lanejohann

Hi all!
Thanks for the input thus far
I have started a new thread to make it clearer hopefully!

Leaving Sydney on Wednesday 14 June with daughter 23 and son 20
Probably grab a flight through the Middle East and then straight to Berlin..I've booked the Adina hotel apartments
Does anyone know this hotel?

Thursday15 through to Monday 19 we will spend exploring Berlin and perhaps Potsdam and maybe even take a trip out to Nuremberg
Like I said in my other thread we don't want to just focus on the war and holocaust so it'd be nice to see parks and architecture..although I do realise that Berlin is a mishmash of new and old
We won't be clubbing or dining out every night...mostly just walking and seeing the sights..looking forward to good food..not drinkers so won't worry bout the beer...can anyone recommend good eats..even chains that we can grab something on the go?
Had great food in Vienna so I'm assuming it's similar?


Some time on the 20th we will fly to Kraków
I've booked the Venetian ..just missed out on the lovely orlowska apartments
I wanted to be close to the main square or the rynek/ markets

We will visit auschwitZ..maybe the salt mines and have alook around Kraków and its surrounds
We have two full days and three nights

On the 23rd of June, a Friday we will fly to Munich and it's quite possible that OH may join us on the following day so I booked the Mercure hotel muenchen aldstadt
It was difficult to find anything so we opted for two rooms with breakfast we are looking at 301aud per night for each room
So many rooms were unavailable..like the family suites were either nonexistent or taken
This seems like a good option close to Marienplatz but it does have a big building opposite it so maybe it's a bit gloomy?
Can anyone comment?
OH wants to hire a car in Munich ..does anyone know of a car park near the old town? Would finding a car park be problematic? I think the Mercure doesn't offer any parking even Offsite
I don't mind getting trains for further afield but OH loves his independence

(I'll keep trying to get something else near Marienplatz... I think it might be more interesting to be around that area..agree? I'm not entirely sure that accommodation is all booked out so early in the piece...could it be that dates aren't available because it's simply too early? What has your experience been with Europe in June/ July? The reviews for Mercure are good..I'd like a nicer outlook maybe but can't justify huge amounts a of money either..I wouldn't mind a pension and have looked at seibel near Marienplatz but it's reviews are so-so and I'm sick of so- so...Louis hotel looks fine but again it's seems to be booked out so is the carat and blauer block)

I'd like to explore Munich and maybe further afield if OH gets a car..is it better perhaps to do a loop? I'm not looking forward to arranging accommodation along the way though...not with the trouble I'm experiencing at the moment so I'm tending towards bunking down in Munich and just doing day trips ..we have five nights in Munich

We will fly out to athens Wednesday 28 June and have booked Athens gate hotel for three nights
Will visit Acropolis and plaka area and then spend the next two weeks on a hired catamaran sailing around three or four islands for 2 weeks

I welcome any suggestions especially on the hotels I've chosen...if you have stayed in lovely pensions that are near the old towns I'd be interested to see if they're available for our dates

Thank you all in advance!

Melnq8

I suspect your trouble with finding accommodation in Munich is that your booking is nine months out.

I usually make my bookings no more than 2-3 months out. I just booked our usual place in Munich (near the Munich Ost station) for December and got a very good rate.

I personally wouldn't drive in Munich - too easy to get around via train and hassle-free - no parking worries or high parking fees.

lanejohann

Thanks Mel
Why do you choose to stay near that station? Is it a business district or is it convenient to sightseeing?

I usually choose to stay near or in old towns..my sons not been to europe and old town areas are usually interesting based on my experiences through Croatia and Prague and Vienna

I know our style of travelling and it generally ends up with us wanting to be close to the action..otherwise we dont bother with transport to go find dinner or snacks...having cafes or convenience stores close by would be great...I'm not sure if the Mercure has fridges in their rooms

IVe had some bad luck with accommodation of late ( our recent accommodation in Miami was yuk despite my earnest attempts to research)
So now I'm going to be extra cautious

As far as the car is concerned..I'm with you..but OH actually voiced his enthusiasm for German roads ..
He often gets a car and doesn't seem to mind traipsing for blocks to retrieve a vehicle he's parked for a fraction of the cost of hotel valet parking...go figure! Lol

What sort of food do you enjoy in Munich? What's the coffee like? I enjoyed coffee in vienna...and their cakes were wonderful! I find American coffee very weak ...very watery...I love our Australian cafes!
.

