsee Palace: the tour takes place indoors, and the Hall of Mirrors is impressive in any weather.
• Augsburg: the Fuggerei Museum, the Golden Hall and a performance at the Augsburger Puppenkiste.
• Regensburg: the cathedral, museums and the sheltered lanes of the old town.
• Flugwerft Schleißheim: a huge hangar full of aircraft, half an hour from the centre.

When it rains in the mountains, postpone any summit hikes. Gorges and mountain paths become slippery when wet, and at the top you will only see fog anyway.

Unusual day trips from Munich

If you already know the classics, the surrounding area has outings you will not find in every guidebook:

• Raft trip on the Isar: in summer, wooden rafts drift from Wolfratshausen to Thalkirchen, complete with brass band and slide. Places are usually allocated to groups and are booked up long in advance.
• Weltenburg Abbey and the Danube Gorge: by boat from Regensburg or Kelheim through the rocky gorge of the Danube to the abbey with its own brewery.
• Observatory on the Wendelstein: the highest place for stargazing that you can reach from Munich by train and mountain railway.
• Chiemseebahn: a 19th-century steam tram that shuttles between the station and the harbour in Prien in summer.
• Father’s Day outing: many Munich locals hike to Andechs on Ascension Day (Vatertag, German Father’s Day). If you are looking for peace and quiet, pick another destination that day.

By train or car: planning a day trip from Munich

Day trips around Munich without a car

You can reach most of the destinations in this article without a car. From Lehel, take the S-Bahn from Isartor to the main station or the Ostbahnhof in a few minutes, or the U4 or U5 straight to the main station. Many trains towards Rosenheim, the Chiemsee and Salzburg start from the Ostbahnhof, while trains to the lakes and mountains in the south leave from the main station.

Deutschlandticket and Bayern-Ticket

For a day trip from Munich by train, two tickets are worth knowing about. The Deutschlandticket is a monthly subscription valid on all regional trains as well as the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses, but not on ICE or IC services. If you are only in Munich for a few days, the Bayern-Ticket (Bavaria day ticket) is the better choice: it is valid for one day for up to five people on regional trains throughout Bavaria and in many local transport networks, from 9 am on weekdays.

The price of the Bayern-Ticket depends on the number of people travelling and changes regularly; you will find current prices on the Deutsche Bahn website. For journeys across the border, to Salzburg for example, check beforehand how far your ticket is valid.

Day trips from Munich by car

By car, it takes around 15 to 25 minutes from Lehel via the Mittlerer Ring ring road to reach the A8 towards Salzburg or the A95 towards Garmisch. The main argument for a day trip by car is that you can combine destinations such as Linderhof, Wasserburg or remote trailhead car parks. The arguments against are the traffic jams on the A8 at weekends and at the start of the school holidays, and the full car parks at the lakes.

Some of our guests stay in the city not just for a weekend but for several weeks, for a project or a new job, say. For them, every other weekend becomes a day-trip weekend. If that is your plan, temporary housing in Munich often works out cheaper than individual hotel nights.

Conclusion: day trips from Munich for any weather

Munich is a great base for day trips, because lakes, mountains, castles and cities are all within one to two hours, most of them by train. If you stay centrally near Isartor and the Ostbahnhof, you can hop on the right train within minutes in the morning and be back quickly in the evening. Our holiday apartments in Munich in Lehel open in autumn 2027 and are located in exactly that spot.

Frequently asked questions about day trips from Munich

Which day trips from Munich are most worthwhile?

The most rewarding are the lakes to the south such as Lake Starnberg, the Ammersee and the Tegernsee, the mountains around Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Walchensee, as well as Neuschwanstein Castle and the Chiemsee with Herrenchiemsee. For city trips, Augsburg, Regensburg and Salzburg are good choices.

Which destinations can you reach from Munich without a car?

Without a car you can reach Lake Starnberg and the Ammersee directly on the S-Bahn, and the Tegernsee, Schliersee, Kochelsee, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Chiemsee by regional train from the main station or the Ostbahnhof. Augsburg, Regensburg and Salzburg are also easy to reach by rail.

Which lake is quickest to reach from Munich?

The quickest to reach is Lake Starnberg. The S6 runs from Isartor to Starnberg in about 40 minutes, and the station is right on the lakeside promenade (guide value as of October 2026).

Where should you go for a day trip from Munich to the mountains?

Good options for a day trip from Munich to the mountains are the Herzogstand above the Walchensee, the Wendelstein, the Wallberg on the Tegernsee and the Zugspitze near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. All of them can be reached without a car by regional train, bus and mountain railway.

How long does it take to get from Munich to Neuschwanstein?

By train it takes about two hours from Munich to Füssen, followed by a short bus ride to Hohenschwangau. By car it is just under two hours, depending on traffic. You should reserve tickets for the castle tour online in advance.

What can you do around Munich when it rains?

On rainy days, good choices are Therme Erding, the Flugwerft Schleißheim, a guided tour of Herrenchiemsee Palace and city trips to Augsburg or Regensburg with their museums and old towns.

Is the Deutschlandticket valid for day trips from Munich?

Yes, the Deutschlandticket is valid for day trips from Munich on all regional trains, the S-Bahn and the MVV network, but not on ICE and IC trains. For individual days with several people, the Bayern-Ticket is often the cheaper option; you will find the current price on the Deutsche Bahn website.

Which destinations near Munich are good with a dog?

With a dog, the circular trail around the Eibsee, the Kiental valley up to Andechs Abbey, the lakeside paths along the Ammersee and the Isar meadows in the city are all good choices. Dogs are banned at some bathing spots, and larger dogs usually need their own ticket on trains and the S-Bahn.