Itinerary Advice: Paris, Rothenberg, Munich, Lake Como

Wow, that's a lot of movement between locations with not much time to actually see anything! The best advice I can give you is to write down how much time it will actually take between locations - use www.rome2rio.com. Then start eliminating the locations that are too much travel per actual benefit. Most of us on the Travel Forum will share that you really want to be at each hotel at least two nights; otherwise, you waste too much time moving between hotels. You've listed four countries - more a choice for a month-long itinerary. Can you each select a favorite and focus on those?

Actual time example: Normandy (Bayeux) back to Paris is a 2-hour train. Plan an hour to find each hotel and check-in. Even with a reservation, the Eiffel Tower is a couple hours to get there, go up, etc. One museum in Paris would be a couple of hours to enjoy it. Versailles is a half-day. All of that is already too much for just one day.

Paris to Heidelberg is a 3.5 hour train. So, you've already used half a day just to get to Heidelberg.

ajj0216 I count at least 8 changes of location in your itinerary. It takes at least half a day to pick up travel and relocate each time you go to another destination. that means over 1/3 of your trip will be on a train, in a train station, or awaiting transportation, Is it doable? yes, but you will not have as much time at any one place to enjoy it. I would suggest streamlining -hit the major stops (i.e., Paris, Munich) and see if you have time and energy to day trip to the minor stops (e.eg., Rothenburg, castles, Lake Como).

Thank you both for the responses... after fully mapping out the travel distances & costs between all locations, I realize that I was incredibly ambitious in my initial plans!

in italy, stay at the hotel bellagio at the base of lake como, and get a second story room with a balcony which overlooks the lake to the north. stay there at least two nites. i think you're trying to see too many sites and countries for two weeks or less. nick from santa cruz

ajj,

To begin with, congratulations on your upcoming marriage!

I'll just offer a few comments tonight, as it's late.....

• Your Itinerary is far too ambitious with too many changes of location, especially considering the occasion (IMO). Is there any way you could pare it down?
• If you're interested in D-Day history, you may want to schedule two days in Bayeux. I'd suggest taking one of the excellent local tours (perhaps a full day tour) and visiting the Museum in Bayeux and also seeing the famous Tapestry.
• I'd suggest skipping Rothenburg ODT as I'm not sure it's worth the effort in terms of getting there, for such a short time.
• For WW-II history in Munich, you could take a day trip to Dachau (although the subject matter probably isn't well suited to a honeymoon). With the places you want to see in Munich, you might consider adding at least one day there.
• Travel from Munich to Milan is as short as 7H:17M by train (one change in Verona). I always enjoy the trip through the Brenner Pass. I'd probably still use a train on that route, just to avoid the usual airport hassles.
• You might consider staying in Varenna on Lago di Como, as it's a wonderfully scenic location (perfect for Luna di Miele!) and the transportation will also be slightly easier than staying in Bellagio.
• If you're not set on Lago di Como, you might also consider Stresa on Lago Maggiore. While there you could visit the scenic and beautiful Borromeo Islands or perhaps take a day trip to Locarno (Switzterland) on the scenic Cento Valli Railway, returning in the early evening to Stresa via boat.

If this is your first trip to Europe, I'd recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. Use the country or city-specific guidebooks to plan hotels, sightseeing and other things in more detail.