The Waldfest happens around the Tegernsee area during the summer and is a great way to spend a day…read moreor evening in the countryside. It changes locations for a 3 week period and is held in villages around the Tegernsee. The one we went to was in Ostin and it was my first time ever at a Waldfest. It was organized on the village grounds amongst the trees and farmland. The location was idyllic and almost everyone was dressed in traditional wear. They charge a small entry fee of €2 and the beer is cheaper than most places in Munich. There were plenty of food stalls and the food was quite good. Hearty Bavarian meals and desserts. There was a guy walking around with a basket of schnapps and you could have one or two of those after your meal. This one served Maxlrainer beer which is one of my favourites from around the area. The band was belting out tunes and it was wonderful to see the sunset with Maß in hand ;-)) I will definitely come back again with friends next year. It's a wonderful experience and done beautifully. It was not overcrowded and everyone was in a good mood and enjoying themselves. A great way to discover the amazing Bavarian countryside :-))

It's small but quite fun and has very good food…read more This Christmas market is pretty small but makes up for it with the novelty factor of being medieval themed, and with having some of the better food options of the different Christmas markets we've tried. You can also get some flaming mulled wine (Feuerzangenbowle). In all, definitely a market you should check out, and there are plenty of shops and sights in the area in case you want to do something else before or after.

This is my absolute favourite Christmas market in Munich. It's not very big but done beautifully…read moreand is completely different to all the other markets in town for one main reason - it's medieval style. Traditional craftsmen selling everything from hand made glass ornaments trough to cross bows, swords, shields and so on. Everyone working at the market is dressed in medieval costumes and all the food is cooked over wood fire and the dishes are also old medieval delicacies. The place is packed with people so you need to be patient. The food stalls are packed and you can expect line ups on weekends. This is an extremely popular market with the locals and you will feel it the moment you step in. I would come here everyday if I could. One of the most beautifully done markets in my opinion :-))

This pre-Oktoberfest is set in the charming city of Rosenheim - where there are relatively few…read moretourists - offering a more authentic cultural festival experience. Lots of rides and attractions - fantastic Bavarian food, and multiple options for seating in festival beer tents. We sat in a more upscale timber "tent" with a great band playing an eclectic mix of traditional Bavarian music and rock anthems. We ate, drank and danced all night. Would highly recommend. This pre-Oktoberfest is set in the charming city of Rosenheim - where there are relatively few tourists - offering a more authentic cultural festival experience. Lots of rides and attractions - fantastic Bavarian food, and multiple options for seating in festival beer tents. We sat in a more upscale timber "tent" with a great band playing an eclectic mix of traditional Bavarian music and rock anthems. We ate, drank and danced all night. Would highly recommend.

This is your classic Bavarian beer fest. Authentic and locally-based, with rides and amusements,…read moreBavarian food and music, real Bavarians wearing their Dirndls and Lederhosen -- and of course - lots of beer! While Oktoberfest is an over-commercialized 'Disney World' experience, Herbstfest still remains the real deal.

A fabulous festival in the outskirts of Munich. I call it a mini Oktoberfest without the huge…read morecrowds :-) I must admit I really enjoyed the atmosphere, Festbier and the food was excellent. It was a rainy day and we decided to drop in and check it out. I only heard about this recently from friends and, going on a not so busy day, was a great idea. We parked about 50m from the festival and it cost €2.80 for 4 hours :-)) There are a number of rides, game stalls for kids and adults. Lots of small food places selling the usual festival fare commonly seen throughout Bavaria like candied nuts, chocolate coated fruits, Brezen, sausages and so on. There are also three or four beer tents with a capacity of not more than a few hundred people and one big one with the Bavarian band and so on. They also had a couple of cocktail bars around just to make it a bit more interesting. We ended up in the big tent and they served a darker festbier which was really nice. The food here was also excellent and service quick. We had taken friends that had arrived from Australia here and they loved it too. I specially loved the Schwineshaxe....tender meat and crispy cracking...yummmm :-) I would happily come back here next year. The festival runs for about 2 weeks during this time of year.

There wasn't much going on when we visited this small Christmas Market tucked away inside the…read moreChinese Gardens. It was cold, rainy and windy that day, but that didn't stop the crowds at the Marienplatz Market. I'm guessing it's because this one takes a bit of effort to get to, maybe? At any rate, it wasn't very crowded, so it didn't take long for us to get through the stalls, perusing crafts, food and drinks. The only form of shelter was underneath the Chinese Tower, and it was, of course, crowded that day. We were able to find a couple of seats at one of the long tables near the entrance, but we didn't stay there long. Maybe I expected too much from this one, but it wasn't as impressive as we'd hoped it would be. There weren't many stalls, and the offerings seemed to be the same as what we could get at Marienplatz. With the rain and cold, and having to slog through the mud, we didn't stay very long. We did two passes through the market itself, then briefly considered stopping at the restaurant, before making our way back out to head back to Marienplatz for lunch. I'm glad we went, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back.

A small but lovely Christmas market located in the Englishgarten :-) if you are looking for…read moresomething away from the hustle and bustle of the city this is not a bad choice. There are quite a few stalls selling food, mulled wine, decorations and gift items. There is also a nice children's area with rides and play areas. It is not as busy as the markets in the city and you can enjoy a nice evening or afternoon walking around without being pushed around specially on a weekend :-)

If this Castle was good enough for Walt Disney....should good enough for all of us!…read more Awesome over the top Castle with gorgeous designs inside. If you are a Richard Wagner fan this place has tons of homages to the famous classic composser. Stunning views. visit the bridge above for another great vantage point. There is a simple tour you get using a listening device and it is well worth the effort. Highly recommend.

Neuschwanstein Castle itself is absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately the overall tour experience…read morewas very disappointing and there is a lot that could be improved. We took the horse-drawn carriage up toward the castle, which was a fun experience and the horses were adorable. Just be aware that the carriage does not take you all the way to the castle -- you still have an uphill walk afterward to reach the entrance. One thing I really didn't understand was the amount of horse poop all over the road. There didn't appear to be any type of bag or collection system behind the horses, so as you're walking up and around this incredibly popular tourist attraction, you're literally dodging piles of horse poop along the road. With the number of visitors and carriages going through here, it seems like there has to be a better system for keeping the area clean. Our castle tour was scheduled for 1:40 PM, and even though we arrived about 40 minutes early, we weren't allowed inside until our exact tour time. Once inside, there are several flights of stairs before reaching the tour area. That normally wouldn't be an issue for us, but we were traveling with my 70-year-old in-laws, who simply needed a little extra time on the stairs. It would have been helpful to allow guests inside a few minutes early so anyone who needs additional time could make their way upstairs without being rushed. What was especially frustrating was that the tour started before our entire group had even made it upstairs and gathered together. The guide moved very quickly, spoke extremely fast and didn't consistently wait for everyone to enter the room before beginning the next explanation. At times she was so far ahead that the audio through the speaker was going in and out. The tour groups also felt much too large. Splitting the groups in half would make a huge difference. It would give people time to actually enter each room, see what is being discussed and hear the information before being moved along. The castle itself is gorgeous and I'm glad we saw it in person, but the tour didn't provide nearly as much information as I expected because everything felt so rushed. Between the tour organization, accessibility/pacing issues and the conditions along the carriage route, there is a lot of room for improvement here. Beautiful castle, but based on our experience, I would not recommend the tour.