Oberstdorf travel for a newbie?

[theblade]

Hi all - family member has a sudden thing coming up in Oberstdorf, Germany - and I would like to tag along! The family member would be busy, but able to meet up whenever their schedule permits. I have to figure out travel (probably from an East Coast airport), hotel/accommodations and food options. Wanted to stop by the rink that holds the Bavarian Open, (Sportstatten Oberstdorf, Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf?).

I know nothing of the area and thought that some of you fine folks could help me cut through a lot of grief and help me plan things (I have about a week to figure things out). Haven't been on a plane since Winter 2020 and haven't been to Europe in a long time (sigh). Hope this thread can be of use to others attending skating events in the city in the future.

-Great airlines to fly on (from East Coast US)
-Nice/affordable hotels in Oberstdorf (perhaps near the sports complex?) or short-term rental options (I have just over a week to book something)
-Best way to exchange USD to Euros (do a little bit in the US and then exchange more there?)
-Great restaurants
-Any skating destinations of note

Thanks, all!

 

[Matthew]

Hi, don't know how much money you want to spend for accomodation. I have been there in the guest house "Dodel" which was good and not too expensive. They have rooms for 1 to 2 persons, but also bigger holiday flats. They are very near to the Sportstätten (ice rink).

Gästehaus Dodel in Oberstdorf

gemütlich und mit harmonischen Details ausgestattetes Haus in ruhiger zentraler Lage zwischen Fußgängerzone und Nebelhornbahn - ein idealer Ausgangspunkt für Wanderer & Skifahrer

www.gaestehaus-dodel.com

 

[emilinkaa]

Hi! I live in Munich, which is the airport you’ll want to fly into, unless you fly into Memmingen, but they do mostly European destinations, not US. I’ll write more later, but it’s late here and I am heading to bed. For flights, I like to check on Google flights or Skyscanner.

Feel free to message me directly too!

 

[text_skate]

When will you travel? Oberstdorf is a very touristic village, throughout the year, and particularly in July and August. You need to book well in advance. A lot of hosts only rent for a minimum of 3 day stay, during high season even a week.
The nearest airports to Oberstdorf are Zurich (Switzerland) and Munich (Germany), from the States via Frankfurt. From there you may take a train. Memmingen airport is for flights to Eastern Europe and Mediterranian destinations, Ryanair is one of the airlines.
In any case there are a lot of variables.
Oberstdorf is not very big. There is bus free of charge when you're too tired to walk.
Oberstdorf has a good website: https://www.oberstdorf.de/en/
Eissportzentrum https://www.eissportzentrum-oberstdorf.de/

 

[RUKen]

Hi all - family member has a sudden thing coming up in Oberstdorf, Germany - and I would like to tag along!

I know nothing of the area and thought that some of you fine folks could help me cut through a lot of grief and help me plan things (I have about a week to figure things out).

-Great airlines to fly on (from East Coast US)
-Nice/affordable hotels in Oberstdorf (perhaps near the sports complex?) or short-term rental options (I have just over a week to book something)
-Best way to exchange USD to Euros (do a little bit in the US and then exchange more there?)
-Great restaurants
-Any skating destinations of note

Thanks, all!

Munich is definitely the closest major airport, but if airfare is a consideration and all the fares to Munich are high, consider flying to Zurich. You can get to Oberstdorf by train, via Lindau. You can also get there by train from Munich; there's no need to rent a car. Oberstdorf itself is very walkable, and you can get farther afield using their excellent bus service.

If you will be there for at least a week, consider staying in a vacation apartment (ferienwohnung) if any are still available. The price will be competitive with hotel rooms, you can save some money on meals (but still eat out when you want to), and you'll feel a lot less cramped than in a hotel room. My spouse and I have stayed in Oberstdorf six times, and each time we've stayed in an apartment--we've never been disappointed. You should be able to find apartment listings online.

As for exchanging money--just bring your ATM card(s). Unless you keep your money in a very small, independent bank, your card can be used at European ATMs to withdraw cash from your U.S. account. You should confirm this with your bank before going, just to be sure, but I haven't exchanged money in a European bank in about 25 years, because of the convenience of ATMs.

There is a lot of good hiking, even in the winter. If there is too much snow or it is too cold up high, you should be able to walk in the valleys, and in the Breitachklamm, a narrow gorge a short distance west of town. Be sure to take the gondola up to the peak of the Nebelhorn on a sunny day for the view of the Alps--the base station is just a minute or so from the skating rink. (You can see the silhouettes of the gondolas ascending and descending from inside the rinks). If you are a cross-country skier and there is sufficient snow, Oberstdorf has some trails and you can rent skis. If you are a ski jumper, you could jump from the same ramp as the unfortunate athlete whose crash was featured in the opening for the Wide World of Sports for many years ("the agony of defeat").

