Ideal first time trip to Germany-8-10 days --suggestions
 

We are going to Germany for the first time. We have no preset must do's and would like some advice on an itinerary. We can rent a car and are comfortable with driving and love public transportation. We will be flying from Washington Dulles but can go into Frankfurt or Munich. Would love to go to Vienna for a couple of those days but probably too much to do. Can anyone suggest some ideas.. I would prefer to stay in one place for 2-3 days at least.
Thanks.

Munich would make a great base. You can day trip to Salzburg, Neuschwanstein and Rothenburg. When are you going? Munich has a lot to offer by itself depending on your interests and when you are traveling. If you decide to include Vienna you need to factor in the travel time on between that will eat nto your time on the ground.

There are dozens of options for great trips in Germany - so it really depends on what you want to see/do.

Who is we and what are your interests?

Bavaria is charming, but Berlin is an incredibly fascinating city and the Rhine and black forest are also great areas to explore. If you give us a better idea of what you are looking for - museums, castles, cathedrals, hiking, recent or ancient history - people can make better recos.

if you decide on Frankfurt, you could spend a couple of days there and then head south-east to Wuerzburg, Rothenburg and back up the Neckar valley.

alternatively, drive down the Rhine to Heidelberg, and Speyer, and then work your way back up the German Weinstrasse.

if you decide on Munich as your base, I'd advise against trying to fit Vienna in as well - you will have enough to see between there and Salzburg, IMO.

Hi bumkim2bfit,

Yes, you have quite a few options for your travel -- I would just advise you to use the trains rather than a rental car. We're already seeing some damage from Global Climate Change in the Bavarian Alps, so you may want to help preserve the beauty you're coming over to see.

In addition, taking the trains is loads of fun -- you can take a road trip practically anywhere in the world, but using the trains is a pretty rare opportunity (and getting more rare). So, it adds a layer of European adventure to your European adventrue. The German rail system works wonderfully well, and you can spend your travel time people-watching instead of being isolated inside your private bubble. No one will have to watch the road, and no one will have to follow on a map. You can read, enjoy the scenery, strike up a conversation with your seatmates, listen to music, or walk to the bar car or the cafe car to get something to eat/drink.

You can find the German rail schedules at the German rail site

www.bahn.com

The discounted fares go on sale 92 days early, so mark your calendar and be ready to buy once your itinerary is set.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I love riding the trains and have done so in Italy and France. If they can take us where we want to go that would be my preferred method.

Originally I thought about flying directly to Munich and make that a base. We would like to end up in Frankfort for at least a day as we have some German friends we met years ago and we still stay in touch. Would fly out of Frankfort to Oslo.

We are pretty open...i would say that museums would be last on the list but it would depend on what museum was about. Definitely castles, history both ancient and recent, cathedrals, hiking and food/brew/wine would be up our alley.

Yaaay!

I live in Garmisch, about 90 minutes south of Munich, and it's a pretty good base for castles and hiking and breweries.

You can get to Linderhof & Oberammergau very easily from here, or to Füssen in about 2-3 hours. You can get to Mittenwald very easily by train or bus, for hiking and cable cars and the wonderful violin-making museum (opens a door on local families and family-based industry). There is also a brewerie in Mittenwald. From Garmisch you can ascend a few mountains on foot or by cable car, including the Alpspitze and the Zugspitze. And the Eibsee is at the foot of the Zugspitze in Grainau, again easy to get to.

Have fun!

s

well, then fly into Munich, spend at least 6 nights in and about there, then get the train to Frankfurt and end your trip with your friends.

Swandav can probably suggest how long to stay in Munich, and how long in Garmisch.

simples.

It sounds like everyone is pointing you towards Munich. Munich is a good place to base out of.

If you like beer, it would be worth spending a night or two up near Bamberg and go one of the dozens of Biergarten and Brewery hikes that are available in the Fränkische Schweiz which boasts the highest concentration of breweries in Germany.

If history is your thing, a day in Nuremberg and visiting the Nazi Documentation Center, the Nuremberg Trials museum, and the castle is highly recommended.

Also, it's FrankfUrt, not FrankfOrt.

If I were you, I would spend the entire trip in Bavaria. The number of days available to you is limited,
Staying in one geographic area. We did the beautiful areas of Bavaria, then Munich, then Bamberg,
Then back to Frankfurt to fly to Dulles. If I were doing it again, I would fly in and out of Munich.

We did our entire trip by public transport. I would map this out before you go. It may be better to
Rent a car for a day or two.

Pat