Austria and Germany
Salt Mines, Alpine Lakes & an Unexpected Detour
WRITTEN SEP 26, 2026
6 days and 7 nights | March 2025
Our Itinerary at a Glance
Saturday
Depart from the States
Sunday | Salzburg, Austria
Arrive in Munich
Train to Salzburg
Check in and Explore the City
Early Dinner at Barenwirt
Monday | Salzburg
St. Peter’s Abbey
Getreidegasse Street
Edelweiss Cooking School
Fortress Hohensalzburg
Dinner at Die Weisse
Tuesday | Berchtesgaden & Konigsee
Bus to Berchtesgaden
Salt Mine Tour
Konigssee Boat Tour
Return to Salzburg
Dinner at Augustiner Braustubl
Wednesday | Munich
Train to Munich
Marienplatz
Viktualienmarkt
Dinner at Gans Woanders
Thursday to Saturday | Munich
Our plans changed when our daughter became suddenly and severely ill. The rest of our trip became a mix of doctors’ offices, pharmacies, and trying to get her strong enough for the long journey home.
Had things gone according to plan, we had hoped to visit Wildpark Poing and take a day trip to Nuremberg and Augsburg.
Sometimes, though, you have to roll with the punches.
Planning a Spring Break in Austria and Germany
It’s difficult to remember exactly how we ended up planning a spring break in Austria and Germany. We had talked about wanting to visit Germany for quite some time, but we had a hard time deciding where we wanted to begin.
There are so many regions and cities to consider – Munich and the Bavarian Alps, Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, and The Black Forest – and plenty more.
Ultimately, we settled on Munich. Since we would be traveling in March, we liked the idea of being near the Alps. We then decided to combine the trip with Salzburg, Austria, since we had a full week and could easily travel between the two cities by train.
It ended up being a trip filled with a little bit of everything – beautiful towns, alpine scenery, hands-on experiences, good food, and one very unexpected detour.
Sunday Evening | Salzburg, Austria
Our flight from the States was an overnight flight into Munich. We landed in Munich around 9:00 AM on Sunday and hopped on a train to Salzburg, about an hour and a half to two hours away.
We always try to take it slow on our first day overseas. None of us sleep particularly welll on planes, so the first day is usually a game of finding just enough to do to keep everyone awake until a reasonable bedtime.
We checked in to Alstadthotel Wolf-Dietrich, a small family run hotel in a central and very walkable spot in Salzburg. They offer a family suite that can accommodate four people, which is always a key consideration for us when booking a hotel.
The breakfast was also excellent and got us off to a good start each morning.
That first afternoon, we spent most of our time wandering the streets.
I loved walking around Salzburg. It felt different from other European cities I have visited. There were plenty of people out and about, but the city itself felt calm and peaceful. The Salzach River runs through the center, and groups of people were spread out on blankets along the banks.
We wandered through St. Sebastian Cemetery, Linzer Gasse, Steingasse, Mirabellgarten, Getreidegasse, and across the Makartsteg Bridge.
We weren’t trying to accomplish much. We were mostly just getting a feel for the city.
Another strategy we have for our first night in a new place is making an early dinner reservation. That way, we don’t have to think about where to eat or deal with a long wait when everyone is exhausted.
For our first night in Salzburg, we reserved a table at Barenwirt. The restaurant has an old world feel with a cozy dining room and wood paneled walls, and is located in an inn dating back to the 1600’s.
It was a fitting start to a week of strudels, sausages, and schnitzels.
Monday | Salzburg
After a good night’s sleep, we were ready for a full day in Salzburg.
We discovered a coffee shop around the corner from our hotel called Ratio Coffee. We ended up frequenting it throughout our time in the city. They made a delicious cortado which happens to be my espresso drink of choice.
One thing I noticed almost immediately was how kind and subdued everyone seemed. It felt like the calm quiet nature of the city encouraged us to slow down too.
The highlight of our day was a cooking class we took at Edelweiss Cooking School.
