jgg

My daughter and I are planning a family trip for June 2008. DH and I will be travelling with our kids (ages 16 and 12) and my parents. Our tentative plan is this:

Munich 5 nights - incl. Dachau and daytrip to Garmisch and Zugspitze
Prague 4 nights - incl. daytrip to Terezin
Cesky Krumlov 1 night
Salzburg 4 nights - incl. daytrip to Neuschwanstein Castle

We are planning on renting a car when we leave Munich and drive from there to the remaining places.

Now, I am considering a change and would like your advice. I am considering dropping a night from Munich and a night from Salzburg and going from Salzburg to Fussen or Mittenwald for 2 nights and doing Garmisch/Zugspitze and Neuschwanstein Castle from there instead of as daytrips from Munich and Salzburg. We really like the idea of staying in a smaller town, but usually don't like to move hotels quite that much. So looking for your opinion on whether fine to see those as daytrips or better to move one more time.

Also if we don't do the daytrip from Salzburg how many days do you think are right for there? We want to do Sound Of Music Bike tour, Salt Mine tour, Eagles Nest/Berchtesgarden, drive through Salzmmergut and explore Hallstet, as well as spend time exploring Salzburg (fortress, fountains, Mirabell Gardens).

Thank you for your suggestions!

humanone

I have finished planning a similiar trip, but this February instead of June. I found that renting a car and taking it into the Czeck republic is expensive and that driving there was risky. So I am renting a car in Munich and leaving it in Linz. I found a number of taxi services from Linz to Cesky Krumlov, 389 CZK a person door to door from Sebastian Tours, and the driver wrote in English and seems nice. Then we will take a bus to the main bus station in Prague; the Cesky Krumlov tourist office on the main square sells them. Don't forget to buy Austrian, and Czeck too if you decide to drive there, placards for your car just before or just after the border, or risk getting a stiff fine.

bobthenavigator

I would drop 2 nites from Munich and 1 from Salzburg and stay 3 nites in the Garmisch area, but I see Oberammergau as the best location for the castles etc. Nice trip ! Consider staying at St. Gilgen as your Salzkammeregut base-- much closer to Hallstatt and an easy day trip into Salzburg by car or train. Your family will love the lake and the village.

bob_brown

Neuschwanstein is a longer trip by far than it is from Munich.

Also, you might want to view the castle, but other of Ludwig's extravaganzas that busted the kingdom's budget, are more complete.

You might consider Linderhof or Hohenschwangau instead for an inside tour.

Neuschwanstein is one of those places the setting of which is incredible, but the inside was never finished and falls a little flat. I left with the feeling of, "Is that all?" Well, yes, that was all.

So my suggestion is view the castle from the outside because the fairyland setting is real, but spend your €s for an inside tour elsewhere.

I for one thought that the Sound of Music tour was virtually worthless.
Yes, I plead guilty, I was lured in by the myth and the romance, but the reality of the tour was less than enthralling. The movie was a composite of imaginary images and places that are not open to the public.

What we saw was quick and dirty, except for a commercial stop in St. Gilgen before token stop at Mondsee.
What we got was an unending commercial for Frau Braun's strudel, which we had no time for, places to drink in Salzburg, and other unattainable objectives within the framework of the tour.

My suggestion is to rent a car and drive to Mondsee and St. Gilgen and enjoy them for what they are. You can do them on the bus, but the schedule is not in your favor. The car buys time and convenience. If there are more than 2 of your, the cost is offset by not buying bus tickets.

As for what you see on the tour, I was disappointed. That gazebo looked great in the film, but in reality it is almost a derelict sitting somewhere on the grounds of Schloss Hellbrunn.

Salzburg and the surrounding area is beautiful. There are many outstanding ways to enjoy it.

jgg

Thanks for your replies so far.

humanone - I checked with Hertz (where DH has a corporate account) and they do not charge additional for driving in the Czech Republic (only if I was to drop the car off there). They do not allow you to take BMW, Mercedes or convertibles there but anything else is ok. However, I hadn't heard that it was risky to drive there, I guess I will have to look into that.

bob- thanks for the tip on Oberammergau. If we decide to do the extra nights in that region will definitely look into there.

bobbrown - I don't like to look at things from a bus or do bus tours so we have decided to do Fraulein Maria's Bicycle Tour. If nothing else we should have a nice bike ride in the beautiful country!

ira

Hi J,

May I suggest staying in Bavaria and the Salzburg region of Austria?

