Planning a trip to Germany and Austria
Jan 24th, 2014, 06:06 AM
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Planning a trip to Germany and Austria
My wife and I are planning a trip to Germany and Austria this summer to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. We both have never been, but have always really wanted to see both Germany and Austria. We took German in high school and my wife has some German heritage in her family. We are planning spend 2-3 weeks there, and are on a moderate budget. This is a trip of a lifetime for us so we don’t want to be overly cheap, but we can’t afford to be very extravagant either. We've done some research to pick the cities to visit and have put together a tentative itinerary. We plan on getting the German Rail Pass to ride the ICE trains between each city. Since we have never been to Europe, we’d appreciate some advice on the itinerary and anything especially worth seeing. Thanks!
Day 1 – Flight arrives in Berlin in the morning
Day 2 – Berlin
Day 3 – Berlin
Day 4 – Morning train to Cologne
Day 5 – Cologne
Day 6 – Morning train to Munich
Day 7 – Munich
Day 8 – Munich
Day 9 – Munich (Day trip to Neuschwanstein)
Day 10 – Munich(Day trip to Andechs Monastery)
Day 11 – Morning train to Salzburg
Day 12 – Salzburg
Day 13 – Morning train to Vienna
Day 14 – Vienna
Day 15 – Vienna
Day 16 – Flight home
Day 1 – Flight arrives in Berlin in the morning
Day 2 – Berlin
Day 3 – Berlin
Day 4 – Morning train to Cologne
Day 5 – Cologne
Day 6 – Morning train to Munich
Day 7 – Munich
Day 8 – Munich
Day 9 – Munich (Day trip to Neuschwanstein)
Day 10 – Munich(Day trip to Andechs Monastery)
Day 11 – Morning train to Salzburg
Day 12 – Salzburg
Day 13 – Morning train to Vienna
Day 14 – Vienna
Day 15 – Vienna
Day 16 – Flight home
Jan 24th, 2014, 06:35 AM
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Too many cities for me. The Germany I like is in the smaller towns and villages.
Check out www.bensbauernhof.com for some ideas, especially on lower priced (but high quality) places to stay.
Before you buy a train pass, look at what individual tickets would cost. If you buy 92 days in advance (on bahn.de), prices are downright cheap, perhaps only 30% of a walk up fare.
Check out www.bensbauernhof.com for some ideas, especially on lower priced (but high quality) places to stay.
Before you buy a train pass, look at what individual tickets would cost. If you buy 92 days in advance (on bahn.de), prices are downright cheap, perhaps only 30% of a walk up fare.
Jan 24th, 2014, 07:44 AM
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Cologne is a geographic outlier and not worth the detour for such a short stay. Stop somewhere en route to Munich instead. And I agree with bigtyke: I would consider smaller towns and cities in addition to the big cities.
Jan 24th, 2014, 07:55 AM
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I agree with bigtyke. You'll see something of the countryside from the trains but still.... So are you mostly interested in cities: museums, history, restaurants, shopping, nightlife?
Have you considered renting a car for part of the trip? I like cities fine, but the most memorable part of our trip to Germany was driving along the Mosel River: super cute little towns, vineyard-lined river banks, Burg Eltz (well-preserved castle deep in the woods). All in all, smaller scale Germany. We also spent time along the scenic section of the Rhine River, north of Frankfurt, south of Cologne, but preferred the Mosel.
If you do think of renting a car, remember big cities don't make the best bases for daytrip excursions. First, parking is hard to find and expensive in cities. And then you'll have to work your way through the city, its traffic and its suburbs, every time you leave and return.
Perhaps you need to do some more research. Look at guidebooks and websites for a better idea of how you want your trip to go. I always like to look at the many photos in the DK series when planning a trip. I also check out places on Google Images.
Or maybe you just like cities. Good to know what you like.
Have you considered renting a car for part of the trip? I like cities fine, but the most memorable part of our trip to Germany was driving along the Mosel River: super cute little towns, vineyard-lined river banks, Burg Eltz (well-preserved castle deep in the woods). All in all, smaller scale Germany. We also spent time along the scenic section of the Rhine River, north of Frankfurt, south of Cologne, but preferred the Mosel.
