Interrailing Through Germany Part 4: Munich & The Bavarian Alps

Hohenschwangau is the lesser known of the two major castles nestled in this part of the Bavarian Alps but you'd certainly have no complaints living here given its surroundings. 1/125s 70mm F4.0 ISO 80 Two Photo Panoramic.

Munich? In October? Surely that means only one thing. For those not in the know, despite it being called Oktoberfest the event actually begins in late September and is all wrapped up within the first week of October. By the time I arrived in Munich it had been finished by more than a week, and that’s exactly how I planned it. Admittedly I haven’t experienced it first hand but just about every German I’ve spoken to says the same thing. The event has devolved into an over-priced tourist trap with little to no correlation with true Bavarian culture. Though more authentic experiences can be found outside of the state capital. I was all too happy to not pay extortionate prices for accommodation during my stay.

Munich's Olympic Park, built for the 1972 Olympic games. 1/60s 35mm F4.0 ISO 125.

Olympiaturm is a big draw for visitors to the city for its unparalleled 360 degree views. 1/4000s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

It's a long way to the top. 1/80s 35mm F1.4 ISO 400.

My friend Marlies from HelloTalk showed me around for the day. I promise I do have male German friends, but for some reason they all live in North and East Germany! An excuse for another trip one day... 1/320s 112mm F4.0 ISO 64.

Speaking of accommodation, I decided to stay in the northern part of the city near the Olympic Park as I not only wanted to visit, but it was also close to another key attraction for me – BMW. In fact during my stay in Munich I spent precious little time exploring the city centre, something I will come back to later. The journey was a slightly lengthy one from Freiburg via Karlsruhe to Munich but as only one train ran late I’ll take that as a win. On my first train I got wrapped up in a conversation with the woman sat next to me who didn’t speak any English. A good opportunity to practice my German, which was one of my aims. There was plenty more of that to come as when I arrived in Munich (Pasing) I met another friend for the first time in person, again from HelloTalk.

The Olympic Village. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Olympiaberg was quiet on this day but it can get very crowded during the summer. While not as spectacular as my viewpoint it stills offers good views of Munich. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

The Allianz Arena (or the donut as it's known to locals) is the current home of Bayern Munich, Germany's top football team. They used to play in the Olympic Stadium at the Olympic Park. 1/320s 200mm F4.0 ISO 400.

The home of BMW. 1/200s 70mm F4.0 ISO 64.

Naturally the first thing we did (after eating lunch) was to head to the Olympic Park which is largely accessible to the public free of charge. The main attraction here is the Olympic tower which gives spectacular views of not just the park but also the whole of Munich, though you do have to pay to go up. At least I can say I’ve seen the entire city. Especially impressive for me was seeing the BMW tower and factory from above and with the giant logo atop the Museum, which had clearly been designed with aerial views in mind. This is after all the crown jewel of Bavarian manufacturing. You need not fear if it’s raining on your visit at the viewing decks are split into two parts, an indoor section with information on major landmarks and the construction of the tower and an upper floor which is outside. Afterwards Marlies showed me around the rest of the park including the Olympic Stadium, which used to be where Bayern Munich played before they relocated even further out to the new Allianz Arena. Perhaps the biggest draw for the locals is Olympiaberg, a man-made hill built along with everything else for the 1972 Olympic Games and which also offered good views of the city. But my gaze was mostly fixed on the distant mountains ahead of the next day’s activities.

The Olympic Swimming Pool were Mark Spitz won a record number of gold medals in 1972. I'm very envious of the children who get to grow up swimming here. 1/125s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Like the other buildings on site, The Olympic Stadium has a very unique design. 1/320s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

As we were walking around a group were zip-lining from one end of the stadium to the other. 1/100s 200mm F4.0 ISO 64.

It was another early start but with a two-hour train ride to the town of Füssen I wanted to get into the Bavarian Alps as soon as possible, especially as the days in October are nowhere near as long as they had been in summer. But after all the problems I had had with the trains it was my turn to make a mistake. Having got off at a connecting station I missed the first train to Füssen. There had been two trains on the same platform, which I hadn’t realised, and after the train failed to depart I was left questioning what had happened. By this point the train I was supposed to have been on was long gone. With a bit of time to kill I decided to wander around Buchloe which I had serendipitously visited, which gave me a flavour of small-town Bavaria. State elections had taken place a few days before I arrived and the signs for the parties and candidates were still up. It was clear that the politics here was very different from that of the big city.

I never intended to visit Buchloe but it had more Autumn colours than anywhere I visited in Germany. 1/100s 35mm F4.0 ISO 125.

It was immediately obvious that Füssen itself is very pretty but I had a lot I wanted to see on this day so I couldn't hang around to appreciate it. 1/80s 35mm F1.4 ISO 400.

