Help planning a driving trip in Eastern Europe in July
 

I initially posted back in April about the fact that we will be taking a road trip starting from Paris in July. Now we are more certain about our dates and the direction we want to go, so I am hoping some knowledgeable folks can give us input on our route, including opinions on which direction to drive (it is a circle route ending up back in Paris so we could start on the northern route or southern). Also, we have put some places as overnight because they are on the route, not necessarily because we want to stop there (Stuttgart for example), but simply because of the driving distance. So if there are alternatives like small cities or villages in the area that are nicer to stop in, I would love to know about those. Our plan is very open still-we can extend or shorten the trip a bit. The only thing that is really fixed is our start date and the fact that we need to start and end in Paris (because we are house-sitting for friends there, who luckily have a garage!).

Also, because we have a car, we don't need to stay in the center of big cities, we are happy to stay in nearby suburbs or villages and take the bus or train in, but we are also okay parking the car in a pay lot in cities and just leaving it for a few days. We are three older adults-no kids and we would prefer to drive around 4-5 hours between stretches.

Okay so here it goes:

Saturday July 9th drive from Paris to "Nancy area" stay over 1 night
Sunday Stuttgart? 1 night
Monday, Tuesday Salzburg 2 nights
Weds, Thursday Lake Bled, 2 nights
Friday, Saturday Keszthely Hungary 2 nights (we have friends there)
Sunday, Monday, Tues., Weds. Thu Budapest (Pest side?) 5 nights
Friday, Sat., Sunday, Monday Vienna 4 nights
Tues., Weds., Thu., Fri Prague 4 nights
Saturday Nuremberg area 1 night
Sunday,Monday, Tuesday Baden Baden (maybe 2 nights instead?)
Weds Reims 1 night
Thursday Paris

That is a total of 26 days. we could probably extend another 3 days to be able to slow the pace just a bit, but I wanted to hear from other folks with their feedback before we really lock the dates in. Also, we are avoiding Colmar, and that area because e are going through there on business In Sept. so saving most of Alsace for that trip.

Any thoughts are appreciated. As I mentioned in my first post, we are very familiar with the area to the East and north of France. We have driven once to Prague, but that is it.

Thanks in advance!

Okay so here it goes:

Sat, Beaune, France (1) 3h15 Add a day?
Sun, Meersburg, Germany (1) 4h48 Add a day?
Mon, Tue,Mittenwald, Germany (2) 3h45
Wed, Thu,Salzburg (2) 2h41
Fri, Sat,Lake Bled (2) 2h46
Sun, Mon,Keszthely Hungary (2) 4h04
Tue thru Sat,Budapest (5) 2h20
Sun thru Wed, Vienna (4) 2h52
Thu thru Sun, Prague (4) 4h25
Mon, Rothenburg ob der T., Germany(1) 4h15
Tue, Wed Gengenbach, Germany (2) 2h45
Thu, Reims (1) 4h01
Fri, Paris 1h36

https://www.google.com/search?q=beau...HRSYB_wQsAQIGw

https://www.google.com/search?q=meer...HRqSBsIQsAQIOA

https://www.google.com/search?q=mitt...HRiJAPoQsAQIGw

https://www.google.com/search?q=roth...HRPqBfwQsAQIKA

https://www.google.com/search?q=geng...HfTzCe4QsAQIGw

I can recommend the B&B Bellevue in Budapest (Pest side) but I do not know if they have parking. Check their web site.

Hi there:

Dugi, thanks for all the detail! I will check out the routing. It is super helpful since we don't know much about Germany in terms of where to stay.

I notice you skipped Baden Baden. Any particular reason. I have been there and like the baths, but I agree that 3 nights is too many. Are there any other places that have the thermal attraction that it does that you know?

And thanks Michael for the b&b suggestion for Budapest!

If you want to go to a spa I would add a day to your Salzburg stay and take a day trip to nearby Bad Reichenhall and it's Rupertus Therme Spa. More 21 century than Baden-Baden.

http://www.rupertustherme.de/de/home/

https://www.google.com/search?q=bad+...Hc-vD2sQsAQIKA

That looks nice. I have been to Baden Baden a number of times but not for over 10 years, so it sounds like it might be time to try something new.

Also, we have friends who have been to both Lake Bled and Ljubljana and say that it is a beautiful town. Do you think we should choose one over the other or maybe split the time with 2 nights in each. We aren't super sportive or super cultural, somewhere in between I guess. We like being out in nature and taking walks but also just hanging out in local coffee shops and restaurants. So I am trying to decide if it is worth spending hotel nights in both places or using one as the base and visit the other place along the way?

I agree with your friends that Ljubljana is a beautiful medium size city . It meets your criteria for people watching and is excellent for hanging out at local cafes and restaurants along the river. It has a dozen popular sights, none of which is blockbuster, but Ljubljana is worth a full day. I can recommend Slamic B&B for your stay if you choose to stay in Ljubljana. www.slamic.si

There is no wrong choice between dividing your time between Ljubljana and Lake Bled. But my preference would be an afternoon stop at Lake Bled while driving from Salzburg, followed by 2 nights in Ljubljana.