7 Simple Ways to Travel Europe for Less

I have been asked by my colleagues, what are the best places to visit in Munich and London in a very short timeframe? Well, if you have very little time and you're in a shoestring budget, here's my piece of advice:

1. If you’re looking for a shopping paradise and have limited time in Munich, perhaps you can go to the city centre, Marienplatz.

In case you have 1 Saturday in Munich, perhaps you can travel to the shopping outlet, Ingolstadt Village in Ingolstadt. It’s about 1 hour journey by bus from Munich Main Train Station. Don’t forget to print out the vouchers online because you'll get additional discounts on top of the outlet price plus more extra offers in store!
How to get there:
1. Purchase your bus ticket earlier, to secure a seat: https://ingolstadtvillage.com/en/guest-services/chic-travel/shop/shopping-express?utm_source=website&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=title&utm_campaign=quicklink
It costs you €15.00, it was only €10.50 when I went there 2 years ago :( It’s a round trip, bus will bring you to the place at 9.30am and you will return back to the Main Train Station at 3.30pm.
2. The meeting point, Sofitel Munich Bayerpost is about 5 mins walk from Munich Main Train Station. Get ready earlier before the bus departs or else you might miss the bus.
3. Enjoy your shopping time!
4. It’s closed on Sunday

2. You can also find Munich's Church of Our Lady in Marienplatz. Don’t forget to take some pictures in front of Rathaus, it is the Town Hall of Munich. If you walk a little further, there is a Toy Museum nearby.

3. For nature lovers, you may want to consider the English Garden. It's a huge garden and you will never regret walking around!
Some pictures: http://globetrottertalks.blogspot.sg/2012/10/third-germanys-biggest-city-munich.html

4. There’s also an interesting place to visit in Munich, it’s Zugspitze, the peak of Germany. Very beautiful scenery and you can even go up to the border of Austria-Germany ;)
Some pictures and info: http://globetrottertalks.blogspot.sg/2012/10/Zugspitze.html

5. If you are not able to make it to Ingolstadt Village, they have similar outlet store in London. It’s Bicester Village, quite far from Central London but worth the travel :)
How to get there:
1. To be safe, you can get there by bus, from their website: https://bicestervillage.com/en/guest-services/chic-travel/shop/shopping-express?utm_source=website&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=icon&utm_campaign=quicklink
2. You can also travel on your own. Take the train from Marylebone to Bicester North and there is a shuttle bus straight to Bicester Village. To have better bargains at Bicester Village, I’d advise to purchase the train ticket from Thistle Hotel, Marble Arch
3. It’s open on Sundays too! So, enjoy!

More pictures and info: http://globetrottertalks.blogspot.sg/2012/10/London.html

6. Since Arsenal is nearer to London, you may want to consider paying a visit there. Emirates Stadium is about 10-15mins walk from the Underground station. Taking a picture with the Emirates Stadium as background is a MUST! ;)
It’s a straight-forward route to Arsenal via Underground.

7. After visiting the Emirates Stadium, you might want to stop over and get some shoes from Clarks. They have a factory outlet nearby, it’s a walking distance. Here’s the address:
113-117 Powis Street, Thamesmead West
London, SE18 6JB

Enjoy your trip, make sure be safe!

The Spectacular 'Starnberger See' (English: Lake Starnberg)

Lake Starnberg - Located close to Munich and provides a magnificent view of the Alps. Little did we know on the history of Starnberger See sadly because we did not have the chance to talk to the locals since it was already late evening when we got there (left work around 4pm, went over to Timberland outlet and crammed in a short visit to Starnberger See).

Nevertheless, we do not want to leave you wondering about it either! Credits to the Tourist-Board Starnberg Five-Lake Region website, we managed to grab some interesting information on the Lake! :)
"It is a popular destination with young and old alike, renowned not only for its wealth of leisure activities, but also for its Bavarian hospitality. Be it a round-trip on Starnberger See or an exploratory tour along one of the numerous hiking trails – the Starnberg Five-Lake Region enables a wide variety of activities both for holiday-makers and for the local inhabitants."

