Ingo

Paul gave you enough suggestions for a full day in his earlier post, I think. I personally was somewhat disappointed with Churburg castle, but it was probably just bad luck with the guide (and the fact that photography was not allowed inside) - the young lady went on and on for about 90 minutes, which was really boring (and I'm a big fan of history and architecture!). Could be done in 30 minutes as well.

I second the recommendation of Glurns and also convent Marienberg. A *must* is IMO the Benedictine convent Müstair, an UNESCO world heritage site, across the border in Switzerland. Btw, Another option for a scenic drive to get to Vinschgau/Val Venosta from Appenzell would be via Rhine valley - Landquart - Klosters - Davos - Flüela pass - Zernez - Ofen pass - Müstair. The Flüela pass is supposed to open early May, the Ofen pass is open all year round. Both passes are easy to drive.

vibhav

Based on the fact that Stelvio pass region will most likely be closed we have decided to skip that and spend two nights near Innsbruck instead. After that we will head over to the Dolomites...

Few more questions

- Need help with any tips or suggestions for scenic drives/ routes between the following points. We will be doing each of these drives in one day each, so want to see if there are certain routes better than others from a scenic point of view. Otherwise we would just follow the GPS
- Berlin to Frankfurt
- Frankfurt to Cochem
- Gegenbach to Innsbruck
- Any suggestions for the best cruise to do on the Rhine? Are there certain companies better than other? Which section of the Rhine is the best to do - best starting and ending points? Time of day best for photography?
- Feedback on a good 3 day itinerary for the Rhine/ Mosel region? We are living in Beilstein for 4 nights
- Feedback on a good 2.5 day itinerary for the Blackforest region and must-dos? We are living in Gegenbach for 3 nights.

Thanks,
Vibhav

vibhav

Paul... Thanks for all the feedback... Yes, we are so looking forward to the DOlomiti passes... We spent 3 days exploring the Gardena passes last time... So this time we will focus time on others like Giau but probably go back and revisit Gardena definitely

vibhav

Thanks a lot Ingo for your feedback... Your suggestion of passing through Davis looked so scenic when we looked it up on the map... Though we have changed our plan for now, and skipping the Stelvio pass... Will definitely keep this route in mind for the future... Thanks a lot!

pja1

Hi again,

On the way from Innsbruck area to the Dolomites, the charming old town of Sterzing/Vipiteno makes a nice stop for an hour or two. It's very easy off/on the A22 highway also.

Just thought I'd pass this on, it's our "best of the Dolomites" one day loop drive, which can easily be done in a day and covers drives over 4 Dolomite Passes.

It can be started/ended from any point along the way, but I'll use the Val Gardena in this example:

Head over the Gardena Pass to Corvara and then take the Campolongo Pass to Arabba. From Arraba take the Pordoi Pass towards Canazei. Before you get to Canazei, take the Sella Pass. From the Sella Pass get right on the Gardena Pass back to Val Gardena. There's a cafe/restaurant/rest stop at the "top" of the Gardena and Sella Passes. You'll also notice a few small places to park along the passes to get out and walk among the Dolomite peaks.

Just another suggestion:

We love staying at the Gasthof Badl in Hall in Tirol. This is about 15 minutes from Innsbruck. We actually like Hall in Tirol's old town more than Innsbruck's. We stayed at the Gasthof Badl in '01, '03, '05 and '10. Nice place, convenient location, fantastic host (Sonja Steiner) and terrific views of the Alps. It's also a short walk to our favorite restaurant in the area, the Burg Tavern, in Burg Hasegg. It's just a short walk from the Gasthof Badl across the footbridge over the Inn river.

www.badl.at

www.worldisround.com/articles/362561/index.html

www.worldisround.com/articles/343800/index.html

Paul

Russ

"- Any suggestions for the best cruise to do on the Rhine? Are there certain companies better than other? Which section of the Rhine is the best to do - best starting and ending points? Time of day best for photography?
- Feedback on a good 3 day itinerary for the Rhine/ Mosel region? We are living in Beilstein for 4 nights"

Start the Rhine cruise in Bingen where the good scenery starts and cruise north to go with the current - much slower the other way. If you have less than 2 hours, cruise to St.Goar; 2.5, cruise to Boppard; 3 hours cruise all the way to Boppard and tour Marksburg Castle there: www.marksburg.de - this is something you should do on one of your days anyway.

Beilstein isn't a great base town. Nothing to do there in the evenings at all. And it's off the train grid altogether. I'd stay in Cochem on the Mosel or in Boppard on the Rhine if you want one place from which you can visit both areas. Both towns are great, but Cochem has the edge.

Ingo

Gengenbach itself deserves an afternoon. Try a wine tasting or at least have some glasses of wine while there. The Nightwatchman tour is also fun (albeit a bit too long, I walked away after 30 minutes). Strasbourg is an easy day trip and highly recommended.

I.