please help with planning a trip to germany & austria, possibly prague...
 

Hello all...
I'm trying to plan a family trip for next summer and don't even know where to begin. We're looking at approximately two weeks. I was at the bookstore today and couldn't even decide which book to buy so I left empty-handed and decided to beg for some expert advice here.

I would like to see the town in Germany where my grandfather was born. It's called Wernigerode and looks like it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We would also love to visit Salzburg and Vienna, and (is this crazy?) Prague.

Is this overly ambitious or doable? Where should we start and end? What else should we not miss along the way?

Any advice is appreciated!

We went to Germany and Austria several years ago with our children. It was my second time there. I love Germany! Now, I know I will spell everything wrong but this is where we went...
We flew into Frankfurt, drove to Rothenberg(we loved it there)..on to Titisee in Bavaria. beautiful lake region..drove 2 days later to Fuusen (loved that too)..ON TO Mittenwald(also great), then Saltzburg (my absolute favorite) and finally Vienna (history and culture). Flew out of Vienna. We went in April, so it wasn't crowded at all, nor hot. I think we went for 10 days.
We may have gone other places too, but I can't remember. We covered alot of ground, too much, but were able to see alot.
Hope this helps!

You will find it beneficial to be more informative: Family-young babes or teens? Interests-cities vs country? modern vs medieval? art? industry? cathedrals & castles, or no? have you seen mountains before? you're wondering what to see in an area the size of USA east of the Appalachians.

Thanks for the quick responses!

Sorry, I guess "family" really is quite broad -- actually, all adults, no young children. Pretty much open to anything -- definitely yes to castles & mountains, saw enough cathedrals in Italy last year to last a lifetime but not opposed to seeing one or two more if they're spectacular, enjoy a mix of city & country. Just looking for highlights of the area since we obviously aren't spending much time there.

Thanks again.

I don't think your proposed itinerary is crazy at all. It will involve a bit of moving around, but it certainly can be done.

In 2003 and in 2005 we took two week family trips that covered the same ground you are considering (well, not Wernigerode, but German towns).

In 2003 we had free tickets that had us land in Brussels. We took the train to Regensburg, Germany, then to Prague, Vienna and Salzburg, then up to see relatives in Aschaffenburg, Germany for our last night, before flying home from Frankfurt.

In 2005, we flew into Frankfurt, visited the relatives for a few days, then took the train to Regensburg, Prague, and Vienna.

My children enjoyed both trips. We traveled very light and loved the train rides. In some ways the first trip was an overview, and the second was like going back for second helpings of the things we enjoyed. (My husband and I had been to Austria several times previously).

I don't know how long you will need in the German town, but 2 days will be quite sufficient for the highlights of Salzburg, and 3 or 4 days each in Prague and Vienna are quite manageable in my opinion.

Looking at my atlas, Wernigerode is actually a lot closer to Prague than it is to Vienna, so Prague is not at all crazy.

Oops, I forgot that we also went to Munich on our 2005 trip. Our itinerary was: fly into Frankfurt, relatives in the area (Aschaffenburg), train to Munich, then Regensburg, Prague and Vienna, fly home from Vienna (via Paris, where we got stuck for a day because of a missed connection).

Possible route for you: fly into Germany (somewhat close to Wernigerode), then Prague, then Munich/Salzburg, then Vienna, fly home from Vienna. Sort of a zig zag, but I think it'd work.

good idea above but I'd start at austria and finish in prague.

I'd also rent a car from vienna to germany, then fly or train into praha.

Two years ago our family of four flew to Vienna for five nights, took the train to Prague for three nights, then took the train to Munich for four nights. It was a great trip. From Munich we took two day-trips, also by train: one day to Salzburg and one day to Fussen. From Vienna we took a one-day trip on the Danube to Melk and Krems. You can easily accomplish your goal of seeing these three countries. Have fun planning, and ask questions here for loads of good advice on hotels, etc.