If you do think of renting a car, remember big cities don't make the best bases for daytrip excursions. First, parking is hard to find and expensive in cities. And then you'll have to work your way through the city, its traffic and its suburbs, every time you leave and return.
Perhaps you need to do some more research. Look at guidebooks and websites for a better idea of how you want your trip to go. I always like to look at the many photos in the DK series when planning a trip. I also check out places on Google Images.
Or maybe you just like cities. Good to know what you like.
Jan 24th, 2014, 08:39 AM
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When we have vacationed in the US, we have mostly visited and stayed in the "big cities." We like staying in downtown areas with lots of things going on around us, and just using public transportation to get from place to place.
I hadn't really thought of visiting some of the smaller towns in between, but I will definitely take a look at some of the possibilities. While we are in Germany and Austria, we would like to see many of the museums, try some of the restaurants/ beer gardens, (we love German food/beer), take in the culture, and just see things that we wouldn't normally see in the US.
I had a similar feeling about Cologne when we made the itinerary, but I wanted to see what you all thought as well. The Cologne Cathedral and a trip down the Rhine did interest us, but the more I think about it, it does seem a bit out of the way. We'll be visiting the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, so that should work for seeing a Gothic Cathedral in Europe.
We were not planning on renting a car for our trip. We felt more comfortable using the public transportation around the cities and to get to our day trips of Neuschwanstein and Andechs Monastery. Getting to those two locations by train is fairly easy, right?
I hadn't really thought of visiting some of the smaller towns in between, but I will definitely take a look at some of the possibilities. While we are in Germany and Austria, we would like to see many of the museums, try some of the restaurants/ beer gardens, (we love German food/beer), take in the culture, and just see things that we wouldn't normally see in the US.
I had a similar feeling about Cologne when we made the itinerary, but I wanted to see what you all thought as well. The Cologne Cathedral and a trip down the Rhine did interest us, but the more I think about it, it does seem a bit out of the way. We'll be visiting the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, so that should work for seeing a Gothic Cathedral in Europe.
We were not planning on renting a car for our trip. We felt more comfortable using the public transportation around the cities and to get to our day trips of Neuschwanstein and Andechs Monastery. Getting to those two locations by train is fairly easy, right?
Jan 24th, 2014, 10:40 AM
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In addition to being a geographic outlier outlier, Cologne is simply not a highlight of Germany, save the Dom and a couple of good museums.
Check to make sure you really want to take 2 nights and the better part of one days travel to include it in the trip.
As for cities over smaller centres, that is entirely your call. You may prefer cities. There are some great small towns and moderately sized cities between Berlin and Munich that could sub for Cologne if you choose.
Check to make sure you really want to take 2 nights and the better part of one days travel to include it in the trip.
As for cities over smaller centres, that is entirely your call. You may prefer cities. There are some great small towns and moderately sized cities between Berlin and Munich that could sub for Cologne if you choose.
Jan 24th, 2014, 12:14 PM
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Suggest Rothenburg or Bamberg instead of Cologne- but if you want to really go over the top, substitute Prague for Cologne and catch the morning bus from Prague to Munich on day 7 (3 nights in Prague instead of 2 nights in Cologne).... At any rate, have a great trip!!!
Jan 24th, 2014, 12:25 PM
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As everyone has suggested the small towns in that region are the real way to get a local flavor of each country. It is much cheaper as well.
If you just stay in the large cities and Holiday Inn’s, so to speak, you are going to see mostly Americans. You might as well stay home and save yourself some money. Public transport is easy to use even in the small towns.
If you just stay in the large cities and Holiday Inn’s, so to speak, you are going to see mostly Americans. You might as well stay home and save yourself some money. Public transport is easy to use even in the small towns.
Jan 24th, 2014, 05:56 PM
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How did you manage to equate the OP expressing a desire to visit Berlin, Cologne, and Munich with;
- staying in Holiday Inns
- seeing mostly Americans, and
- wasting a vacation?
Seriously, I would love to hear this.
- staying in Holiday Inns
- seeing mostly Americans, and
- wasting a vacation?
