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Itinerary Help!! TO THE WEST!

Posted by (ann arbor, michigan, USA) on

Hi,

I need some help planning for my first trip to Europe. I'll be traveling solo between mid-May to early June for 22 days. I've bought an open jaw flying into frankfurt (cheapest from nyc) and out of madrid. I'd like a mixture of outdoorsy stuff (25yrs old and wouldn't mind a sweat) and unique cultural experiences.

Places I definitely want to go include experiencing the Alps (i was thinking gimmelwald) and barcelona/sevilla (at least 7 days in spain). Outside of those two places, I'm open to anything in between. I was thinking I'd start with a castle in Germany (Burg Eltz, worth going in the opposite direction?) then Munich (1 or 2 days) then either head over to switzerland and spend 2 or 3 days in the Alps or if I have time, stop in venice (1 or 2 days) then the Alps. At this point, would I have time to go to paris before barcelona? Also, is it worth getting the 15 day eurail global for my trip? While I'm in spain, I was thinking barcelona/andalucia/sevilla/madrid.

Suggestions? Additional places/things to keep in mind?

Posted by
82 posts

Heidelberg is a pretty town with a nice castle. It's about an hour of train from Frankfurt. I guess it's pretty touristy but I really liked it. Don't spend more than a day there though or you'll get bored.

Posted by
2092 posts

Kaiser, to begin my planning on where to go, I use the Deutsch Bahn site (see"Favorite Links" above) to find the best connections. For example last year we needed to be in Aix en Provence and from there we wanted to go to Florence. We didn't really want to do an overnight train--with a 2-hour transit at 2:30am!--so decided to stop over in Monterosso for 2 nights even though we had been there 2 years before. The Cinque Terre was a great vacation from our vacation. Of course, having one of Rick's planning maps helps and for a first trip, a copy of Europe Through the Back Door and Best of Europe. (No, I don't work for ETBD, I just appreciate them!)

Posted by
343 posts

Kaiser, I'm surprised your not flying out of Metro. NW or Lufthansa fly nonstop to Frankfurt. I can second the Heidelberg suggestion. The castle and the pedestrian zone are enjoyable. My family and I like Rothenburg. The nightwatchmans tour was interesting (1 hour) and we like to walk around parts of the wall and to climb the tower right off the main square. Munich is a good choice also. We have spent a week just hanging out in Bavaria, I never tire of its beauty.

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