Meme5

Good morning from Illinois! We ( my husband and I)- are planning a trip this May after our Danube River cruise and will be seeing a variety of cities and towns in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.~. some questions:

When visiting Salzburg area would you suggest staying in Berchtesgaden with the daytrip to Salzburg or stay in Salzburg itself? We are planning on 3 to 4 days in Salzburg area and hoping to see Berchtesgaden, Halstatt, Wolfgang see, and Konigsee. how long is really long enough to see the sights in this area? We are hoping to see the Eaglesnest… Depending on the weather of course, see the sound of music sites in Salzburg and other things of interest in this area. Any suggestions? So appreciated!

Fussen- hoping to see the castles( one or two if not all), Zugspite, Oberammergau, Mittenwald, Garnisch- Partenkirchen... How many days suggested to see this area? I assume some where between one and three but what would you suggest? Is there a good central location to visit the sites here that I listed? Some have suggested staying in Reutte... is that a good central location? Names of hotel?

Lucerne area- we are hoping to see some of Switzerland and spend a few days as we end our trip and fly home. In this area we would like to see Interlaken, Grifdelwald, Murren area and possibly Bern and spend some time in Lucerne of course. Thing questions – how many days needed to see this area and get a flavor for Switzerland and the Alps? Can we visit Interlaken from Lucerne depending on the weather of course.

We will be renting a car but would like to know if there are scenic routes in the areas I mentioned or should we turn in the car at some point and begin our journey by train?

Just a little information we are a couple in our mid 60s… In very good health and enjoy walking but not extensive hiking so that might help as you consider answering our questions. We will be traveling during this time in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for two weeks.

I know this is a lot to cover but any information you may have regarding my questions would be so appreciated. We are seeing Rothenburg also at the beginning of our trip but that is already scheduled… Thank you thank you and look forward to hearing from any of you very soon. -Melissa Troutman Pekin Illinois

HappyTrvlr

Where does your Danube River cruise end?

nytraveler

To get up into the Swiss Alps - Jungfrau - you need to start from the Interlaken train station - or one of the smaller towns partway up the mountains. And you need to realize that on many days the top is in clouds, you can see nothing and it makes no sense to go.

We stayed in Interlaken 3 days before getting one that was clear at the top -although it was clear in the valleys most of the time. There is plenty to see in the area (we had a car but there are steamers on lakes Thun and Brienz and a lot of cute towns/castles to visit) but you have to give yourself some free days here.

I would reco staying at least 4 nights in Salzburg to tour the area and 3 in Garmisch or Oberamergau or similar to see that area.

Travelforbeer

Personally was not impressed with Reutte, but RS is a big fan.
Agree with number of days suggested by mytraveler... Also driving is easy in the areas you listed and gives you a lot of flexibility...(and is really nice if you have beaucoup luggage!!!)

Have a great trip!!!

CamilleTravelGirl

Hi everyone,

What a good idea to visit this region, I've been to the Bavaria region a long time ago and really enjoyed the trip, particularly Salzburg! It's beautiful, lots of history and culture. my traveler and travelforbeer have already given you very good advice.

I will give you one myself if you want to use your mobile phones in Europe, in the three countries you listed (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), use PiFi. It allows you to have an internet connexion wherever you go; if you need to check reviews or find restaurants, hotels: It's also pretty convenient if you want to use your GPS if you rent a car (done it in Europe, almost got lost without it) and it offers great rates ($0.50/MB in Germany and Austria; $1.56 in Switzerland).

I don't know if you'll be interested in my advice, but I always try to give good tips when it comes to travel and roaming. I paid a very expensive bill once after a road trip and promised myself it would never happen again! and maybe it's my generation Y genes

Anyway, have a very good trip !

ashwinb

I stayed in Salzburg for 5 days and did trips to Halstatt,Gosausee and Berchtesgaden separately.
I would suggest staying at Halstatt,and seeing the lake district,and doing Berchtesgaden from Salzburg as a day trip,because it's great to be in Salzburg late into the evening when everything calms down.
You could have a look at my page covering Salzburg and Halstatt: http://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com/...ia-and-prague/
If you are comfortable driving, you could rent a car for the Lake district,but otherwise public transport is pretty ok in this area.

bigtyke

Bavaria Ben (www.bensbauernhof.com) likes a place near Reutte (Gintherhof). There is more to do if you stay in Füssen.

Since there are large fees for returning a car in another country, consider turning the car in before you leave Germany and take the train in Switzerland, or rent another there.

I would stay in Salzburg. Here's an excellent place just outside the city - http://www.neuwirtgut.at/

pja1

Hi,

I'd allow 3 full days for Salzburg, etc. and another 3 full days for the Garmisch/Mittenwald or Fuessen. We've spent 17 nights during 5 trips since 2006 and as recently as Dec. 2013 in the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area. We stayed twice in Fuessen (5 nights total) and twice in Mittenwald (7 nights total). We prefer to stay in the Berchtesgaden area for our visits to Salzburg, but that's just us. The drive between Berchtesgaden and Salzburg is easy and about 30 minutes. The drive between Fuessen and Garmisch about an hour. Out of these choices, there's no "bad" location to base. We've done a few day trips from Berchtesgaden to Hallstatt, St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang, even Zell am See and Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee palace (Neues Schloss). Herrenchiemsee is well worth seeing and located between Munich and Salzburg/Berchtesgaden.

If interested, we can highly recommend the following places to stay:

Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden (10 min. from Berchtesgaden):
www.mayringerlehen.de
Schonau am Konigsee (5 min. from Berchtesgaden):
www.friedwiese.de/enska/isl.htm
Fuessen:
www.hotel-hechten.com
Mittenwald:
www.schwalbennestl.de
www.edlhuber-mittenwald.de


"ashwimb" is right that Salzburg is especially charming in the evening and at night.
I also agree with "Travelforbeer" about Reutte. I don't get why Rick Steves is a big fan.

If interested, we have photo's, 3 pages" of them at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

Paul