olgol

A total newbie here, so please bear with me... I will be reading the travel guides on this site, but I thought I would ask for help on the forum first.

We (I, my wife, 2 kids ages 4 and 12) are going on a 3 week (July 22 - August 7) trip to Europe for the first time. Absolutely no experience, so any and all advice is appreciated, including basic stuff: finding hotels, renting a car, exchanging currency, etc.

Here is a list of cities that we are thinking of visiting:

July 22 - arriving to Munich, Germany, staying with friends in Munich.

July 22-27 - Munich: I am attending a model airplane contest July 25-27, family will have to see sights without me these 3 days.

Salzburg, Austria - 1 day?
Vienna, Austria - 2 days?
Bratislava, Slovakia - ?
Prague - 2 days?
Berlin - 2 days?
Leipzig - ?
Nurnberg - 1 day?
Aug 7 - departing from Munich

My first questions are:

1. What places of interest are a 'must see' in those cities? What other cities/places on the way should we stop in? Where should we spend more time or not stop at all?

2. Hotels - do we need to make reservations ahead of time? The prices on the regular booking sites are VERY high. Is it possible to find cheaper lodging on the spot or is that too much risk?

3. We plan to rent a car in Munich and drive everywhere. Is this the best option? Or are there other means - trains? We will have luggage and kids of course, so traveling by car seems like the most convenient way. Is this the right assumption?

4. Should we reserve a rental car in advance also?

5. Cash or credit cards, or both?

Thanks in advance,
Oleg.

Lexma90

Here's an initial set of comments on your thoughts; others with more experience in those areas will be able to give more detailed advice (haven't been to Germany/Austria in about 15 years; went to Prague, Czech Republic & Slovakia (eastern) a month ago).

Spend more time in each place, even if you have to cut out some destinations. Especially with kids. It gets very tiring to change lodging every night, and as a rule of thumb, assume you'll lose half a day (between packing up, checking in and out, etc.) every time you change lodging.

You don't have any time in the countryside. You may prefer it that way. But consider some time in a smaller town. Our son (now 13) LOVES castles, and there are many in the areas you'll be in, particularly the Czech Republic.

Check (use mappy.com or viamichelin.com) on how long a drive it would be from Salzburg to Vienna).

I didn't hear wonderful things about Bratislava; I'd drop it. Consider driving from Vienna up through beautiful Cesky Krumlov to visit castles, then on to Prague.

Russ

You may have trouble driving into Eastern Europe with a rental car - check with your company to see if it's allowed.

Bavaria - where Munich is - is a lovely place. You should see some of it. Your whole family can travel around by train there for 27 Euros/day on a "Bayern Ticket" (daypass for travel on regional trains.) Look into Rothenburg, Garmisch, Bamberg, Salzburg, and Berchtesgaden as possible destinations for starters. All these places are covered by the Bayern Ticket.

TuckH

I very much agree with the suggestions made by Lexma90. I'd like to reinforce what was said...

As a rookie traveler to Europe and one with a young family, you'd be better off with a much more modest agenda.

After your Munich visit, I think you should focus your attention on locations not too distant from Munich. And I think they should not be cities - you don't want a car in a city and, frankly, cities can be stressful, especially for a young family.

Pick 3 or 4 places to stay i.e. use as a base. Seek out family-run gasthauses located in the countryside.

You could easily spend a week in the Salzburg-Berchtesgaden area - there are lots of fun things to do there.

You could visit some of Ludwig's castles in Bavaria. You could travel the Romantic Road. You could go to the Mosel-Rhine area.

You could daytrip into one or more cities (Nuremberg, Wurzburg, Bamberg, etc).

And yes, you should make reservations ahead of time. Reserve the rental car from home - pay in dollars. I suggest gemut.com for that. Use ATMs for cash.

bettyk

1. What places of interest are a 'must see' in those cities? What other cities/places on the way should we stop in? Where should we spend more time or not stop at all?