I didn't make it to the Mercedes Museum but I did get to see some great classics like this W123 E Class whilst travelling around Germany. 1/500s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

After the false start I did manage to embark on the correct train and after an hour I was in Füssen at the foot of the Alps. This small town sits very close to the German-Austrian border and seems to have emerged from the Second World War relatively unscathed. But I was on a tight schedule, and I didn’t have time to linger. I had planned out a route but I took a detour almost immediately as I fancied the novelty of walking across an international border on foot, something I had never had the opportunity to do before. After a quick look at the spectacular gorge at Lechfall, I arrived in the Austrian state of Tirol, marked with a very German granite signpost. After drinking in the view I continued on my way. Austria is another country I’ll have to come back to do properly.

The viewpoint at Lechfall. Just imagine if all the Autumn colours had been out by this point! 1/500s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Entering Austria on foot was a very novel experience for me. 1/640s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

A view of the mountains in Austria. 1/125s 70mm F4.0 ISO 64.

Even if so far this area of Germany seems unfamiliar to you, you will almost certainly know about the famous landmark of Schloss Neuschwanstein, the folly of Ludwig II and inspiration for the Disney Castle. That was where I was headed to. It does take several miles to get there on foot, but I would hardly describe the journey as arduous and for those less fit there are buses that take you almost right up to the castle. On the way I stopped off (on a recommendation) at the lesser-known Schloss Hohenschwangau. Initially I followed a path through the woods and my first glimpses of the white castle came at the viewpoint at Pindarplatz overlooking the Alpsee. With such a grand castle on the side of a mountain, it really was something out of a fairytale.

Carrying on my originally planned route to Schloss Neuschwanstein. 1/30s 35mm F1.4 ISO 250.

A lone boat glides across the Alpsee. 1/160s 200mm F4.0 ISO 64.

My very first views of Schloss Neuschwanstein. It's setting really is something straight out of a fairytale. 1/200s 70mm F4.0 ISO 64 Two Photo Panoramic.

Schloss Hohenschwangau is smaller and lesser known but served as the childhood home of Ludwig II who went on to build the more famous castle. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

From there I followed the trail to Hohenschwangau, the smaller castle where visitors can wander around the courtyard for free but need a paid ticket to go inside. It was here I had a good chat with another tourist about cameras. Leaving this castle, I kept to the trail until I reached Neuschwanstein itself, which looks even more impressive up close. Most castles in this day and age are ruins so to see something this (relatively) new and intact is very special. I didn’t venture inside either as it’s not cheap and I’d read mixed reviews about the tour. Besides, that would have taken up valuable hiking time. There’s a very famous bridge nearby which gives the best view of the castle amongst the surrounding landscape and it’s the tourist trap of tourist traps. I can’t imagine how busy it must be here in the summer holidays given what it was like on the day I went, but with a bit of patience and persistence I could get into a good position to capture a panorama of the castle.

Visitors could freely walk around in the courtyard at Hohenschwangau. 1/1600s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Seeing Neuschwanstein up-close for the first time. It is truly stunning. 1/1000s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

A nearby bridge gives the most famous view of the castle. It's probably the biggest tourist trap I visited on my trip but you really can't miss it. 1/2500s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64 Five Photo Panoramic.

Channeling the madness of Ludwig II, I decided to attempt to climb Mt. Säuling whilst it was still daylight. 1/250s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Now it was time for something slightly mad that I decided on a whim, I wanted to climb up Säuling, a mountain peak that also sits on the German-Austrian border. At 2,047m it’s not small by any means and even though I was already up at elevation I still had a lot to climb quickly. In the end it proved to be a step too far. I wasn’t properly prepared for such a hike; I didn’t have good enough footwear nor did I really have the supplies for such a climb and daylight was limited. I still managed to get a decent way up, enough to be able to look down on Neuschwanstein from a distance and eventually I reached a good lookout point where I could see far and wide on multiple sides and it was here I had my best wildlife encounter of the trip. I had noticed what looked like sheep droppings on my way up and at my final stop I suddenly saw the back end of a chamois disappear behind a rock. After a few moments a group of them appeared, scrambling across the mountain side, ever in their element. This was made better but the fact I was completely alone, in fact I had only seen two other people on the way up. No tourist traps here.

Despite rapidly climbing about 1000m of elevation in a little over an hour, I didn't manage to quite reach the top. However when I stopped off I had an exciting encounter with chamois, one of the Alp's famous animals. 1/500s 200mm F4.0 ISO 800.

This top down view of Neuschwanstein gives you an idea of how high I went, even though I didn't reach the top. 1/160s 70mm F4.0 ISO 400.

I could see for miles and miles from my viewpoint. 1/60s 35mm F4.0 ISO 64 Four Photo Panoramic.

As golden hour set in, I set up my tripod to take a a few self-portraits. 1/80s 35mm F4.0 ISO 100.

