Final Itinerary Bavaria, Tirol, Dolomites, Tirol - Need last few questions
 

Folks,

So using my other thread and lots of help from some very helpful fodorites, we have narrowed down our itinerary... Here is the one that is final almost 95% .. just need a couple of questions answered and then we should be good to go ..

We are 4 adults (me, my wife and my wife's parents) and one kid (4 year old).. Needless to say we cannot do too much of daring stuff ... Looking to do a lot of sightseeing from the car with some easy hikes (upto 3 miles/ 5 Kms round trip) ... Also, I am very much into landscape and city photography ... So looking for any hidden gems or nuggets of useful information from a photography perspective ....

9-Jun Wednesday --- Leave Houston in the evening
10-Jun Thursday --- Arrive Munich Evening. Drive to Salzburg - No sightseeing
Overnight: Salzburg/Berchtesgaden
11-Jun Friday --- Do Bercht and Konigssee, Salzburg in the evening
Overnight: Salzburg/Berchtesgaden
12-Jun Saturday ---- Salzburg in the morning. Hallstatt in the afternoon and evening
Overnight: Salzburg/Berchtesgaden
13-Jun Sunday --- Drive to Venice, 2nd half in Venice
Overnight: Venice
14-Jun Monday --- Venice Sightseeing
Overnight: Venice
15-Jun Tuesday --- Venice and Side Trips - Burano
Overnight: Venice
16-Jun Wednesday --- Drive to Verona. Day in Verona and drive to Alta Badia
Overnight: Alta Badia
17-Jun Thursday --- Dolomites Sightseeing
Overnight: Alta Badia
18-Jun Friday --- Dolomites all day, Reach Innsbruck late night or early next morning
Overnight: Alta Badia/ Hall/Innsbruck/ Mittenwald
19-Jun Saturday --- (Reach Innsbruck) Zugspitz, Garmisch and Innsbruck
Overnight: Hall/Innsbruck/ Mittenwald
20-Jun Sunday --- Free Day??
Overnight: Hall/Innsbruck/ Mittenwald
21-Jun Monday --- Drive to Munich via Ludwig's Castles (Fussen) and Garmisch
Overnight: Munich
22-Jun Tuesday --- Flight out from Munich

Questions

- We now have one extra day ... Is it advisable to add that in the Southern bavaria region or should we use it elsewhere? Where in the itinerary do you see the need for that extra day?
- For the Tirol region (Zugspitz, Innsbruck) and for the Ludwig's castles, what is the best place for staying overnight?? Hall or Innsbruck or Reutte or Mittenwald or Garmisch or Fussen??

WIll be posting some separate posts for details by region ...

Thanks a lot for all of your help ...
Vibhav

Hi,

Just want to say we LOVE the Dolomites, Alta Badia in partucular!

I don't understand the leave Alta Badia at night/arrive Innsbruck in the am.

My suggestion... June 18 stay in Alta Badia

Our favorite old town in the area is Brixen/Bressanone. On the way to the Innsbruck area, make a quick stop (1 or 2 hrs.) in the very charming old town of Sterzing/Vipiteno. Very easy off/on the A22 Brenner Autostrada.

Sun. June 20... stay where you are on the 19th. Plenty to see in the area.

We can highly recommend (stayed 3 times) the Gasthof Badl in Hall in Tirol.

www.badl.at

Mittenwald (we stayed twice at the Pension Schwalbennestl) is also a favorite place to stay of ours.
www.schwalbennestl.de

Between the two places... Tough call.


We have a "trip report" from 9/09 which includes the Dolomites and Berchtesgaden area:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-bavaria.cfm

and another from 10/06 which also includes the Dolomites, Mittenwald and Berchtesgaden area:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-austria.cfm

Your plan sounds pretty good though.

Paul

Thanks Paul ... will definitely read through your trip reports for more information ... We are also leaning towards staying three nights and two days in Dolomites ... With my photography and my wife wanting to take it a bit easy in pretty areas, we will likely do so ...

Thanks for the suggestions for places to stay ... sent them emails to find out more ...

lots of B&B's all around in germany and austria....signs at the end of driveways...

lots like a fantastic trip but i am not sure about your timing....seems to me you will spend your whole time on the road... 21 jun is a perfect example....are you just going to look up the hill and see the castle or will you spend the few hours necessary to climb up and go inside and also visit the other schloss at the base (his mother's house)... btw, i would stay in fussen area.....there is also another nearby castle of ludwig's which is a great take---hunting lodge/i forget the name

rhkkmk ... we are planning to visit both the castles inside as well ... from what I have read, it is a half day trip for both the castles ... So we plan to spend most of the day in and around the castles and then head over to Munich late in the evening ...