Melnq8

I was curious, so I just checked Hotels.com for your Munich dates - plenty of options in the USD $120 and up range.

I also checked the Mercure on Booking.com and got USD $1,671 for one room, five nights, your dates, so definitely higher!

You'll find that staying near a train station vs. staying right in the Altstadt will save you heaps. That's what we do - it's the best of both worlds as far as we're concerned - a quiet neighborhood by night, a quick train ride into the center for meals and exploration.

And if the OH insists on driving, he might find parking at a hotel a bit further out much easier and less expensive too.

And for what it's worth, Europe seemed downright cheap to us after living in Australia for seven years. Even Switzerland seemed manageable

Melnq8

We were typing at the same time...

Munich Ost is just a few stops from Marienplatz. We like the Residence Inn there (and they have fridges, coffee maker, small hob (I think) and a very good breakfast- about a five minute walk from Munich Ost train station. From there you can get anywhere.

There are convenience stores and several bakeries, take-away places in the Munich Ost station. Otherwise the immediate neighborhood is pretty quiet, so may not be what you're looking for, but it's right up our alley.

I miss flat whites with a passion! I'm not a fan of German coffee though - by that I mean the sludge they tend to serve with hotel breakfasts.

It is possible to find good espresso based drinks in Germany though at cafes and bakeries (the bakeries are fabulous there).

I agree with you about 'American coffee' in general, but we're slowly getting better. Espresso shops are popping up just about everywhere and it's no longer all about filter coffee and Starbucks. Thank God.

lanejohann

Thanks again Melnq

Looking forward to the bakeries!

Australia is expensive but when youre not constantly converting in your head it doesn't hurt that much lol

I'm glad I bumped into you here...I will keep checking for other accommodation options

I do remember that when I was booking a bed and breakfast in Ireland a few years ago, the lady didn't have her books ready for the following year so she simply noted my name and I had to contact her closer to the time of our trip
I was just alarmed that even Expedia was confirming that rooms were filling up and hotels were sold out in munich
Considering its not world cup or any other major event that I know of, I was puzzled and started to panic a bit

I do have another idea hatching re the Munich stay...
If OH can, indeed, spare the time at work and joins us in Munich on the Saturday through to the Tuesday he may well be interested in doing at least a three day road trip and we have done this as a family when we did a leg from San fran to La over three days
We would all love to see German countryside
Ill leave the Munich plans as they are just in case he decides he cant leave work ( he will be joining us in Athens in that case)...I wouldn't be confident to drive O/s with the kids especially so having a munich base will suffice nicely
However...
Maybe I should start another thread re a route we could take once the kids and I fly back into Germany from Krakow but, in actual fact, since we haven't booked any flights we don't even have to meet OH in Munich
We would've seen Berlin and surrounds, visited Krakow and provided it's a direct flight we can meet him elsewhere in Germany and drive together to Munich and get a flight to Athens
Ill start investigating what flights are available from Krakow

Happy travels, Mel!

kja

"Berlin is a mishmash of new and old"

Not so much -- much of the city was leveled during WWII.

Krakow: "We have two full days and three nights"

That's very little. Auschwitz / Birkenau, and some time to regroup afterwards, is easily a full day. Krakow itself (not counting the salt mines) easily deserves several days IMO.

If you have any interest in art, try to see the <I>Lady with an Ermine</i>. She is quite special.

Good luck!

Whathello

Kraków is easy to find accomodation in. And cheap. As stated you are too early to book.