If you don't like that, wouldn't it be better to fly into Munich and out of Prague?

You might find my trip report helpful.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35014078

Enjoy your visit.

jdraper

jgg: We did almost this exact same trip this past October. We rented a car in Munich and drove to Salzburg and then on to Prague. The price was very reasonable, 258 Euro for nine days. We picked the car up in Munich when we were ready to leave and returned it in Munich when we returned so no additional fees for picking up and dropping off in separate locations. You will not need a car in Munich unless you are planning day trips well outside of the city.

I did not find the driving anywhere, including the Czeck Republic, to be dangerous at all. The roads are very good between these cities and the signs easy to read and the drivers courteous.

Do remember to buy a sticker for your windshield when entering Austria and Prague as the fine for driving without it is quite significant from what I hear. Just stop at a gas station near the border and buy the stickers. If I remember correctly they were about 8 Euro each.

The price for parking in Salzburg and Prague is quite steep so I would recommend finding a hotel that has on site parking. That way you will have the car readily available if you want to take day trips but won't have to worry about finding a parking spot or paying for it when you are just touring the cities. You will not need a car to get around either Salzburg or Prague as both cities have wonderful transportation systems that will take you anywhere you need to go for a very reasonable price. If you would like recommendations for the great hotels that we stayed at let me know as all had free parking available.

Have a wonderful trip.

jgg

ira- If you reread my post you will see that we are planning on spending time in Salzburg - in fact we have booked 4 nights at Haus am Moos based on your recommendation!! Can't wait!

jdraper- Thanks for letting me know that it is no problem to drive in the Czech Republic. I had searched here on fodors and found others saying the same thing. I would love to here your hotel recommendations for Munich and Prague. I think in Munich we are going to stay at Hotel la Maison (www.hotel-la-maison.com) but haven't made a 100% commitment yet. In Prague I am still deciding. Considering Hotel Josef, Savic Hotel and Aracadia Residence - they are all 3 very different.

We have booked Hotel Konvice (www.www.boehmerwaldhotels.de/) in Cesky Krumlov and Haus am Moos in Salzburg.

jdraper

jgg:

In Munich we stayed at a Fodors favorite, Hotel Uhland. Wonderful hotel very close to public transportation and plenty of parking for you vehicle. Also free internet, wonderful breakfast buffet, included in the price of the room, and free bicycles if you desire.

In Salzburg we always stay at Hotel Villa Roma. Not right in the heart of Salzburg but only a ten minute bus ride and the bus stop is only 1/2 block away. Free on site parking directly behind the hotel, superb breakfast buffet, included in the price of the room, and the Italian restaurant on site is great. Prices are also great at around 90 Euro per night for a huge room with a very comfortable bed and a large modern bathroom. All of the rooms appear to have been refurbished in the last two years and it is spotlessly clean.

In Prague we stayed at Hotel Tyl. This is a bit off the tourist path in new town but there is a tram stop less than one block from the hotel and it is only about a 10 minute ride to Charles Bridge. I believe we paid 87 Euro per night. There is on street parking directly in front of the hotel, the room was large and clean and the breakfast buffet, included in the room price was excellent. They also had free internet access and the staff was extremely friendly, helpful and welcoming.

We have stayed at Hotel Uhland and Hotel Via Roma two times and this was our first stay at Hotel Tyle but we would be more than enthusiastic about staying at any one of these hotels again, especially Hotel Tyl. Check them out on Tripadvisor and you will see that they get great reviews.

Vttraveler

Neuschwanstein is definitely a very long day trip from Salzburg (much closer to Munich) so it would make sense to rearrange your trip to see that and Garmisch/Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze at the same time. There is another trip up in the Alps at Wendelstein which is also spectacular. If weather doesn't cooperate for the Zugspitze when you want to go there you could consider the Wendelstein from Salzburg

Your travel schedule from Salzburg sounds too ambitious to me--I think you would enjoy it more if you picked a few of the trips you have listed for the 3days/4 nights. At age 10 our son really enjoyed Hellbrunn palace with its trick water fountains right outside the city and the salt mine tour.

ira

Hi Jgg,

>Ira - If you reread my post you will see that we are planning on spending time in Salzburg -....

What I meant was, "skip Czech Rep".

You can fly in/out of Munich.

Salzburg to Fuessen is about 3 hr each way. Wouldn't it be better to visit from Munich?