Looks like a fantastic trip. Our favorite old town on that route is Bolzano. It's certainly worth a stop to see Otzi the Ice Man at the South Tyrol Archaeology Museum. It also has nice shopping/strolling. The cable car to Renon is fun too. The old town is compact, easy to get to, and there is convenient parking. Have a wonderful trip.

Thanks a lot TravMimi ... we definitel plan to check out Bolzano and Otzi ...

Paul and other experienced folks on this forum ... Any feedback on Gasthof Wörndlhof*** in Ramsau ??

Hi,

NSorry, haven't stayed there, but we have stayed at the Pension Mayringerlehen in Ramsau three times so far ('06, '07 and '09). Love the place and the people... actually, it's our favorite place to stay anywhere.

Our pic's are at:

www.worldisround.com/articles/355548/index.html

www.worldisround.com/articles/355548/index.html

Paul

I don't know if you're looking for a place in Alta Badia, but we have stayed twice at, and can HIGHLY recommend the Ciasa Montanara in La Villa.

www.montanara.it

www.worldisround.com/articles/355539/index.html

Paul

yeap Paul ... We contacted both your suggested places via email ...Pension Mayringerlehen unfortunately is booked for our dates :-(( ... Ciasa Montanara has not replied yet ..

We found another place near Berch which comes with great reviews on Tripadvisor ... Let us know if anyone has any prior experience with this one ...

ALPENHOTEL DENNINGLEHEN
www.denninglehen.de

Hi again, for the Ramsau area, while we never stayed here, people we met last year have and liked it very much. We had dinner here twice... our favorite place for dinner in the area.

www.gebirgshaeusl.de/index.php?en_willkommen

Paul

Thanks a lot Paul .. their apartments look real nice and might work out best for our situation ... I have emailed them .. so lets see what they come back with ...

A couple of other great places in Ramsau - Hotel Nutzkaser - fabulous foods and value priced rooms.

Hotel Rehlegg, which is a Best Western...another great spot.

We have also stayed at the Bergheimat over by the Konigsee and the Jenner chair lift.

This area is so great, I don't think you can find a bad place to stay!!

Geez, I forgot about the Schloss Hotel Korb, just outside of Balzano...we stayed here three nites for our splurge...easy drive over to Bozen to see Otzi.What a great spot!

I would recommend putting the Museum in your GPS before driving into Bozen....it's a typical Italian city with people biking and walking right in front of your car and no acknowledgement of road signs or red lights!!

www.schloss-hotel-korb.com

www.hotel-nutzkaser.de

Hope you have re-worked your itinerary. Berchtesgaden and Konigsee during the day and Salzburg at nite???

Nein, nein, nein!!!

Thanks a lot Emily for all the wonderful advice ... I have emailed Hotel schloss korb and Nutzkaser ... Schloss looks fabulous, but mgiht be out of budget range !! We would love to stay there ... Maybe we cab squeeze the budget for a splurge .. Let's see :-)) ...

So you do not think Berchtesgaden and Konigsee are do-able in first half of the day? We have kept Salzburg for both that evening and next morning to allow for that ... if we take all dat to do berchtesgaden and Konigsee, we will just to Salzburg next morning ... We have been to Salzburg before, so not too hung about a lot of time there ... Want to do the scenic, picturesque smaller towns this time ...

How do you feel about Salzburg in the morning and Hallstatt in evening ? Is that do-able ??

Yipes...you're killing me. I have been to B'gaden/Salzburg area 31 times since 1975. You could say that I am a fan of the place which is interesting because I didn't want to go to Germany the first time. We are hikers, eaters, and beer and wine drinkers.

You can't assume that all of these can be done in one day 'cause you don't know what the weather will be when you are there.

Here's a list of potential choices in the area and how long each will take:

Salzburg - minimum 1/2 day ( if you want to drive in and just walk around)but you have already seen it.Much more if you go up to the fortess and tour the town.

Berchtesgaden(town) - the town about 2 hours with time for shopping and kuchen!! More time if you want to visit the castle and have a meal and browse around the great streets/cemetaries/monuments.

Hiking - this area is hiking heaven and you've left no time for it....

Konisgee - 3/4 day if you get good weather and take the boat tour. More if you stop for hiking, eating. If you don't take the boat ride - well you're nuts!!!!! :-)))There are mank hiking trails in and around the Konigsee.

