Crazy or do-able 14 day itinerary to germany and austria

Have you looked at public transportation? I am thinking to Hallstatt and Neuschwanstein. My son has been to both recently and said difficult to get to and over crowded. He left at 6 am for Hallstatt. It would be easier with a car but very over run with tourists. I didn’t think neuschwanstein was as exceptional inside as outside.

I would consider eliminating a day trip and adding it to Vienna which is a marvelous city that could easily entertain you for a week.

I am always of the opinion that if you have to ask, you know the answer. I assume you are experienced travelers familiar with many aspects of traveling in Europe especially via rail. For some it could be OK but for us we would never do it. There is no down time to simply relax and absorb your surrounds. It is so tight that the smallest misstep will throw you off schedule. But you may be comfortable with that so it is not a problem for you. In our travel plans our fourth or fifth day is totally unscheduled so that the schedule can be adjusted as necessary. There is no time for jet lag adjustment. Personally, you need a looser schedule.

Not the least bit crazy for two middle-aged women! We didn't make it to Salzburg on our Germany/Austria trip in 2015, but I have some thoughts to share on Munich and Vienna.

If this were my trip, I would want more time in Vienna. Vienna is one of my favorite places ever. Go to the Vienna Opera House website as soon as your travel dates are set and buy the most expensive seats you can afford to whatever is available. I don't regret much, but I do regret skimping on seats for the amazing performance of Don Giovanni we attended there.

We used Vienna Explorer for a small-group tour to the Wachau Valley. At various times of the year, the tour of Melk Abbey is replaced by a boat ride. Durnstein, and everything else we saw that day, was well worth our time and money.

https://www.viennaexplorer.com/tours

Consider substituting Nuremberg for Neuschwanstein - even if you're not WWII freaks.

I put the BMW Museum and "World" on our itinerary for my husband - turns out I loved them more than he did. The museum is like the Tate Modern with cars and motorcycles.

Have a great trip!

I agree with traylaparks - go for it. I am envious of the portions of your trip until you get to Munich, where I haven’t yet been, so can’t speak to. I know what Frank is saying about being tired; but if I don’t schedule an early morning for the train travel days, those days are actually good for relaxing for me. For Hallstatt, you could always look at a tour or driver if public transportation eats up too much of the day. And I will say that I think a trip to Berchtesgaden and boat on Konigsee might rival Hallstatt and be much easier.

traylaparaks--thank you for the suggestions. the link to the vienna explorer tours looks great! any suggestions for a link to tours from Munich?

I don't consider it crazy. I also find the trains to be a lovely break to recharge. The only thing I'm noticing is that you don't seem to have much time for Vienna since your time is being used by day trips.

Longing4heaven - We didn't take any tours in Munich. We hired Tour Guide Kevin for his WWII Combo Tour in Nuremberg. He met us at the Nuremberg train station and dropped us off at a wonderful place for sausage and beer after the tour. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish we had also taken one of his city tours of Nuremberg in the afternoon.

https://tourguide-kevin.com/

I'm in the camp that your trip is not crazy. If I'm assigning nights correctly, you'll spend 4 nights in Salzburg, 2 nights in Bad Gastein, 3 nights in Vienna, and 4 nights in Munich. That doesn't seem crazy at all. There are some longish travel days in there, but if you don't mind that, I think you're good.

To hit some prior points:

-I splurged on great seats for the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) and did not regret it.

-I agree that a trip to Königssee from Salzburg would be easier to undertake than a trip to Hallstatt and could be comparably rewarding. If you like hiking, there is a fairly easy hike at the far end of the lake (take the boat all the way to the Salet stop). The hike takes you to a smaller lake called Obersee, around that lake on the right (on a bit of a rocky path), past a snack hut, and then through an alpine meadow (past grazing/resting cows) to Röthbach Waterfall. The hike out and back takes 90-120 minutes. I'm in my mid-40's, in ok shape at best, and did it without trouble.

-In Nuremberg, I did Kevin's Old Town Walking Tour and WWII Combo Tour. The Old Town Tour was excellent. The WWII Combo Tour had great information, excellent pacing, and allowed me to see the sights I wanted to see efficiently, but it had a bit of a "Nazis as knuckleheads" tone without much nuance. I did a Nazi tour in Munich with a young native German guide; it was SO much more interesting to get a German's take on the Nazi era, and the tour was much more thoughtful.

-I used Pure Bavaria Tours for a private tour that took me and a friend to Partnachklamm from Munich in 2016. It was pricey, but the guide was excellent, and we had a lot of fun. The company also does small-group tours to Neuschwanstein and other places in Bavaria from Munich. I think the trips are usually limited to 8 people and transportation is in a van instead of a big bus, so they are a little more expensive than the big bus tours. They will pick you up at your hotel, even on the small group tours.

I don't think it's too crazy but I would check into flying into Vienna and out Munich to minimize time on trains and maximize sightseeing.

As getting to Hohenschwangau from Munich will probably involve train changes and then local buses, you might consider an organized tour. Entry to the Castles at Hohenschwangau are at the time specified on your ticket, which is purchased and/or picked up at the ticket office in town the day of. You might want to leave all that to the tour operator.

The train ride to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein is very easy. We took the train from the main Munich train station to Fussen. At Fussen, there is a bus stop, and the bus takes folks to the castle and leaves at least every half hour.

We did a similar trip a number of years ago. My suggestion would be to fly into Vienna and see the sights in Vienna. I would give Vienna an extra day at least. From Vienna take the train to Krems on the Danube and catch the ferry to Melk. You will need to coordinate the train arrival time with the ferry departure time. Get to the ferry early to get a seat up top if the day is sunny. Seats go fast on the open air level. You will sail past Durnstein. Leave the ferry at Melk and spend the night. See the sights in Melk the next day and then train to Salzburg. See all the sights you want to visit from Salzburg. Then train to Munich. You can do a Gray Line tour to Neuschwanstein and Oberammergau. Big bus tours are not my favorite thing but this makes for an efficient trip without dealing with train schedules, ticketing for Neuschwanstein, etc. Finally depart from Munich for home. If you are planning to be in Munich during Oktoberfest you will need to get your hotel accommodations settled soon. This may prove difficult as hotel accommodations get booked up early for Oktoberfest. September is a lovely time to visit Germany and Austria.