German/Austria itinerary...comments please
 

We will be flying in and out of Munich. Ist night munich(picking up car) drive to Salzburg and spend 2 nights, next drive to Durstein/Krem area and spend one night, Vienna 3 nights, Hallstatt area 2 nights, Innsbruck 2 nights, fussen 1 night, Augsburg one night, Rothenburg 1 night, Munich 2 nights. How does this sound?

It sounds to me like you will see the highway, and have little time for what is in between. Munich is worth more than what you allow; so is Vienna. <BR>But I suppose that depends on what you want to see when you are there.<BR><BR>I may be alone in this, but Innsbruck is one place where I never found much to attract me. The Residenz of the Hapsburgs is interesting, but that takes about 3 hours at best.<BR>What else did you have in mind??<BR><BR>What do you plan to do with your car while you are in Vienna and Munich?<BR>Parking is expensive. Don't plan on parking on the street during the evenings in the residential and downtown areas. Permits are required and time limits are in effect.<BR>

A good start but a bad finish. Drop Innsbruck and Augsburg and add it to Fussen and Munich.

Bob's right in my view. If you are drivng drop into Augsburg on the way to Rothenburg if you want and are driving, or even a 3 hour trip from Munich for lunch (is under an hour away with lots of trains).

Connie, I would also drop Innsbruck and spend the additional time somewhere else.<BR><BR>I would suggest laying out your itinerary with the actual mileage between cities using mapblast.com or viamichelin.com. These websites will also estimated driving times, but remember that it will be slower going in the peak travel months. For example, it is only 93 miles or about 2 hours from Hallstatt to Fussen, but in the summer it could take maybe twice that long.

Connie, if you need a hotel in Vienna with car parking, check out the Admiral Hotel. About 1/2 block from the hotel they have several parking places reserved for guests. It's a nice hotel only a couple of blocks from the Ring and right behind the new Museum Quarter. Here's their website: http://www.admiral.co.at/index1.html. We made our reservation by fax and requested a parking place at the same time.

Pretty ambitious for a 15 day trip.<BR><BR>Good Luck. That would be simply too much for me. Fir a 15 day trip, including travel days, I'd stick to a max of 4, maybe 5 towns.<BR><BR>Salzburg, Hallstatt, Rothenburg, Fussen, and Munich would be plenty.<BR><BR>

First time in Europe????<BR><BR>If it is, you are definitely trying to do too much. If you hav ebeen there before, you should really know better.<BR><BR>Too much. <BR><BR>Don't worry though, there will be plenty of others that will contribute worthy bits of advice for you and your families vacation.<BR><BR>I am sure you will have a great time regardless of what you decide to do.<BR><BR>Happy travelling!!

On our last trip to Europe in May, we spent 2 weeks visiting the following cities, beginning in Frankfurt:<BR><BR>Rothenburg - 2 nights<BR>Vienna - 2 nights<BR>Hallstatt - 2 nights<BR>Lindau - 1 night<BR>Lucerne - 2 nights<BR>Oberwesel - 1 night<BR>London - 4 nights<BR><BR>It was a wonderful trip. The one nighter's were mainly to break up long driving days, but in May it did not get dark until 9 PM so we still had time to do some sightseeing and have a nice dinner.<BR><BR>Some of these places we had been to before and others we hope to see again on our next trip.

I used the viamichelin.com and mapped out everything. That was a good thing to do. From Hallstatt to Fussen is 172 miles so I probably could skip Innsbruck. What is it you all dislike about Innsbruck? Then the question is should I stay in Fussen or maybe Garmish for 2 or 3 nights? I have 16 nights total. How many nights should I alot for Rothenburg? Fussen to Rothenburg is 151 miles. I am traveling with children so I like to keep the miles I drive in any one day down.

I am obviously in the minority, but I loved Innsbruck and plan to go back next year. The city itself requires no more than one day to explore, but you could spend a month hiking, biking and visiting the beautiful villages nearby. Igls,Hungerburg and Mutters are definitely worth a visit. A lot depends on what you want to do and see. If you enjoy city sightseeing, Innsbruck would not be the best choice. If you enjoy beautiful mountain scenery and hikes through lush valleys, Innsbruck should be at the top of your list.

I think I will keep the first part as is doing 1st night munich, next 2 Salzburg, next night durnstein, then 3 nights in Vienna, 2 nights Hallstatt and then either 2 nights Innsbruck and 3 nights garmish or 2 nights Berchtesgarden and 3 nights Garmish ending with last two nights in Munich. What are the pros and cons of Innsbruck versus Berchtesgarden?

Highly opinionated reply:<BR><BR>You don't need 2 nights in Hallstatt. It's gorgeous but you'll run out of things to see in a few hours.<BR><BR>Don't stay in Innsbruck -- go to Hall or Jenback or any small Tirolian town instead.<BR><BR>Augsburg doesn't really warrant a night.<BR><BR>Salzburg is VERY touristy not worth 2 nights.<BR><BR>Don't go to Berchtesgaden.<BR><BR>INSTEAD -- <BR><BR>how about the Salzkammergut? St. Wolfgang or any other town on the lakes.<BR><BR>I'd go to Bamberg or Regensburg or Nuremburg.<BR><BR>Vienna is great, but make sure you get into the Wienerwald for a day.<BR><BR>And the highway, or any road you decide to take, is a part of the trip. It's beautiful and easy driving. As long as you're comfortable taking extra time, get off the expressway and let stuff happen as it comes.<BR><BR>Rothenburg is worth a visit, but there are other towns in the Romantic Road that are nearly as pretty without the Disneyworld feel.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>