Salt Mine - 4 hours

Enzianbrennerei - to sample the local schnapps which is made from the Gentian plant - 1 hour with lots of free samples!!!

Eagle's Nest/Documentation Center - a minimum of 4 hours but only do the Eagle's Nest if the weather is clear (unless you don't care about the view)

Rossfeldstrasse - at least two hours with great photo ops for the views. Don't do this if the weather is not good.

Castle Hohenwerfen - about 1 hr outside of Salzburg. Great falcon shows and fantastic views. Fours hours at least.

Jennerbahn chair - with a visit to the summit and more great photo ops.....3 hours

The drive to Hallstadt is about a little less than 2 hours from Ramsau...less if no traffic. I would definitely not do this at night...the views are too great and the mountain roads are not lit up like our streets here.

It might not be a bad idea to save Hallstadt for your next trip.

I have given you a few highlights...there are many more things to see in this area. Please consider "trimming" your itinerary.

If you do go to Bolzano, you can go have lunch at the Korb - beautiful spot!!

Good luck!!

Also, it sounds like you will not spend any time at all in Munich itself. it's a lovely town and certainly worth a day or so.

You'd be better off doing Salzburg in the evening instead of Hallstatt. The scenery is the prime reason to go to Hallstatt as well as the wonderful Cultural Museum and Salt Mine.

EmilyC is right about the Berchtesgaden area. You could spend a week there and never run out of things to do, especially when you consider all the nearby towns that you could do as day trips.

And weather is definitely a consideration when you get into the higher elevations.

We also loved Bolzano for the reasons given above and can also recommend the Gasthof Badl in Hall in Tirol.

I see no reason why you couldn't see Berchtesgaden/Konigsee during the day and Salzburg in the evening/night. Sounds good to me. We did this, plus on another trip, we went to Hallstatt from Ramsau (about 1:30 min. each way) for the day and went to Salzburg for dinner and spent the the eveing there.

Paul

Emily ... Thanks a lot for the detailed insight on the area around Berchtesgaden ... Will definitely take all that into account when planning our daily itineraries ..

BabsNYC .. munich will have to be another time ... with the rest of Bavaria :)))

Bettyk ... definitely agree ... that area looks so pretty almost feels like we need to visit every year for two weeks :)) .. but will just have to make the best of this trip for now ...

Paul .. Thanks for the confirmation that it can be done on a fast track ... we will probably move Salzburg to the evening after Hallstatt ... so that we can dedicate one full day to berchtesgaden and Konigsee ...

And also Emily ... You had me LOL ... "Yipes...you're killing me" ... I love passion around travel :))) ... Really appreciate your insight and your taking the time ...

Several years ago, my BIL went to the Konigsee and just "walked around" the waters edge. He was in a hurry to drive down to Italy and he figured he had seen the lake!!

Nearly had a heart attack when he told me this!!

Passion is good!!

Hey Paul ... In another of my posts, you had recommended the Ciasa Montanara for staying in the Dolomites ... But I have sent them an email, sent a correspondence through their website and have not received a response ... I tried calling them just now and they seem to not speak any English and keep hanging up on me for that reason .. :-) ... I unfortunately do not know any German either ... I plan to learn a few basic phrases for the trip but will be far from conversational fluent ... DO you have any ideas on how to get through to them ?? I was a little surprised as their website is in English and friendly enough ...

Hi,
Sorry, I email them in German! They speak German and Italian. Try emailing them in simple German...

Example:

Guten Tag,

Haben Sie 1 Zimmer mit Balkon for 2 personen, 3 Nacht... Juni 16, 17 und 18? Wenn frei, wir möchten eine Reservierung.

The first sentence is basically: Do you have a room with balcony avail. for 2 people, 3 nights and(the dates)
The last sentenece say basically: if a room is avail., we'd like a reservation.

That should be fine.

Paul

You can use:

www.babelfish.yahoo.com

for simple translations.Best to keep the wording simple.

Thanks a lot Paul ... will try the yahoo website ... Very helpful ... Thanks once again ...

If you send them an email translated by Google, you can be sure to get an answer in English, not a bad idea, however. They know, you don't speak any German and may well be able to figure out want you want. :-)

But the lake is still spelled "Königssee" or "Koenigssee".
Just think of "Tennessee" and you'll never ever forget the 2nd "s" again ;-)

Awesome thanks for the nugget of advice ... Have never translated before so this is my novice attempt at it .. Thanks to all your guys' patience :-) ..

Also, appreciate your candid correction of my spellings ... you live and learn .. Loving it !!

