Travel Notes | Free Travel to 4 European Countries (Part 1)

(ps: European bread is really addictive/φ(≧ω≦*)♪)

Europe has winter time difference: 7 hours

There is daylight saving time in summer. Time difference: 6 hours

Accommodation: B&B

We arrived in Munich at noon local time~ Then we went through the car pick-up procedures in Europcar and picked up the car. We ordered a station wagon, and the last car we picked up was a Mazda station wagon. Carry 4 people, 4 30-inch suitcases and a 24-inch handcarry suitcase (a little crowded, but just put the luggage down) Tip: Foreign car rentals can only give you the same model of car, not necessarily the same model. The one you saw on your order. For self-driving in Europe, you need to select the transit country at the bottom of the order (for example, I picked up the car in Germany, and Salzburg belongs to Austria, so the transit country must be Austria. To go from Germany to Austria, you need to buy a high-speed ticket at a convenience store or gas station. Generally, just buy the cheapest one that contains ten days and stick it on the upper left corner of the car window. Be sure to buy it or the fine will be so expensive that it will make you cry)

We arrived at 12:35 on December 12th. Our stay in Munich was very short, so we took the time to go to the attractions.

BMW MUSEUM & BMW BELT

The weather is really cold, and it's drizzling. It's really cold. I could see the BMW Building in the distance from the car (although I didn’t know how to appreciate the design of the building), then parked the car and went to the BMW Museum and BMW World.

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There are many very beautiful, colorful and handsome "classic cars" in the BMW Museum, as well as many concept cars. Here you can also learn about BMW's development history and future development direction.

Although it was only 4:30 after finishing the museum, it was already dark by then.

Marienplatz

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This is Munich's busiest city center and a shopping mall where the Christmas market is held. There is a very famous Marian church here, as well as the New City Hall and the Old City Hall. If you come to Marienplatz on the hour, you can also witness the performance on the bell tower of the Marianne Church, which shows the scenes of kings coming to worship when Jesus was born.

 

 

In Marienplatz, you can climb St. Peter cathedral . There is no charge to enter the church, but there is a fee to climb to the top. After leaving the church, you will find that there is a door next door with many people queuing up. That’s where we climbed to the top, 3 euros per person. The stairs to go up are very narrow, because there is only one staircase to go up and down, so sometimes there will be "traffic jam". I remembered correctly that it was the 13th floor when I climbed to the top. I was really good at climbing stairs until my legs felt weak! But when you go upstairs, you can overlook the panoramic view of Munich! Buy a wide-angle lens and you can take pictures of Munich from a postcard perspective!

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My personal favorite is the one in the square called Asam Kirche . This church built in the 18th century is located inconspicuously among restaurants and shops. Named after the designer. When you approach the church, you will be surprised or even amazed by its exquisiteness and magnificence. (Because the four of us were simply amazed), although the area is small, there are many details, and the color is mainly brown, which is deep yet gorgeous. I have seen so many churches and this church is my favorite.

Schloss Neuschwanstein

It is a late 19th century building located in southern Bavaria, Germany. Among the 14,000 castles in Germany, it is the most famous because of the legend of the Swan Knight. And it’s a reference to Disney Castle, so it looks pretty good on the surface.

 

The weather was not good when we went to Neuschwanstein Castle. It was raining and drizzling, and it was freezing cold. So I wear a lot of clothes, so UGG comes in handy. We didn't buy tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle because we weren't very interested in it. Just keep walking along the path in the direction of the crowd. If you are driving, you can actually drive up there. There are parking spaces. It takes 30 minutes to walk all the way up to the viewing platform, which is quite nice but there are too many people. But in fact, that is not the best viewing platform. The best viewing platform is actually at the entrance to the scenic spot. There is a small road on the right hand side, which says that you have to walk 1 to bleckenau. Many hours . Because I didn’t prepare a guide in advance, it took a long time to walk up to Neuschwanstein Castle. Moreover, the weather was too cold, so I didn’t have the energy to walk for more than an hour when I discovered it. It is still recommended to go there if you have time.

Königssee

Königssee is also one of my favorite attractions. It was formed by glaciers during the last ice age. It took us about an hour and a half to drive from the apartment to King Lake. After parking your car, remember to go to the toll machine on the roadside to buy a parking ticket!