Berlin is vibrant and architecturally very interesting.
I have never had problems parking in Muenchen but a car is more a liability.
Dachau is less impressive than Auschwitz so you can skip it.

OH ? ausd rate ?
Mfg.

lanejohann

Kja...lol..I meant mishmash of ugly and beautiful ...something I've read

Regarding Kraków ...I'd love to stay longer but originally this trip was just a sailing trip round a few Greek Islands
Then it started getting a bit more involved like the proverbial 'stone soup' story

oH suggested that we didn't have to go through London and to see what the kids wanted to see in Europe...a little stopover really to catch our breath lol...that's all! It is such a long haul from Sydney!

Well ...they chose Berlin...for a couple of nights..then I asked colleagues who insisted I try to fit in Munich but then Kraków was such a temptation too ....principally for auschwitz and really we were just going to dash in and out...
I thought I was pushing my luck extending it by another day but I have!

As for art... I'm not an enthusiast..I loved the louvre and orangerie in Paris
The kids and I also visited galleries in New York back in January
I'm not certain that we will target the museums/ galleries this time but I'll look out for the lady with an
ermine

The kids are excited to see the natural scenery
/ castles as well as visiting some holocaust/ war/ hitler sites but we will try to strike a balance and try to experience some German culture...that's why we were drawn to Munich...the whole Bavarian thing seems appealing
I read that Berlin is quite a mix of people and might not feel traditionally German..I don't know of course what 'traditionally German' might look like nowadays anyway


What hello ... OH is other half...my husband..is that what u were clarifying?



I've been looking at alternatives to staying in Munich the whole 5 nights and have looked at three day itineraries driving northwards from Munich to Fussen...seeing Ludwigs N castle then travelling to Ausberg and staying the night
Day two might be spent in Augsburg and then driving through Donau Nordlingen and dinkessbuht
Day three... In to Rothenburg and up to wurzburg


But... Salzburg sounds lovely too! We really can't spare more than three days and maybe another half day before we need to fly from Germany to Athens


Maybe if the kids and I visit Potsdam and Nuremberg whilst we are up Berlin, we can leave out salzburg but it sounds divine!
Any opinions about a little road trip through Bavaria?
Could we include Salzburg ...sounds insane I know
There is so much to see around Munich, too... I know!

Whathello

Yup.
I love the sentence dash in / Dachau for Auschwitz. It took some concentration to get it.

kja

The problem, as I’m sure you know, is that traveling is NOT like stone soup – with travel, more can truly be less! The more places you add in, the more time you spend in transit (and packing/unpacking, getting to/from hotels, getting oriented to new cities, etc.) and the less time you actually have for seeing and doing anything. I think you and yours need to make some decisions about your approach and what proportion of your time you are willing to spend simply in transit (and seriously, it can really add up in the kind of trip you are contemplating).

FWIW, while I understand that some people just want to skim the surface, I’ve realized that if I can return to a region, the LAST thing that I am likely to want to do is spend my time re-tracing all that extra travel time so that I can go back and finally see the things I skipped the first time. In fact, I might end up not returning specifically because it would mean wasting so much time going from place to place (which sort of defeats the purpose of "deferring" them in the first place). I no longer consider skimming trips. YMMV.

I’m afraid I’ve totally lost track of you plan, as I didn’t notice a stop in London – on top of everything else? Seriously? Your OH is, I think, correct in saying that you will appreciate a place to catch your breath after a long flight. Adding a destination is NOT the way to do that, IMO! You’ll have to plan on a day or more to recover no matter where you land; trying to fit in yet another destination – and travel to and from it, etc. -- complicates your trip and makes it even harder to enjoy whatever time you have left for your other destinations. You aren’t deciding whether to stop at the grocery store that you'll pass anyway on your way home; adding a stop in London is adding hours and hours and hours just to get through Heathrow and into the city and to your hotel and…. Instead of adding a destination, seriously consider adding a day to your first destination.