The class lasted only about an hour and a half, but we had a blast. Our kids love it when someone shows them what to do and then sets them free with the tools to try it themselves – and that is exactly what we did.
We learned to make an Apple Strudel and Salzburger Nockerl. While our Strudels were baking, we were served Goulash for lunch.
The kitchen was quaint and relaxed with a few small groups working together. The chefs were incredibly kind and helpful. We enjoyed eating lunch with the other families and hearing where everyone was traveling from.
The favorite dish for our family was the Nockerl.
It was unique and fun to make – a dessert that is somewhat like a souffle or custard formed into 4 mountain peaks and sitting on a bed of raspberry jam.
We brought the recipes home with us and have actually made it a couple of times since returning.
The rest of our day was spent exploring Salzburg. We visited St. Peter’s Abbey and the catacombs, rode the funicular to tour Fortress Hohensalzburg, and toured Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse.
We finished our day with dinner at Die Weisse, a traditional Austrian brewery and restaurant.
Meals were generally pretty easy with kids throughout the trip. Austrian and German cuisine offers plenty of family friendly options for everyone, although traditional Bavarian meals can get quite heavy when you’re eating them day after day. We found ourselves seeking out some salads or pizzas every now and then.
And, of course, pastries and coffees are everywhere. Sometimes those were enough to hold us over until an early dinner.
Tuesday | Berchtesgaden & Konigsee
On Tuesday, we took the bus from Salzburg into Berchtesgaden, an alpine town in Bavaria, only about 45 minutes to an hour away.
The scenery slowly changed as we traveled, and the mountains became more prominent.
Our first stop was the salt mine at Salzbergwerk.
The tour was a fun mix of learning about the history of salt mining and actually experiencing the mine. There were slides, small boats and mine carts, which made it much more engaging than a traditional museum-style tour.
We were part of a group tour which paired us up with a large group of seniors from China, and they were a hoot. We got a kick out of how much fun they were having throughout the entire experience.
Because we were visiting in March, some of the historical sites in the area, such as the Eagles Nest, were closed for the season.
We had also considered visiting Hallstatt as a day trip. It is the more famous picturesque alpine village on the lake in Austria. The longer travel time from Salzburg and our worry that the salt mine there was not yet open for the season led us to choosing Berchtesgaden instead.
From Berchtesgaden, we were only 10-15 minutes from Lake Konigsee. We took the bus to the Konigsee lake and walked down the dock to purchase tickets for the boat tour.
There were only a handful of people on the boat that time of year.
The water was like glass between the mountains. The ferries are electric, so the smooth ride across the water was smooth and quiet. At one point, the boat idled while one of the staff members played a trumpet across the water. We listened as the sound echoed back from the mountains.
We continued across the lake to our stop on the other side, where we were able to get off and walk along the shore before taking the ferry back.
The lake was a beautiful stop and left me wanting to see more of Bavaria and the Alps.
Back in Salzburg, we made our way to Augustiner Braustubl, a traditional beer hall with a food court set up for meals.
The atmosphere was fun, and it was an interesting experience, although the food itself was not my favorite of the trip.
Wednesday | Munich
On Wednesday, we took the train back to Munich to spend the second half of our week.
We checked in to Koos Hotel Apartments, another small hotel with breakfast and a family suite.
After dropping our luggage, we headed out to get our bearings.
We walked through Marienplatz, browsed a few shops, and found snacks at the Viktualienmarktk.
For dinner, we traveled a little out of the way to a restaurant called Gans Woanders,
It was full of character – almost like a Victorian house crossed with a treehouse. There were patios and decks, multiple little rooms with tables inside the house, and a whimsical, almost fairy garden atmosphere with lights and gardens throughout.
We shared a couple of pizzas and started making our way back toward the hotel.
This is where everything went off the rails for us.
On the bus to dinner, our daughter mentioned that she felt a little car sick. She didn’t eat any of her dinner and climbed into bed when we returned to the hotel.