The center of town has a sizable pedestrian zone, making it a great place to walk around and browse in the stores. At the south end of the pedestrian zone there is a park; the visitors' center is located in that park.

Oberstdorf is one of my favorite vacation spots; have a great trip!

 

[theblade]

Wow, thanks so much for the replies thus far! Your insights are so appreciated. I forgot to ask about tipping (why I asked about getting cash; I like to tip cash in person). Who are the people I should tip in this town, anyway, according to best practices?

I will be there in April, for over a week, by the way.

 

[beachmouse]

A couple of euros for ‘beer money’ at restaurants is very gladly appreciated by staff but not absolutely necessary.

Note that April will usually be mud season in the mountains due to snowmelt that time of year and plan footwear accordingly if you’re venturing off pavement.

We find Germany to be a pretty affordable place for vacation with reasonable lodging prices compared to the USA. If you pay for stuff by credit card, note that American Express acceptance can be a little hit or miss but MasterCard and Visa work just fine. (Discover is pretty worthless outside of North America)

Airlines- if you don’t have a preferred one, google flights is pretty useful and even Condor will be just fine for long haul. Just note which type of ticket you’re buying- I avoid the basic economy option because it’s harder to get anything back if you cancel- ‘normal’ economy will often get you a credit back in the form of a credit to be used for additional travel within a year or so.

Do be aware of what’s known as EU 261 if you have flight disruptions. Delta had to pay us either 600 euros cash or 800 euros each in future flight credit plus a free hotel night and food last year under those rules because they cancelled our return flight from Munich due to crew scheduling problems. (Got home a day later than planned) We’re still working through the e-credits From that.

 

[RUKen]

Tipping is usually done by rounding up to an even number, even if you are paying by credit card, and is usually in the range 5-10%. The server will tell you what is owed, perhaps 28 Euros, and you respond with what you want to pay, for example "30 Euros, please". The server will make the appropriate change for the amount that you have indicated, if you are paying by cash.

 

[yesterday]

Tipping is usually done by rounding up to an even number, even if you are paying by credit card, and is usually in the range 5-10%. The server will tell you what is owed, perhaps 28 Euros, and you respond with what you want to pay, for example "30 Euros, please". The server will make the appropriate change for the amount that you have indicated, if you are paying by cash.

A little addition to this as it might be misleading or I misread it.

When you pay per credit card, you announce the amount you want to pay (e.g. the 30 Euros) and the server changes it before you pay. When you pay cash, you can just give them the 30 Euros and say "that's okay" to indicate you don't want the 2 Euros back and that's it.
(I don't think there's a need to change the bill in this case)

 

[lilimum]

I am 2-3 time a year in Oberstdorf. For booking I use everytime the booking-tool of the oberstdorf.de website, this is very confortable to use https://www.oberstdorf.de/en/
During summer season starting April 29th a couple of hotels / appartments offer "Bergbahn inclusive". That means you can use all cable cars in that area (Kleinwalsertal) even in the Austrian part for free.
There are many thinks to do, there is a Tourist Information at the train station an a bigger one, the Oberstdorfhaus in the center of the village.
The Training area of Eissportzentrum is closed at the moment until April 24th.
There a many restaurants in the village, the only problem are the opening hours. If yyou are very hungry you can go anytime the Zoran, the restaurant in the Eissportzentrum and you can wathc same time the skating classes in hall3

 

[MiraiFan]

Be aware that most stores and things are completely closed on Sunday and Easter is in April as well and they take the Friday and Monday as holidays...

 

[CoyoteChris]

IIRC PaulE has been there on a skating event. You might PM him. Lovely place.

 

[desertskates]

All good advice above.
Comfortable (preferably waterproof) hiking boots will be your best friend for walking around. It does tend to be a bit rainy in the spring, so your cozy toes will thank you. Also, bring a sturdy umbrella that either isn't black or has a tag or ribbon on the handle. Inside the ice rink, people place all their open umbrellas inside the door. Don't be like me spending a bunch of time searching for your own black umbrella, you could be out doing fun stuff with that time
Whether you enjoy a beer or not, the bier garten at this place is a must visit. Good food, great atmosphere, and the strongest WiFi in town (may be a bot spotty in other places).