I don’t understand your search for alternatives to Munich. IMO, 5 nights there is not unreasonable, although I, personally would switch at least 1 or 2 nights of your Munich nights to Krakow. Honestly, I don’t see how you have time to add Salzburg. And if you do add Salzburg, I would strongly advise against driving – take a train, so everyone can enjoy the scenery!

I truly appreciate your desire to see all these places, because they are all worthy destinations IMO. Please give some thought to what it means to you and yours to "see" them.

Again, good luck!

Melnq8

Some possible day trips from Munich that will give you a nice taste of the German countryside and Alps - and an easy day trip from Munich via train:

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (think Zugspitz)

http://www.bavaria.by/garmisch-parte...avaria-germany

http://www.gapa.de/

Mittenwald:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-...Vacations.html

Further afield, there's Berchtesgaden (Eagle's Nest, salt mines, beautiful scenery and very near Salzberg):

http://www.berchtesgadener-land.com/en/home

So many places, so little time.

lanejohann

okay thank you!
Kja...there is no London stopover..that was the original plan before we tacked on Germany to the Greek islands sailing trip

lanejohann

I took on board advice about Krakow...looked at my leave options at work and decided to tack on more days to the whole trip

OH's plans are firm at this stage lol...he will only join us on the 23rd june in munich and he is very keen to get a car and drive the romantic route

so this is what our new itinerary looks like

Friday evening 9th June the kids and I fly out of Sydney and spend 5 whole days based in Berlin
Thursday 15th June we will fly to Krakow and spend the rest of that day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday there ( Auschwitz, saltmines, and whatever else within cooee)


Monday 19th fly to Munich and base ourselves somewhere in the old town area for four whole days and the bit left over from the transit day...OH will join us late on the Friday evening and we will all start the little roadtrip on Saturday morning 24th june
we will have 5 whole days to do some sort of loop and return to Munich either on the evening of 28th june or sometime on the Thursday 29th to fly to Athens ( this will depend on flight times available)

we will have the rest of that Thursday in Athens, the full day on Friday to see the acropolis and then pick up our boat on Saturday in Lavrion
sail the Greek islands for about two weeks...return the boat to Lavrion on Friday 14 july
we will stay that last night on the boat...and have Saturday chilling in Athens before taking a flight home to Sydney on the Sunday afternoon
that will allow us to show the kids the Plaka area or whatever else that is doable




Ill look at the links, thanks Melnq and be back to tweak that Bavarian trip later...

thanks everyone...every little bit helps and I'm very appreciative of the time you take to contribute your ideas!

kja

I'm glad you will have an extra day in Krakow! I think you'll end up thinking it worthwhile (and maybe even wishing you gave it more time than that. ;-) )

Please consider doing the driving that first day you plan to have a car, June 24. Although many people are not aware of it, mounting evidence indicates that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous for oneself -- and for anyone else on the road -- as driving drunk. So find a way to give your OH at least a day or so to recover from jet lag before driving!

Whathello

Oh yes. Very sound advice above. Jet lag is a killer as far as driving is considered.

As for Expedia filling up - you must be aware that hotels give only a fraction of their rooms to sites. So you can contact hotels directly. However prices will be relatively similar. You may usually get breakfast for free.

Enjoy.

lanejohann

Yes yes!
Kraków does look so interesting!
Ive seen old main squares in places like Prague and Bruges ...Viennas graben...
I'm wondering if it's like that?
I'm looking forward to Polska ogorki...the pickled cucumbers...surely have to better than what they export to our supermarkets!

About jet lag ...OH drives seemingly unimpaired after flying...
He sleeps as soon as he closes his eyes ..wherever he happens to be..but I do take our safety and that of other drivers seriously and will never push him...
He'll probably get up early and we might only drive three or four hours total that first day with breaks...if he needs to take a nap...( that's never been the case) we will gladly stop and he can snooze in the car

I'd not drive unless it's an emergency

Driving on the wrong side of the road is not for my overtaxed brain...



Whathello..I wasn't punning back then ...so it all went over my head ..sorry