mdciti

Hi

Thank you for all your thoughtful insights thus far - my wife and I have done a couple of 180's on this itinerary - hopefully making improvement each time. Asking for a sanity check...on most recent iteration
Thank you in advance

Arrive Munich September 13 / Depart September 28th
We want to drive itinerary to give us the most flexibility of staying longer /shorter or visiting a destination we may stumble across. Will rent and return car to a Munich location.

Munich - September 13 & 14 - get our sea legs
to Fussen - September 15 - spend night (but if we like will spend more) leave early - early am from Munich to see castles
to Garmisch-Partenkirchen- September 16 & 17 Day trips Mittenwald / Zugspitz/ other?

SANITY CHECK to Bolzano - 18 - 19 - 20 - spend three nights (By driving we will need to double back to Innsbrook to get to Salzburg OR better to leave car in Innsbrook take train to and from Bolzano??

Salzburg - 21 arrive late - 22 - 23 Day Trips (Hallstat)
Munich - Arrive back in Munich late afternoon of the 24 - enjoy Munich through the 27th

Thank you again!!

PalenQ

You may want to check about hotels in Schwangau, on a lake below and in full view of Mad Ludwig's castles= a German resort area -when I stayed there the municipal band struck up lakeside at sunset.

Hit the famous Weis Kirche en route to Fussen. Fussen to Garmisch is best via Austria I think - Reutte is one nice town with castle en route and you go by the Zugspitze.

Your itinerary looks really nice and a realistic pace to me.

fourfortravel

Your itinerary from a driving perspective is fine; I would keep the car to/from Bolzano. Remember to purchase a vignette at the Austrian border if you will be on the Autobahns (cash only).

You're not giving yourself much time for Salzburg and the Salzkammergut. Is this intentional (that is, because you have visited previously)? Why Bolzano and not Innsbruck (again, because you have visited previously)?

In September there are numerous Almabtrieb throughout Tirol, Bavaria, and Salzburgerland. This is the annual celebration of a safe summer where the cows and other livestock are decorated and paraded down from their high alpine pastures. The events are spectacular and quite memorable.

neckervd

Will you stay all 3 days in the city of Bozen? In the case you would be interested in the Eastern Dolomits, it might be easier/nicer to reach Salzburg via Lienz - Felbertauern - Zell am See.

mdciti

Hi

Thank you for replies.

Feel much better about the drive and even more so the decision to travel by car because of all the hidden treasures brought up - know we wont get to all, but the journey becomes more exciting knowing they are there.

Have not been to Innsbrook or Salzburg - feel we have built in a few extra days for flexibility.

Regarding Bozen - thought three nights days due to length of drive from Garmisch to relax. THANK YOU for tip via Lienz - Felbertauern to Salzburg, gives us new sights to see / experience.

Awesome stuff - thank you again

pja1

Hi,

Spend the nights of 15-17 in one place. Fuessen and Garmisch are about an hour apart.

Don't stay in Bolzano. It's not in the Dolomites. Stay in either the Val Gardena or Alta Badia. Incredible Dolomite scenery. The Dolomites are unlike anything you'll see in the alps. Spectacular.

www.val-gardena.com
www.altabadia.it

We like these places to stay:
www.garniariston.com
www.montanara.it
www.tamarindo-lavilla.it

There are plenty of spectacular drives in the immediate area: The Gardena Pass (our favorite), plus the Sella, Pordoi, Giau, Campolongo and Falzarego Passes.

www.alpineroads.com/dolomites.php

You could drive from the Dolomites to Lienz, Austria and then to Heiligenblut (stunning village) and over the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse to Zell am See and to Salzburg, less than 2 hours from Zell am See.

We've done all these drives and stayed all these places a few times.

Our photos are here:
www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Paul

pja1

Even backtracking to from Innsbruck isn't a bad idea. The views are incredible and different in each direction. Actually one of the "wow" moments was the first time we neared the Innsbruck area from the Italy side. That and the first time we spotted a towering limestone Dolomite peak heading off the A22 highway into the Val Gardena.

Paul

mdciti

Hi Paul

Great point - did not dawn on me - we are locked in.

So excited now just a matter of fine tuning as I read the other trip reports or conversations.

Cant wait !!

Thanks