Germany Austria France Itinerary
 

Due to some frequent flier and free-time restrictions I will be flying into Frankfurt - Arriving Monday August 29 7:30AM - and leaving from Paris the following Monday (Labor Day) at 1:30 PM. This is set in stone.

I, so far, plan to rent a car in Frankfurt and drive south (Romantic Road and whatever else sounds interesting) and then spend the night somewhere (help on this?) hoping to get a good, relaxed feel of Germany. Continue Tuesday in and around (Bavaria region at this point?) planning to end up in Munich either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning (assuming there would be a better option than Munich for staying somewhere Tuesday night). Spend Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday based in Munich (I am very interested in experiencing both Germany and the Alps/Bavaria region and I hope to get a feel for Munich/beer/fun) and also take some day trips from Munich (Maybe to Dachau and/or Austria/Salzburg). I need to then take an overnight train (Presumably from Munich Friday night) to Paris arriving in Paris Saturday Morning. Then spend Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning in Paris before leaving Monday afternoon. I know this is a short time to spend in Paris So, thanks to the airpine, Paris will now be a last minute weekend-bonus before heading back home.

My big questions so far:

Am I making the best use of my time (to get a feel for Germany and the Alps) between landing in Frankfurt on Monday and being in Paris first thing Saturday morning??

Assuming this is a good plan, should I ditch the car as soon as I arrive in Munich and depend on trains/buses for day trips or keep the car and use it to travel in and out of Munich for sightseeing?? Lots of folks seem to like using Munich to day-trip places by train.

Should I re-think my current strategy and maybe drive (spending a couple of days of course or take the train straight through) from Frankfurt to Austria (Or maybe even Switzerland) , get my feel of southern Germany and/or the Alps, then spend a couple of days in Munich (Maybe not worrying about any day-trips due to staying there less time) before getting on the Friday night train to Paris??

Am I insane and should I altogether re-focus my time spent between landing in Frankfurt and leaving from Paris??

Thanks!!

With only 6 days of effective tourism time I would pick 2 destinations and spend 3 days each. My choice would be the Bavaria castle country, skipping Munich and staying in Oberammergau,and Paris. Drop the car in Munich, drink a beer, and train to Paris. Spend the first nite in Heidelburg. You have not made it easy, but with these parameters, that is what I would do.

HI. I think I remember your previous post.

It's sometimes hard to latch onto what a poster is looking for, as in your case. After this post of yours, I get the feeling you pretty much want to just see a few things, get a feel for the "Old World", and enjoy yourself rather than pursue a heavy sightseeing agenda. Is that basically right?

If so, I think I agree with some of bobthenavigator's comments. Although Munich has beer halls, Munich is mostly a large, modern city with museums and such and is not remotely alpine. I think you may want to skip the place - or make a stop there for a few hours - and just head into the Alps. It's there that most people find the more traditional Bavarian atmosphere they're looking for. Where to? Oberammergau has a beautiful setting, but it's a bit sedate in my book; Garmisch is a bit livelier, I think. The Fraundorfer Inn has "Bavarian Evenings" that are a lot of fun. The Zugspitze - Germany's hightest mountain - the Partnachklamm Gorge - it's hard not to like this place. It's a good base for a couple of days if you want to head to Mittenwald, Oberammergau, Innsbruck,etc. too.

I'm not sure about getting there by car, but Garmisch-Partenkirchen can be reached in 5 hours by train from Frankfurt airport. Why not just head there when you get in? I'd suggest the train since you'll probably be a bit jetlagged and could use the rest rather than trying to drive; either do that or do as bob says and stay near Frankfurt, but that seems like a waste of a night on a short trip such as yours. You can get a car in Garmisch for a couple of days if you like for exploring the Alps, then take the train into Munich before your overnight train to Paris and not worry about driving in urban traffic.

I hesitate to throw another fly in your ointment, but there is a 10-day wine festival going on near Frankfurt beginning on Sept. 3 in the Rhine town of Bingen. On Sat. 9/4, there's a big fireworks show (these are amazing - "burning" castles on the cliffs, you have to see it) in addition to the regular festival events. Such festivals have been going on quite a while in this traditional wine-growing area which is also full of castles, history, and beautiful scenery; maybe a trip there at this time would provide the "feel" you're looking for. I would try to return to the area by Saturday if possible, but this would involve compromising either on your trip to Paris or your visit to the Romantic Road.

The Romantic Road is nice, and so is Salzburg, but the RR is also very busy at that time, and there isn't time to do everything.

<<< I get the feeling you pretty much want to just see a few things, get a feel for the "Old World", and enjoy yourself rather than pursue a heavy sightseeing agenda. Is that basically right?>>>

Right on the money, Rex. I'm refining my itinerary to do just that. Since my flights are set, it looks like I'll be doing Germany/Bavaria and then wrapping things up for a couple of days in Paris. You mention the RR will be pretty busy and a train into Bavaria might be better. Looking at the map and info on cities, I was hoping to use that as a "whole day" drive to get from Frankfurt to Bavaria hopefully to get a quick feel for Germany (other than Bavaria) before spending the rest of my time in and around the alps area. Will the RR be a tourist nightmare the last week of August/First of September?? (Traffic jams, streets and stores crowded in every town, etc.)

Thanks,
Jason

jw:

It's hard to say whether you'll find the RR busy on that day - it often is in summer, though.

The idea of the train is that you could relax a bit after the long overnight flight and not sweat the driving (or get drowsy and end up bumper kissing.) In my experience, I have consistently felt like sh.. for a day or so upon arrival in Europe. I would not ever choose to drive that far, myself. If you decide on the train, you don't have to take the train directly to Munich; stop off in Wurzburg and/or Rothenburg on the way for a look around, then continue on.

By the way, Bavaria begins only 15 miles from Frankfurt near Kahl as you head east, so you'll be getting a feel for Bavaria right away.

Also, I am not Rex, and I will never be Rex.

Sorry Russ!!! I don't know where Rex came from. I must have been reading some other post when I replied to yours!!

Nor am I Russ... LOL!

Best wishes,

Rex