whitey

I will try to give as much info as I can without being too wordy; if anyone needs more specifics, feel free to post to this message and I'll be happy to help you the best that I can. I will be giving each place we visited a numerical ranking from 1 to 10 (you can follow this link to a previous post discussing the ratings system -http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34633136)
Introduction: My wife and I, along with my two year old daughter, left May 19th and returned May 30th. This was our fifth european vacation, some of it previously spent in Germany, so we felt pretty confident that we could squeeze in Germany and Austria and possibly some northern Italy in 10 days.
Details: We flew Iceland Air from Boston to Frankfurt for $1134 including taxes for the three of us - Gracie was half price. The flight over was smooth; we spent about an hour in Reykavik, Iceland changing planes and going through customs. This was nice because we had no customs in Frankfurt - just pick up your bags and go. We rented a car through Gemut who usues Auto Europe who booked us with Avis. We had a full size reservation for $482 US for 10 days. We waited an hour in line for the car, but I was happy that they had a VW Touran for us(like a Honda CRV); it had a nice cargo area and was a peppy 6 speed diesel, which really saved us money (Diesel was around 1 euro and gasoline averaged 1.15 Euro per Liter-roughly 50 - 60 cents cheaper per gallon. The car was only about a week old and spotless - that was until the minor crash in Vienna and the 4000 cheerios and 12 juice boxes spilled in the back seat - more on that later.
Day one, Nurnburg: We landed in Frankfurt around noontime and we were cruising on the autobahn by 2:00. It took us about three hours to get to Nurnburg due to an accident just outside of the city. Using the Michelin driving directions, we easily found the hotel Fackelmann, which is about a quarter of a mile outside the old city's walls. The hotel at 60 Euro a night was perfect for us; nothing fancy, but the room was neat and clean, the breakfast buffet was the best of the entire trip, and the staff were helpful and friendly. The only minor detractions were that the parking was a few hundred yards away and you had a good half mile walk to make it to the pedestrian only main street of the old city. We had a lovely stroll that night; there was a nice mix of "old-looking" buildings along with plenty of shops and restaurants. There were plenty of people, but it didn't feel too touristy at all. We were pleasantly surprised and it gets an upgraded rating to 6.5(it could have easily been a 7, but we were not able to get into the rally grounds Sat morning due to a fair and we headed out of town too early to see the Nazi documentation center).

whitey

Days 2 and 3, Garmisch, Germany - The drive from Nurnburg to Garmisch took us about three and a half hours by autobahn. The last hour of the drive was great as the snow topped alps are ever more beautiful the closer they come. We stayed at the Edelweiss lodge and resort, which is mainly for families of the armed services and Dept of defense. It's a rustic post and beam skiing chalet on a meadow with a great view of the mountains beyond. It was worth the $96 US per night, but after 2 days in the area we were ready to move on. We hiked the Partnachklamm Gorge(rating of 6), which was a nice distraction, but not really worth all the hype. I would recommend taking the horse carriage up to the gorge as opposed to hoofing it yourself, especially on a very hot day. The next day, we took the cable car from Ehrwald up to the top of the Zugspitze(32 Euro each for the 10 minute ride). It was a nice smooth ride, pretty good views, and it gets a rating of 6.5(make sure you only go if it's a mostly clear day). By itself the cable car was fun, but it's not nearly as spectacular as the ride to the schlithorn in Switzerland. We also drove the little loop from Garmisch to Weiskirch(cute, curly-Q church in a meadow,with nothing else around). It was a scenic little trip, rating of 5, but the church was nothing to get too excited about.

whitey

Day 4, Salzburg - We left Garmisch under drizzly skies, so instead of driving to Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg, we went directly to Salzburg. Many people on this site advised against seeing Berchtesgaden and Hitler's eagles nest if the weather wasn't clear - so we decided to skip this area and to save it for another trip. The rain never really let up, so the drive in to Salzburg wasn't very scenic for us at all. We stayed on the outskirts of town, on a little farm, the Haus Ballwein. We had a nice big room, clean and updated; and it was a very good value at $50 Euro a night including a smallish but acceptable breakfast. We took the car into town that night, parked in an underground garage, and set out to see the sights with the help of an umbrella and Rick Steves' walking tour of the city. Rick was right that the city is low on sightseeing priorities, but it was nice enough for an evening walk through the Mirabell gardens and over the pedestrian bridge spanning the Salzach river. Overall we were glad to have spent a night here and I give it a mediocre 6.4.