I was then treated to the most spectacular golden hour as the light streamed across the mountains, turning from yellow to orange to pink. This was also another good opportunity to crack out my travel tripod and I took a few photos of myself admiring the view, though it did take a bit of trial and error. Sadly I couldn’t stay for the very best of the light when it was at its most pink as dusk was really drawing in and I had a long walk back down the bottom. Safety first. I also had another problem to contend with, catching the last bus. If I missed it, I’d have to walk all the way back to the train station in Füssen, something my legs would not have thanked me for. Fortunately I did manage to get off the mountain before it got completely dark and sprinted the rest of the way to the bus stop. Initially those of us waiting were concerned it wouldn’t come, but it did and I got back to the train station in good time. I was highly amused by the bus driver blasting out ‘What is Love’ at full volume.

As the sun dipped lower and lower I was treated to perhaps the greatest view I've ever seen. Simply extraordinary and I could admire it in peace and quiet without another tourist to disturb me. 1/160s 70mm F4.0 ISO 64.

Unfortunately I couldn't stay right until the light was at it's most pink, as I needed to start descending the mountain before it got too dark. However I did manage to snap this shot on the way down to give you an idea of what it looked like. 1/80s 145mm F4.0 ISO 320.

I really felt the aftereffects the next day. The trip had been very active so far and the massive amounts of hiking had pretty much finished me off. Luckily I didn’t have far to go to visit the BMW Museum and BMW World. BMW’s history is an interesting one as in their early days they didn’t actually make cars, but engines for planes and trucks. 2023 marked an important milestone as it marked one hundred years of motorbike production which unsurprisingly meant there was a special exhibition. I have to say though that my interest in motorbikes is not very great and I didn’t spend too long on those sections, focusing instead on the cars. This covered everything from the first car they made (their own version of an Austin 7 of all things), to BMWs highly successful racing history to modern hybrid and electric vehicles. There were also two surprising extras in Elvis’ very own BMW 507, which he owned during his military service in Germany, and a hydrogen powered 7 Series from twenty years ago. It’s funny how that technology has waxed and waned over the past two decades.

The next day I was absolutely exhausted, but thankfully I didn't have far to go to visit the BMW Museum and BMW World. 1/500s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

The BMW Dixi was the very first car they made, based off of an Austin Seven. All the more amusing to think that BMW now owns Mini. 1/80s 35mm F1.4 ISO 400.

However car's were not the first thing BMW built. Originally they built engines for planes. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 160.

Even in their early days BMW had great success in motorsport, much to the delight of the Nazi regime at the time. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 250.

The 328 was one of BMW's most successful cars in the inter-war years, racking up more than one hundred class wins, including in the prestigious Mille Miglia. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 250.

Being so tired I couldn’t take in everything in the same way I had for the Porsche Museum and the same was also true for BMW World. Although the latter is very much focused on modern BMWs, showing off the latest and greatest in an inspired piece of modern architecture. For those unaware BMW also owns Rolls-Royce and it was here that I saw an all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre for the first time. The Museum definitely has more to see but that is ticketed whereas BMW World is free and completely open to the public. I’m sure they make plenty of money through the subsequent car sales.

There were plenty of more ordinary cars like this E23 7 Series on display, though you would have had to have been more than ordinary to buy one of these new. 1/80s 58mm F1.4 ISO 160.

An exploded model of the much more modern BMW i3. This was BMW's first mass-produced electric vehicle. 1/80s 58mm F1.4 ISO 400.

Elvis’ BMW 507 is a relatively new addition to the Museum following a thorough restoration which saw the car returned to it's original white paintwork. You pressed a button to turn the lights on while the famous song 'Return to Sender' played. 1/80s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

This spiral walkway formed a large part of the special exhibition to mark one hundred years of BMW manufacturing motorbikes. 1/125s 35mm F1.4 ISO 160.

A sample of some of the bikes they made over the decades. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 200.

The BMW World building has a very modern design. 1/400s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Inside on display were all the latest and greatest models to come out of the factory in Bavaria. I must admit though that modern cars don't captivate my interest as much as the older metal. 1/125s 35mm F1.4 ISO 320 Two Photo Panoramic.

As this was also my last day in Munich I wanted to make it into the city centre at least once, even if only for a short period of time. I took the metro to the famous Marienplatz with the city hall and then I went to and inside the city’s most famous church – Frauenkirche. I’d say its actually more impressive inside than outside, especially with the pillars and how they connect to the beautiful ceiling. As I was sat admiring it all I had to admit to myself that I was completely spent and that I just needed to get back to my room and sleep before another train journey in the morning. My trip was almost over but no one could say I wasn’t making the most of it.

Afterwards I did have a quick stroll through the Olympic Village which has long been converted into normal housing. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 250.

My time in central Munich was brief but from what the small taste of what I got makes me keen to return. Here we see the town hall at Marienplatz. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 160.

I also managed to make a quick visit to Frauenkirche before my tiredness got the better of me. Especially as I had another two days of travelling ahead of me. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 125.

The inside of Frauenkirche is very simple compared to many of the other more ostentatious interiors I've seen in large Catholic churches and cathedrals. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 500.

However in my eyes that makes it more beautiful, with its architecture simple allowed to speak for itself. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 ISO 2000.

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