Biergarden in Oberstdorf - Live music | Hotel Traube

Biergarten in Oberstdorf ❀ Livemusik & Themenbuffets ❀ Unvergleichliche Atmosphäre im Herzen von Oberstdorf unter 90 Jahre alten Kastanienbäumen ❀

hotel-traube.de

Enjoy your time there!

 

[viennaskater]

A couple more tips:

There are regular bus services to hiking destinations in the area. Very practical if you don't want to bother with driving.

The Dampfbierbrauerei is a great place if you like tradition (craft beer, lederhosen and live music at least once a week).

Oberstdorfer Dampfbierbrauerei

Deine Kult Gasthaus-Brauerei in Oberstdorf. Mit guten Freunden, hausgebrautem Bier & frisch zubereiteten Hausschmankerl entstehen Glücksmomente der ganz besonderen Art.

dampfbierbrauerei.shop

Another nice place is the Bistro Relax:

Café & Bistro Relax | Oberstdorf & Immenstadt | Allgäuer Gastlichkeit

Gastfreundliche Atmosphäre: ▪Steak ▪Pizza ▪Salate ▪vegetarische Gerichte ▪mediterrane Küche ▪heimische Schmankerl▪Steakhouse

bistro-relax.de

Enjoy your trip!

 

[theblade]

Excellent. Tradition is awesome, so I'm in. I really appreciate the suggestions, and hope that this thread will be a resource for others in the future, since Oberstdorf is quite the small-but-busy destination!

So if one does not have a car for a part of the trip, are there any special walking routes a visitor shouldn't miss?
What are some of the most important things to see while visiting?
Notable museums? Churches? Architecture?

 

[surimi]

Just out of curiosity: How long does it take to get from Munich to Oberstdorf by train? Not that I'm planning to travel there, but a Challenger takes place there each September, and I've wondered for a long time why they always hold it there instead of a bigger city. Is the train journey short then?

 

[lilimum]

Excellent. Tradition is awesome, so I'm in. I really appreciate the suggestions, and hope that this thread will be a resource for others in the future, since Oberstdorf is quite the small-but-busy destination!

So if one does not have a car for a part of the trip, are there any special walking routes a visitor shouldn't miss?
What are some of the most important things to see while visiting?
Notable museums? Churches? Architecture?

Don't miss the Breitachklamm https://www.breitachklamm.com/informationen/eintritt.html
If the weather is fine a nice walk is to the freibergsee, you ca swin in. At the moment is more ice-swimming https://naturbad-freibergsee.de/th_portfolio/derfreibergsee
Fun is also Oytalroller. It is a very easy walking tour to the Oytalhaus, where you can rent the "Roller" and go back down to the village with the roller (beware of cows!). https://www.roller-oberstdorf.de/
I am not sure which of the cable cars wil .be open. Just ask at the tourist office. https://www.ok-bergbahnen.com/en/
the best weather information is on bergfex, https://www.bergfex.com/nebelhorn-oberstdorf/webcams/c5159/

 

[emilinkaa]

Just out of curiosity: How long does it take to get from Munich to Oberstdorf by train? Not that I'm planning to travel there, but a Challenger takes place there each September, and I've wondered for a long time why they always hold it there instead of a bigger city. Is the train journey short then?

Hey! It depends on the train schedule, but it's about 2.5 hours from main train station to main train station. Keep in mind that Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) in Munich is about an hour by transit from the airport.

They probably hold it there because it's basically the only ice rink that is open in Germany year round. I live in Munich and we have one indoor rink that is open from Sept-April, the outdoor ones are Nov-mid March. Supposedly, we'll get a new, year round, rink in 2024. Crossing my fingers but not getting my hopes up.

 

[lilimum]

Just out of curiosity: How long does it take to get from Munich to Oberstdorf by train? Not that I'm planning to travel there, but a Challenger takes place there each September, and I've wondered for a long time why they always hold it there instead of a bigger city. Is the train journey short then?

2 h 20 min. I think it is just a tradition that the Nebelhorftrophy is taking place in Oberstdorf. Many winter sport events are taking place there. Seems like since 1969 nobody did think about that for figure skating mountains are not needed.

 

[Weathergal]

Hey! It depends on the train schedule, but it's about 2.5 hours from main train station to main train station. Keep in mind that Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) in Munich is about an hour by transit from the airport.

They probably hold it there because it's basically the only ice rink that is open in Germany year round. I live in Munich and we have one indoor rink that is open from Sept-April, the outdoor ones are Nov-mid March. Supposedly, we'll get a new, year round, rink in 2024. Crossing my fingers but not getting my hopes up.

Isn't the ice rink in Chemnitz open year round?