The weather is very good, and the scenery on the way to King's Lake is also good, but it only takes 8 minutes to walk from the parking lot. When you come to King Lake, you must take a boat trip. The ticket office is right next to the pier. You can book tickets online (https://www.seenschifffahrt.de/en/koenigssee/boat-fleet/boat-fleet/). However, it is not the peak season when we go, so there is no need to advance. To buy tickets, you just need to buy them on site early. Return tickets are 15 euros per person, and you can pay by credit card in cash. However, sometimes the boat is closed. You need to check similar announcements on the official website before going. Fortunately we went on the 15th, because there were no boats available on the 13th and 14th. The boat leaves every half hour, so just wait in line. There are a total of 3 stations not counting the departure station. When we went there, except Bartholoma, the other 3 stations were closed due to winter. It's a pity, but friends who live in Germany suggest that if you go there in the summer, you can stop in Bartholoma and then go to Salet; there is an inner lake in Salet that takes about 20 minutes to walk, and it is worth going.

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There will be a crew on the ship who will stop the ship after a certain time and blow the horn. At this time, everyone will not speak and listen quietly to the sound of the horn echoing in the valley. (but! Remember to prepare some change! Because the crew will come to collect tips after they blow! )

We got off the boat at Bartholoma, stayed for about an hour and then took the boat back. During this period, we walked around and took photos. The scenery was quite beautiful. I also saw some people hiking along the trail with trekking poles. I heard from my friends that Lake Königssee is also very beautiful in summer, with green trees and flowers all over the mountains and plains. I started to look forward to seeing you next time.

 

When it comes to food, Munich basically has pork knuckle, pizza, sausages, pasta, etc. I don’t feel like there are many varieties, but if you know how to choose a restaurant, you can still get delicious food. The drink is just beer, which is very good! Remember that in Europe there is basically no free water, let alone hot water! You can only choose tea. Tea bags and hot water are served separately. So when you are in a B&B or hotel, you need to boil hot water, and take the trouble to bring a larger thermos when you go out. Otherwise, a cup of tea costs only 4 euros, and drinking tea can cost hundreds or even thousands of RMB. Haha

Accommodation: B&B

After visiting King's Lake, we set off for Salzburg, Austria. The drive was very short, about 40 minutes. Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria, the oldest country in Austria, and the hometown of the talented composer Mozart.

Salzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg)

Due to lack of time, we mainly visited the fortress of Salzburg, which was both a defensive measure and the bishop's residence; it served as both a military camp and a prison. You can choose to hike to the fortress or take the cable car. It is recommended to hike up (the road up the mountain has a high slope, so walking can help you warm up in the winter haha) and then take the cable car down.

 

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When you walk into the fortress and feel the impregnable castle, you will understand why it has never been breached for hundreds of years. The fortress is very large, so you can reserve 2h to 3h for the visit. Tickets are divided into several types depending on the needs of the visit. It is recommended to purchase the full ticket. Here you can go to the highest point to overlook the panoramic view of Salzburg, and visit the Castle Museum, Puppet Museum, etc. When you are tired from walking, you can sit and rest in the restaurant of the castle. It’s Christmas. In addition to the Christmas market at Salzburg Cathedral, there is also a small market on the castle. It’s very lively. There are band performances, delicious food and drinks, and cute little things to buy.

When the sun goes down 40 minutes before it goes down, it is recommended to walk towards the exit so that you can watch the sunset in (a place I think is beautiful). The whole city is orange-red. At this time, the lights of the castle gradually light up, creating a A romantic atmosphere.

salzburg cathedral

After visiting the Salzburg Fortress, take a small train to leave and arrive near the Salzburg Cathedral. We did not visit the inside of the church. I spend most of my time walking around the city. I really like the big golden ball in the picture above. There are people standing on it and looking at the fortress. The Christmas market is here in awe. The lights at night are beautiful and lined up in rows. , and almost every street has a different shape.

Regarding restaurants, I highly recommend the Western restaurant (shrimp Bar&Restaurant) pictured above that specializes in shrimp! Every dish is great! If you look at the picture and find it unattractive, it has nothing to do with the food, but a problem with my photography skills.

Step on thunder️! ! !

A "very well-known" Mozart chocolate bought in Salzburg. Personal test, expensive! Very unpalatable! The key is that you can't try it, and it costs 2 euros for a small pill. As a result, after buying souvenirs as gifts, the four of us also bought 4 small pieces to try, but we ended up eating small bites and throwing them away ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (In the end, the souvenirs were not given away either hhh...

