7 days-Germany, Switzerland or combo?
 

Flying into Frankfurt (airport location necessary to use ff miles) but hink we wan to spend most time in Switzerland?? We have 7 days. Is there much to see on the drive from Frankfurt to Switzerland (should we stay a night in Heidelberg or elsewhere) - or just head straight to Sw?

Also advice on don't misses in Sw? Thinking Lake Lucerne, Bern, Zurich ?? Not sure - and I am reading and researching but would appreciate any advice.

Germany is nice enough to stay there. Souther Germany has some great spots with Bamberg, Nurnberg, Munich, Wurzburg, Rotheburg, Dinkelsbuhl....

If you have only seven days, you might want to focus on one country. Hard to say which one without knowing more about your interests (e.g, art, music, hiking, big vs small cities; mtns vs lake country}, whether you are driving/taking a train, how many in your party etc. If you give more details you might get some useful advice.

We recently flew into Frankfurt and drove south to Switzerland (however, we had 2 weeks)
The Mosel Valley is lovely, about 70 miles east of Frankfurt. Also, the Hunruck Mountain area is nice to explore; rolling farm country and quaint villages (you'll go through the Hunsruck on the way to the Mosel) Then, about 3 hours south you'll come to the Black Forest area. I think , as some of the other posters have suggested, you'd have a plethera of interesting things to see in Germany and wouldn't run yourself ragged driving.

Did a lot of research on Switzerland today - and think that may be the better choice for 7 days. So based on that - new advice???

Merrisr--There's plenty to see and do along the way from Frankfurt to Switzerland--I prefer southern Germany over Switerland by far, but it all depends on what it is you want to do. To us, Swiss cities seem a bit boring, and while the mountains are beautiful, how many days can you look at them?

If you only have 7 days and definitely want to see Switzerland, just head to Switzerland--you'll have 2 driving days leaving only 5 days to actually look around.

Curiosity--What is it about Switzerland that makes it a better choice than Germany for you? Maybe we missed something.

<<What is it about Switzerland that makes it a better choice than Germany for you?>>

Maybe Merrisr wants to spend more money. And likes less friendly people?

With only 7 days, and Switzerland your preference, the obvious thing to do is to get there with little delay - maybe spending 1-2 nights in Germany on the way, and leaving the remaining 5 days for Switzerland.
This cuts out tmh's ideas which would be a roundabout way indeed of getting there from Frankfurt. Heidelberg is a good first stop though, then somewhere around Lake Titisee or Lake Constance (Bodensee on German maps) are directly along your route.

Hi Merrisr,

Well, *I* certainly understand your desire to spend time in Switzerland -- I go there as often as I can!

With only five days there, you should limit yourself to two locations. Many folks consider Luzern and the Berner Oberland to have the best of Switzerland: views, ambiance, hikes, etc. Because you're driving, you should consider staying in Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen in the BO (Wengen & Muerren are car-free). So I'd suggest you concentrate on Luzern and Grindelwald or Luzern and Lauterbrunnen, depending on what else you want to do.

Let me know if I can help further --

s

Hi again Merrisr,

I just checked the Swiss rail website. If you would consider taking the train, I have another suggestion: take the train directly from the Frankfurt train station to Basel, less than three hours and 0 changes. You can relax on the train, walk around a bit and have a sandwich. Spend your first night in Basel, then go on to Luzern, Wengen, etc.

Hope this helps --

s

Hi, Merrisr. Unless you can follow S' advice re the fast train to Basel, I think I'd suggest saving Switzerland for another time. The Bavarian Alps are gorgeous and southern Germany is loaded with wonderful places to visit -- Berchtesgaden, Mittenwald, Fussen, Lindau, Triberg, Freiburg, the Neckar valley, Rothenburg, Munich. Good grief.

I'm probably one of the most devoted Swiss fans here, but if you do have to devote two days to driving to and from, well. . . .

What about combining southern Germany and Austria? Research a bit in that direction. There's Salzburg and Halstatt just south (I think) of Berchtesgaden. J.

Sorry Merrisr, I meant to say you can take the train, "from the Frankfurt airport train station," not "from the Frankfurt train station." Typo. Big typo?? There's a train station right at the airport, if you didn't know that!

Hi jmw!

s

(Hi swandav and jmw!)

I fully agree with swandav's first post. Honestly, I don't think you should spend time between Frankfurt and Switzerland. Although I like Basel very much you should go straight to Lucerne.

Spend 3 nights in Lucerne and 4 nights in the Bernese Alps (if driving in Grindelwald, else in Wengen). Or, in case you are more a city person and get bored in small mountain villages, 4 nights in Lucerne and 4 nights in the Bernese Alps.

jmw, sorry, but I cannot agree. It is almost the same distance to the Bavarian Alps and the ride to Austria is still longer. And BTW, the Bavarian Alps cannot compete with the Bernese Alps! No way!

I bow to your greater expertise, Ingo. Just let me say that (being neither a hiker nor a glacier enthusiast) I found the mountain views around Berchtesgaden more beautiful than the views from Grindelwald. (I've not had the pleasure of staying in Murren.) The Bavarian Alps less awe-inspiring, less majestic, perhaps, but more aesthetically pleasing. Ha, artist. Perhaps it was because there was more green? I guess it's a matter of one's priorities. As much as I love Switzerland, I can find no fault with the vistas of southern Germany and neighboring Austria.

As for the travel distance, I confess that I didn't check bahn.de to see how long it would take to travel to Berchtesgaden from Frankfurt. Shucks. J.

Well - certainly some strong opinions about So. Germany vs Switzerland. We thought Switzerland 10 because my parents had such a great experience and 2) Switzerland looked smaller and easy to navigate given our short timeframe. Is it foolish to consider driving around Switzerland?

Merrisr, The Swiss rail system is so wonderful that many of us feel that we can leave the driving to others and give our full attention to looking. If you're the driver, you will spend a lot of your time watching the road or looking for parking places. I have friends who wouldn't think of being w/o their very own car, so I guess it's a personal preference. Personally, I find the comfort of those wonderful trains superior to any car's back seat. The Swiss travel system goes everywhere. J.