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December Trip to Germany, Austria and Czech

December Trip to Germany, Austria and Czech

Old Oct 16th, 2012, 04:42 AM
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December Trip to Germany, Austria and Czech

Hi all,

I am planning for a trip from 15 December to 30 December this year. I am intending to travel around Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Below is the itinerary that i have planned.


15-Dec - 17 Dec Fussen
18-Dec - 19 Dec Nuremberg
20-Dec - 22 Dec Prague
23-Dec - 25 Dec Vienna
26-Dec - 27 Dec Salzburg
28-Dec Wurzburg
29-Dec Rothenburg

Do you think this is feasible? I am omitting Munich (even though i love the city) as i have been there last year and would like to try new places. I am also worried if the attractions would be closed over Christmas.

Will it be also wise to get a Eurail Select Pass? Also, for my journey from Nuremberg to Prague, i intend to take the express bus. But i am not sure how to go about doing it.

Any help will be appreciated!
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Old Oct 16th, 2012, 06:04 AM
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I noted two things: the sequence and the durations.
Assuming the same destinations and the same total duration,

Sequence: Do you have to visit the cities in this sequence? I am not sure you actually plotted these cities on a map. It makes a self-intersecting circle, meaning you are perhaps traveling about 50% more distance doing the same thing compare to non circular route such as: Prague-Vienna-Salzburg-Fuessen-Rothenburg-Wurzburg-Nuernberg. As you discovered, Prague does not connect well in east-west direction. What this means, unless you are entering Prague from Dresden or Vienna, it does not make a good mid itinerary destination. Making Prague the first or the last city would eliminate need for a bus segment. Use www.bahn.de to find out how well cities connect.

Duration: You have two evenings in Fuessen but also two in Vienna and Prague and one in Salzburg. Unless you are mad about mad King Ludwig, you are allocating just as much time in one attraction location as big cities with large number of attractions.
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Old Oct 16th, 2012, 09:04 AM
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You can book your ticket from Nurenburg to Prague using the above link. The bus (big and white) is parked outside the Nurenburg train station, just a few feet from the main entrance to the station. You can't miss it.

Regarding the Select Pass - you can check pricing on point to point tickets and then check the price of the select pass and figure out which one is less expensive. Booking trains (bus) ahead will give discounted rates. There are also regional passes in Germany that are economical.
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 12:16 AM
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Hey guys,

Thanks for the sound advices! I planned the sequence in a way that I will not miss the christmas market at nuremberg, vienna and salzburg! My final destination will be darmstadt which I will be living with my friends.

I have already booked the bus from Nuremburg to Prague, which takes about 3-4hrs, cost Eur 19.

I agree with greg that i have allocated too many evening for Fussen. It is due to my initial fear that i wont be able to see the castles should weather condition be poor. But now i realised that i am indeed spending too many evenings in Fussen. But the hotel has already been booked

What i now plan to do is to roam around Munich on 15 Dec, but travel to Fussen for the night. Are there any other suggestions/attractions around Fussen that i can go to but travel back to the place at night?

The dates stated are the evenings that i will spend in the place.

Some questions

1. What time does it gets dark in these region in December?

2. Are there any visitor/discount cards i should buy when visiting these areas?

3. Are there any way to save money on meals or attractions since i am on a budget?
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 01:37 AM
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< I planned the sequence in a way that I will not miss the christmas market at nuremberg, vienna and salzburg!>

Not sure I understand. In Salzburg, the main markets are open daily and it is only Helbrunn that opens W-S only. In Vienna many markets are open daily. The sequence is not logical from a travel perspective.

I would visit Nuremberg from Wurzburg or vice versa, instead of moving yet again, as they are very close together. I prefer Wurzburg for an overnight.

It starts to get dark around 4pm or so.

There is a Salzburg Card that gives you access to city buses and funicular, as well as admission discounts.

The markets serve lots of food items and you can keep costs down by eating a few meals there instead of in restaurants.

