tcreath

I have posted numerous itineraries here over the last several months, and I think we finally came up with an itinerary we are happy with. However, since neither of us have been to the region, we would be happy to hear some suggestion or opinions. We planned our itinerary with the help of viamichelin.com driving distances. Here is what we have:

Fly from St. Louis to Frankfurt; rent car, drive to Beilstein for 4 nights. Possibly considering staying at the Hotel Haus Lipmann thanks to numerous posting about the place by RufusTFirefly that I found.

Drive to Reutte; stay for 2 nights. Explore Neuschwanstein and surrounding castles. (I know this is a long drive; we plan on making a leisurely day of it, stopping along the way as we see things of interest).

Drive to Lucerne; stay 3 nights.

Drive to Munich; stay 2 nights (this is the only place on our itinerary we've already visited, as we've spent a day in Munich this March).

Fly home.

As I mentioned above, please let me know if there is anything wrong with this itinerary.

Thanks!
Tracy

tcreath

I'm sorry; that was supposed to be 4 nights in Lucerne, not 3.

RufusTFirefly

Hi Tracy--just keep in mind that Beilstein is a very small village. It was perfect for us as we just wanted a place to relax and chill out after returning from a long day touring up and down the Mosel. But some people like to have more to do in the evening, and they usually recommend one of the larger Mosel towns--though none of them is especially noted for a hot nightlife.

What time of the year are you going?

tcreath

Hi Rufus! Thanks for your reply. We are planning on going in May, probably leaving on the 13th. Neither of us are "nightlife" people, and usually prefer staying in small, quaint towns. Our nightlife usually includes dinner and then maybe a stroll around town before settling in for the night. We will have a car to explore the area, but I would prefer to come back to a quieter town in the evenings.

euroenvy

where are you staying in ruette?....we stayed at Zum Schluxen anddn it was a highlight of the three weeks...why Lucern??

AisleSeat

I agree with Gasthoff Schluxen in Unter Pinswang, just on the Austrian side of the border from Fussen. It is a little farmhouse B&B type Gasthous with lots of charm and hospitality. While you are there you can pet the bunnies or feed the pet deer.

While you are in Lucern don't miss Pilatus. Take the cable cars up or the cog train but stop at the half way point on the cable car side and enjoy the luge ride.

If you haven't been to Salzburg and you can put it on your route you can have a great day or two there and at Bertschgaden (sp). It sounds like a fun trip and the alpine areas are breathtaking in the Spring.

Russ

4 days for the Mosel makes for a really nice stay. Shouldn't be too busy a t that time. Beilstein is pretty adorable, but it really is small. Take what you imagine to be a small European village, multiply by a factor of .10, and that's Beilstein. I wouldn't suggest 4 nights there, but a couple of nights would be okay if you are quiet types. I'd spend a couple more nights in attractive Cochem (a whopping metropolis of 6,000 or so) or the perhaps even more adorable Bernkastel. Both places will offer you a few more dining options, outdoor cafes, and a few low-level diversions; Cochem has its own castle in town that you can tour (with a terrific falconry show) a mustard mill, and a nifty chairlift ride to a lookout over the river. Be sure to visit Burg Eltz, not far from Cochem, and make a daytrip into Trier while you're there too.

tcreath

Thank you for all your replies! I greatly appreciate it. euroenvy, we have not yet decided where to stay in Reutte, so I will gladly look into your suggestion. Thank you! And the reason why we chose Lucerne is because originally we were planning on staying in Wengen but I've read that the hiking paths and grounds will be muddy and possibly still snow-covered, and probably not the best time to visit the BO. We decided on Lucerne with a possible daytrip to the BO. If this is wrong, please correct me.

Russ, thank you for your ideas! We are still in the beginning planning stages but Cochem was the first place we were considering staying at. I was considering Beilstein because the hotel looked lovely, but we are definitely still open and will look into other options as well. The area looks wonderful and we can't wait to explore some castles!

AisleSeat, Salzburg is definitely a place we want to visit and we tried to fit it into our itinerary, but unfortunately with only 12 nights it will be hard. I personally would rather skip Munich in favor of 2 nights in Salzburg, but I think my husband disagrees with me! That and the drive times from Lucerne may be an issue. We are considering an Eastern Europe trip for our next vacation (after this one) that would include most of Austria (since we would fly into Vienna, one of my favorite cities).

Thanks again!
Tracy

emtravel

Tracy,
not sure about Wengen, but we stayed in Murren and many roads are even paved! Of course, there are many paths as well. Lucerne and Bernese Oberland are completely different experiences. Both are great! You might reconsider Lucerne fo BO.

RufusTFirefly

Hotel Haus Lipmann in Beilstein is excellent--do ask for a room facing the Mosel. Great restaurant, too.

tcreath

emtravel, thanks for your reply. A big reason why we were planning on staying in the BO is because we both like to hike and enjoy beautiful scenery. However, if the hiking paths are going to be muddy or snow covered, I don't think I would get quite the same experience. Although I would prefer to stay in the BO, Lucerne looks like a great place as well. Plus, we will have a car for the entire trip, which makes Lucerne seem a little more economical.

Russ, I was just checking out the hotel website again and its location is fabulous. We may break up our trip and spend a few nights there and a few nights in another town.

Thanks!
Tracy

euroenvy

Beilstein is awesome do you have the web cam of it? but 4 nights is a lot...dont miss Wies church and Linderhof in the ruette area consider spending a day less in mosel and had a day in bavaria. the BO is totally the best!!! we went in mid may and yes it was muddy and snow up top and even so it was so beautiful...love the little town of Lauterbrunnen in the valley the cows the bells,the graveyard and the flowers were amazing!!!...there are several hotels,,also the waterfalls you can walk to also. dont worry about the big hikes at the top you can do that another time. there is plenty of walking in murren ,gimmelwald and the other side of the valley we didnt even have time fot it and our legs were shot!!you can take the train or lifts up anyway( which is fun) and what a view of the snow caps! we could only see part of it for 5 minutes and it was still worth it!!!!! you can never count on the weather in the mountains and it changes moment to moment.so when it rained we went to Berne for the day and that was cool.not same to day tripto BO IMO...but if you think theres lots to do in lucern....it seems like a big city ...have not been there...luterbrunnen has a good hotel called the hotel Oberland and when we were there in 2000 it had fabulous food. flowers will be at their peak.. buy the cheese