MLIO

I'm reading so many things about Germany and Austria and then what did I do I started reading about Luxembourg City -- now I just don't know where I should go. We're arriving in Munich on September 2nd. We'e planniNg on staying in Munich for two nights and then we rented a car to go to Neuschwanstein Castles. I thought we would then go to Salzburg but now after reading so many things about Salzburg it's sounding too touristy. So, I thought we could do the castles of the Rhine, then on to Mosel, Rothenburg, Freiburg. The only hotel reservations we have so far is in Munich and at the Hotel Haus Lipmann in Beilstein. We're departing from Frankfurt on September 16th. Do you think it would be too much for a day trip to Luxembourg City? We don't want to be in the car constantly, we like to stay away from big cities, we're not museum people we like wine, breathtaking sceneries and good food and quaint places to stay. I know I really need some help

tcreath

I personally thought Salzburg was a very beautiful and interesting city. Since you were interested in going and you love beautiful scenery, perhaps you could consider staying in the Berchtesgaden region. The regious is simply stunning and a short 15 miles from Salzburg. Click on http://www.berchtesgadener-land.com/ for more info.

I haven't been to all of the areas that you are planning on visiting, but we did visit Rothenburg and loved it. If you are interested in any recommendations, we stayed at the Hotel Klosterstüble and really enjoyed our stay.

Good luck with your planning!
Tracy

DanM

I love Luxembourg and it seems to fit your tempo. It is easy to have a relaxing morning, followed by a great lunch, and then a visit to one of the sites in the City. there are also several castles worth visiting within an hours drive of the city. It would be easy to spend a week there at a relaxed place and with a day trip or two. If you like wine, the Mosel is easy to get to. So is Reims. We enjoy sitting on one of the squares at night eating and listening to the local bands play classical to more modern tunes. The eating is great in light of the City's international population and demands. Simply put, it is an all too often overlooked spot for a relaxing European vacation.

MLIO

I will check the site for Berchtesgaden. Thanks for your thoughts.

bettyk

If you don't like touristy, then why are you going to Neuschwanstein? Honestly, Salzburg is a lovely city but it's on everybody's list of "places to see" so it's going to be overrun with tourists just like Ludwig's castles.

That's one reason my husband and I just completed our trip to some of the smaller "off the radar" towns in Germany. We saw some amazing scenery devoid of the mobs of people found in the usual "touristy" places.

Curious

Luckily, people tend to overlook Luxembourg City. It's a treasure as far as I'm concerned. I thought it was the most spectacular looking city we saw on our european trip. Not at all "touristy". Lots of WWll history in the area as well.

Curious

RufusTFirefly

Don't confuse "touristy" with "places that attract a lot of tourists." Although many touristy places attract a lot of tourists, not all place that attract a lot of tourists are "touristy."

To me, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the rest of Ludwig's fantastic creations are a fascinating glimpse into an often neglected period of historical, cultural, and sociological change.

Europe saw more change between the mid-19th and the mid-20th centuries than in the previous 500 years. What happened in Bavaria under Ludwig's doomed reign forshadowed what would happen to the greater royal houses of Europe only a few decades later. Wealth, power, arrogance, and a touch of the mad lead to revolutionary change.

Neuschwanstein is not just a gorgeous confection sitting on its little mountain; it's a lesson in history, sociology, and cultural anthropology.

tcreath

I agree with RufusTFirefly, and I will add that the places that are considered "touristy" are usually considered that for a reason. I would never skip Rome or London, even though both could probably be labeled "touristy" as well. Neuschwanstein, in my opinion, should not be missed. Visiting the castles and taking in the gorgeous scenery and surroundings was one of the highlights of our trip.

Tracy

kfusto

While Salzburg might be popular with tourists, I would not discount this lovely city.

I was an exchange there at the University in 1975 and have only been back once, in 2002. I will be there this winter for the Christmas markets.

It is a wonderland in winter and a pleasure in the summer as well.

MLIO

Thanks so much for all your responses. After speaking with our group, the decision is to definitely go to Salzburg. I'm still going to try to fit in Luxembourg City though. I love WWII history and I'm hoping that we can spend a day there. Do you think my itinerary is too packed!

mdmomof7

I think you can definitely add in Luxembourg and I have a few more suggestions if you like. Here’s what we did.