yipper

Hi,
Thank you for the trip report. It sounds wonderful.i have not been to Germany in years. It will go on my list. Keep it coming.

bettyk

Too bad about the bad weather in Salzburg. We also had some drizzly weather on our trip in 1999 plus I had a terrible cold/sinus infection. However, once I got up to the Hohensalzburg, I forgot about everything except how beautiful the city truly is. I'm sorry you felt it was mediocre. Even as touristy as it has become, I still feel my heart skip a beat everytime I visit.

whitey

Day 5: We drove from Salzburg to Hallstatt under clearing skies. It was lovely scenery of rolling hills and pretty lakes. We parked in the lot inside the tunnel just above the town - which affords a great bird's eye view of the colored buildings against the peaceful lake and mountains beyond. If you are looking for a peaceful break during a hectic vacation - this is your place. It did get busy with tourists during the day, but after dinner and early in the morning, we pretty much had the town to ourselves. We stayed at the Gasthof Simony for $100 Euro(normally $70 but she charged $30 extra for my daughter). The inn had a creaky, comfortable feel and a decent breakfast, but I would have felt better paying $70 instead of $100, mostly because of their ragged face cloths pretending to be bath towels. We didn't get to explore the Salt mines(kids under 4 not allowed)- but we had fun poking around the church and bone chapel and we took the little boat ride across the lake. There's a little playground in the Church garden by the boat dock, where your kids can play while you digest a nice meal and watch the ducks and swans swim by. Overall it's a very nice place to spend a relaxing day and a night earning a 7.3 ranking.

whitey

Day 6: Hallstatt to Vienna via Mauthausen and Melk Abbey. This was my favorite day of the trip; action packed and full of checklist sights. We left Hallstatt around 9 am under sunny skies and by 10:30 we had made it to the Mauthausen concentration camp. The camp itself is on a lovely green hill above the Danube with great views all around. We did not take an organized tour, but instead got the necessary guidebook and map which gives you plenty of info and the map shows you exactly where you are. It was very interesting- figure to spend at least an hour, but you could easily spend two or three hours to see everything(I only walked about halfway on the steps of death and turned around - someone fill me in to why this is supposed to be such a must see part of the tour). Overall the camp gets a 7.5 rating.
We left the camp around 1:00 heading east on the autobahn; about an hour later we spied our next objective, Melk Abbey, looming on the horizon. A few key points to consider; it was much bigger and prettier than I had expected. The parking was easy, free and close the Abbey, and the grounds were neat and enjoyable from the lot to the front gate. This makes the Abbey easily accessible for a quick detour on the way to or from Vienna. You could spend a few hours looking at all of the sights here, but I enjoyed our quick blitzkreig tour of one hour flat. Overall I give the Abbey a rating of 7.0. After a lunch break and my third magnum icecream bar of the day, we started for Vienna. We made it to the outskirts of the city just in time for Friday rush hour traffic. It took us quite a while to get our bearings but we finally waded through the masses of cars and people to our hotel, the Admiral, just outside the old center by the museum district. I knew Vienna was a big city, but I wasn't expecting all of the people and traffic. Outside of the old city, it is very reminiscent of Brussels' hustle and bustle. Inside the old center, while still teaming with people, it's much more picturesque particularly on the pedestrian only streets. The hotel Admiral wasn't bad for $100 Euro. The location was pretty good, the room was big but the breakfast selection was small and there was free parking. Note: The parking was a small alleyway leading to a miniscule courtyard where 4 cars were crammed into 2 spaces(this is where my shiny new car had a battle with a wall and lost). We walked the old center using Rick Steves' walking tour, and it made for a very pleasant nighttime stroll. The next day we visited the Royal apartments, which were nice, but understandably a notch below Versailles - rating of 6.5; and the Treasury, which was a fun diversion, rating of 6.0. Vienna was a little busier and more full of action than I expected - (I was thinking more elegant and refined), but there is alot to do and see so it gets a rating of 7.1 and the Hotel Admiral rates in at 6.0.

