PalenQ

Munich is a neat city with lots to see and do even though it lacks a real old-world look due to war damage but nicely rebuilt - great base for lots of things in Bavaria but not Switzerland - probably 3 hours by train to border.

swandav2000

Hi again,

I live south of Munich (in Garmisch-Partenkirchen), so I may be able to add my help to the good help you'll receive here.

Yes, much of Munich was destroyed in WWII, but many people still enjoy seeing the city and experiencing all that it offers. Again, though, it isn't in the Alps, if that's what you were thinking. You can see the Alps on a clear day if you climb up one or two of the towers in the city, but you won't feel that you are in them. You start to see the mountains at around Murnau as you travel south from Munich. Garmisch is a nice mountain town, at the foot of the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain); other mountain towns would be Füssen, Mittenwald or Berchtesgaden. These are all very pretty towns with frescoe'd buildings, lying right at the base of the mountains. You can google them and look at the images that come up to see if they appeal to you. You may find that a few days in Munich and then a few days in the mountains would work best for you.

Activities that draw tourists here are: ascending the Zugspitze and/or the Alpspitze, seeing Oberammergau, Lindenhof, Ettal monastery, Füssen and Neuschwanstein.

All of these towns are nicely linked by train and bus. You can email the German rail system (DB) in advance and get special assistance with luggage, with boarding, with changing trains, and with arriving. In town, you'll get a visitors' card that will make the town busses free, or of course you can take taxis (average taxi fare in Garmisch is 10€ including tip).

Have fun!

s

5alive

We also have traveled with limited mobility family members. Looking for a hotel, remember there are filters on the search engines that will help you. Some of these are more specific than others. You still probably should email the hotel for details of what these designations mean. Also, consider booking through the hotel directly and explaining your needs in the emails back and forth.

Booking.com--filter for "facilities for disabled guests"
Travelocity, filters for accessible bathroom, in-room accessibility, roll-in shower.

Key Point: In the United States we consider the "ground floor" to be the same as the "first floor." In Europe, the ground floor would essentially be zero and the first floor would be after one flight of stairs.

Finally--it's out of print but Rick Steves did a book about disabled access and it is now downloadable. Parts may still be helpful.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-rea...-access-europe

StCirq

To get back to water taxis in Venice, if that is still on your radar, they are expensive and not much easier to get on and off of than any boat (though there isn't the terrifying crush you can experience on the vaporetti). I would maintain from personal experience that Venice, a city I love, was not my favorite place to be with a foot ailment; it did require a whole bunch of mental energy planning involving skirting places in the city (which is not my typical way of planning a visit). But I did do fine, though probably with a lot of moments during the day when I wasn't the happiest tourist.

greg_on_the_go

Thanks everyone. Swandav2000, I was happy to hear from someone nearby Munich. What is that one sight called the 'Eagle's Nest' - Hitler's lookout spot? I would like to visit there, if possible.

Are there lots of bier gardens around town? I don't drink much beer these days, but I would like to sample a few. A lot of shops to browse cute nutcrackers and other collectible items?

PalenQ

https://www.uncommon-travel-germany....t-germany.html

The building is a restaurant -the views are the same as in Hitler's day!

swandav2000

Hi again,

The Eagles' Nest is just outside of Berchtesgaden, which is southeast of Munich, about 2h30 by train from Munich.

Yes, of course there are many, many beergardens to sit and enjoy the sun and fine weather and have a beer or two if you wish. The most notable beer gardens are in the English Garden near the Chinese Tower, near the Viktualienmarkt, and in the Hirschgarten. And yes, lots of shops with nutcrackers, both in tourist shops or in department stores.

Have fun!

s

annhig

swandav - something I was struck by in Vienna was that every underground station had a lift so that wheelchair users and those with strollers for small children could use them the same as everyone else. Does Munich have the same?

greg - I had a look online and found this:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?clie...LvCGgAakmqHoAg

and this:

https://www.destination-munich.com/m...ravellers.html

I hope you find them helpful.

swandav2000

[QUOTE=annhig;16702098]swandav - something I was struck by in Vienna was that every underground station had a lift so that wheelchair users and those with strollers for small children could use them the same as everyone else. Does Munich have the same?Hi annhig!

The main station in Munich is a terminal station -- meaning that trains pull in and stop, and must reverse to depart. Trains don't travel through the station.

All tracks dead-end at a short concrete wall, and beyond that wall is the wide sidewalk. So when your train arrives, you just get off, walk down the track, then walk into the wide sidewalk that runs the width of the station. There is no need to descend to a connecting hallway then climb up stairs again.

As for other subway stations, I'm afraid that I don't know. I haven't really paid attention when transiting through -- and I've only been to a few of them (I don't get to Munich often). But there are also busses and trams for transportation that wouldn't require any stairs. And bus drivers and other passengers always help with the boarding & departing at stops.

Sorry I can't be more helpful!

s

PalenQ

Munich's S-Bahn or suburban trains however run below the main station but am sure there are good lifts there too.