Paul and others ... Any feedback on the quality, location or food of the Garni Ariston in Val gardena? We are thinking about getting their first floor apartment ...

http://www.garniariston.com/english/app.htm

Hi,

We stayed there in 2006. Didn't have the appt. but had a room. We liked it. The breakfast (only meal) was very good, the location is very good, nice view... didn't have any complaints at all.

Didn't hear from the Montanara?

Paul

Nope .. did not hear back from the MOntara ... So exploring all other options ... Would have loved to stay at the Montara .. Loved its location esp. since I have to go to Santa Maddalena for sure ... I am an avid photographer and some of the shots that I have seen from Santa Maddalena are just drop dead grogeous ..

Definitely would like stay in the Val Gardena, Ortisei or Badia region, to be centrally located ...

<<<vibhav on Mar 5, 10 at 7:03am
rhkkmk ... we are planning to visit both the castles inside as well ... from what I have read, it is a half day trip for both the castles ... So we plan to spend most of the day in and around the castles and then head over to Munich late in the evening ...>>>

This is a good plan for the day- it does take all day, even in the winter! Crowds in summer will even be worse. Buy tickets in advance, coming from Munich I'd make 12 your first start time (Hohenschwangau) then 2ish for Neuschwanstein. If you like hiking, make sure you go up to Mary's Bridge! The view you get of both castles is amazing! Bring snacks for the little one as there isn't a ton in town. We ate big breakfast at Fleming's Munich and didn't eat again until after 8 pm when we got back to Munich. Also bring patience with you to the castles- Fussen is wonderful but the crowds are intense.

Also, Mittenwald was the gem of our Jan 2010 trip to Germany. We stayed at Gastehaus Sonnenbichel and loved it! Every room has patio, even our side room had a wonderful view of the Karwendel range. There is a good amount of hiking. We found taking the Karwendelbahn up the mountain in Mittenwald as fun as Zugspitze- when you live in TX (like we do) just being among the mountains is so refreshing!

Enjoy- sounds like a fantastic trip!!

mdwahoo ... Thanks for your detailed reposnse ... I will definitely plan for a long day at the castles ...

We will be staying in Mittenwald too ... Not heading to the castles from Munich ... Just from Mittenwald ... We will head to Munich after the castles ...

I have been trying to get a reservation at the Landhaus Sonnenbichl in Mittenwald for the past few days ... but the email replies have been slow to come ..

Seems like the Gastehaus Sonnenbichl is different from the the one I have been contacting .. Wow .. two of them with the same last name ... Will contact the one you suggested as well ...

So you are in TX too ?! I am ready to get away to the mountains just in anticipation of avoiding the good ol texas heat ..

What did you do for a car/ mini van .. We are 4 adults and a child .. struggling to find a minivan for less than 1100 Euros ... which so much more expensive than what we expect here in the US :((

Hi again,

If you'd like our "short list" of places to stay in Alta Badia (just in case we couldn't get a room at the Montanara), just ask. This place is pretty much next door to the Montanara:

www.tamarindo-lavilla.it

paul

Paul .. I just booked the Garni Ariston In S. Cristina ... very excited about it ... The Family Nogler was very helpful and delightful to exchange emails with ... We are looking forward to it ..

Now my last accomodation left to be done is MIttenwald / Garmisch ... Do you have a "short list" of places to stay for that region?? :-))) ... That would be extremely helpful ... I was hoping for a reponse from landhaus Sonnenbichl but none as yet :(( ... Sent a few more emails .. Wait and watch .. any recommendations welcome ... We are looking to stay in the 14-150 Euro oer day mark for us 4 adults ...

sorry .. error in my last post ... 140-150 Euro per day ...

PS: Paul ... I really appreciate your suggestions .. Garni Ariston worked out well for us ..

So glad to hear about the Ariston! Think you'll really like it there (we did!).

Mittenwald... we've stayed twice ('05 and '06) at the Pension Schwalbennestl. Basic place (but nice), good breakfast buffet, nice hosts and simply fantastic views! Oh, the price is VERY reasonable and well below your range.

www.schwalbennestl.de

www.worldisround.com/articles/324763/index.html

Paul

I meant to add that the Schwalbennestl website is only in German, but you can email in English or if you want, use simple German or maybe both? That's what I generally do.

I always start with:

Es tut Mir Leid, Ich spreche nicht sehr gut Deutsche.

Basically means:
I'm sorry, I don't speak very good German.

Then I write in English and again in simple German.

Paul

Yup .. I have done exactly that ... Typed in simple english but then also translated in simple german ...