lanejohann

Hi folks
Another adjustment to the June itinerary... Mum and two grown kids ..interested in culture, history( not too much holocaust since we are going to auschwitz), scenery...not drinkers so no beer halls or nightclubbing

So far we've got from 10th June -5 days in Berlin
15 th June- 4 days in Kraków
And then there's a gap of 4 days before we need to be in Munich ( on the evening of 23 June)

What would you do for the Monday through to the Friday then?

(Monday would be a travelling day of course...flying from Kraków to wherever and part of Friday would be gobbled up by travel, too)

What is a sensible add-on?

I thought of Salzburg but I'd like to do day trips from Munich ...which would be our base for five days
And I think we could do that quite easily
I haven't booked flights from Berlin to Kraków and I could probably change the accommodation booking if there's a better way to fit another city in between Berlin and Kraków or Kraków and Munich

ive been to Prague already... Not keen to go again

Somewhere else in Poland?
Austria?
Somewhere else in Germany?
(We will be sailing in the Greek Islands after our stay in Munich so there's enough contrast I think for the kids to experience)

Or just add days on in Berlin and use it as a base to do day trips ( already thinking of Potsdam and Nuremberg anyway) and add another couple to Kraków and do day trips from there too?)
A quality problem to have... Lol..just don't want to miss any good opportunities

Thanks for any ideas folks!

lanejohann

Have been looking closer at salzburg
Seems like a good spot, no?
Worth more time than a day trip from Munich..

We will not have a car so anything we do whether it be in Salzburg or anywhere else we would have to do tours or take trains

I think the only day trips we will have time to do from Munich will be out to neuschwanstein castle and then a bit of the romantic road up to Augsburg...that leaves us 3 days in Munich proper
Salzburg looks like it deserves more time

Any thoughts?
Keen to think outside the box as long as no car rental is involved ..will not drive Europe..that's my husbands job

Thanks all!

Whathello

Dresden Leipzig as cities, close to Berlin.

Or in the wild close to Muenchen - I've to small villages absolutely gorgeous and you may take some walks there.

Or Garmisch Partenkirchen.

swandav2000

Hi lanejohan,

I was thinking of Lindau on the Bodensee, but then it might just be a bit of water-overload if you're going on to the Greek islands.

So how about the Black Forest? Stay in a small city like Freiburg im Breisgau or in one of the villages deep in the forest. I'll be heading there myself at the end of September for 5 nights, so I don't have any personal experience to give you. If you'd like more information when I get back from my trip (late Oct), I'll be happy to oblige.

I don't have a car, and I'm not planning to rent one for the trip. I understand that hotels in the Black Forest provide cards so the local transport is free. I've done some research and lined up 5 nice walks (but probably only do 2 of them).

Have fun as you plan!

s

Ingo

Both Lindau and Black Forest are beyond Munich, so not good for a stop between Krakow and Munich.

Yep, Dresden or Leipzig would indeed be good options. Take a train from Krakow via Wroclaw/Breslau to Dresden, from there via Hof-Regensburg or Hof-Nürnberg to Munich. It's about half way between Krakow and Munich.

lanejohann

Thank you all for the suggestions.
ive been mulling over things of course and I'm still thinking Salzburg.

Lindau looks interesting but I think it is possible to do that from Munich...(don't want to tear up our Munich experience into a string of daytrips even though my husband would've joined us by then, car at the ready!)
Dresden and Leipzig ...heard that they can be done as day trips from Berlin...do either warrant a four day stay? Would Munich be enough to add that contrast to Berlin?
( silly question for some...but with the three of us...an oldie and two young adults it can be tricky to cater to all tastes...)

What am I trying to achieve?
As I've gone further into planning, adding more days ( reached the maximum now..no budging on amount of time...can only shift days within the given framework) I've been looking to add variety

I know I get tired of cuisine...there's quite a bit of Germany in this itinerary..9 days or thereabouts...A lifetime by organised tour standards!
Austria,if we decide to include Salzburg, shouldn't be too different...Ive only been to Vienna on an independent trip ( been on an organised tour but that's literally an overnight and a few hours immersed in a "cultural experience" lol)
Never been to Germany so cant really compare the two

Seeing that Salzburg is so close to Munich, could we get a bus or is train still the best option?
Ill go now and have a closer look at all the suggestions
Thank you again!

lanejohann

Black Forest..very intriguing...I have walked in forest in the hills of Vienna...wonderful experience...European forests are so different from the Australian bush so Id love to have the kids experience it

It would mean zigzagging a bit...Berlin....Krakow...Black Forest... Munich...Athens
I guess it would add variety...just have to work out the travel logistics
Thanks for the idea...hope you have a great trip !

swandav2000

Hi again,

Since you mentioned flying, I thought you would just fly from Krakow to Frankfurt, then train from there (about 2h15). Freiburg to Munich is about 4h30 with 1 change.

