My wife and I are traveling from Venice on Wednesday afternoon and need to be in Munich by Friday evening. What is the best method route for crossing the border, taking in lower Bavaria (Berchtesgaden or Fussen) and then working our way to Munich? What cities south of Munich offer the most charm?

Salzburg is on the way and a day there is bliss - one of Europe's finest looking cities - a Baroque fantasy nestled in verdant Sound of Music hills.

1.5 hours before Munich

or head to Innsbruck, which has better rail links to Fussen (train Innsbruck to Reutte, Austria and hop buses or taxis the few miles thru the gap to Fussen. This is a scenic rail route that goes thru a bit of Germany at Garmisch and by the Zugspitze base

Berchtesgaden is just a short train ride from Salzburg by a new S-Bahn service.

Thanks for the info. Is it feasible to drive to Salzburg from Venice (once off the island?) What is the distance, and what is actual time? How tough is it to cross borders in a rental?

www.mappy.com for distances

borders themselves in these Schengen Accord countries means you may not even know when entering Austria but check with your car rental company if they have any restrictions - drop off charges out of the country may be steep.

Train fare is not all that much.

Just did some checking and rates are beyond crazy to drive. What is the best place to find train schedules and rates for multi-country. I have been to a few sites, but none seem to be perfect.

Hi R,

Are you planning to drop off an Italian car in Germany? High drop off fees.

Train schedules are at www.bahn.de or http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

You can also use www.viamichelin.com for driving routes.