Paris to Berchtesgaden - stopovers, German Alpine Road ? Any other suggestions?
 

Hello everyone, after planning 3 weeks in Dordogne, Normandy and Brittany we now unexpectedly have an extra week to fill. (so sad!) My husband and I had a very rushed (basically o'night) trip to Berchtesgaden some years ago, specifically to do the Eagles Nest Tour. We would love to go back and my adult son who will be with us is very keen to do the Eagles Nest Tour as well.

With that in mind I have researched with mappy and found that Connelles (our last base in France) to Berchtesgaden is roughly 1000km/ 10 hours. We will leave Connelles on a Saturday am (June 21) and have to be back to Paris CDG to catch a flight at 0725 on the Sunday 29th - therefore have eight days for return journey and to base ourselves in Berchtesgaden as will probably stay near CDG on last night.

I have been reading about the German Alpine Road but some threads here are a little discouraging.
Would welcome any suggestions for how to split our time, should we just drive quickest route (maybe one overnight each direction?)and spend maximum time in Berchtesgaden or are there notable stopover points (and suggested accommodations) en route?

Any apartment/flat recommendations in Berchtesgaden would also be welcome.

Thank you, and I know many will consider we should stay in France but we love driving and are very keen to to re visit this part of the world whilst we are in Europe.

Sorry, I should have also mentioned, we visited Munich previously but were travelling by train so the freedom of driving this time obviously offers us more flexibility in planning our route but happy to bypass Munich if appropriate.

Hi OZG,

Drive from Connelles to Nancy. This is a good overnight.

From Nancy, head to Augsburg via Strasbourg. Overnight in or around Augsburg.

From Augsburg take the Romantic Road to Fuessen. This is worth at least 1 night. Visit the Castles - Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein OR Linderhof and Oberammergau.

From there, go to Berchtesgaden via Sankt Johann in Tirol. This is an interesting road.

You will need a road tax sticker for Austria - 8E, available at gas stations in Germany.

This gives you 2 days in Berchtesgaden.

From B, drive to Strasbourg - overnight.

If you want, you can drop the car and take the TGVest to Paris, or drive to Paris.

You shouldn't have to drive more than 5 hr for each leg of your route.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

ttt

Thank you Ira. A couple more queries:

- when we were last in Munich we did a (rushed) bus day trip which included Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles and I think Rothenburg??? Or maybe we did two day trips, it's all a bit hazy from 5 years ago!
(Not being brave enough to drive in Europe on that trip (our first) I am embarrassed to say I had no idea in which direction we actually went from Munich! )
So, if we skipped the castles this time should we still stay in Fuessen? I am sort of keen to have three days in B so that we can include Salzburg as well if possible.
The other consideration is both husband and son would like to include Dachau and I am not sure how long or where to fit that.
Thank you again.

ira's route is a good one; I'll simply offer my thinking...

I'd try to maximize the stay in and around beautiful Berchtesgaden. 2 days there is not enough IMO - especially after having driven 1000km. (I don't even think "three days in B" is enough.)

There are many daytrips to take and things to see and do in the area so if it were my trip, I'd sacrifice the whole day(s) driving to get there and back. (It would seem you could share the driving.)

We enjoyed our one week stay here: http://tinyurl.com/y6478a

Thank you tuck. Even we kep the drive down to two days (one overnight) in each direction we can do 4 days in Berchtesgaden and I think I will aim for that now. Thanks for the website, unfortunately I don't speak any German. Last time we manges the Eagles Nest tour and the saltmines, both of which we will do again for my son's benefit, plus Salzburg and Lake Konigsee - any other suggestions or will that fill our 4 days?

sorry, i'm still rubbing sleep from my eyes... no editing!
Even if we keep..
& we managed not manges!

I know that you wrote that you like to drive - but since you want to spend as much time as possible in Berchtesgaden, would it be an option to fly from Paris to Munich, and pick up a rental car there to drive the final 150km?

Round-trip airfare is around 100 Euros = 300 for the three of you.
Viamichelin calculates the costs for driving (gas, tolls) at around 290 euro round-trip.

Your travel time would boil down to half a day, and you would save 2 overnights.
And since Dachau is a Munich suburb, it might fit in, too - depending on the hours of the flights.

Thanks Cowboy, you are right, financially it's line ball - I think our love of the "road trip" will probably win out though. We will still be driving through countryside we haven't seen which is all part of the experience I guess.