whitey

Day 7 was pretty much a travel day from Vienna to Italy. We were hoping to make it to Castelrotto in the Dolomites or at least close by, but after 3 to 4 hours of driving we had barely made it into Italy (Tarvisio). Tarvisio is a cute little town with a ski mountain, but it was dead in late May, as there was only one other couple taking a room in our hotel.
The next morning we were hoping to drive to Castelrotto and enjoy the views, but the twisting, mountain switchbacks and elevation changes made my daughter carsick, so we had to head north onto some straighter roads before we even reached Cortina D'ampezzo. The views were wonderful, but I am guessing that we only saw a little of the beauty that would have awaited us further on. We headed north toward Innsbruck and eventually made it to Munich where we decided to stop for the night. We had a nice stroll that evening and stopped by the Augistiner beer garden for a few liters of beer and some pretzels. It is a wonderful beer tent/garden with self-serve beer and food counters where you grab your choices, pay, and sit outside under the trees on picnic tables. My daughter played for hours with the little german kids on the playground. It was great fun, I'm surprised that we don't have anything like it here in the U.S. but then Europeans don't have our silly hangups with public drinking. The Augistiner beer garden gets an 8.0 ranking. From several tips on this site, we chose to stay at the Hotel Uhland; it was wonderful and I highly recommend it, especially during Octoberfest because it is right nearby the fairgrounds. We had a great room and a great breakfast for 80 Euro, and it was in a quiet residential neighborhood; it gets a ranking of 8.2. The following day we visited the downtown area of Munich with it's Glockenspiel, the churches and market square and the Hofbrauhaus. This was all very nice, but we were shoulder to shoulder with people throughout. Munich is a fun, lively city, but it doesn't have the romantic architecture and medieval feel of some other German cities. For some people, this doesn't matter, but for me, I prefer a little less bustle and a little more romance. Lively Munich gets a 6.7 rating.

whitey

From Munich we drove north to Wurzburg along the romantic road. It was nice farm country with green fields and rolling hills, but honestly it wasn't all that romantic. Some of the towns on the road merit attention, and I will speak of them shortly, but the road itself ranks in at a 5.0. We had stayed in Rothenburg on a previous trip and loved it for it's little town feel and ambiance and the fun night watchman's tour. This trip we breezed in to poke around again and to check on room availability. This was one of the rare Saturday nights where everything was booked solid. The town was as cute as we had remembered and it gets a 7.1 rating. We stopped at Dinklesbuhl for a peek with the image of it being a "mini Rothenburg". I know some people will disagree, but in my mind it really does seem like a smaller version of the "original". It would be hard for me to give it a fair ranking on only an hour's stay, but in my opinion, you should visit Dinklesbuhl, but stay the night in Rothenburg. It worked out that there were no rooms in Rothenburg, because we moved on to Wurzburg instead. We stayed at the hotel Allstadt for 70 Euros a night; the room itself needed some updating but it was OK in a pinch; the real reason to stay here is for the food in Gianni's restaurant downstairs. Everything that they brought to the table was magnificent. We had a wonderful salad with warm spargel(white asparagus) and the house specialty raviolis were fabulous. I even had three excellent pilsners, I forget the brand, though I remember it was a Dresden brewery. Allstadt hotel rates a 5.0, but Gianni's restaurant rates a tasty 9.0. We strolled from the Residenz to the old town center and across the lovely old pedestrian bridge (alte mainbrucke). It wasn't until I edited my video this weekend, that I remembered just how pretty and romantic the old center is. Wurzburg gets an upgraded ranking of 6.7.

aggiemom

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. We were in Germany last month so my still fresh memories are even more so, thanks to your report!

bettyk

Whitey, in truth, Dinkelsbuhl is more "original" than Rothenburg. And I'm also a big fan of Rothenburg. But Dinkelsbuhl boasts that they have more original, untouched (except for minor cosmetics) structures than Rothenburg. I found Dinkelsbuhl to be lovely and really not that much smaller than Rothenburg. However, it was busier with more car traffic I believe. One of the shop owners said that was because more residents actually live in the old town than in Rothenburg. He said a lot of people that work in the old town of Rothenburg don't live there.

Anyway, they are both lovely in their own right.