JL21

My husband and I (early 30's) will be traveling to Munich and have booked two nights in the city. From Munich we will be driving to Venice, Lake Como and Lucerne. All in one week! We see it as a "tasting menu" of Europe. While in Germany, I would like to see as much as possible. We are both not into museums. We do have some interest in seeing the Neuschwanstein castle and then heard of Tegelbergbahn which is only a few miles away where you can take a gondola to the top of the mountain and also go on an alpine slide. Does anyone have more information on this? (The website is not in english). I have also been doing some reading about the Romantic Road (Munich to Fussen) and the Ice Caves(Eisriesenwelt). We basically have one full day to explore and I would like to make the most of it. Another issue is that I wil be driving from Munich to Venice the following day and don't want to end up doing the same route. Are there things that we can see on our Munich to Venice drive that we should avoid doing the previous day? I greatly appreciate any and all help. I'm a bit overwhelmed!

Echnaton

I have not quite understood your itinerary. You say you are staying two night in München. Makes one day in München. Then you want to see Neuschwanstein. Makes another day. Then you want to see the Romantic Road. Makes a third day. The Eisriesenwelt a fourth one. The drive to Venice takes the fifth day. Then you have one day in Venice - the sixth day. On the seventh day, the week is over.

I do not have the slightest clue how you will integrate Lago di Como and Luzern into your itinerary. Are you familiar with European geography?

Use www.viamichelin.com to calculate driving times between destinations and add at least one hour for congestions.

For the drive between München and Venice, calculate with 8 hours. Driving time Venice - Lago di Como at least 5 hours.

Paul1950

You are overwhelmed because you are trying to do way to much and travel way too far in one week. It's a waste of your time and money. It's not even a "tasting menu"; all you'll get is a whiff as you drive by. You'll have almost as many hours driving and checking in and out of hotels as you will actually visiting sights.

A week is almost enough time for the Bavarian portion of your trip. Or the Venice/lakes portion. Note the word "or."

Of course, it is your time and your money, and if you enjoy seeing roads and highways, then go for it.

Paul1950

I did a quick check, and just for one way drives, no round trips, to the various places you listed (except the ice caves, which I didn't include at all), you have over 20 hours of actual driving, not including stops for gasoline, food, bathroom breaks, sightseeing, etc. There go at least 2 of your vacation days just sitting in your car--assuming that you don't run into any traffic tieups or weather problems or car problems.

I do know that some people do enjoy just driving, and, if that suits you, great. But don't expect to get much out of this itinerary other than visual impressions. Again, it is your time and money, and if it's what you want from a visit to Germany, the Alps, and Italy, then go for it.

JL21

I have to say I am a bit taken back by your responses. I was reaching out for help, not to get ridiculed. First of all, I am picking up my brand new BMW as part of the European Delivery Program. Therefore, we would like driving to be a big part of our trip. Second, not everyone has the luxury of spending several weeks in Europe nor are they able to get back there again in the near future. So please try to understand that I would like to take advantage of this situation and do as much as I can. When I stated the various places in Germany that I had researched, I never suggested that I wanted to do them all. I was simply looking for advice as to what to do/how to best spend my time. Should we spend the day driving to Fussen to see the castle, should we drive the Romantic Road, etc. I do have an understanding of European geography and have mapped out the routes. Will I see everything everywhere...no. But will I get a feel for Europe...yes.

padams421

You would have had more helpful posts if you had described your situation in your initial posts. Your driving trip with a new car makes sense and sounds like great fun. I wish I were you.

For your Munich day, I suggest driving to King Ludwig (stop at Tegelbergbahn too) castles. You'll get to drive the car and see some of the Bavaria. Have dinner in Munich and walk around the Marienplatz area. Then, off to the next place...

BTW, the Romantic Road is marketing hype and not that interesting except for a few quaint towns along the way.

Please write a trip report when you return.

Lynnaustin

You did not say what time of year that you were planning to go.
If you only have one full day in Munich then I would spend it in the city itself. There is a lot to see and do right in Munich, well worth your day.
We also did a European delivery several years ago and started in Frankfurt with a similar itinerary. Our trip lasted 10 days and we felt as though we spent about the entire time in the car. I am not ridiculing you (and I don't think others were either, but it is a very ambitious plan). I assume that you have to return the car to the factory for shipping. That is just so much to do in one week. Reviewing the maps and distances don't give the entire story. We spent 4 hours in stopped traffic in an Italian tunnel that we should have been through in 30 minutes. You will miss an exit or two and have to figure out how to double back. You will have problems finding parking. You will have to park your brand new car in parking spaces where the next car is about 2 inches away from yours.
I am not trying to discourage you but to urge you to be realistic with your week. Going down to Venice and back (in my opinion) is just too far to drive in one week.
My sister purchased her car two years ago and they limited their week to Germany and Salzburg. They had a wonderful experience.

Lynnaustin

I forgot to add that Munich has a BMW museum.

Lynnaustin

If you enter the tegelbergbahn.de website via google you can see the site in English.

JL21

We have made arrangements to drop off the car in Zurich. We will be driving from Munich to Zurich and stopping in Venice and Lake Como along the way. We are staying two nights in each city. I absolutely understand it is an ambitious plan, but I am ambitious! We will be leaving in two weeks....

JL21

And I got the website in English....Thank you!

Cowboy1968

You can see the Eisriesenwelt on your way to Venice if you plan to go there on the motorway-only route via Salzburg, Villach, Udine. Nevertheless, you will not experience much of the mountains as the motorway follows the valleys and cuts thru the big ranges in long tunnels. If you plan to drive in summer, expect major delays there, especially on weekends. You will need a toll sticker for the Austrian motorways plus pay extra for the tunnels.

A more scenic route would take you from Munich via Kufstein, Kitzbühel, Mittersil, Felbertauern Tunnel, Matrei, Lienz, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Treviso to Venice. Only the first and last leg of this trip would on motorways but it's a less crowded route in high season. In Austria, you will only pay for the tunnel.

Really scenic would be to go via the Grossglockner Alpine Road, but that can get you into troubles timewise since that road attracts a lot of tourists. Plus the toll is quite steep.

november_moon

Munich to Hohenschwangau/Fuessen is a nice drive. I'd buy tickets ahead of time to visit the castle (or castles if you want to see both) - you can buy them online for a particular timed tour. That way you won't spend your limited time waiting in line. We didn't go on the Tegelbahn (heights aren't my thing) but we did do the Sommerrodelbahn, which is the luge ride. That was loads of fun - I went on it 3 or 4 times.

I agree that the Romantic Road is nothing particularly special. There are some nice towns along the way and it was a decent drive, but it I only had 1 day in Germany, it wouldn't be my choice.

We really liked Munich though, so don't discount the possibility of spending your day in that city. Plenty to do an see there.

I'd also seriously consider leaving Venice off the itinerary. I know that you only have a week and want to see as much as you can because you don't know when you'll be back - I totally understand that. We don't have the ability to go to Europe often either. I just would hate for you to wiz by things rushing from one place to another and never actually have the time to see what you came to see. No ridicule or anything negative intended. Just don't want you to bite off too much is all.

Paul1950

Hi. Whether or not it's your car or a rental car, it's still too much--unless you really enjoy just being in your car, cruising along, seeing what goes by your windows. Some people do enjoy this, and that is fine.

But if you really want to see and do things outside of your car, then it is too much. It just depends on what you enjoy.

donnae_b

Apr 28, 10 at 1:09pm

"We will be leaving in two weeks...."

JL21 please write a trip report when you get home and hope your trip was full of fun and adventure.