As previously suggested, you should probably not move around too much with two kids. It also adds to your travel costs.

Not that far from Munich is some very amazing scenery. My suggestions:

Berchtesgaden, Germany (2-3 days or more): We stayed at the Hotel Wittelsbach (http://www.hotel-wittelsbach.com/hotel_engl.htm) right in Berchtesgaden. They have their own parking area behind the hotel and a laundry facility in the same building.

There is a lot to do in the area such as a boat ride on Koenigsee, a gondola ride from Koenigsee up the Jenner Mountain, Berchtesgaden National Park, salt mines, as well as a visit to Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler’s Eagles Nest.

http://www.berchtesgaden.com/e/citie...sgaden/bgd.htm

http://www.kehlsteinhaus.de/en/index.php

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/...onal-park.html

One of our regular Fodor’s posters, Paul, stayed in Ramsau just a little ways outside Berchtesgaden and highly recommended this place:

http://www.mayringerlehen.de/eng/haus.php?var_nav=1

Salzkammergut, Austria (3 days or more depending on day trips): This is about an hour and a half’s drive from Berchtesgaden. This is Austria’s “lake district” near Salzburg and is gorgeous.

St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee would make a good base to visit the other lakes and towns. There is a chairlift that goes from St. Gilgen up to the Zwolferhorn Mtn. as well as steam train ride from St. Wolfgang to Mt. Schafberg.

And you can easily do a daytrip to Salzburg from St. Gilgen. Another possible daytrip would be Hallstatt, an amazing town dating back thousands of years with a salt mine and wonderful museum about the town. Gorgeous setting.

We stayed at the Hotel Schernthaner in St. Gilgen. Family owned, great location and good value (http://www.hotel-schernthaner.at/sei...sh/index_e.htm)

http://www.salzkammergut.at/

http://www.wolfgangsee.at

http://www.truevenue.com/en/event_se...il.php?id=1820

http://www.hallstatt.net/index.php?lang=en-iso-8859-15

2. Hotels - do we need to make reservations ahead of time?

Yes, this is a busy travel season and especially with children you don't want to be wandering around looking for a place to stay when everybody's tired.

The prices on the regular booking sites are VERY high. Is it possible to find cheaper lodging on the spot or is that too much risk?

Check the different websites above. You can also go directly to a city or area's own website and find a variety of accommodations that you can book directly with the hotel.

3. We plan to rent a car in Munich and drive everywhere. Is this the best option? Or are there other means - trains? We will have luggage and kids of course, so traveling by car seems like the most convenient way. Is this the right assumption?

We have always traveled by car. Trains are an option but with the children and a lot of gear, a car may make sense. For prices and info, contact www.gemut.com. They specialize in travel in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. They are very helpful too.

4. Should we reserve a rental car in advance also?

If you decide to go with a rental car then, yes, should reserve a car in advance. It will be cheaper and you will be assured of availability.

5. Cash or credit cards, or both?

Use an ATM card to withdraw cash as you need it. Most banks charge a modest fee for each transaction. Be sure to check with your bank to find out what your daily ATM withdrawal limit is and increase it if required.

Credit cards can be used for larger purchases and hotels.

Cathinjoetown

I would suggest Saltzburg, Vienna and maybe Prague but also focus on the beautful countryside both around Munich and on the drive over to Vienna, as others have suggested. Skip the autobahn between Saltzburg and Vienna and drive through the lakes area--gorgeous. The interesting parts of Saltzburg are primarily in the pedestrian area which will be nice with a 4-year old. Both children will get a kick out of the ride on the funicular up to the castle. Outside Saltzburg there's a castle/palace with trick fountains that kids would love, am sure someone reading this can supply the name. Also near Saltzburg there used to be a salt mine tour that never interested me but I've never been there with children. In Vienna there are many lovely parks and the kids will like the trams. There's also an open train that takes you around the extensive grounds of Schonbrun Palace. Children would like a performance of the Spanish Riding school and separately tours are available of the stables (nicer than my house) where you can pet the horses, or again, at least you used to be able to do that. When the kids or mom and dad get tired, the cafes all serve wonderful ice cream concoctions, pastries, what pass for hot dogs (only better), etc. No need for a car in any city. Not so sure what young ones would get out of Prague as I've only been there once and wasn't looking at it from a child's point of view but I'm sure there are guidebooks or websites which focus on family-friendly places in all three cities so let your fingers do some googling. (All three cities have large pedestrian areas which are great for walking.) Have a great time.

