If your idea of Germany is men in lederhosen and women in dirndls, then the Alps are the place for you. The kitsch factor can get pretty high, but it's a wonderful part of the country to see. Many people head to the area for its incredible Alpine setting—whether to ski, tour the castles or experience the region's fairy-tale beauty.
At the southern end of the Romantic Road,
Fussen is near two 19th-century castles connected to "Mad" King Ludwig II—Hohenschwangau (his boyhood home) and Neuschwanstein (the product of his adult imagination). If the latter castle looks familiar, it's because Walt Disney used it as a model for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. Expect long waits and the kinds of crowds you'd find at Disneyland—more than a million people visit the castle every year. For a good view of the exterior, hike the short distance up to the Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge), but the best view is had from the Tegelberg farther up. A ploy to attract even more tourists (and to elevate kitsch to even greater heights in the Bavarian Alps) is the Musical Theater Neuschwanstein. A musical based on the king's ultimately tragic life is presented nightly. However, because of recent financial troubles, the theater's future is uncertian.
The town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is near the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain (9,722 ft/2,964 m). It's the center of a popular year-round outdoor recreational area. In addition to a downhill ski area, the region has four ski jumps, casinos, and facilities for skating and curling (which is sort of like shuffleboard on ice). In summer, hikers will enjoy the 24 mi/39 km of footpaths, and more sedentary types can take the mountain railway and enjoy magnificent views. There is an exhilarating hike that begins behind the Olympic ski jump and continues into the Partnachklamm Gorge. (The trail passes along and underneath spectacular waterfalls.) Garmisch is an easy day trip from Munich, but an overnight stay, combined with a tour of Ludwig's castles, is an even better idea.
Another scenic Bavarian town nearby, Oberammergau is home to a well-known version of the Passion play. In 1633, the town's residents promised that if the plague passed them by, they would perform a Passion play yearly in remembrance. They were spared, but alas, promises were made to be broken: Now it's performed once every 10 years, May-September, in years ending in zero (2000, 2010, etc.). The play is in German (an easy-to-follow English outline can be purchased) and lasts all day, breaking only for a long lunch. The whole town is involved in its production. Arrangements to see the play should be made at least a year in advance. In the other nine years of a decade, the village is worth a visit for its extraordinary collection of luftlmalerei, elaborate Bavarian houses covered in trompe l'oeil, of the sort you'd expect to see in a Grimm fairy tale. Oberammergau also offers good cross-country and downhill skiing nearby in winter.
Located in the extreme southeastern tip of Germany, the town of Berchtesgaden was home to Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat—not much of the building remains; just a few basement walls are left standing. The scenery is the main draw: The narrow road winds ever higher toward the top of Kehlstein Mountain. Just below is the fjordlike Konigssee, one of the most spectacular Alpine lakes in the region. The lake was a popular getaway for Bavarian royals, and there are charming electric-powered boat trips across the lake and back. They leave at half-hour intervals throughout the day from the little village at the head of the lake. Plan at least half a day for this trip. You can also take a tour deep into the side of a mountain salt mine called Salzbergwerk, which was the source of Berchtesgaden's prosperity as early as the 1500s. Visitors are given miner's outfits and leather seats for the long slide down a polished wooden ramp (the less adventurous can use the stairs). Berchtesgaden can be seen on a day trip from Munich or as part of a tour of the Bavarian Alps. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is 50 mi/80 km southwest of Munich.
