Bavaria & Austria – Jewels of Romantic Europe

Eight days, one private driver-guide and a line that runs from Munich through the Bavarian Alps into Tyrol, on to Salzburg and back over Lake Chiemsee to the airport. This is the itinerary to reach for when a client says Germany and Austria in the same sentence and has a week to give it. Every transfer, ticket and guided walk is arranged in advance; your clients never queue for a counter and never wonder what happens next.

Who this itinerary is built for

It suits first-time visitors to the Alps who want breadth without changing hotels every night, couples marking an anniversary, and families with older children who will happily trade one castle for a salt mine. The daily driving legs are short – rarely more than two hours – which is what makes eight days feel unhurried rather than compressed. Guests who want to walk more can swap a museum for a mountain morning; guests who want to slow down can add a night in Salzburg or Garmisch without breaking the sequence.

Season, pace and variations

Late May to early October is the reliable window: the Zugspitze cable car, the lake boats and the alpine roads are all dependable, and the folk and concert programmes run. December works as a shortened Christmas-market version. If your clients only have a day rather than a week, the same castles are covered by the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof full-day excursion, and Salzburg alone by the private Salzburg old town walking tour. Munich arrival and departure logistics are described on our Munich destination page.