We were able to get FF tickets, July 2006, to Frankfurt - in and out- (I know it isn't the most efficient, but our open jaw section has to be from Miami and back to St. Louis) We have 17 days total, with a car, and I am thinking we will spend several days in the Rhine/Mosel area; several nights in Bavaria; drive to the Alto Adige/ Dolomites/ Lago Di Garda area through the Brenner pass...(would like your suggestions for ideas here) then back to Salzburg and Munich where we drop off the car and train to FRA to fly to St. Louis. Would you seasoned travellers out there critique this plan and let me know if I am on the right track or not?

Sounds like plan.

-You can visit Innsbruck on the way down to Italy, and make some nice day-trips from there.
- In the Dolomites, visit Bolzano and/or Trento, and spend some time hiking.
- On the first `official' Saturday of summer (early july), the southbound Brenner pass is blocked up by Italy-bound tourists. It took us 3 hours to go 3 kilometers. Avoid the holiday rush weekend.

Sounds like fun---I have done that itinerary more than once, minus the Rhine segment. Here is the loop I would make:

Arr Frankfurt---to Rothenburg--2

Drive to Oberammergau--see castles etc-3 nites

Drive to Riva del Garda or Malcesine on Lago Garda--3 nites

Drive to Castelrotto/Ortisei in Dolomites---2 nites

Drive to Salzburg area--stay in St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee--3 nites

To Munich--drop car--2 nites
Train to Frankfurt

Hard to go wrong---have fun !

Thanks! Is there a particular place (hotel/ B & B) you could recommend on Garda and in Bavaria?

I opened this thread because we are planning to be in Germany/Austria/Italy around the same time next year.

You do know that the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament will be in Germany from 6/9/06-7/09/06? As this event will attract hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, I hope that your 17 days fall after this. If not, you had better start making your German hotel reservations before December '05. (that's when all the fans will know in which cities their teams will be playing.)

We did a similar trip years back, starting in Munich to Salzburg, Zell-am-Zee, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Venice, Largo di Garda. The scenery was beautiful. (We then continued on to Milan, Switzerland & the Black Forest before heading back to Munich.)

Good Luck! I'm looking forward to reading your replies, as next year we'll be trying a loop from Munich-Lago Maggiore-Munich.

Rothenburg: Gerberhaus
Ober: Hotel Turmwirt
Castelrotto: Zum Wolf
Riva: Hotel Europa
St. Gilgen: Garni Schernthaner
Salzburg: Pension Nonntal

Good luck !

Thank you for the heads up about the soccer tournament! I looked at the schedule for it, and it seems that we might avoid the crowds the way our trip is planned at present...we would be in the Mosel region when the matches are in Munich, and by the time we are in Bavaria, the matches will be in Berlin. That said, there is lag time when the areas could be crowded, so I will take your advice to heart.

Bob, you make it so easy!!! Just curious though, why would you stay in St. Gilgen rather than Salzburg? Is it because you favor small town atmosphere, as we do?

Yes, and you can train or drive into Salburg in :30. You are on a pristine lake and only an hour from Hallstatt---a must stop for me.

wren, we did not spend the night in St. Gilgin but we did stop and spend an afternoon/evening there in May. Like bobthenavigator mentions, its a small town on a beautiful lake. There are several other towns on the wolfgangssee, such as St. Wolfgangsee that are also worth visiting. The area is simply stunning and you are very close to Salzburg and the rest of the Salzkammergut.

Tracy

Sorry, the town is St. Wolfgang, not St. Wolfgangsee.

Tracy