Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Bamberg-Munich-Prague-Nuremburg Itinerary

Our trip to Germany and Czech republic is in about a month, so I am putting the final touches on our itinerary. This trip is for my husband's 40th birthday, so I have been planning it for awhile, wanting to make sure that I plan a terrific trip for him. He said he wanted to spend his 40th sitting in a beer garden in Munich, so I have planned a 2 week trip around that. The theme, as you may be able to quickly deduce, is beer.

Any advice about beer to drink and places to eat, neat stuff to see, etc. is appreciated.

Day 1 and 2 (Fri and Sat): Fly SFO to FRA, arrive at FRA 9:45, rent car and drive to Bamberg. Afternoon in Bamberg - we will wander around, have some eats and some beer, and turn in early to combat jet lag.

Staying at Barok Hotel am Dom, Bamberg

Day 3 (Sun): In Bamberg - We will probably buy the BierSchmeckerTour from the tourist office, which is a beer tasting package with 5 vouchers for beers at different places around town. And there is an offering through the tourist office called the Legendary Bamberg Beer Evening, which requires 20 people to sign up for it to happen, so we are contacting the tourist office to see if there will be enough people. It sounds like a fun time. Bamberg is on our itinerary to begin with because when we were in Nuremburg a few years ago, we tried the Rauchbier and loved it - decided that our next trip to Germany would include Bamberg.

We are also interested in seeing the Kaiserdom, the Residenz, and the Franconian Brewery Museum - which we will try to fit in between the beer.

Staying at the Barok Hotel am Dom, Bamberg.

Day 4 (Mon): We don't have a real plan for this day, but some possibilities. If we have seen enough of Bamberg, we will take a day trip, either by train or by car. Wurzburg is high on the list of possibilities, but we may take advantage of having the car to go poke around some smaller places. The Levi Strauss museum and birthplace is nearby, and as Californians, Levis are near and dear to our hearts, so it might be neat to see his birthplace.

Staying at the Barok Hotel am Dom, Bamberg.

Day 5 (Tue): This day is the reason for having the car in the first place - going to the Aufsess area, which is about 45 minutes east of Bamberg, to do the Franconian brewery walk. We will drive to Hochstahl and walk to Sachsendorf, Aufsess, Hechenhof, and back to Hochstahl, visiting the breweries in those towns along the day - about 14 km round trip.

Staying at Brauerei Reichold Gasthof, Hochstahl.

Day 6 (Wed): Drive to Munich and drop off the car. Possible stops along the way include Ingostadt, Erding, and Regensburg - we'll play it by ear. Or perhaps the beer gardens of Munich will be calling to us and we will drive straight to Munich. We are taking the Beer and Brewery tour with Munich Walks that evening.

Staying at Motel One Sendlinger Tor, Munich.

Day 7 (Thu): In Munich - This is our second trip to Munich, so we aren't in a big hurry to see everything - our goal is more to hang out and relax, see some things we missed previously or didn't spend long enough seeing. In the morning, we'll probably wander around the Altstadt, climb the Alte St. Peter tower, visit the Residenz. In the afternoon/evening, if the weather is good, go to a beer garden or two, if the weather is bad, go to a beer hall or two.

Staying at Motel One Sendlinger Tor, Munich.

Day 8 (Fri): In Munich - This is my husband's birthday. We will take the S-Bahn to Herrsching - visit the Andech's Monastery and the Amersee.

Staying at Motel One Sendlinger Tor, Munich.

Day 9 (Sat): In Munich - We have a few possibilities for this day, depending on the weather and what we feel like doing. There is a food tour of the Viktulienmarkt with Munich Walks that looks interesting, we might go to the Nymphenberg Palace and combine that with a visit to the Hirschgarten, maybe one of the art museums. And of course, more beer gardens and/or beer halls.

Staying at Motel One Sendlinger Tor, Munich.

Day 10 (Sun): Train/bus to Prague via Nuremburg, depart Munich 11:16, arrive Prague 16:18. No plan for the evening, probably wander around the old town, get a bite to eat, and find a cool place to have a few beers.

Staying at the Hotel Residence U Tri Bubnu, Prague.

Day 11 (Mon): In Prague - Free time in the early morning. then we have booked the 11 am Sandeman Old Town Walking tour and will probably take a river cruise in the afternoon. Not sure how much will be going on in the evenings on a Monday, so it will probably be an early night.

Staying at the Hotel Residence U Tri Bubnu, Prague.

Day 12 (Tue): In Prague - We have a morning free and then will do a river and beer garden bike tour with Praha Bikes in the afternoon. Then see how the evening shapes up.

Staying at the Hotel Residence U Tri Bubnu, Prague.

Day 13 (Wed): Prague Castle and Stanhov brewery. Hopefully night life will have picked up by Wednesday and we can find some decent bars with live music or something. Any recommendations are definitely appreciated.

Staying at the Hotel Residence U Tri Bubnu, Prauge.

Day 14 (Thu): Day trip to Pilsen by train.

Staying at the Hotel Residence U Tri Bubnu, Prague.

Day 15 (Fri): Morning is free, then taking the 11:30 bus to Nuremburg, arrival 15:17. We've been to Nurembug before, so our plan is to just relax a bit and wander around the old town and enjoy our last night before our flight home.

Staying at Hotel Victoria, Nuremburg.

Day 16 (Sat): Train from Nuremburg to FRA flight from FRA to SFO