If time is a constraint, we'd propose to take the train (S-Bahn S6) from Munich to Starnberg. You may take your own sweet time, walk around the lake and get fascinated with the beautiful creation of the Creator. Another option would be getting on boat trips for the lake cruise. A round trip on the boat gives you a new view around the lakes. The most interesting part, you will pass Rose Island and the castles on Lake Starnberg. Especially on Foehn winds (dry and warm winds), you could witness the remarkable scenery of the Alps.

For more photos: Visit our Facebook Page

 

Sunset. Feeling blessed :)

Crystal clear water. So clean that you could see the rocks and pebbles clearly!

Don't be surprised, these ducks (Mallard) can actually fly! (Read more in Wikipedia)

The boat, operated by Bayerische Seenschifffahrt Company takes you for a lake cruise

 

 

 

Third Germany's biggest city - Munich

Munich might not be the common preferred holiday destination among non-European tourists but honestly, it has nothing less than other places i.e. London. It is a decent developed city; the third largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg.

For a long stay, it is best to choose an apartment with a small kitchen for your convenience. Derag Livinghotel Max Emanuel is one of the recommended lodging. With free breakfast, DIY laundry service, proper basement parking, and easy access to the train station (S-Bahn Rosenheimer Platz). Nevertheless if you would like to have a much more comfortable stay, Hilton Munich City Hotel or Holiday Inn Munich City Centre would be the best choice. The hotel lobby is attached to an S-Bahn station which is less than 10 minutes from the city center. These hotels are also just a few steps away from Gasteig Cultural Centre and Isar River.

For more selections in hotel booking kindly proceed to: Agoda Munich Hotels :)






Things to do in Munich:
During the Spring season, there will be a Frühling Fest known as Spring Festival at Therensienwiese with lots of fun ride, tents with music and drinking (similar to Oktoberfest). If you do not consume alcoholic drinks, you could also order something else than Bier (for example the typical German "spezi" - a mix of Cola and Fanta).Therensienwiese could be accessed via Metro U4/5.

The town center; Marienplatz should absolutely be visited. Information e.g. maps could be found in the tourist information office or get them here.

It was Champions League Final 2012 ( Bayern Munich vs Chelsea) and there were loads of Bayern supporters around Marienplatz very early in the morning :)

Derag Livinghotel Max Emanuel

The Rathaus, Marienplatz. The heart of Munich <3

Spring is the season of Spargel (Asparagus)

Munich Toy Museum

A glimpse of Munich's Church of Our Lady in between the streets

English Garden

Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) at Munich's Theresienwiese 

Hohenschwangau Castle (The residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria when he was young. It was built by King Maximilian II of Bavaria)

Places to go in Munich:
1. Flohmarkt - A big garage sales with lots of second-hand clothes and plentiful old- stuff
2. Englischer Garten (English Garden) and take a look at the Chinese tower beergarden. On Sunday mornings you have the chance to be entertained with Bavarian live-music
3. Walking along the Isar river
4. Ingolstadt Village - shopping outlet

5. Tegernsee

6. Cassel Neuschwanstein ("Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle")
7. Olympia Park

Email us for more information :)

Zugspitze; the Peak of Germany

The Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres above sea level, is the highest mountain in Germany. It is located south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the border between Germany and Austria runs over its western summit. South of the mountain is the Zugspitzplatt.

It is accessible via DB Bahn and the station that will be your destination is Garmisch-Partenkirchen. You will need to walk about less than 100 metres to arrive at Zugspitze ticketing counter. The price ranges from 28,00€ to 59,00€ for an adult and 16,00€ to 33,00€ for children aged between 6 - 15 years old. The prices are different based on the ticket type: one-way or a roundtrip. If you are commuting to Garmisch-Partenkirchen by DB Bahn, you are entitled for some discount provided that you present your DB Bahn ticket before making a purchase. 

If you would like to get frequent updates in your iPhones or iPads, the Zugspitze app can be downloaded from the iTunes store here. As for hotel reservations, Hotels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen will give you a wide selection of hotels nearby the city centre.

The route from the train station at Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the peak, Zugspitzplatt

Half-way through the peak. This is where you can take a break and go for a skiing. It is not even at the peak yet but the breath-taking view is one in a million.

The maximum capacity of this cable car is more than a tonne and it will bring you to the peak ;-)

That's the peak! The 'gold' cross symbolizes victory which is the target of mountain climbers and day-trippers.