We will be flying in and out of Frankfurt (due to free tix on AA) and then flying directly into Vienna (is the best way to get there?) we will make our way through Bavaria but need to attend a friend's wedding in Bonn on August 20.

So here are our tentative plans.
Day 1 fly into Frankfurt and fly to Vienna
Days 1-4 Vienna, probably at the Grand Hotel through Amex points
Days 5-9 Bavaria, based in Berchtesgaden, we would try to do Salzburg and other sights (castles, etc)
Days 10-11 Munich (maybe 2 nights)
Days 12-14 Bonn (with day trips to Cologne)
Days 14-17 Rhineland? Amsterdam? Other suggestions?

My husband speaks German fairly well so language is not a problem. We will be traveling with a 16 m/o so we would like to take lots of walks, hikes, etc. Love fine food, but will probably have to hold off on our fine dining during this trip unless babysitters magically appear. Oh, and we will probably rent a car beginning in Vienna and dropping off in Frankfurt. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Thank you for any helpful suggestions.

Renting a car in Austria and dropping it off in Germany incurs a substantial drop-off charge. Check this out.

Taking this into consideration, how might you go to Salzburg? Fly, train, drive? If fly or train, you may wish to take the bus from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden and pick up a car there, or take the train from Vienna to Freilassing and either pick the car up there or change to the train for B'gdn. The latter is a bit awkward, but can be done. I'm not sure if AutoEurope or other rental companies hava an agent in Freilassing.

2 days in Bechtesgaden won't give you much time for sightseeing. Skip Munich and add time to B'gadn. Munich is a big city and offers a lot to see. Spending just 2 nights there really won't do it justice and thus is a waste of time.

Check this board and you will get lots of useful advise of where to go sightseeing from B'gdn.

From B'gdn drive to Rothenburg. Overnight there. If you do that, let me know. There is a good way to bypass
the autobahn "spaghetti" junctions in Nuernberg

Next day drive from Rothenburg to Bonn. Stay there as long as you need to.

By "Rheinland" I assume you mean the pretty stretch of castles, etc. That stretch is about 40 miles, and starts south of Koblenz, which in turn is south of Bonn. THe area north of Bonn is not particularly interesting in terms of sights.

When you are done in Bonn, drive to Koblenz and Trier via the autobahn. Overnight in Trier.

Drive from Trier along the Mosel to Koblenz. Overnight there or in one of the towns along the Rhein south of Koblenz.

Finally, catch your plane in Frankfurt. You get to the airport before you get into the city, so plan on staying at or near the airport.

Not sure about the Bonn part, I would probably opt for a drive up the Mosel...Trier, Koblenz, Berg Eltz. Rothenburg & Wurzburg could also be worked in perhaps.

Thanks for all advice so far. If we pick up in Austria and drop off in Germany, would it be substantially more expensive? i.e. would it be more expensive than 3 tix on the train to get back into Germany? If so, maybe we should just go from Vienna directly to Munich, spend a few days in Munich and then head to the south.

We were planning on seeing Salzburg based in B'gaden. Is that too far or is that a doable day trip?

I will research the Koblenz area, thanks for the idea.

For drop-off charge Austria - Germany, check with AutoEurope. For driving on Austrian autobahn, add about $7 toll.

I'm not sure if you can get train fare at http://bahn.de, but it will give you train connections. That is the German RR website, it's the best in my opinion. The Austrian RR has a website, too,but it won't give you fares either, because the trains pass through 2 countries.

If you go Vienna-Munich by plane (train), you will be doubling back to B'gdn. But there is a very scenic route, and it can be done in about 2 1/2hrs.

The route: Munich- to the Bernau exit on the A-8 Autobahn (toward Salzburg). Then take the B-305 Bundestrasse (federal highway, like our US highways) Bernau, Reit im Winkel and on to Berchtesgaden (check it on a road map; the road kind of zigs and zags, but it is a very good and scenic road, part of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse network).

There is a very nice palace of King LudwigII on an island of the Chiemsee at Prien (10km north of Bernau), but with a 16 month old infant, you probably won't want to do that trip by boat.

You won't need a car in Munich, it's just a nuisance. So pick it up when you leave for B'gdn.

On the way back north from B'gdn, take the Munich by-pass A-99 to the Munich Nuernberg autobahn A-9. Take it as far as the Allersberg exit. Head west to Roth, Windsbach and the A-6 autobahn. Take it west to the A-7 interchange and take the A-7 autobahn to the Rothneburg exit. Will take you about 5 1/2 hrs from B'gdn, via Bad Reichenhall and the A-8 autobahn.

Thank you treplow for your detailed driving instructions. So I think at this point we will fly into Vienna, train to Munich and start our driving portion of the trip from Munich.

Hello kang:

On your way home, try decompressing for a day or two at the Hotel Krone in the village of Assmannshausen on the Rhine (45 minutes drive to Frankfurt Airport which is easily done on the morning of a noon flight). Ask for a junior suite in the main building with a balcony overlooking the river. Fabulous restaurant as well. Gradyghost

I wouldn't plan on 1 or 2 nites in Munich during August. You could use your time more wisely by staying the extra nite or 2 in the Berchtesgaden area and take the train into Munich when you have a rainy day. If it's hot - the city can be warm and most places don't have good air conditioning.

Greetings.

I recently priced a similar car rental from avis. There was a several hundred dollar charge to pick up in venice drop off in munich, whereas the reverse was only $50. So price around if you are doing this, it really varies.

When you are near Koblenz, I HIGHLY recommend that you look at staying in one of the castles that overlook the rhine. I have done this a couple of times, and recommend the castle "Schonburg" in Oberwesel. It is magnificent - views, food, location, service, and value. It is on the west side of the rhine river. I stayed at "Burg Gutenfels" castle last year, and it was terrible in every aspect, and it smelled awful.

Castle Schonburg can be seen at: http://www.loreleyvalley.com/oberwesel-rhine/index.html

Enjoy your trip!

..akawally

Nothing like finding an older thread to glean some good stuff from.

If you go to Salzburg (and I suggest you do) we found the Salzburg touris pass allowed us to travel on local transportation and see almost all of the museums and as well as the fortress in one day very economically.
Loved the city.