marissakayv

Hi everyone,

I've narrowed my itinerary for next April /May with my husband to Scotland and Germany. I would love some assistance with figuring out an itinerary as well as some places to see/things not to miss as it will be my first trip to Europe.

My focus in Scotland will be some time in Edinburgh and making it up to the Highlands. With only 7-12 days, I do not imagine time for the east coast and not as interested in Glasgow. Is Skye worth the extra travel time north? Well, worth it is not the right question...is it an efficient use of time? I'm very interested in the castles, distilleries, and some beautiful natural sights.

In Germany, I want to focus my time on southern Bavaria and /or western Rhine region. Munich is definitely in the itinerary and likely a day trip or two from there. I would love suggestions for lakes to visit, shorter cycling routes that I could do in a day or two, and some quintessential German towns.

Would love to hear your thoughts or experiences- where should I focus my time? What are some things I should do while I'm there? Thanks!

janisj

>>I'm very interested in the castles, distilleries, and some beautiful natural sights. <<

You will find all of those in every corner of Scotland.

>>With only 7-12 days,<<

There is a big (<B>HUGE</B difference between 7 and 12 days and that will determine which region(s) you could squeeze in. So before anyone can make useful suggestions you need to pin down how long you will be in Scotland. Also -- are you planning on driving or using public transport?

swandav2000

Hi marissakayv,

There are dozens of cycling routes throughout Bavaria. You can take bikes on trains for an additional fee (like 3€ or 5€ depending on the distance), so it's easy to get to the start of a ride and then ride back home. One popular route is around the Starnbergersee, stopping (of course) at guest houses for refreshments when needed!

Some quintessential Bavarian towns are Mittenwald (small, nestled at the base of the Alps, beautiful frescoes), Murnau on the Staffelsee (sweet little town, was the center of the Blue Rider Expressionist movement), Füssen (very sweet little town that folks tend to rush through enroute to the Neuschwanstein castle).

My own cycle routes are much shorter than yours, so I don't have any specific recommendations to give you, but believe me, there are dozens of options at any one of those stops. You could just google, for instance, "Füssen, cycle," and get some good ideas.

Have fun as you plan!

s

bilboburgler

Western Rhine, a bit confused here, it starts on the border with Austria/Switzerland and then goes over to the French border before passing up to Holland, which bit is Western. If you mean say the bit that connects to the Mosel, you'll find along the river bike paths, they tend to be a bit quieter on the Mosel (as the roads and trains are quieter and a bit further away and that is fine biking.

You may also like lake Constance and you can ride around in the lake in betwenn 5 and 7 days.

Bikes on trains makes one trips very easy.

http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Mosel_Guide.php may help and there is a constance section as well, both a little out of date but they give you an idea

PalenQ

The Middle Rhine between Rudesheim/Bingen to Koblenz and the Mosel between Cochem and Beilstein are two great bike rides-along nice bike paths hugging the rivers - no hills! You can rent bikes many places and easily put them on trains - rent at stations and I believe you can bike to another station and return your bike there.

Yes trains are great for Germany - for lots of rail info check www.bahn.de/en - official German Railways site; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Munich and Rine/Mosel would make a great short German trip IMO.

mnag

Skye for us was well worth it for us with 10 full days. If you have 12 days I would highly recommend Skye. Do you plan on renting a car?

janisj

Skye is wonderful -- but there are many other equally (and even better) wonderful parts of Scotland.

The general 'Tartan triangle' that many - especially North American - visitors follow is Edinburgh / Loch Ness / Skye. Nothing wrong with that but there are a hundred other places that might fit better depending on time and interests.

PalenQ

Trier is a fantastic town for Roman relics - not so much for the so-so modern town rebuilt after war damage. Short day trip from say Cochem or any Mosel base.

PalenQ

In Germany, I want to focus my time on southern Bavaria and /or western Rhine region.>

If staying in a region like these two use the bargain Lander Cards that give you unlimited train and most or all buses for a whole day for about 30-35 euro for 2 people -can't hop on faster trains but can just jump on regional trains that will be just fine. Buy them at train stations the day of use -from machines or ticket windows no need to pre-order.

https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/...-tickets.shtml