bd

Thanks, Larry!

Larryincolorado

You can get more information on the Bayern ticket at www.bahn.de > Internat. guests > Offers for travelers in Germany > Regional Tickets > Länder-Tickets, or at www.bayern-takt.de > Englische Version > Bayern-Ticket (more).

You can buy Bayern tickets from any blue-white regional (Nahverkehr) ticket machine in Bavaria (also in Salzburg, Kufstein, & Ulm), from any red Bahn ticket machine (touch screen, speaks English) anywhere in Germany, online, or, for an additional €2, at any ticket counter in Bavaria. In addition to regional trains, Bayern tickets are valid for all the transport (S/U bahn, streetcars, buses) of the metro districts including Munich, Augsburg, Regensburg, and Nürnberg, as well as on regional buses such as the Oberallgäu and Oberbayern.

On weekend there is the SchönesWochenende ticket for €30. It is like the Bayern ticket, but good for regional trains all over German, so you don't have to worry about crossing state (Land) borders.

Most German Länder (Pl. of Land) have similar offers to the Bayern tickets.

azedge

I have spent many years in Austria and we go there almost evey year. We alternately fly in to Zurich or Munich. Our trip this year we will be to Zurich. Car rentals are cheaper and there are more choices than in Munich. Obviously we travel everywhere by car over there. Trains are extremely efficient, however there are too many beautiful roads and places to visit that one cannot experience by train. If you were sure that you wanted to visit Vorarlberg or Tyrol, you might consider Zurich but Munich might be the best for you. I am sure your travel to Tyrol by train will be just fine.

September/October is an excellent time frame for travel to Austria. Summer can be hot, muggy and crowded. AC is not plentiful in restaurants, stores and even many hotels, so don't go in the Summer. Oktoberfest is a gigantic state fair type of event. I was there in 2002 and 2004. Lots of walking, beer, bratwurst and some drunks after dusk. It is worth seeing once for sure. I believe it runs from about 19 September to the first weekend in October.

Innsbruck is not a favorite of mine. Bregenz, Salzburg, Vienna and Graz are good choices. Ferry trips on Lake Constance from Bregenz are a delight. I take at least two, day trips every time I go to Europe. Graz is a lovely city, second largest in Austria, but doesn't receive the attention that Vienna and Salzburg receive. I would allow three days for Vienna, and if you desire to cover Berchtesgaden or the Salzkammergut, you might consider Salzburg as your focal point. For this you will need several days.

My recommendation would be to rent a car,as you will miss scenery if you go by train. If there are two or more travelers, the cost of the car would not be that much more than the train. Schoene Reise. Edge

Operaman

Give yourself at least 3 whole days for Vienna. Two days for Vienna is ridiculous, 5 is better, 14 days and you can really get a feel for this wonderful city. 3 days will give you just enough of a taste to make you want to return and spend much more time.

pja1

Hi,
We've flown from NY to Munich our last 4 trips. All have required 1 stop over. The stop depends on which airline you fly. We've flown NY-Zurich-Munich(Swiss), NY-Paris-Munich(AF), NY-Toronto-Munich(AC) and NY-Frankfurt-Munich(LUF). I think Munich is your best start/end point for the trip you describe. As for your questions:
1) Ehrwald isn't much more than a very small village, although it's at the base of and a great place to get to the top of the Zugspitze. I wouldn't plan a stay there though. Alternatives, although in Germany by the Austrian border, could be Garmisch (for the Zugspitze) or Fussen (Ludwigs Castles) www.stadt-fuessen.de or Mittenwald (charming Bavarian village with a cable car to the Karwendel Mountains www.mittenwald.de We've been to all these places and recommend them, especially Fussen and Mittenwald.
2) We've been to Innsbruck and I wouldn't stay there, althuogh just 6 miles to the east of Innsbruck is Hall in Tirol. Beautiful old town surrounded by the same mountains as Innsbruck! (stayed there 3 times). If you want to see the area and are going by train, check out www.badl.at. We love this place! It is very convenient to walk to Hall, easy train/bus to Innbruck and to Hungerburg (overlooking Innsbruck!)to a cable car, Nordkettebahn, high above Innsbruck.
www.nordkette-austria.net
3) We always rent a car, which we have found to be very reasonable in Germany, except for 1 trip to Switzerland that we did by train.
4) All our trips except last year in April have been in October. The weather is very good (mild days, chilly nights) and the crowds are smaller.
5) IMO 2 days to see Salzburg is good unless you use that as a base to explore nearby places.
Never been to Vienna so I can't give any opinion on that. Austria is our favorite place to visit and we'll be going there this Oct. Can't wait!!!

paul

BTilke

1. Munich is a good starting point, but if you end in Vienna, look into flying into Munich and out of Vienna, even if you have to change planes on the way back.

