tmoon

Greetings,

My girlfriend and I will be visiting Germany and Austria for ten days at the beginning of December. I would like to take day trips from both Munich and Salzburg to visit a quaint town/village in the mountains. My current plans are to visit Mittenwald from Munich and Zell am See from Salzburg. Are these good choices or are there better places that would fit my description? Thanks in advance for your help.

MarkvonKramer

Don't miss Berchtesgaden. Your other selections are pretty good.

MvK

tcreath

Highly second Berchtesgaden from Salzburg. Also look into Hallstatt and St. Gilgen, both in the Salzkammergut.

Tracy

bettyk

While undoubtedly still beautiful in December, much of Hallstatt I believe is closed down in the winter. A few hotels may still be open, but others may not.

pja1

Hi,
I agree with your Mittenwald choice. If your looking for quaint villages, this is it! One of our favorite places anywhere! I'd like to add another visit Berchtesgaden "vote" from Salzburg.

Paul

tcreath

bettyk, my suggestion to visit Hallstatt was based on daytripping, not staying the night, as Salzburg is only a short distance away. I visited Hallstatt during a non-touristy season and loved it because we were some of the very few tourists there. I think it would be beautiful in winter if it is accessible.

Tracy

bettyk

Tracy, I agree that the winter pics I've seen of Hallstatt are gorgeous. But, since many of the restaurants, shops, etc., may be closed, I felt it was prudent to warn the OP even if they do a day trip. Since you have experience in this regard, then I stand corrected.

LLindaC

I found Berchtesgaden to be anything but quaint with hundreds of tour buses. St Gilgen was very pretty (ride the cable up the mountain) Strobl is quaint, but they are lake side, not really "in the mountains" Fuschl was also a pretty little town. If you do go to Halstatt, be sure to check the public transportation times if you choose that route. You have to leave pretty early!

PalenqueBob

Mittenwald and Zell are as good as any. Zell is especially picturesque on its pristine lake.

I walked around the lake on paths - in winter this altitude may not have much snow - esp in December if the last few years are an indication so walking should be fine.

Hallstatt is incredibly scenic on its alpine lake and high Alps girdling it but it's a rather long day trip - by train a few hours each way i think - the postal bus route Salzburg - Lake Wolfgang - Bad Ischl then train is much more scenic.

Lake Wolfgang makes a great day trip - about an hour Salz-St Gilgen/St Wolfgang - a very dream area dubbed The Sound of Music area as parts of the film were filmed here. Regular inexpensive postal buses from Salzburg.

The Salzburg- Zell train line is very scenic

Suspaul

Hi tmoon
If you are anywhere near Berchtesgaden on December 5 you may want to check out the Krampus run thru the center of town. We were there in 2005 and it was something to see. It takes place in mid afternoon and the area will be roped off so that St. Nicholas and the Krampus can make their way. The Krampus/Buttmandl are characters, in more ways than one, that come along with St. Nicholas, some are dressed as straw men looking like large stacks of straw with large cowbells attacted to their backs, they jump up and down to make the clanging racket, the other group are dressed in fur outfits with painted faces and masks, they carry huge switches and come around and swat you, if one of them gets ahold of you it does hurt. The year we were there a group of young children dressed as angels rode in wagons along with St. Nicholas and the Krampus then went into a hotel near the Post and sang songs from the balcony. Sorry to go on, but it was very interesting. Also, if you are in Salzburg during this time they also have a Krampus run thru the city and in one of the squares there was a large ice sculpture of the Krampus. All through southern Germany you may see the Krampus with St. Nicholas on that day, December 5th, we saw them in the town we were staying and in several other small villages. Enjoy your trip.
Susan

tcreath

betty, I have been to Hallstatt during off-season, but it wasn't winters so you may be correct. I found it to be lovely despite that fact that some of the restaurants and shops were closed; we enjoyed simply walking around and marveling the beauty. But you definitely made a good point that is worth warning about so the OP doesn't end up surprised.

LLindaC and I have discussed Berchtesgaden before, if I recall correctly. It does appear to be jam packged with tourists in the summer but we were there in early May and it was delightfully void of tourists. Actually it was borderline creepy because the town seemed not unlike a ghost town at times! I don't know how it would be in December, but its a nice, quaint (at least during off season) town and the setting is gorgeous.

Tracy

pja1

Hi,
Just wanted to agree with Tracy as we were in Berchtesgaden area last Oct. and we found it to be very relaxed. Not many tourists at all. We really enjoyed walking around the old town at this time of year.

Paul

traveldawg

The time you are going will be the CHRISTMAS MARKETS. This is a great time to visit Germany and Austria! Munich has a good one as does Salzburg and many of the smaller towns.

BERCHTESGADEN will be an easy day trip for you out of Salzburg...less than an hour. We have done it many times and just returned from that area in July. A lot of the mountain sites will be closed but there will still be plenty to enjoy.

PalenqueBob

There is a new S-Bahn service linking Salzburg main station to Berchetsgaden - 2-3 times an hour.