Hi All,

We are going to visit our friends (who will pick us up in Munich) in order to do a little whirlwind tour (probably a week or maybe a little longer). They live in Altenmarkt Austria. The idea is to pick us up in Munich, and at some point hit their house, do a circular route either through Northern Italy or toward Switzerland, and go back to Munich for the trip out. We will have our 3 year old with us.

What are some things you think we should hit? I would like to see some sights that would be considered "old world Bavaria".

I am just starting to try and figure this out, and don't really know where to start. Germany is so big, and I don't know what really makes sense.

Hi R,

I suggest that you start with Germany under "Destinations".

You can then look up the other countries after that.

Thanks Ira, that's definitely a good start. I am finding all of the information available everywhere somewhat overwhelming. There are so many possibilities... My wife sort of wants to see the lakes in N. Italy while I sort of want to see the beauty of the Alps. Neither one of us has been to Switzerland, so I'm sort of leaning that way (or at least that's my rationale). I also watched a Rick Steve's video on Hulu last night about Munich and Bavaria. Wow, I would love to do some of the German countryside and castles.

Hey R,

You can't see a lot in one week.

You will enjoy your visit, as much as you can with a young child, wherever you go.

Have your friends made any suggestions?


BTW there are many towns called "Old Market" in Austria, which is yours?

Ira, its Pongau I think.

What time of year are you planning to travel?

If you wish to experience the Alps, go/stay where your friends live. It's a region where people go on vacation to do exactly that.
www.altenmarkt-zauchensee.at/de

There are tons of activities and possibilities for day trips in the immediate vicinity, i.e. the Grossglockner Alpine Road (in summer) to the West, Hohe Tauern National Park and the Carinthian lakes to the South, Hallstatt in the NE.

Herrenchiemsee island & palace, Berchtesgaden and Salzburg would be sights on your way from Munich airport to where your friends live.

Madamtrashheap...We're looking at the end of Aug. Early Sept.

Cowboy - Good idea. Maybe we'll spend a little extra time in Pongau. One of the reasons we want to go is so we can do some exploring with them. They just moved there in Jan. So, they want to get out of their local area and do a little sightseeing. I am going to check out the other places you mentioned as well.

Aha - so you don't have to content with Oktoberfest, just thought I'd check on the timing of your trip.

Sounds like you'd be better served spending some time in Altenmarkt im Pongau as a base as there is plenty to see around there: Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, time in Munich, Chiemsee (the lake will be stunning at that time of year and the Ludwig II Herrenchiemsee castle is well worth a visit), Neuschwanstein/Lindau/Hohenschwangau, Salzkammer salt mines in Bad Dürrnberg (near Hallein), Tirol villages (lots to choose from, but start with St Johann in Tirol, Kitzbühel, St Anton am Arlberg, Oberndorf) as these will give you the mountain scenery you're looking for.

If you still want to see the lakes of Northern Italy, then consider a 2-3 night trip to Lake Garda and/or Lake Como. Lake Garda is in easy reach of your friends' place so you could stay at the top of the lake (Riva del Garda, Limone, ) and then after sightseeing, make your way over to the eastern side of Lake Como (via lunch in Verona if you fancy). Lecco is a good place to start on Lake Como, and you can also take a ferry to Bellagio for a few hours jaunt. Or drive up the lake to Varenna (even prettier) and stay there a night. Ferries run from Varenna to Bellagio as well, and you won't need your car for that portion.

Lots to choose from, but there's nothing like having options!

Madamtrashheap, thanks for the additional information. I am going to look into your post over the weekend, and probably get back in and ask more questions ;-)

Okay, so here is what we are doing

Aug 28 - Arrive Munich - will probably do the English Gardens, Munich Zoo (my daughter loves zoos), BMW Museum, Hofbrauhaus for dinner and beer at night.

mon - Head N towards Wurzburg. Do you think we should hit any towns along the way? IN Wurzburg, we will go to a wine tasting as well as the fortress. My wife's grandfather is from here, so we will see where he lived.

Tues - anything in Wurzburg we didn't do Mon. Start heading S. along romantic Rd. Are there any must see towns / places / eateries / etc?? Where should we wind up staying?

Wed - Continue along romantic Rd. to wind up at Neuschwanstein, and maybe one other attraction here. Anywhere that is good to eat / stay around here?

Thurs - Head to Lake Garda ... stay here http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/savo...3714e0f147feX3 (Savoy Palace)

Fri - Lake Garda. Any must do attractions or restaurants near here???

Sat - Head to Cortina ... Worth it?? Or, stay another day in Lake Garda?

Sun - Head to our friends place in Austria

Mon - Salzburg - Top 2 attractions?? Stay in MUC

Tues - Early flight to USA.

Rothenburg is on the Romantic road and is definitely worth a stop.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623099774049/

Nice pics MIchael!

Any reason why you are not doing an "Open Jaw" flight schedule? Arrive in Frankfurt, depart from Munich? As it is now, you are backtracking from Wuerzburg almost to Munich, while Wuerzburg is only a short train or car ride from Frankfurt.

Here is what I would do: Take the train from Frankfurt airport direct to Wzbg. (Check www.bahn.de for schedules.) Pick up the rental car there (cheaper than at the FRA airport, and the road between FRA and Wzbg. is prone to have big traffic jams, the last thing you need after a long flight.Visit in Wzbg. and then follow your original plan to Rothenburg (Romantic Highway), Fuessen, etc.

I assume that, when you say, you "want to see where your wife's granbdfather lived", you mean it in terms of the city, and not necessarily an address. I, too, was bortn in Wzbg., but the homes of both of my grandparents were completely destroyed in the air raid. Where my paterna granparents lived is now a traffic circle, the house of my maternal grandparents is also gone.

But Wzbg. as a city is well worth a visit. Just don't be disappointed if you won't find the house.

PS: I forgot to mention. There will not be a drop-off charge, or only a minor one, if you pick up a rental car in one city in Germany and drop it off in another. The big charge comes into play, when you have cross-border drop-off, like Germany and Austria.