Planning a honeymoon-style trip to surprise my wife. We only have two weeks but would prefer to enjoy the places rather than spend too much time on transportation. My brother-in-law told me Germany-Swiss is romantic and a good combination. We will be traveling on Late April and prefer to start/end at Frankfurt/Munich. I can drive manual so rent-a-car isn't an issue.

Due to the limited time and geographic location, I think I have to give up Berlin. Also, I would like to hear if Cologne and Salzburg (Austria) are worth to go.

Of course we won't miss the Romantic Road; my question is how many days should we spend on. Some guide books suggest 6-7 days, would it be too much for a two-week trip (even though it's a honeymoon-style)? We would like to see some diversity of the country.

I have heard that the Black Forest area (Southwest of Germany?) is good too. How is it?

Any breathtaking scenic place to do a hike?

I don't know much about Swiss and need your input to make this trip happen.

Thanks a lot!

I realize this is not answering your questions and you are trying to do a lovely thing, so please do not think I am being critical, only asking these things because of personal prefs and they may not apply to your wife at all. If they don't, then ignore them - just something to think about.

Have you been to Europe before?
If she has not been to Europe, are Switzerland and Germany places your wife has expressed an interest in? Are these the places she would most like to see on a first trip? If she has always wanted to see Paris, for example, and you take her to Germany, might she be a little disappointed?
It will still be cool there. Some places may/will have lots of snow. Would she enjoy that, or rather be someplace warmer?
Are hiking and mountains things she finds romantic?
I would not rely on the opinions of your BIL unless you know absolutely that they are also the interests and opinions of your wife.

Does your wife actually like surprises this big?
IMHO, a little surprise is nice. A trip like this is more than a little surprise. Some women love them. Others hate them.

Two weeks is a great length of time for a wonderful trip.
The Black Forest has lost a lot of trees in recent years. It is just another forested landscape to me. There are quaint and charming towns, but two or three days on the Romantic Road was enough for me. That is very personal though. Salzburg is lovely and interesting, but there are hundreds of lovely interesting places/cities/countries.

What does you wife like: castles, palaces, museums, quaint towns, walking, cafes, hiking, etc? Does she like staying in one place and ambling around, doing day trips, or driving a lot from place to place? These are the big questions for you to answer. Then people can help you decide on a firmer plan.

yes - if this is your first trip to europe, where has your wife dreamt of visiting? does she really lie awake at nights fantasising about Frankfurt? she may of course love the idea, but OTOH, she may just prefer Paris, Venice and Rome.

If this is a surprise trip for your wife ( and how do you do that - she has to find out in advance to be able to get time off work, get organized, pack etc) wouldn;t it be better to try to remember or determine where SHE would like to go.

I have been more than 90 times - and while there are parts of Germany and Switzerland that I love - I wouldn;t do it in April. Likely to be still chilly and possibly rainy - and there will be snow in the mountains. Many of the mountain gondolas are closed then for repairs/renovation and hiking certainly won;t be at it's best.

I would try to find out where she really wants to go - and then combine it with some things that you would like to do.

We had been to London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Scandinavia before. She hasn't expressed any specific countries to go this time; she just wanted to getaway from work and relax. She enjoys old buildings and quiet towns. Walking and hiking are fine for her as she is pretty active and we go biking and hiking regularly. She LOVES flea market.

We live in America and feel comfortable at 10-15 degree C. To us, some snow on the mountains would be more scenic. We HATE crowd, so definitely want to have the trip before mid-May.

She knows that I am planning a trip, so it wouldn't be a clueless surprise. Eventually she will know the arrival and departure cities on the ticket but she won't know the itinerary.

Since we have been to Northern Europe, so now I'm thinking about Central or Southern Europe. I heard that Italy is nice but worry about the crime rate and too touristy. Greece Isles are my favorites too but some of friends said they sometimes are overrated.

Based on the previous trips, I think spending 2-3 days in each town/city works the best for us. Driving 3-4 hours each day is not a problem for us.

If April/May is not the best season for visiting Germany, which European countries should I go at this time of the year?

Thanks for all you input : )

"...while there are parts of Germany and Switzerland that I love - I wouldn;t do it in April. Likely to be still chilly and possibly rainy - and there will be snow in the mountains."

Spring is not a good time for high elevations (German Alps) but for much of Germany, it is the perfect time to travel! Crowds are thin. Attractions are open. Days are long. High temperatures average 15-20 degrees C in Frankfurt, and it rains LESS there in May than it does in June, July, or August - you can check the climate data here:

http://www.climatedata.eu/climate.ph...xx0185&lang=en

"She enjoys old buildings and quiet towns. Walking and hiking are fine for her as she is pretty active and we go biking and hiking regularly. She LOVES flea market."

Frankfurt itself isn't what I'd call "romantic." But near Frankfurt, in the Middle Rhine and Mosel River valleys, you'll find what you are looking for. Nothing wrong with the biking and hiking here, an area stuffed with castles, vineyards, and attractive villages:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6cQizi2jk
(apologies for the dumb music, but this gives you an idea of what it's like - nice paths and amazing scenery.)

The Rheinsteig trail offers great scenery too:

http://www.rheinsteig.de/en/

Staying in a castle can be romantic:

http://hotel-schoenburg.com/

Be sure to take a tour of this one:

www.marksburg.de (in Braubach)

Towns to stay in: Boppard, Braubach, Kaub, St. Goar and Oberwesel are all very nice.

"...and it rains LESS there in May than it does in June, July, or August..." Oops. I left out April. It rains less in April too!

I guess a big question for a big couple of countries, which in April may be cold. My thoughts would be

1) There are natural spas in Germany 38C 12% salt water which many women appreciate as they get nicely warm and recuperate after a busy day hiking or shoping, so keep an eye open for one of those
2) Switzerland's prices are through the roof at the moment so while you may not mind paying a bit extra for a special holiday imagine paying double what you would expect for everything.
3) Germany is covered in bike trails so maybe have a look at the Lake Constance cycle trail that includes Germany, austria and Switzerland. http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk
4) Black forest (home of the kookoo clock) has fine walking as does the Harst mountains

Ideas above also good. You might also have a look at the German tourist board's website which has a great number of catalogues