In August 2003 (yep, in the horrid heat wave w/ 100+ temps and no AC, but we still loved our trip!) we stayed w/ friends near Landstuhl and day tripped several times. Here are some of them.
Day Trip Itinerary 1
Burg Eltz (family run, excellent tour & in current residential use), Luxembourg (French flavor) and Trier (French and Roman flavor w/ excellent ancient Roman sites)
Day Trip Itinerary 2
Rothenburg and Wurzburg - esp. the Residenz
Day Trip Itinerary 3
Rhine River cruise/tour, Deutsches Eck (where Rhine and Mosel meet, didn’t know of it beforehand and really glad we did this, memorable) in Koblenz, then on to the Mosel Valley by car or vice versa.

September 2004 we briefly visited Salzburg, the scenery is very DIFFERENT from the other cities (mountains) and definitely worthwhile. Salzburg is a tourist destination, as are the other cities. It does not have the touristy type of Disney feel or the weekend in Paris high season overwhelmed by people feel. It is civilized and pleasant and lovely. You could also add in the Garmisch area which I've not been to, but hear is fantastic.

Possible Itinerary:

Munich – 2 days
Salzburg – 2 days or more w/ Berchtesgaden, St. Gilgen, etc.
Garmisch – 2 days
Rothenburg and Wurzburg – 1 or 2 days
Rhine Cruising and Mosel Valley driving, Deustsches Eck in Koblenz – 1 or 2 days
Burg Eltz, Luxembourg, Trier – 1 – 3 days
Frankfurt

Heidelberg could be added in or Strasbourg, France. You can play with the order, but you can definitely do all of these. You can also have time to be more leisurely in your pace. Don’t forget to taste the German wines, fantastic and inexpensive.

Whatever you decide, you will love your trip! I'm sure of it!

mabern2

Hello MLIO.
It sounds like we may be crossing paths in September. We are flying out of Orlando Sept. 1 and arriving in Frankfurt on September 2. We will be in the Mosel area for 5 nights then onto Paris for 5 nights and fly out from there.

When we arrive in Frankfurt September 2 we are renting a car at the airport and have reservations at the Hotel Haus Lipmann for the first 3 nights. I have been doing the planning of what to do on this trip and I had Luxembourg on our list, but now it seems to be almost too much to do. There seems to be so much to do in the Mosel area. So, I am currently at a stand still but I will keep an eye on the rest of the posts here, it may help my planning as well!

grebbs

Thanks for the encouragement to see Luxembourg. Mlio, is Beilstein a part of Munich?

RufusTFirefly

grebbs--Beilstein is a small village on the Mosel River. We stayed there at Hotel Haus Lipman and enjoyed it very much. Nice hotel, nice view, nice people, nice restaurant.

akiace

I just got back from Germany after a 3-week stay. We spent 6 nights in Berchtesgaden, 6 nights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 3 nights in Rothenburg, 5 nights in Dresden and then 1 last night in Frankfurt from which we took the flight.

The time we spent in Berchtesgaden is the most wonderful not only because of the gorgeous scenery but also because we are lucky to have great weather (hot but sky is blue and great for photo-taking). We went hiking in nearby areas like Ramsau, Maria Gern, Konigsee etc and the scenery are indeed breathtaking as many have claimed. We took a daytrip to Salzburg but somehow we were not impressed by the city, probably because we had been spending much of our time in mountain scenery. To be fair, I think a daytrip to Salzburg is not enough to see much of the city but we are also not museum people and enjoy the mountains more than looking at historic buildings (though I must add that the fortress of Salzburg is really impressive).

Our stay at Garmisch was also wonderful because we again had good weather that allow us to make the trip up Zugspitze (on a clear day the views are really fantastic and well worth the price, but only on a clear day...)

I think that's about all I can contribute unless you want to know more about Rothenburg or Dresden. I wish you all the best in your trip, especially in terms of weather, which will make or break your holiday. We had miserable weather in the first few days at Dresden that forced us to cancel some of our plans but overall there are much to do and enjoy wherever you stay, so have fun!