Cornwall and Germany
 

New to the forum and looking for some advice with first trip to Europe. My heritage/ancestry is based in Ireland and Cornwall specifically. England and Scotland are choices but could give up Scotland. Also have a relative in Munich that I must see. He has been to US four times and this will be my first time there so I have to see him. So, do I fly into Dublin, and fly out of Munich? Would not mind a stop in Paris on the way but I know I am all over the map, so to speak. Really, to narrow it down, I WANT to see Cornwall and HAVE to go to Munich. Anything else, i.e. Ireland, England, Paris, is icing on the cake. I thought about a cruise around the UK and then a flight to Munich but have heard negatives about cruising. Appreciate the feedback.

All you want is possible . . . With enough time. You haven't said how long your trip is.

I would not recommend a cruise since it only gives you a short time in each port.

Couple of months to spare and you might have enough time to actually enjoy the trip, Couple of weeks and you can get a few stamps in your passport.

Thoughtful response, Tony. Shot down any other dreams, needlessly, today?

You don't say where in Ireland, but Munich is pretty well connected with the Emerald Isle.

Aer Lingus and Lufthansa fly to/from Dublin.
Aer Lingus also to/from Cork.
Ryanair to/from Dublin and Shannon to/from Munich "West" - which is Memmingen, 100kms West of Munich. But well connected with a timed shuttle bus that needs 90mins max to downtown Munich.
Not all flights are daily, but usually you have 2-4 per week.

It may be a bit harder from Cornwall.
The closest airport with nonstop flights to Munich would be Bristol, AFAIK.

Trainwise, it will be easiest if your starting point was London. Take the Eurostar to Paris, spend your x days there. And continue to Munich by rail. The latter part will be a long train ride though.
Check eurostar.com for fares London-Paris and bahn.com or sncf-voyages.com for Paris-Munich.

As usual aramid offers no advice - just slams.

But the fact is w/o knowing how long the entire trip is no one can give useful advice.

Don't want the truth don't ask the question, fact is as Janisj has said without knowing time scale and possibly even rough dates it can be difficult to offer any realistic advice. It can take the best part of a day getting from London to Cornwall, another day to get back so there is a couple of days gone just polishing a seat.

Want me shoot down a dream and I could lie and say you can do the lot in 3 days. Want some local advice on Ireland and I know someone who occasionally goes out of their way to provide it..

Welcome to the World of Fodorites!

You havelearned already that the questions here on the forum should give as much details as possible.

Your friend in München will most certainly be eager to show you his city and Bavaria. So, take your time in München.

You can reach München from every major city in UK. From Corwall, the best option would be either flying out of Bristol (there is a cheap flight to München with BMI Regional) or out of London - in case you want to see this beautiful metropolis (which I strongly suggest).

Alternatively, you can do Cornwall first, take the ferry to Ireland and fly from Dublin or Shannon to München or Memmingen.

How to explore UK?

A cruise round the British Isles is a comfortable way to travel. You have your stateroom for the whole trip, you do not need to change hotels, unpack and pack your suitcase etc. You will spend usually one day in one port of call. In some ports, you can explore the city easily on your own, just by walking or taking public transportation. In other ports, you have to rent a car or join one of the grossly overpriced excursions offered by the cruise company.

The downside is that you will see a limited number of ports.

The alternative is renting a car and exploring the British Isles on your own. Besides London (where you don't use a car but public transport), Great Britain is quite easy to drive, once you have gotten accustomed to driving the wrong side of the road (the first few minutes require some concentration).

Starting in Cornwall, South England would be the obvious choice for an itinerary. Neighbouring Devon is very beautiful, there is Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Oxford and, of course, London.

You might read my trip report on South England to get an idea how it is to travel there:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...of-england.cfm

Please do not hesitate to ask more specific questions!

I do love it when you do exactly what you have just accused me of janis (you provided no advice, just criticized me). Do you read your own posts before you hit send? Otherwise, yet another great example of a counterpoint argument. And remember, posts like my first one here are really quite rare, they just appear more often in threads of which you are part. And, they are useful in that they encourage the OP to question the nay-saying cold shower type of response typical of some responders.

The old "if you don't like truth" line certainly set me back on my heels. I will have to rethink my understanding of "truth" and move Tony up on the list of those I consult when lost on the issue. To advise that a trip that only has to include Munich and should include Cornwall cannot be enjoyed without several months of engagement insults both the concept of both time and pleasure.

Close you eyes Janis, here comes the practical advice;

mln56; I can;t help much with route logistics between Dublin and Cornwall. Perhaps there are cheap flights that will get you close. I know that Exeter, Bristol and Cardiff have decent sized airports that might connect well to Dublin. Alternately, if Dublin isn't a must, you could certainly take the train from London.

Getting out of Cornwall to Munich can probably be done through one of the aforementioned airports. Perhaps a flight to an intermediary location, like Paris would be even easier and then the journey on to Munich quite simple.

I will do some flight connection checking for you if you like.

Or you could ask janis..........she will want to know how much time you have and then instruct you on how many days you will "lose" in moving from one place to the next. I hear that some people find that concept useful.

