I'll be traveling to Munich, Germany in late October of this year, and
would like the following information:

- some recommendations about hotels/restaurants in Munich.  I already
own the requisite travel guides, and so am more interested in personal
experiences.
- what are some side-trips I can take from Munich?  I would prefer day
trips but would also be happy to know about 1-2 day excursions.
- the names and numbers of 2 or 3 well-reviewed travel agencies in the
United States who have a staff member with expertise in German travel.
- any other Germany-specific advice you can give me (I've been to
Europe before).

You're traveling in the German off-season; I'd stay in a castle
(Schloss). Forget the Autobahn, it's one traffic jam after another.
Just ask the chef (or one of his staff) where he did his
apprenticeship- this will weed out the duds. On a budget, the hostels
at higher altitudes will be largely empty. Staying inside Munich
proper is quite expensive, although finding a translator is a sure
thing these days. I prefer renting bicycles and taking the train for
day trips in Western Europe, particularly to large cities. If you can,
Austria is always accomodating- Salzburg is just a few hours from
Munich.

Hi there!

I cannot advise on hotels and restaurants, though I have found Reisen
mit Preisen a great site for looking up hotels:
<http://www.reisen-mit-preisen.de/home.html> They have English pages
as well, and offer comprehensve listings of hotels in Germany, as well
as online booking.  So many other hotels pages offer a selection of
hotels.  But having narrowed your list, do check if other site include
your choice/s at lower prices: they can be quite different from one
site to another!  But I'm not so sure the prices change that much from
season to season.

Two side trips I would recommend: Fussen and Neue Schwanstein in the
south, and Regensburg to the east. If you can spare a little longer,
head north up the Romantische Strasse, make sure you have time in
Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, as well as Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen and
others. Note the schloss in Wurzburg! Baroque with a vengeance!

Are you traelling by car, or by public transport?  Transport in
Germany is good, and there are some great bargains to be had: look for
weekend passes, 4 day passes, etc etc - it rarely pays to buy single
fares as you go.  If you are travelling by rail, get your travel
agency to look into rail passes, domino schemes and similar; there's a
standard rail pass which entitles you to discount (50%?) on all your
tickets, the domino allows you to travel any three days out of seven,
or any five days in fourteen.  Often these tickets MUST be bought
before you arrive in Germany, they can't be bought once you have
arrived.  If you are travelling with someone, German rail becomes even
cheaper, a mitfahrer often travels at half-price.

Other tips?  Don't be shy of German wine; it's a well-kept secret just
how good it can be. Stay clear of the stuff they export, try the
Frankenwein (in the squat rounded bottles), try the Moselles, even the
red wines are not as sharp as they are in many other countries.  I
also recommend the weizenbier (sometimes called hefeweizen) -
especially if you are lucky enough to have good weather, it's a grand
thirst quencher.

Can't help you with travel agencies, I'm afraid, but once you have
arrived, the information offices are very helpful, and you might also
get useful advice from ADAC motoring organization - take your AAA card
to get reciprocal facilities.

Have fun, viel Spass,

Read2live

re the comment of read2live-ga: Weizenbier means wheat beer.  The
other term for it is Weissbier.  Hefe is "cloudy" beer, as opposed to
"kristal", which is clear.  Hefe beer has the yeast left inside, and
when opening a bottle you swish it around so that the yeast sediment
pours out with the liquid.  Not only does this boost your vitamin
B-complex intake, it also adds to the taste.  To complicate matters,
although weiss means white, you can also come across a dunkel (dark)
hefe weissbier, as I did in Darmstadt the other day.
If you are a beer fan, you might want to look out for Rauchbier, which
is a beer made with highly smoked malt.  I found that even many
Germans are not aware of this.  The main centre for Rauchbier is
Bamberg, and the best-known company is Schenkerla.

BTW, if you are on a budget, you will find that private rooms in small
villages, both in Bavaria and in Austria, are very cheap and
spotlessly clean.  And Salzburg is indeed a gem and worth visiting.

I'd like to recommend Chiemsee with the castle & gardens
Herrenchiemsee; there's also a monastery on another island IIRC. It's
a short journey by train from München. Go to "Prien" which is the town
at the edge of the lake; it's a fairly short walk from the station to
the dock.