lovetotravel2

8 months ago we booked a 14 night river cruise Budapest-Amsterdam departing Sept 26 and this morning we got a call that the boat is damaged and our cruise has been cancelled. We have nonrefundable airfare and this was supposed to be our 30th anniversary trip. After much discussion we have pretty much decided just to go and wing it!!! Kind of exciting. Wondering if getting accommodations in Germany will be impossible with Octoberfest. I think we will avoid Munich. We already have 2 nights confirmed in Budapest. Thinking of taking train to Vienna, then Durnstein, Salzburg, maybe Franconia area, then Rhineland area and end with a couple of nights in Amsterdam. Suggestions for towns in Franconia and Rhineland area where I might be able to find last minute hotels. For example Nuremberg as a base for day trips to Bamberg and Regensberg. And good base town for daytrips around Rhine area. Mainz for example?Plan on taking trains. Going to try to buy Eurailpass- I have an agent who can do it last minute. Our flight to Budapest leaves tomorrow! Ahhhhh!!! Thanks for any help!

Paul1950

Except for Munich during Oktoberfest, you shouldn't have a problem with lodgings in Germany. Of course, there could be other local festivals, trade shows, and such in any town, but Oktoberfest itself should not be an issue.

Paul1950

Oh, too many places on your list for just 14 days. Do you have 14 full days on the ground, or does that include your arrival and departure days?

I love Franconia, especially Bamberg.

DalaiLlama

Any travel agent in Budapest can advise you on a hotel in Vienna. That gives you breathing room. In Vienna ask a travel agency that you come across or tht your hotel recommends to help with Salzburg. Maybe your hotel in Vienna will have an affiliate property in Salzburg?

That's how you stay ahead by a city or two. Don't worry, it will work out just fine.

The Oktoberfest is not affecting areas beyond Munich, so no worries.

Just pack very light - not like a typical cruise passenger but like somebody who doesn't want to get sick and tired of having too much stuff with all the moving about you'll be doing. Less is more!

Enjoy!

lovetotravel2

Wow, thank you so much for the encouragement!!!! We have 14 nights once we leave Budapest to get to our flight out of Amsterdam.

mokka4

Have you been to either Cochem or Bacharach along the Rhine?
Both are excellent choices (Cochem is larger), but you may run into (lucky you) a number of wine festivals during this time. That said, there should still be room in hotels or B&Bs as they draw mostly a regional crowd. I also like Trier quite a bit as a home base.

DAX

I would recommend that you use hrs.com or booking.com to reserve your hotels so you can plan your itinerary NOW instead of hunting for the next hotel from city to city.  Both company charge no commission and allow cancellations within a day or a few days depending on the hotel policy. I use them all the time and have cancelled with no charge incurred.  I travel to Austria, Germany, and Holand frequently in the last two decades, if you tell us your budget then we can give you the proper recommendations since hotel prices vary dramatically in every city. 

Vienna: stay at least 3-4 nights to enjoy the great museums and wonderful city. It is a convenient base for daytrips to visit Bad Durnstein, Krems and other wine towns along the Danube. I hope you enjoy white wine especially Riesling and Gruener Veltliner because that's what the Danube wine towns are all about. You can rent bicycles and come back with the bike by boat from town to town. If you prefer red wine, then head south by train to the Neusiedler See (=lake) which is known for their bold red wines such as St Laurent, Blaufrankisch and other austrian Pinots which taste more like a more powerful spicy Pinot or even Syrah.  I would recommend staying inside the old town ring road boundary of Vienna so you get the best experience of Vienna. The city has is crawling with nice 5 star hotels ( but do avoid the no charm Hiltons or Intercontinental), you can't go wrong even with the 4 stars inside the city center.

Salzburg: you need at least 3-4 days to enjoy Salzburg with perhaps a day trip to the nearby Salzkammergut lake region. Again stay in old town to enhance your experience. The rest of the city is not charming at all but more of an urban sprawl.