Seriously, I would love to hear this.
Jan 24th, 2014, 10:29 PM
#11
A couple of not-so-usual suggestions for your visit to Vienna:
1. This year being the centenary of the start of WWI, Vienna is hosting a number of exhibitions throughout the city, offering a variety of perspectives if you're interested.
http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/.../world-war-one
2. Summer is a perfect time to hike in the vineyards on the northern edge of the city. I can suggest taking the 38A bus to its terminus at Kahlenberg for beautiful views of the city, then walk down into Grinzing or Nußdorf to any of dozens of heurigen for local wine and a small snack.
1. This year being the centenary of the start of WWI, Vienna is hosting a number of exhibitions throughout the city, offering a variety of perspectives if you're interested.
http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/.../world-war-one
2. Summer is a perfect time to hike in the vineyards on the northern edge of the city. I can suggest taking the 38A bus to its terminus at Kahlenberg for beautiful views of the city, then walk down into Grinzing or Nußdorf to any of dozens of heurigen for local wine and a small snack.
Jan 26th, 2014, 09:14 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions! We are going to be crossing Cologne off the list since it is well out of the way. Instead we will be visiting Bamberg on the way from Berlin to Munich. It definitely looks like a very neat town. Is there enough to see there to warrant staying two nights, or would one night be sufficient?
fourfortravel, thanks for heads up about Vienna. Both of those are things we will definitely check out.
fourfortravel, thanks for heads up about Vienna. Both of those are things we will definitely check out.
Jan 28th, 2014, 02:09 AM
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Bamberg cathedral is great (romansque, not gothic=even older).
Simply walking around the very scenic and unspoiled Bamberg city centre is worth a whole day (Unesco world heritage).
Great food at quite cheap prices.
Various breweries with great beer gardens (called "Keller" (cellar) in Bamberg, since they are on top of the breweries beer cellars: In Bamberg you don't go in a beer garden, but "auf einen Keller" (on a cellar) to have a beer.
Here's a map of the breweries (the yellow signs): http://www.bierstadt.de/sonstige/karte.htm
The Bierkeller are outside of town, not directly next to the breweries here's a list: http://www.bamberg.info/bierkeller/
Good decision.
Simply walking around the very scenic and unspoiled Bamberg city centre is worth a whole day (Unesco world heritage).
Great food at quite cheap prices.
Various breweries with great beer gardens (called "Keller" (cellar) in Bamberg, since they are on top of the breweries beer cellars: In Bamberg you don't go in a beer garden, but "auf einen Keller" (on a cellar) to have a beer.
Here's a map of the breweries (the yellow signs): http://www.bierstadt.de/sonstige/karte.htm
The Bierkeller are outside of town, not directly next to the breweries here's a list: http://www.bamberg.info/bierkeller/
Good decision.
May 8th, 2016, 03:50 AM
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Sir,
Just my opinion but the big cities are really overrated. They are cool and what not but I suggest doing a trip from Trier to Koblenz along the Moselle maybe stopping in Cochem for a night or two and then from Koblenz down to Bingen Am Rhine. On the Rhine I stayed in Boppard which was a nice little town and the locals were really nice. All along the Moselle are beautiful little villages and Vineyards and in the summer the weather is perfect. Then on the Rhine there are so many cool castles to see.
When I first moved here I was going to the big cities but once I went to Heidelberg and Cochem I realized they were overrated. The only big city I would suggest is Dresden. It is absolutely beautiful. In my opinion it's the best city in Germany. Also I'm really down on Munich. I dont know why but I've been twice and really dont fancy it.
I'd really suggest you do the Moselle and the Rhine but make sure if you do to stop at all the villages because you could miss a lot while driving. On the Rhine I stayed in Boppard and rented a bike and one day rode north to Stohlzenfels Castle then the next day rode south to Pfalzgrafenstein.
I've only been in Germany about a year so in my opinion I loved the Moselle and Rhine region, Heidelberg and up near Dresden.
