I am starting to plan a trip to Germany and Austria for late April, early May in 2006. It started out as one week in Germany and beyond, but when I started looking at the guide books and so many places relatively close by the trip expanded to 2 weeks. I plan to fly in to Munich and out of Vienna. Any suggestions regarding car rental or train? Inexpensive hotels (not hostels) I am a single female. This will be my 4th solo trip to Europe, but my first contemplating a car rental. Any suggestions of big/little towns to visit? I was thinking a couple days in Munich, visiting outside the city, the castles, then to Salzburg and then to Vienna. Fast pace is fine with me. I like to cram as much as I can into each of my visits. (My first visit to Paris was 3 days, I've been back twice.) Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Well, I'm sure you will get lots of good ideas, but based on our most recent trip to Germany & Austria in May 2005 (click on my name to find my trip report), I can highly recommend the following:

Beilstein on the Mosel River - Lovely little town that makes a great base for exploring other towns such as Cochem and the fabulous castle Burg Eltz. We stayed at the highly recommended Haus Lipmann which was everything we had hoped.

Bad Wimpfen, Germany - This is like a quieter and smaller version of Rothenburg ob der Tauber on the Romantic Road. Bad Wimpfen overlooks the Neckar River and contains several old towers from around 1200 as well as many fabulous houses from the 16th and 17th centuries. We also did day trips from BW to Schaebisch Hall and Dinkelsbuhl. We stayed at the Neckarblick Hotel just a short walk from Main Street (Haupstrasse).

Hall in Tirol, Austria - Located just a few kilometers east of Innsbruck, this former salt rich town sits on the Inn River and contains a lovely Altstadt. There is a coin minting museum and salt mine museum. We stayed at the Gasthof Badl which is right on the River. From Hall you can take the train to Innbruck to avoid driving in if you wish.

Hallstatt, Austria - Definitely one of my all time favorite places. You almost have to see it to believe it. Another small salt rich town sitting on the lake surrounded by beautiful mountains. There is a charming gasthof on the lake, Gasthof Simony, that would be great for a female traveling alone.

You will feel perfectly safe by yourself in all of these places. Mixed in with a few big cities like Munich, Salzburg and Vienna should make an ideal vacation.

As I said, you will get lots of ideas and this is just one suggestion.

Thanks so much for the info. I found your trip report and have just finished printing it. I hope I can get some more advice though. Any thoughts about my renting a car? A friend of mine who is from Germany says the roads are great and well marked. But then, he is from Germany! Thanks!

I would agree that the roads in germany are well-maintained and marked.

What, if any, are your actual concerns about doing a car rental?

In terms of sightseeing within Munich itself: although you can find parking in the city my preference would be to wait to rent the car when you are ready to LEAVE the city. If you are not adverse to using public transport, Munich is a very convenient place to be.

You can get a taste for some of the Ludwig stuff, particularly things such as the carved carriages, by visiting the Residenze in the city; also the Schloss Nymphenberg.

As to the more well-know castles such as Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, etc....if you have a car and are on the way to Salzburg anyway you might at least consider visiting the largest of all the Ludwig "projects" at that is the palace on Herrenchiemsee. it has more than 200 rooms and the rooms which are decorated and which you can actually visit are by far the best-decorated rooms in ANY of his buildings IMO...truly a miniature Versailles to include a scaled-down Hall of Mirrors.

This is not the usual for most foreign tourists but it is a favorite destination among the folks who live in Germany.

You know about the car rental drop fee if you pick up a car in one country and drop it in another? It can be expensive. Also, if you rent in Germany save yourself a 21% surtax by not renting at an airport or train station. I always rent through Gemutlichkeit Gemut.com. They can advise you and get you a good deal.

As far as the trip is concerned, I would spend a few days in Munich then got to Fussen to see NeuSchwanstein. After that you can take back roads by way of Wiesskirche and Oberammergau to Linderhoff. Then on to Bertschesgaden and perhaps Herren Chiemsee (if you aren't overfull of Ludwig stuff by then).

From there I would go on to Salzberg, Hallstadt then to Melk and Vienna. The would be a great trip in May when Spring is in bloom in the Alps.

The car sounded like a great way to see the off the beaten path little towns. My only concern is getting lost. Being alone doesn't bother me. Two people lost is still lost. I had not planned to rent the car till I left Munich. I was going to play with the car rental drop fees vs. train tickets everywhere. If it wasn't too much more for the car I'd love the experience (I think). I was only planning on having it 4 or 5 days, but we'll see. Thanks for the tips on car rental. Appreciate all the advice.

You might want to go to viaMichelin.com to do some mapping but one thought would be to get a car in Munich then do Austria and loop back around to do the German alps so you end up back in Germany. The roads are fairly easy to navigate if you look at that names of the towns along the way rather than depending on highway numbers.

Thanks for the suggestion. I had not even thought of that scenario, but it could work and then I may be able to fly in and out of Munich without backtracking.

We spent a few weeks in Germany and Austria in May of this year and had a fabulous time. A did a very short trip report and also posted pictures, both of which should be found by clicking my screen name.

We too rented a car. Its extremely easy; the German and Austrian road system is great. If you can drive here, you can drive there. As long as you are well equiped with a good map, you should be fine. Definitely check into the hefty charges for picking up in one country and dropping off in another. They can add hundreds of dollars to the price of the car. Unless you have an unlimited budget, I would suggest starting and ending your trip in the same country.

I would not drive in Munich. When we went to Munich, we parked the car in a suburb and took the train into town. Same thing with Vienna.

We were primarily in Bavaria and loved it. We stayed in a small apartment in Schonau, about 20 miles from Salzburg. The area is stunning and there is a lot to do and see. We also spent time in Rothenburg and the Salzkammergut regions, both highly recommended. Definitely check out Hallstatt and the towns along the Wolfgangsee.

We spent a day in the towns along the Wachau, a region only about an hour from Vienna. The area is filled with cute towns and wineries. If you are up for it, renting a bike in the area is a lot of fun, as is taking one of the short boat cruises. The Melk Abbey is also definitely worth visiting.

May was a beautiful time to go. Although the weather was a little unpredictable (we had rain several days), the flowers were blooming and the weather nice and crisp (a little chilly but overall beautiful). You will have a wonderful time.

Tracy

Tracy, thanks so much for all your suggestions. I will definitely look at your trip report. This is the kind of info. I was looking for. Thanks to all for your help.