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It takes about 35 minutes to drive from Salzburg to the small town of Hallstetter. Parking is very convenient, there are 4 parking lots, and the instructions are very clear. After parking the car, we walked into the town. There was white snow all the way. It’s just very, very cold! There are two giant tourist buses at the entrance of the town, and many tourists gather around the observation deck in front of the entrance. Walking along the way, I saw many Asian faces and heard familiar Cantonese and Mandarin. In fact, the biggest feeling I have about this town (probably because I went there in winter) is that it is not as beautiful as the legend says. There are too many tourists, and the houses are not as distinctive as I imagined. On the contrary, I saw the three burned houses in the small town mentioned in the news that I saw shortly before departure. The original plan was to stay in the town longer, but because I wasn’t too interested, I took the tourist photos and went to another town in advance.

Accommodation: Hotel Peter

 

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Highly recommend this hotel! Located right next to the entrance of the town, parking is very convenient. As long as you stay in the hotel, parking is free. This hotel is a local 4-star hotel. It's not big, but the rooms are pretty good. When you check in, you will receive a large soda water, fresh fruits and cookies. We booked a lake view room. The view was great and the photos were great too!

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I personally like this town very much. There are relatively few tourists, and it is very comfortable, surrounded by mountains and rivers. It’s a special Christmas program in the town: candle light. You can see burning candles and candle decorations everywhere. What makes me most happy is that there is an eye-catching candle standing in the center of the lake, and the reflection is very beautiful.

 

The best time to watch is in the early morning and evening, giving you a different feeling.

 

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We would visit the market in the evening and rarely saw Asian faces. We tried very few things, but we enjoyed walking around the streets and looking around.

I like this town very much and will come again if I have the chance! (I like that cat very much haha, there are so many cats in this town~o( =∩ω∩= )m)

Accommodation: Hotel Ruze

 

This hotel is the only 5-star hotel in the local area, but apart from the cave features of the hotel, I think it is at most a 3-star hotel in the country. The main thing is that the hotel is a bit old and the facilities are outdated. They are mainly made of wooden boards and have a musty smell! The buffet is also... not delicious haha. (There are also very weird photos, if you want to see them, message me privately)

 

 

But the best thing about this hotel is that there is a good observation deck as soon as you leave the hotel door. Many tourists come here to take pictures at dawn. It’s great to take photos when the weather is nice.

Personally, I prefer this town, except for the hotel! It's a great stopover before going to Prague. The town of ck enjoys a reputation as one of the most beautiful towns in the world, and it is true.

I think the best filming location in the town of CK is the Cesky Krumlov Castle, which can be reached by just crossing the Lasebonitzli Bridge. It is closed on Mondays, but the garden outside is still open to the public. From the castle, you can have a bird's eye view of the entire town and have a panoramic view of all the beautiful scenery. We woke up very early and waited for the sunrise to take photos! There are many observation holes next to it, which are beautiful no matter how you take pictures. The castle also overlooks the Vltava River.

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We also visited the painted tower, which is the highest point in the entire town. The ticket to the top is 170CZK/person. The tower is a spiral staircase, which is relatively steep, so be careful when walking. However, I didn’t find the view from above very stunning, haha, I still like the castle. Come down from the roof and visit the castle. After leaving the castle area, we walked around the streets, which also had a unique scene.

 

 

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I also had two very sumptuous meals in ck town! The meal was French cuisine Le Jardin. The meal was a steak meal at the cave restaurant. Both restaurants are very popular, so you need to call in advance to make a reservation! btw! I would say that I prefer the refreshing beer from the Czech Republic to the rich beer from Munich, Germany!

Digression:

It was great to go to HONEY MOON in Europe before the epidemic started! In the past two years, maybe because of the epidemic maybe I have not been able to travel abroad. In fact, I haven’t finished writing the travelogue yet. I still have the second half (Prague and Budapest), which I will post next week. The travelogue contains a lot of text and pictures, and it’s shaky and not the most detailed, haha, I hope you’ll forgive me. In fact, I’m afraid that there are too many words in the text, so if you want to make a strategy guide, if you have any questions you need to ask me, I’ll answer them as much as I can! Welcome to leave a message or message me privately.