Munich: if you want to spend a day in Munich, you can leave Salzburg by 8 am to get to Munich within 2 hours and leave your suitcases in the train station huge lockers.  You can easily walk to enjoy the old town or hit the major museums in one day before you hop on the train again to get to Nurnberg after dinner which is just an hour away from Munich.  

Nurnberg: just an hour by train from Munich, nice walled old town that is so conveniently close to the train station.  
Wurzburg is the next franconian town on the main ICE train line, nice city with a fantastic Rezidenz museum and Festung, plus the old town is lively and comfortable. However, Bamberg has more of the small town charm and it can easily be done as a day trip from either Wurzburg or Nurnberg.

Mainz: nothing special, skip it!  If you are into enjoy the Rhein river, just stay at one of the wine villages like Bacharach, St Goar or Rudesheim so you can do a round trip by boat down river and train up river.   If you want a reasonable splurge try:  http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/

Unfortunately the big Rhein festival starts on Oct 9 when you'll be in Amsterdam while the Mosel wine festival already happened in early September. If you want to do a detour (if there's time) you can go down by train along the Mosel to Cochem & Bernkastel Kues before you head to Amsterdam. Honestly you get a much better view of the Rhein or Mosel from the train than from the snail slow river cruise.   

krp329

We travelled in Germany and Austria in September 2007 for three weeks - our first and last nights were the only two pre-booked (at Freising, for proximity to airport). We travelled by train and upon arrival in each town, went to the tourist centre and booked accommodation from there. Our plans were hiking/walking and just soaking it all up. Our route was Freising (1 nt), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (3 nts), Mittenwald (3 nts), Imst (3 nts), Soelden (3 nts), Kitzbuehel (2 nts), Salzburg (4 days), Freising (1 nt). Accommodation in Salzburg was tight - it was the Rupertikirtag festival (saint's day... sept. 24 that year... we just lucked into being there for it) - and we would up paying more than we wouuld have liked. Other than that, it all worked out really well - great, reasonably priced gasthous/small hotel accommodations all over the place. Good luck with your trip and happy anniversary; I'm sure you'll have a great time!

lovetotravel2

Wow, thank you everyone! Especially Dax. The internet has made last minute bookings so possible! I JUST booked 2 nights in Vienna through booking.com. We still have tomorrow morning before our flight leaves for more research. We are excited about the surprise adventure!

Russ

"Unfortunately the big Rhein festival starts on Oct 9 when you'll be in Amsterdam while the Mosel wine festival already happened in early September."

Actually, you'll find wine festivals in one town or another just about every weekend. There's one in Braubach, the home of Marksburg Castle (only never-destroyed castle you can tour along the Middle Rhine) on the weekend of 10/1-10/4. It's been going for roughly 90 years. The torch and lantern procession starring the new season's wine queen and her princesses starts at 7:30 on Saturday; fireworks at 9:00. Some photos from the 60's:

http://www.winzerfest.braubach.de/html/1960_-_1979.html

The castle: www.marksburg.de


Boppard, a larger town on the opposite side of the river, has a wine festival the same weekend, also with fireworks.

sbruner

Been reviewing these great notes. We will be staying in Worms and question whether must return to Mainz to make use of Rhineland Pfalz Ticket?

danon

" You can easily walk to enjoy the old town or hit the major museums in one day"..
In Munich? I would say there are at least five major museums in the city. Not to mention the (huge) Palace and numerous churches.

What is there to see in Salzburg for 4 days?

krp329

There is lots to see in Salzburg - the fortress, various churches, Mozart sites (birthplace and where he lived later, there is also a really interesting graveyard where his father is buried), the garden where some of the Sound of Music was filmed, wandering around the old city etc. We had no trouble filling four days.

DAX

From Salzburg you ought to take the train for day trips into the Salzkammergut towns, and don't forget the nearby salt mine. Do an image search on Hallstatt to see if it's worth the 80 minute train ride from Salzburg.