Here are sone German highlights to research. I don't know wheere Gandpa's village is so you will have to do a little map searching to see if this works. Vis Michelin is good for planning road trips. Put in Werngerode to Rothenburg and see how to get there.

Go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for at least one night. Visit Munich for 2-3 nights, spend a couple of days in the Bavarian alps seeing Lugwig's castles and the other delights. Then spend a couple of days in Salzburg and one night in Hallstadt.

After that your can find other fun stuff along the way. Enjoy your plannng then have a wonderful trip.

I´m not sure whether "next summer" means 2006 or 2007 - but this summer there´s a big garden exhibition in Wernigerode that should be nice to visit.

It may be in the middle of nowhere but there are some BEAUTIFUL old buildings!

Have you found this live webcam with a view of the castle? http://hassero.de/webcam-wernigerode-online.htm
I also found out that there´s a horse-drawn carriage that brings tourists from the city center to the castle!

Here´s a link to the English webpage of Wernigerode´s tourism agency:
http://www.wernigerode-tourismus.de/uk_home.html

Wernigrode is in the middle of a picturesque section of the Harz mountains. The nearby (nonautobahn) routes 498 and 242 are particularly attractive and there are several scenic railways in the area. (P.S. did you know you can buy an HO scale model of a Wernigrode street light?)
Given Wernigrode's location, you are not that far from Dresden, which IMHO would be worth a definite visit (4 hours by train). Or Berlin, which is closer (less than three hours by train) if that interests you. From Berlin you could catch cheap flights to Salzburg (nonstop) or Vienna (1 stop)...see www.whichbudget.com

If it were me, I would give one week for exploring that part of Germany, including the Harz mountains and Dresden or Berlin, then a second week to Austria (Vienna and Salzburg). Try for an open jaw flight that puts you into Dusseldorf or Frankfurt and takes you home from Vienna. Prague might be doable, but it sounds like a stretch to me if you've only got two weeks. The area of Germany around Wernigrode is not as famous as other parts of the country, but that doesn't mean it's not any less interesting...in some ways, it's a bonus to spend time poking around off the beaten paths. We spent a week in the Teutoburgerwald last September (not too far from the Harz mountains) and loved being away from the tourbook checklists. You would need a car in Germany, but for Salzburg and Vienna, you would all do fine with mass transit.

(P.S. If you fly into Dusseldorf, one possibility is spending your first night in Detmold and visiting the beautiful Freilichtmuseum aka open air museum. Worth the better part of a day. Right in the heart of this pleasant town, Detmold also has one of those small regional breweries that make German beer so special. Detmold also is home to one of Germany's best music universities and free concerts abound in the summer.)
http://www.lwl.org/freilichtmuseum-d...rtseite_uk.php

You guys are wonderful! I'm greatly encouraged. When I get home from work today, I'm going to check out those links. My husband is leaving this trip sort of up to me (since it's my idea), and since it is somewhat overwhelming, I'm so happy to know I've got such a great resource here. I'm sure I'll be back. (BTW, we're thinking June 2007.)

Wernigrode has a nice looking hotel, the Weisser Hirsche. Looks like a pleasant base for an exploration of the area.
http://www.ringhotels.de/hotels/hote...php?locale=com

I would definitely plan to spend some time in the area rather than just pass through briefly and then rush off to the more well known spots like Prague, etc.

Well, after checking the links, I want to go to Wernigerode! The webcam is a lovely view, looks like a nice crisp sunny day - sign me up.

Hi BL,

If you look at where Wernigerode is located (see www.viamichelin.com) you will note that it is only a 5 hr drive from Prague, via Dresden.

It is only 3 hr from Berlin.

You might want to consider a trip in which you fly into Munich, and motor your way to Berlin.

((I))

How long is the train ride from Munich to Fussen?

2 hours and trains leave hourly.

Noe and others, could you share the hotels you enjoyed in prague and vienna ... my husband and i will be traveling with our children (9, 8 and 6) this summer and are most interested. also, we'll be in salzburg and traveling through CZ if others have ideas.

thanks, jane