Shortly afterward, she became violently ill.
She couldn’t keep anything down and was truly miserable. It was the sickest we had ever seen her.
I immediately started worrying about a fresh juice she had ordered in the market earlier that day and whether we were dealing with some kind of foodborne illness.
At this moment, we were so grateful to be staying in a hotel.
The staff helped us with cups of ice, changing the bedding, and directing us to pharmacies and emergency rooms.
Our next couple days became a juggling act of IV fluids, medications, shopping for bland foods and liquids and trying to get her strong enough to make the long journey home.
It was incredibly stressful and difficult to see her feeling so awful.
But the doctors were amazing and caring. Despite the language barriers, we were able to get her the treatment she needed.
And she was extremely tough.
Thursday and Friday | Munich
The last couple of days in Munich were a complete blur.
My husband and I took turns staying by her bedside in the hotel room while the other went out into the city with our son.
We tried to make the best things for him. We visited illusion museums and lego stores, threw a frisbee in the park and went to see the surfers at Eisbachwelle in the Englischer Garten.
He was a trooper and an awesome brother.
He facetimed his sister from the lego store so she could pick out a mini figure. It was a small thing, but it brightened her day.
Had we not been dealing with illness, we had planned to take a day trip to Nuremberg and possibly Augsburg as well, depending on how much time we had.
Nuremberg was high on our list because of its importance in understanding the history surrounding World War II. I had also booked a tour of Felsengange, the historic underground rock cellars beneath the city center.
But instead, we stayed put and used those last couple of days to rest up and pack for the trip home.
The Trek Home
Getting to the airport and flying home was much more difficult than usual, which made it feel like the longest day of travel we’d ever had.
I’ve never been happier to see our own home.
I imagine she felt that way even more so.
It took a few weeks for her energy and appetite to fully return. And while I don’t know for certain what caused her illness, I think all of us will be a little more cautious about fresh juice while traveling from now on.
What We Would Do Again
Choose Austria
We all loved Austria, and would love to see more of the country someday. There is so much history to explore, beautiful mountain scenery, and the cities that are so calm and inviting. It was a wonderful fit for a family trip.
Edelweiss Cooking School
We would do this again in a heartbeat. There are different classes and menus to choose from, and learning to make the cuisine of a new place is a fun skill to bring back home.
The Salt Mine and Alpine Lake Tour
Both were fun activities for all ages. I especially liked getting outside and enjoying the landscape around Lake Konigsee.
Book the Bed and Breakfast
European hotel breakfasts are hard to beat. But beyond the food, I was especially grateful to have a small, locally run hotel when things went sideways. They helped to make a stressful situation easier.
What We Would Do Differently
The Beer Garden Food Court
The beer hall was a fun experience, but the food at the one we visited in Salzburg was dry and not particularly memorable. I’d happily go back for the atmosphere. I’d just choose somewhere else for dinner.
Visit in Spring or Summer
I enjoyed the cooler weather and absence of crowds, but if we returned I would choose a warmer month. Visiting in March meant that some of the mountain attractions were closed for the season.
Give Ourselves More Time In Bavaria
Our original itinerary had more time built into Munich with several potential day trips. After seeing how much we enjoyed Berchtesgaden and Konigsee, I would also be tempted to spend more time exploring Bavaria and the the Alps.
We Had Our Ups and Downs
This wasn’t the trip we planned.
We missed several of the things we were excited to see around Munich, spent two days inside a hotel room, navigated an unfamiliar healthcare system, and made the trip home with a very sick kid.
And yet, I’m still glad we went.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel in the first place, and we came home with wonderful memories from Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, and Konigsee.
We also learned that we can handle an urgent situation in a foreign country.
Maybe that’s one of the less glamorous parts of family travel.
You can plan. You can research. You can make reservations and build itineraries.
And then sometimes it all flies out the window.
And the best thing you can do is stay flexible, take care of those you love, and figure it out as you go.
We may need a little time before considering a return trip to Munich.
And that’s okay.
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