Better yet, why not stay at least one night in Fuessen? You could visit N and Hohenschwangau one day and Linderhof/Oberammergau the next.

jgg

Thank you again for everyones help. We were only planning on driving from Salzburg to Garmisch (not Fussen - that would have been from Munich) which according to michelin is only 2 hrs. However, we have decided instead of doing those as daytrips to cut a night from Munich and add one or two nights to Fussen. My top choice for a place to stay right now is Hotel Zum Hechten - thanks again to ira for recommendation on your trip report!

traveldawg

We are veterans of numerous Germany trips over the last 30 years. Just returned from a trip in June: Rothenburg to Prague to Cesky Krumlov to Salzburg with final night in Heidelberg prior to flight out.

We had always stayed in Berchtesgaden and made day trips to Salzburg. This time we did 4 nights in Salzburg and it was fantastic. Stayed at the BRISTOL HOTEL....highly recommended on Trip Advisor and located an easy walk across the river to Old Town. Check this great hotel out! Herr Rickey in the bar became our friend after a day of touring.

SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR: Yep, corny, but fun. You should do it...but watch the movie on video before you go. The tour has some good scenery even if the movie did not exist.

GARMISCH/ZUGSPITZE AREA: Definitely spend some time here. Take the tram from the Eibsee to the top. Note the hotel on the shore of the Eibsee Lake. This used to be a US Military hotel after WWII and well into the 70s. We stayed there in 1971 for $7.00 per night and cheap meals to boot! Now private again.

OBERAMMERGAU: Great area to spend some time in. We have done the drive from Garmish through Reutte to Neuschwanstein. Visit this early with pre-purchased tickets. Then drive north to see WIES CHURCH and over east to visit Oberammergau and Ettal Abbey on the way back into Garmisch. This is basically a big circle. It is a long day, but great scenery and doable during the long summer days.

bobthenavigator

Hmmm ! Why did you have to pay so much in Garmisch. We stayed there in 1961 for $3/nite at the Von Steuben hotel which was for officers, and ate filets for about a dollar. That was our first trip and we have returned 3 times. We loved Hotel Eibsee but did not stay there.

mnss

Thingorjus knows everything you need to know about Neuschwanstein, as the castle remains one of thin's absolute favorite places of all time! not.

traveldawg

"Why did you have to pay so much in Garmisch. We stayed there in 1961 for $3/nite at the Von Steuben hotel. We loved Hotel Eibsee but did not stay there. (Still a fantastic location..summer or winter)


BOB! Inflation hit between 61 and 71. Rents went up and the dollar was declining while we were there. Richard Nixon devalued the $$ again in August 1971 and it tanked against all currencies.

On a different note: You helped us on an Italy trip in 99. Your advice was right on....thanks again.

nycgirl1

Just a note on the Sound of Music tour - I'd recommend doing one of the van tours and not the bike tour, since the sites you want to see are mostly outside the city limits.

We did Bob's tour this past April and really enjoyed it. The scenery is fantastic and I think it'd be fun even for non-fans.

http://www.bobstours.com/

travelstork

You've been getting tons of good advice, so I won't add much. I've traveled several times in these areas and you will have a terrific trip.
I do want to say that we rented a car in Prague and drove for several days all through the Czech Republic with absolutely no problems and then we drove on to Poland with the same car and eventually dropped it off in Krakow. The Czech countryside is stunning and beautiful to drive through on the secondary roads - very lilttle traffic. Getting out of Prague was not too bad, but I wouldn't want to drive in the city on a daily basis. In Prague you can easily get around on public transportation, as in Vienna or Munich. Have fun!!

jgg

travelstork - thanks for your comments about driving. I was a bit concerned when I read an earlier posters info. about it being risky to drive in the Czech Republic. I did a search function here and found many people saying it was no problem to drive there, so was feeling better about it. Your comments are even more reassuring - thank you.

humanone

I'm writing this from Cesky Krumlov, even more wonderful than I thought it would be (exceept for the heavy heavy meals, none of which is really good) and happy that it is much less expensive than Austria or Germany, both of which were about the same price, even at $1,50 per euro, as California. We were not impressed with Garmisch Partenkirken, although the Zug Spitze was a nice ride up on the cogwheel (not the least bit scary for the one of us with fear of heights); dont forget to buy the all day parking permit sticker at the machine in the parking lot behind the station, and do not park in the commercial stores lot next door. Mittenwald was lovely for a few hours, and Kitzbuhl a bust. Saltzburg is more wonderful than Munich (I suggest only one day in Munich city unless you really are hooked on museums, and four in Salzberg, or maybe five). Enjoy!