HI og,

>So, if we skipped the castles this time should we still stay in Fuessen?

No.

>The other consideration is both husband and son would like to include Dachau...

From Augsburg go to Dachau.

Go around Munich on the A99 to the A8.

Take the A8 EB toward Salzburg.

At Exit 106 take the B305 SB. This will put you on the Deutches Alpenstrasse to Berchtesgaden.

Driving time from A to B via Dachau and Schneitzlreuth is about 3 hr.

Plot your route at www.viamichelin.com.

Roads edged in green are scenic.

Enjoy your drive.

((I))

Thank you Ira. It's all starting to come together, I daresay there will be more specific questions later but your help in planning route most appreciated.
Will investigate accommodation options in Nancy and Strasbourg. I like the idea of not having to drop the car at CDG but I think the trains on Saturday will only deliver us from Strasbourg to CDG at around lunchtime (too early) or 2130 which is slightly later than I wanted but I am still weighing up options here.

I'd add these cautions:

Driving into and out of large towns and/or cities can be unpleasant and should be avoided if possible.

Also - you're likely to encounter a stau (traffic jam) or two on the ring road around Munich.

Just keep in mind that traffic regulations vary from country to country.

When driving in Austria, you have to switch on the headlights also during daytime.
And you need to have a warning vest in your car (in the passenger cabin, not in the trunk). The vests are cheap (€2-3), the fine is not.
For motorways (and only for motorways) you need the aforementioned toll sticker (10d for € 7.60). While formerly many gas stations in Southern Germany sold those stickers in Germany, you can now only get them near the border. You must not drive one single kilometer on an Austrian motorway without the sticker. Especially the border regions are thorougly controled by the company which runs the Austrian motorways ("Asfinag"). They also enforce the fines (and not the police) on the motorways for driving without the toll sticker.

Never expect to get away because you are a tourist or drive a car with French number plates. Unfortunately, it is common practice in most European countries to enforce exactly those rules of the road which are bit more "exotic"...

Hi OZ,

The route I gave you to Berchtesgaden doesn't go through Austria.

However, if you want to drive to Salzburg, you will need an International Driver's Permit and the Road Tax Sticker.

Also, fuel is about 15 cts/L less in Austria than in Germany.

((I))

Sorry, I was assuming that ozgirl wants to go to Berchtesgaden, and then considers some day trips which may or may not include trips to Austria.

I definetely do not want to sound like a wisea**, but the toll sticker is only necessary for Austrian <b>motorways</b>, it is not a general road tax.

If you want to visit Salzburg by car from Berchtesgaden there is no need to waste almost 8 Euros on the sticker as you will not drive one single meter on a <b>motorway</b> or Autobahn in Austria.

Even you wanted to drive straight into Salzburg, coming from Munich on A8, you would leave the Autobahn at exit 115 (last one in Germany), and follow German federal highways 20/21 for 5 kilometers until Hwy 21 becomes Hwy 1 on the Austrian side, and after appr. 10km you are in downtown Salzburg.

Thanks all, so, sounds like easier to avoid Austriaas far as the road goes? We were planning to visit Salzburg by train from Berchtesgaden anyway I think.
With regard to Tuck's advice on driving into and out of large cities - how do our possible overnight destinations rate? (Nancy and Strasbourg?) Would we be better looking for somehwere smaller?

&gt; Would we be better looking for somehwere smaller? &lt;

IMO, yes. Rothenburg might be a good candidate.

Regarding driving into Austria:
I'd hope you'd venture into the Salzkammergut - Hallstatt etc - on local roads, avoiding the Autobahn. You can easily drive into Salzburg to park your car and that's what I'd do...

Hi Oz,

The reason I suggested Nancy is that we drove into the old town and stayed there for a couple of nights.

It's not at all bad.

Re the sticker.

You never know when a B road will suddenly widen out and become a motorway.

Give the man the 8E. It will save a fine of over 100E.

I have driven Salzburg/Berchtesgaden on the back roads as well as the main road.

At the border, the 2 lane road becomes a 4-lane divided highway.

Cops sit and wait for the unwary.

((I))

Ira, when you've ventured as far as we will have by then, I don't think 8E will break the bank completely so will take your advice!
Perhaps adult son who is basically coming along as a freeloader, can make his contribution with the sticker!!