Thanks for the good wishes!

s

kja

Sorry, but I've lost track of your itinerary and considerations.

It seems to me that you've really only got 4 days in Berlin, but whether that is enough depends on when, exactly, you arrive and what you hope to see / do. I, personally, would want no less than 5 full days there, particularly if it includes your jet-lag days.

I loved Salzburg and thought it worth at least 2 full days, but then, I included Salzach's salt mines in my time there; if you visit the salt mines outside of Krakow, you might not want to do that. Still, a full 1.5 days for Salzburg is not, IMO, too much. So yes -- worth more than a day trip, IMO.

An aside: "(We will be sailing in the Greek Islands after our stay in Munich so there's enough contrast I think for the kids to experience)" -- Children can be remarkably attentive to contrasts between locations, so they might actually be very observant of the MANY differences between Berlin, Krakow, Munich, and other places in that part of Europe, even without your time in Greece. JMO. You're from Australia, right? Please remember that these places were in different kingdoms, under the influence of different realms, for centuries -- modern country boundaries really date only to the 20th century. You will see different styles of architecture, and differences in public squares and other things, no matter what you include. And Berlin was basically destroyed during WWII, so it's a different beast entirely....

Loacker

I would skip the Neuschwanstein castle. It's an exercise in kitsch and bad taste.

Whathello

Neuschwanstein is nice and fun to see/visit.
Not many like that in the world.

Loacker

Whathello, I found the architecture really ugly. I guess it's the setting that makes it interesting.

aussie_10

Hi lanejohann

We spent 3 nights in the Black Forest a few years ago lots of nice walks and cute towns.

However I think that Salzburg would be a good option for you. Lots to see and do for a few days.

We even enjoyed a Sound of Music tour which was way more fun then we expected and included some beautiful countryside.

Also somewhere we didn't get to because we ran out of time is Untersberg for great views.

That such an attraction is part of the Salzburg Card is a testament to the city's multivaried fare. If you have a Day 3 or more in Salzburg with all the usual suspects checked, this is the place to head to. It might even be earlier but for some stiff competition from the city's gems. Untersberg is a mountain (not a hill like the bergs of Salzburg) situated a fair bit south of Salzburg (14 kms) with the German border barely 2 kms away. You can catch bus 25 to get there.

A cable car (the Untersbergbahn) rises from the ground and makes its way to the top of the mountain in what must be termed a steep ascent especially in parts. In parts, the ride is quite thrilling especially when it looks like the cable car is going to ram straight into the mountain! On top of the mountain, there is great views and walks.

And then Munich is an easy train ride to Munich.

Fussgaenger

If you choose Salzburg, stay in the area a while. Berchtesgaden, the Koenigssee, Hohenwerfen Castle (Werfen), the ice caves, and maybe Hallstatt are all possible outings.

Ingo

You could easily spend far more than 4 days in either Dresden or Leipzig and not run out of things to see and do. From usual sights like museums, churches, castles, to activities like paddle steamer trips and narrow-gauge train rides (Dresden) to natural beauty (National Park Saxon Switzerland).

Day trips to these cities are not sufficient, you could barely scratch the surface.

lanejohann

Thank you all again for your thoughts and advice!

The kids have decided on Salzburg ...we have booked the Elefant hotel for three nights in a triple and will hopefully stay there the fourth night if theres a cancellation...if not, we have booked two rooms...a double and a single...
yes, there will be the hassle of moving our luggage that last day but its better than finding another hotel
Its booking up fast, being summer

I will make note of your suggestions in my diary...very grateful for every scrap of information

We really do want to see neuschwanstein castle...we wont overload ourselves with castles on this trip. My son has only seen the 'castle' in California and was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed the experience