Last fall I did West Wales + Berlin comfortably in about two weeks, and I could have easily done it in a shorter period. I drove in the UK, but catching a long-distance bus (aka "coach") to & from Heathrow is equally doable, as is train.

How I handled the mechanics:
- Flew into Heathrow; spent night in airport hotel (many many available, easy to get a good deal through Hotwire or Priceline).
- Next morning, picked up rental car & drove to Wales.
- After about 5 nights there, drove to Heathrow & returned car; spent night again in an airport hotel.
- Next morning, early flight to Berlin.
- Flew home from Berlin.

Well the OP has not returned and we don;t know if they have a week or a month or ? And without that how can we give useful advice?

Sorry for the gap in my response time. Our plan is to go for 14-16 days. All the useful feedback is greatly appreciated. Sorry I forgot to indicate time and more detail. We won't do the cruise...it was a passing thought. Thinking about a departure in the middle of May of '16. We would fly into Dublin or London depending on flight deals. Fly home out of Munich is the plan at the moment. We would have a place to stay in Germany....an hour outside of Munich but will have to plan lodging for other destinations.

14-16 days and you want to visit Dublin, Cornwall, (possibly Scotland), London, Paris and Munich.

Let's use the best case -- 16 days. 16 days nets you 13.5 days on the ground. Then you'll have jet lag at least the first day or so. So about 13 days useable/free. You need to shorten your wish list (unfortunately you'll have to ditch Scotland for sure and likely Paris too)

Where in Ireland is your family from? That would determine if you just need 3 nights/2 days in say Dublin, or more time to visit another part(s) of Ireland. Then Cornwall would require a minimum of 3-ish days. Maybe a couple of days in London and 4 or 5 days visiting your friend an hour outside of Munich. Including the half day lost w/ every move -- there is your 16 days.

Was thinking a shorter stay in Germany. Three days tops. It is more of an obligation to go more than a true desire. Yes, I want to see this person but it is not the sole purpose of the trip. I am sure it sounds ridiculous to go for that short of a time but I have read itineraries that look far worse. Certainly willing to give up Scotland and if taking the train from London to Paris and spending a day and night there is not the best way to get to Germany, I am willing to rethink that as well.

quickest way into and out of Cornwall is to fly with Flybe from LGW into Newquay - that puts you right here. Where in Cornwall does you family hail from, min56?

have you told us when your trip is? For the las 2 years or so they have been offering flights in the spring/summer/autumn from a no of German airports to Newquay, [Hannover, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart] albeit you have to stop in Birmingham, and German wings from direct from Dusseldorf into Newquay in the summer. They also have Munich to Birmingham this winter I think, and you could get the train from B'ham to Cornwall very easily [my mum does it regularly].

>> I am sure it sounds ridiculous to go for that short of a time but I have read itineraries that look far worse.<<

If they have been worse -- you can be sure we've told them so ;)

OK -- if you don't need much time visiting w/ your friend you'd still need 3 nights (netting you 2 days really since you'd have to get from your previous stop over plus travel an hour from Munich). If you do want 3 full days there, you'd really need to stay 4 nights.

playing w/ 16 days and 3 nights w/ your friend - what you have left is:

Day 1 flying to DUB.
Day 2 arriving DUB and getting to your hotel. Half a jet lagged day.
Days 3-4 Dublin.

Days 5-13 to 'play' with. This is where you will have to decide between Cornwall/London/Paris. I would not go to Paris unless you can devote at least 3 nights (2 days) there. I would not go to London for less than 4 nights (3 days). So If Cornwall is a must -- then Cornwall/London is probably your best bet. Annhig has given you good info re travel to/from Cornwall so you can decide if you want to do Cornwall > London > Germany, or London > Cornwall > Germany.

Days 14-15 w/ your friend
Day 16 fly home

>>>taking the train from London to Paris and spending a day and night there is not the best way to get to Germany<<<

It is as travelling from New York to Los Angeles via Mexico City.

mln, this thread is getting long and everyone here gets the impression that you think way too complicated.

If your fix points are Dublin, Cornwall and München just do Dublin, Cornwall and München. Each of these three destinations has enough to offer to fill five days. The only remaining task is to find the best way of transportation. Flying to München from the British Isles is one of the easiest task in travelling.

I think planning a trip is somewhat complicated, especially to a place one has never been before. I would imagine more people over plan or over complicate an itinerary at the start. Much easier to cut back and save for the next time. Also, was not aware long threads were a problem on this forum.
Thanks to those who answered with specific feedback. Much appreciated.

A comparison of driving times for the logistically challenged;

London, - Paris - Munich 13:30 hours
London - Munich (direct) 12:00 hours

- a 1:30 minute detour to route through Paris (10% longer - a long lunch)


New York - Mexico City - Los Angeles 72:00 hours
New York - Los Angeles (direct) 40:00 hours

- a 32:00 hour detour to route through Mexico City (45% longer - 4 days hard driving)

Why even bother replying if this is the type of hyperbolic exaggeration that is put forward?

>>Why even bother replying if this is the type of hyperbolic exaggeration that is put forward?<<

Aramis is taking over the position abandoned by zeppole/sandralist . . .

We need at least one on Fodors . . . I guess.