2. I've been to Austria 14 times in the last 6 years on trips ranging from five days to three weeks. I've been there in May, June, July, August, September, February and March. I would far rather be there in Feb. than in August, but I will always take cold over heat (for the past seven years, I've been spending two weeks in Vienna late Feb./early March). Usually there's some snow during that late winter period, occasionally rain, and generally cold (sometimes briskly cold and sometimes frigidly cold). August can be brutally hot and muggy (or, as happened to us one year, you can get major flooding). This year, we're going to do a two week driving trip in December to take in the Christmas markets.
When you want to go depends on what type of weather you like and also your budget--we've been able to find some excellent deals on 4 and 5 star hotels for our December trip. Early March is not a good time to be in Vienna (for tourists) because a major convention is held then and the hotels fill up quickly (this year, the convention dates are March 9 to 13). Late September/early October is a great time to go...we did our Germany vacation at that time last year and had wonderful weather. May can be iffy--hot or cold. I was in Salzburg in late May this year and after making sure I had a hotel with AC, it was so unseasonably cold, the hotels had to turn their heat back on (we even had some snow flurries near Zell am See).
4. Yes, skip Innsbruck unless you really have a reason to go there. IMO, Graz is a much more interesting "second" city than Innsbruck, fit that in if you can. Salzburg is a good base for three days...in addition to the in-town sites, it's an excellent regional transit hub, which makes it better than Berchtesgaden as a base, IMO, if you plan to go without a car. Remember, trains aren't your only non-car option. The Salzburg region has outstanding PostBus service to take you almost anywhere you'd want to go. But a car is handy to have, of course.

Re Vienna, I think three days minimum. Re Oktoberfest, we did that once and once was more than enough. We much prefer the smaller village fests. Mob scenes of thousands of people drinking, shouting and farting aren't our thing.

VolGreg

Thanks to all. This forum is truly a treasure trove of informed people.

FYI, this is how we scheduled the trip.

Early May - Fly into Munich then take a train to Innsbruck.

Innsbruck 3 days - really the first day is wasted due to jet lag.
Spend 2 days on day trips from Innsbruck. (Any Suggestions?)
Hotel - Weisses Kreuz


To St. Wolfgang for 4 days - again day trips this is close to Salzburg so they have scheduled bus trips there.
Hotel - Landhaus Zu Appesbach.

Then to Vienna for 6 days with maybe a daytrip or two outside the city. I think there are enough things to do in Vienna to keep us engaged. We will be flying home from Vienna.
Accomadations - Pension Pertschy

A total of 2 weeks spent out of the good ole USA.

Any comment, criticisms, or suggestions?

tcreath

Pension Pertschy is a great choice for lodging in Vienna. We were there a few years ago and were extremely pleased. The rooms were a nice size, comfortable and quite. The breakfast was good and the location was excellent.

I think that 4 nights in St. Wolfgang is a good choice. The lake is just gorgeous, and you can easily visit the other towns in the Salzkammergut, Salzburg and even Berchtesgaden from there very easily.

Unfortunately I can't help much with Innsbruck, as we didn't care for it and thus didn't stay for very long. If you like small towns, Hall, just a few miles away, is a gorgeous, quaint little town with some nice restaurants. The whole area is beautiful.

Sounds like you will have a fantastic vacation!

Tracy

VolGreg

Thanks Tracy, The Pension Pertschy ia a favorite on this board so we knew it was worthy.

We chose Innsbruck because it was on the train line from Munich and they have rental cars their. Plan to use Innsbruck as the base for Tyrol day trips. We plan to go to Hall then.

Thanks to all,
Greg

pja1

Hi Gregg,
Hall in Tirol, Just a few miles west is an excellent old town to visit.
Ambras Castle just outside of Innsbruck was very nice.
If you'll have a car in Innsbruck, just 45 minutes south is Vipiteno/Sterzing Italy. Very nice but small town. Other thing to see there is Castle Reifenstein/Tasso. It is listed in Rick Steves book and website. Also, the cable car up to the Seegrube/Nordkette is very good also.

paul

Larryincolorado

Hall is an eight minute trip by train from Innsbruck. Round trip tickets for two would be €11,20. I don't think you want to rent a car for that day.

tcreath

VolGreg, even though Innsbruck is not a favorite of mine, it is indeed in a beautiful setting and there is much to be seen around the area, so it will make for a good base.

Tracy

VolGreg

Thanks Tracy, After the flight and a train ride we did not want to hop in a car and travel even a small distance. I am sure Innsbruck is just fine for our first trip to Austria.....

To all: I look at this thread and it has 31 responses! This is why Fodor's Forum is a treasure trove - the people are knowledgeable and willing to share.

Thanks
Greg

hardwater

As part of your Vienna stop, give serious consideration to a day or so out in the Wachau valley an hour or so west. The Donau makes a bend north in this area flowing through gorgeous bluff country which is perhaps the finest wine country in Austria. It is postcard perfect scenery on both sides of the river. It has a micro climate here and in the fall wine season you can purchase sturm and most ( wine before its time) everywhere at the roadside cottages. The little burgs on both sides of the river such as Krems, Spitz, Melk, Aggsbach, Durnstein are a treat to visit plus the great monestary's of Melk and Stift Gottweig are stunning. Consider a detour here especially in the fall. We did and fell in love with this area. And very few other tourists.