Hello,

I am helping plan a trip for my parents and could really use a little expert help. My parents are active and plan to spend 17 days or so traveling. They would like to spend 2-3 nights per spot on their journey, perhaps a few 1 night stays, but really try to shoot for base points where they can do day trips. They are thinking of renting a car, but if experts recommend otherwise that would certainly be considered.

Could you help with a nice itinerary? Right now the plan is to fly into Vienna stay for 3-4 nights, rent a car and head towards Salzburg. Stay 2 nights in the towns between Vienna and Salzburg (not sure where or for how long?) Then stay 1-2 nights in Salzburg. (What would be good day trips in this area? Eagles Next?) Then move to Innsbruck? After which head to Germany.. In Germany see Mittenwald, Fussen, Rothenburg and area, Mosel and Rhine, end in Munich for fly home... The main reason for travel loop in Gemrnay is not to have a car in Munich.

A bicycle tour between Vienna and Salzburg would be perfect, can anyone recommend bicycle tours, my parents would need a tandem.

Really looking for any initnerary help. Must see's, where to stay and for how long, great day trips, other suggestions..

Thank You so much for any ideas...

I am in the process of planning a trip for 16 days in Austria and Germany.We have been to Salzburg, Vienna and Munich and are not planning any big cities this time. I think our trip should be very relaxing and good for biking, hiking and beautiful scenery. We will travel by train and other public transportation which will involve a few buses and ferries, which we have found in the past to work very well and be enjoyable. We are flying into Zurich, going to Lindau(3 nights)on Lake Konstanz, Fuessen (2),Mittenwald (3),St.Wolfgang(4), and Landshut, Germany (3) before flying home from Munich. I have day trips from most places planned or at least available if we need more to do. Hope this is helpful in some way.

To the OP. Seventeen days are a lot. Your itinerary is doable if your parents like a fast paced trip. It would be way too fast for me. I would focus three or so areas and cover less ground.

Starting in Vienna and ending in Munich, I would leave out the Rhine/Mosel and probably Rothenburg, though I much like these areas. It would be too much time lost to driving or trains for my tastes.

BTW, I have read that there can be hefty drop off charges if you rent a car in one country and drop it off in another. You might need to check on this.

Between Vienna and Salzburg I enjoyed are two great tourist areas: the Danube River valley (Wachau) and the Salzkammergut (a beautiful alpine lake district). I would increase the time spent in these areas. Wachau has for me an almost magical settled feeling of a long history. The Salzkammergut was as pretty as any place that I visited in Europe.

Salzburg is worth a couple days w/o day trips to my taste.

It would be easy for me to spend a week south and west of Munich. In addition to the towns that you mentioned and the royal castles - I would try to see Oberammergau and Ottobeuren Abbey. Plus, the area is beautiful from the Alps to the Allgäu. There are alpine lakes near Füssen that are great for walks with distant views of Neuschwanstein.

I normally prefer train travel but perhaps not for the ground that you are talking about covering.

Regards, Gary

We did 3 nights Munich (day trip to Ludwigs castle and hitler's germany tour), 3 nights outside of salzburg and 3 nights in Vienna ending with seeing an opera in Vienna. Wonderful trip. Very clean countries. Be aware that they want to be paid in cash. The hotels will take credit cards but they want cash and so do most of the restaurants. We used public transportation the whole way and did just fine. Easy to get around all those cities and look for tours to go outside of the cities.

You'll pay a big drop-off fee in Germany. If your parents must use a car, pick it up in Germany and drop it there - you can travel between Vienna and Salzburg easily enough by train.

But it might be wisest just to use the train for the whole trip - all your destinations have train stations, and the car necessitates a lengthy return to Munich after the Rhine. Gas is around $7/gallon.

Germany: I'd use the train to go from Salzburg to Munich (28 Euros for two on regional trains with a Bavaria ticket/daypass) and set up there for several days; they could do daytrips to Füssen and Mittenwald, or stay overnight in one of those places (again 28 Euros per train travel day for two.)

The Eagle's nest is a restaurant - not a museum; you'll catch some alpine scenery in Mittenwald and Garmisch.

The trip north to Rothenburg would also be 28 Euros total by train - it's in Bavaria too.

Cheaper advance sale tickets for travel to Innsbruck and to the more distant Rhine/Mosel from Rothenburg (only 19 Euros each to Mainz) can be purchased at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Once in the Rhine/Mosel region (in your case from Mainz on) the same sort of 28-euro daypasses will work for daytrips. Mainz is a good spot for your final night - about 25 minutes to FRA from there by train.

Cochem is a gorgeous town with cobblestones, old walls and towers for a stay on the Mosel (which by the way is excellent for leisurely bike rides.) On the Rhine, attractive St. Goar is a good spot - it has its own castle and offers a prime view of the most attractive part of the gorge and the best transport connections (train, cruise boat AND ferry connection to the opposite bank.) A short train ride north along the east bank from St. Goar takes you to Braubach, where you can tour Marksburg Castle:

www.marksburg.de