nytraveler

Too many places and not enough time - esp with 2 kids who are going to be really cranky after about 5 days of this. Each time you change cities you lose most of the day - so 2 nights in Prague is 1 day - when you should have 3 days minimum. You need fewer days driving, fewer hotels to find and check in and out of - and more time doing/seeing things - and just being a kid time for your youngsters.

Agree that car is your best choice - but you need to arrange in advance for exactly what you want (size and automatic - and make sure you can take it into the countries you want).

I would focus on Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague and Berlin - that's plenty of spots - with day trips - for the time you have.

nytraveler

Sorry - take this advice from someone who loves to drive in europe and has done at least 20 road trips there.

bobthenavigator

You have wonderful advice from Tuck and Betty. I would pick 3 places after Munich and never leave Austria or Germany. St. Gilgen would be one of them.

JennaJ

Hubby and I went to Germany, Austria and Prague for 3 weeks last year! We absolutely loved it. Rented a car through autoeurope and only used it in Germany and Austria...had no problems. Here was our itinerary for your consideration (some similarities to yours):

Munich (4 nights)
Rothenburg ab ber tauber 2 nights(sp??) - one of our FAV stops!
Fuessen - 2 nights
shot over to Austria and went to Hallstadt(another FAV) 1 night, Melk 1 night, Salzburg 2 nights and Vienna 3 nights. Took train from Vienna to Prague 4 nights.

Good luck!

JennaJ

Also, we used priceline in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague and got 4 star hotels in all the cities for under $150 per night. The only hotel that was a little out of the way (5 minute subway ride) was in Munich.

pja1

Hi,
I have to agree with others about limiting the number of places and spending too much time driving/traveling. My opinion is since you have 10 days (nights) after Munich, there's so much to see and do without leaving Germany and Austria.

Austria...
Salzburg
Hallstatt and the lakes
Zell am See
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse (amazing drive!)

Bavaria...
Berchtesgaden area:
Konigsee
Berchtesgaden
Jennerbahn
Eagles Nest
Ludwig's Neues Schloss (Herrenchiemsee Palace)

Mittenwald / Garmisch area:
Mittenwald itself is the quintessential Bavarian village!
Karwendelbahn
Zugspitze
luge ride
Ettal Monestary
Oberammergau
Ludwig's Linderhof Palace

Fuessen:
My opinion, Fuessen is a very charming old town.
Ludwig's Neuschwanstein castle
Hohenschwangau (Ludwig's boyhood home)
Tegelberg cable car and luge ride
Wieskirche (stunning church!)
Zugspitze can also be done from the Austrian side in Ehrwald, Austria (close by)

Castles, the Alps, charming villages and beautiful scenery.

We always travel by car. This part of Europe is best by car (just my opinion).
Book a car in advance. I can also recommend
www.gemut.com for a car. Used them last year and they are very helpful and everything was perfect.

Check local websites and book directly with local places to stay ... Pensions, Gasthof's, etc. through their websites.

Bring 2 CC's and use ATM's for cash while traveling. Notify your bank (ATM) and CC's that you will be traveling so there are no freezes on your accounts due to your change in spending/charging patterns while away.

That's just my two cents.

Hope this helps.