Personally I would not pack and unpack to spend a night in Fussen but do as a day trip. You already are moving around a lot.
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 05:39 AM
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The Christmas market in Nuremberg terminates by Christmas Eve, so visiting the city first does make sense. I would, however, start with Nürnberg/Rothenburg/Würzburg (the latter two are easy day trips from Nürnberg, no need to change hotel) and put Füssen at the end of the trip, a) to reduce distances and b) because, again, of the Christmas markets.
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Old Oct 18th, 2012, 04:18 AM
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Hi all,

Thanks for the advices! I think i forgot to mention that my flight will land in Munich. I will also be staying in Darmstadt with my German friends as my end point.

Below is my updated itinerary based on feedback from the above.

15-Dec Land in Munich
|
Travel to Munich (What ticket should i buy here?)
|
15-Dec - 17 Dec Stay in Munich (16 Dec day trip to Fussen)
|
Travel to Nuremberg via ICE Train
|
18-Dec - 19 Dec Nuremberg
|
Travel to Prague by DB Express Bus
|
20-Dec - 22 Dec Prague
|
Travel to Vienna via CZ Train
|
23-Dec - 25 Dec Vienna
|
Travel to Salzburg via Westbahn
|
26-Dec - 27 Dec Salzburg
|
Travel to Darmstadt via EC train

Does this makes more sense now? I have decided to scrap Wurzburg & Rothenburg for now and come back again some other time.

Is there any discount tickets that i should be aware about when touring these cities?
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Old Oct 18th, 2012, 04:22 AM
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Also, are there any way to save money on meals or attractions since i am on a budget?
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Old Oct 18th, 2012, 09:28 AM
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You can save lots of money on meals by not eating near major tourist attractions. For instance, in Prague do not eat in Old Town Square as the prices are high. Walk a few blocks and find restaurants that offer inexpensive meals. Don't order soft drinks as they are expensive. Beer is probably the most economical drink you can order. Bring or buy a water bottle and refill it from the tap in your room.

In Germany the train stations have great sandwiches that are inexpensive.

Go to your local library and get the Let's Go guide books which list lots of good, inexpensive eateries. Photocopy or make notes on the locations.
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Old Oct 18th, 2012, 10:05 AM
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Will it be also wise to get a Eurail Select Pass>

yes and no - if you want flexibility to simply hop on any train anytime then a pass will probably save you money and allow you freedom - discounted tickets must be booked weeks in advance to guarantee and usually cannot be changed nor refunded - locked in stone.

And if you want to go first class then the pass is first class if you are over 25 and first class IME of years of incessant rail riding in this area has many benefits over 2nd class (which is not awful just not as good) - first class has bigger seats, fewer seats in the same size train car - thus more room for luggage - I often find an empty adjoining seat to stow mine in rather than fending for space on a perhaps already over crowded overhead luggage rack - so when comparing pass prices to the cheapest tickets there are significant differences - kind of like IMO comparing apples and oranges.

Anyway for lots of great info on trains in those areas and passes too and discounted fares I always spotlight these IMO superb sources - www.budgteteuropetravel.com; www.rickstevees.com and www.seat61.com - the latter being an excellent source on online discounts.
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Old Oct 18th, 2012, 12:24 PM
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one thing about discount tickets is that you must often, via a vis efficacy of a pass - be sure you can get all your trips at a discount because if you have to pay full fare for say Salzburg to Darmstadt it may cost a fortune and you may end up having restricted discount tickets and one or two full fare and end up paying more than you would have for the first-class pass (and get 2nd class travel to boot!)

And you also can take the fastest trains like Munich to Nurnberg ICE - Lander tickets restrict travel to slow regional trains which also IME are not nearly as comfy.

And time restrictions as to when the tickets can be bought can be a problem - if you book your first trips when they come on the booking option you may find that when your final trips come on there are no cheaper tickets and have to pay full fare, etc.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2012, 02:15 AM
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thanks for the tips guys! They are really helpful!
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Old Oct 22nd, 2012, 08:12 AM
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If considering a railpass you may want to investigate some besides the Eurail Select Pass - like a Germany-Austria Railpass - it can be really cheap to go from the German and Austrian borders to Prague and back and the Germany-Austria pass is I believe cheaper per day and can be bought also in 2nd class - cheaper still - or even the German Railpass by itself - seems a good deal for your intercity German trains and pay individual tickets in Czech Republic and Austria (which has some online discounts).
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