Just my opinion but the big cities are really overrated. They are cool and what not but I suggest doing a trip from Trier to Koblenz along the Moselle maybe stopping in Cochem for a night or two and then from Koblenz down to Bingen Am Rhine. On the Rhine I stayed in Boppard which was a nice little town and the locals were really nice. All along the Moselle are beautiful little villages and Vineyards and in the summer the weather is perfect. Then on the Rhine there are so many cool castles to see.
When I first moved here I was going to the big cities but once I went to Heidelberg and Cochem I realized they were overrated. The only big city I would suggest is Dresden. It is absolutely beautiful. In my opinion it's the best city in Germany. Also I'm really down on Munich. I dont know why but I've been twice and really dont fancy it.
I'd really suggest you do the Moselle and the Rhine but make sure if you do to stop at all the villages because you could miss a lot while driving. On the Rhine I stayed in Boppard and rented a bike and one day rode north to Stohlzenfels Castle then the next day rode south to Pfalzgrafenstein.
I've only been in Germany about a year so in my opinion I loved the Moselle and Rhine region, Heidelberg and up near Dresden.
May 8th, 2016, 07:00 AM
#16
If you decided to keep to the east of Germany (and so not waste time crossing over to Cologne, you could do
Berlin
Liepzig
Dresden
Munich etc
that first bit is easy on the train system and you don't even need to stay in the "big" cities but go to the little towns along the Elbe. The Elbe is not quiet as nice as the Mosel/Rhine area as well described above, but you will find prices are very moderate and you can visit spas, drink beer and eat onion flan to your hearts content. Use google map to pick out the towns along the Elbe and you'll be surprised what modest arrangements really offer you a true taste of Germany. You could even stroll into Czech Rep .
Bike hire on Elbe about as easy to hire as on the Mosel
Yes Bamburg is a neat town.
Berlin
Liepzig
Dresden
Munich etc
that first bit is easy on the train system and you don't even need to stay in the "big" cities but go to the little towns along the Elbe. The Elbe is not quiet as nice as the Mosel/Rhine area as well described above, but you will find prices are very moderate and you can visit spas, drink beer and eat onion flan to your hearts content. Use google map to pick out the towns along the Elbe and you'll be surprised what modest arrangements really offer you a true taste of Germany. You could even stroll into Czech Rep .
Bike hire on Elbe about as easy to hire as on the Mosel
Yes Bamburg is a neat town.
May 8th, 2016, 09:40 AM
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We generally do trips in Germany and Austria b car since we like a mix of cities and smaller towns/countryside and find coordinating train schedules and having to back track to get from A to B to be way too much of a pain.
I agree that you have too many places and would drop Koln as an outlier (and while cute not as interesting as many other places.
I would add a day to Berlin which is unique in a lot of ways.
I would not do Neuschwanstein at all - but pick one of Mad Ludwig's other palaces if you like (Herrenchiemsee is our favorite but Linderhof is also charming). And don't do as day trip from Munich but get out in the countryside and stay in one of the charming towns in the area. Also have a look at Oberamergau (great for lunch and an hour wandering). Must admit I am not familiar with Andechs.
I would also add a day to Salzburg so that you can see some of the mountainous countryside - Hallstat if at all possible - as well as the major sights in Salzburg.
And do stop at Melk Abby on the way to Vienna - it's incredible.
Still IMHO you have a lot of places in limited time - but this gives a better mix than just cities - and the car makes getting to a lot of other small towns possible.
I agree that you have too many places and would drop Koln as an outlier (and while cute not as interesting as many other places.
I would add a day to Berlin which is unique in a lot of ways.
I would not do Neuschwanstein at all - but pick one of Mad Ludwig's other palaces if you like (Herrenchiemsee is our favorite but Linderhof is also charming). And don't do as day trip from Munich but get out in the countryside and stay in one of the charming towns in the area. Also have a look at Oberamergau (great for lunch and an hour wandering). Must admit I am not familiar with Andechs.
I would also add a day to Salzburg so that you can see some of the mountainous countryside - Hallstat if at all possible - as well as the major sights in Salzburg.
And do stop at Melk Abby on the way to Vienna - it's incredible.
Still IMHO you have a lot of places in limited time - but this gives a better mix than just cities - and the car makes getting to a lot of other small towns possible.