Paul

olgol

Thank you all kindly for all of the great advice. I was out for the weekend and came back to find a lot of replies. Thanks! I will need time to digest the information and may have more specific questions.
I hear you all about limiting the number of places. But we really want to visit at least the big cities: Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Berlin. This may mean that we actually do not spend enough time in Bavaria...
How real is the danger of taking a car to Czech? Is it just a common policy of the rental agencies or is it actually not advisable to drive in a rental car there?

bettyk

It is a common policy of rental car companies for a reason. If you take a rental car into an area considered unsafe without notifying the rental car company ahead of time and have any mishap, your contract with the rental car company could be considered null and void, leaving you responsible for all damages.

You should advise the car rental company up front but you'll probably pay a higher rental rate.

It's your vacation and if you want to see the "big" cities, you will find plenty of information here by doing a search.

tomboy

Been to CzRep, SlovRep, Poland, Hungary as well as Austria, Germany, etc
As far as I could tell, Autoeurope charged me about the same per week whether solely in France or Germany, or touring the above countries (3 times).
Yet they want advance notice that you're going there.
I figure they re-insure the slightly greater risk of auto theft and collision damage (drivers are crazier in the East), which they obviously can't do after the fact.

The only danger is that some drivers (a minority) think there's an unwritten rule that if they are passing on a 2 lane road, both the oncoming and the being-passed car should pull over to enable the passer to pass. Insane, but true. Knowing that, one either refuses to pull over, or pulls over. Just watch out for it.

thursdaysd

If you're only going to visit the cities you don't need a car - trains will take you from city center to city center with no need to worry about (or pay for) parking. But I agree with the other posters that you should slow down, especially with kids, and spend some time in the countryside.

What are your interests? If you are visiting the cities to see museums and churches, will your kids be interested?

If this is your first trip to Europe, and you are on a a budget, I suggest reading Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door" and possibly either Lonely Planet's or Rough Guides' first-timer books on Europe.

bettyk

I am still concerned that you will only be visiting large cities. Do you only want to say I've been here, here and here or do you actually want to get a feel for the places you are visiting? In many ways, these cities are just the same as any other large city -- busy, impersonal, and crowded.

All of the tourist areas will be very busy at that time of year, but there are smaller, off the beaten path towns where you could have a personal experience that you and your children would remember for many years.

violetduck

Have you considered your driving time? I think the distance between Munich and Berlin is almost 400 miles. I know you want to go to all
these places, but many are trying to let you know it is too much to attempt with your time frame and especially with children.
If you could base yourself in no more than three/four cities and map them out in a way that would allow you to get back to Munich easily it should be a much more enjoyable trip. You could always go on day trips if you run out of things to do. You might like to check out www.tripadvisor.com for hotel help. Train travel would be so much easier than driving in cities and your children would probably think it is a great treat. You would need to only have one piece of luggage per person and one they could manage themselves-backpack for the little one,maybe. Keep working on it and you will get it right and have a great trip.

LLindaC

I couldn't agree more, betty. Cities...well Salzburg is a cool one, for sure. Munich for one day was plenty. I think with a child that young, you should spend 3 days in Salzkammergut and take a day trip into Salzburg and save Vienna for later. They will love walking the path on the Wolfgangsee, seeing the swans, feeding the fish. Taking the choo-choo up the mountain! As much as you are focusing on cities, remember kids love the nature and simple things. They might also like the salt mines in Halstatt. There are beautiful lake ferries which would be fun and relaxing and lots of fun little places to visit. You can also swim in the Wolfgangsee at two spots!

tcreath

I agree with Betty as well. Too many cities, especially with small children, and they are too far apart from one another. You wouldn't get a chance to see too much. One of the most common mistakes for first time visitors is to try to see too much. You'll come home exhausted.

The countryside is just gorgeous. Before you settle on only cities, take a look at the links above. You would be missing out on some extremely beautiful areas. Perhaps you could combine another city (Munich and Vienna) and do the countryside in between the two?

As far as driving in Czech, we drove from Austria to Czech without any problems. However, you do have to let the rental agency know ahead of time. We had to pay an extra fee for permission to drive into Czech. I think this is because Prague has problems with auto theft, and there are certain types of cars that can't be brought across the border.

Tracy