My H and I are picking up our car in Munich on September 27th. We drop-off in either Munich or Frankfurt and fly back to the states on October 7th.

Fair amount of disagreement on where to go/what to see. He wants to drive from city to city while I would like to visit small out of the way places.

We're both independent travelers, and enjoy a wide range of activities - cultural, hiking, hanging out in pubs, wine, people watching, wandering aimlessly, getting lost. I'm 39, he is 44.

Our budget is flexible. We would like to keep most accomodations to 85 Euros a night but would also like a few splurges for special locations (views, historic building/furnishings.

Please offer advice on our ideas.

His:
Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Zagreb, Venice, Innsbrook, Munich

Mine: Munich 2 days, Cesky Krumlov 2 days, Explore Austria between Cesky Krumlov and Veinna 1 day, drive to Slovenia/Croatia, stay in either Piran or on Istria for 2-3 days, a couple of days in Alps Slovenia Austria, Rothenburg and fly out of Frankfurt.

Variations: I'm interested in a couple of days on the Mosel or Rhine or Ruette area.

Questions:
Too rushed?
Anywhere you recommend we skip or spend more time?
Stay in Slovenia or Croatia? Is one a better value?
Is a day trip from Piran to Venice worth it even though we will just get a taste or would we be better off with more time to really explore enough time?
Since this trip is about driving our new car - any great roads you would recommend?
Special hotels or guesthouses you would recommend?


Lastly, we didn't think about Oktoberfest when we scheduled our pick-up date - just avoiding crowds and hoping for good weather. So, we need to find somewhere to stay. Any hotels you would recommend outside of Munich with easy train access to the fairgrounds with not too long of a ride?

Thanks.

Since this is all about cars and driving, why don't you buy a Michelin Green Guide (or buy three). Try Amazon.

I think four cities is about as intense as you would want get.

If your expectation is Euro 85 total per night (as opposed to per person) then you will want to know ahead of time what your hotels are.

We're planning to do this also Spring '06. Would you please post your experience when you come back. Thanks.

I personally think that both of the itineraries look a little too ambitious, given your time frame. I've learned from experiences to plan on extra time getting from one place to another and can eat up a lot of time. For instance, the drive from Vienna to Istria will take the better part of a day to get to, as would Vienna to Zagreb. I would concentrate on a smaller area and go from there.

I think you need to get a good atlas and check out viamichelin.com for driving distances. This should give you a good start.

I haven't been to all of the places suggested, but I have been to several. Cesky Krumlov is great but a few hours is probably plenty as there isn't much to do there other than strolling. If you like hiking, the Bavarian and Austrian countrysides, including the Salzkammergut and the Berchtesgadenland regions, are gorgeous and filled with lots of great hiking paths. Rothenburg is also a wonderful town.

Good luck!
Tracy

Your BWM provided insurance may not cover travel in the former Eastern block nations.
The mandated break-in will preclude hot laps at der Nurburgring.
So, I might do Munchen (Hot Acanthus -a pleasant walk to the "awful" Oktoberfest), Salzburg (Hot Wolf-Dietrich), S and SE on some great driving roads through Berchtesgaten/Koenigsee to Garmisch-Partenkirche (Hot Gasthof Fraundorfer) and then on to Rothenburg (Hot Berg).
Those are wonderful regions if you have never visited and choose to ignore the specific recommendations.
M.
We also like the Moseltal, and Alsace at that time of year.
Buen Viaje.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm doing a bit more research.

We do have several road atlas for Europe.

It is just so difficult to choose - I feel like a greedy kid during the holidays. I want to see everything.

Unfortunately, BMW added has made our choices more difficult by delaying our pick-up date by two days. I like Munich - but I've visited before and two extra days at Oktoberfest plus the expensive hotel room are not what I hoped for.

Well, I'm relieved to see the delivery is of a car. I had assumed another kind of delivery when I saw the thread title.

BMW delayed your delivery by 2 days? Well, let me tell you what happened to me. I had ordered by car (525i) 4 months in advance, made non-refundable airline reservations (4 people), etc. for Sept 2001. Got a call from the dealer in August to tell me: "This has never happened to me before, but the plant is closing early, and they had to cancel your car delivery."

Not happy, but spent 9 wonderful days driving around Austria & Bavaria in a 325 wagon rental, and had a great time.

Budman - I've had a secret fear that our delivery is not going to work out. The dealer has already changed the deal a few too many times for my taste. The original delivery date was Sept. 5th, then I found out that the car wasn't configured correctly and we said no thanks.

Then they come back to us with the right car so we start again. Since then new fees, time changes, new requirements for drop-off locations, and they want to charge us more to deliver the car in the US in our city.

I'm wondering if it is time to walk away. If this much is wrong this early what happens if something serious happens with the car?

Did you have to travel back to Germany to pick up your car?

EmptyNest, we didn't pick up the car that trip. We ordered a 2002 and picked it up in June of 2002. That delivery went flawlessly.

Your car wasn't configured properly? That should have been the dealer's fault in ordering it.

I don't understand the new fees, and drop off location problems. The price should be fixed, and you get to pick the drop-off location -- no cost to you.

The car is normally delivered to the dealer who ordered it. I went through a dealer in upstate NY, and had to travel from NJ to NY to pickup the car when it arrived from Europe. I guess if I wanted the dealer to deliver it to me in NJ, it would have cost more.

If something happens to the car -- you have insurance for that.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.