Thank you in advance for any advice and help.
High school graduation trip for June '25. Two weeks for two adults and the graduate. We want to fly from Atlanta into Munich and then take a train to Switzerland and work our way across to Vienna for a few days before the flight home. Breathtaking views, architecture and good food are the main goals with some light hiking. Berchtesgaden for sure and the Dolomites if feasible. Not looking to stay at the Ritz but definitely on the nicer side. Thanks again for suggestions and tips!
Posted by
Green Bay
22155 posts
Any reason for not flying into Zurich and out of Vienna. Berner Oberland as breathtaking view in spades. Dolomites are a bit of a detour south of Innsbruck if you have the time. Key is jotting down your wish list and seeing if there is enough time to do each justice.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Direct flights (Delta) seemed cheaper at first glance and Munich was somewhere the graduate wanted to visit. He took German in HS and became interested after an assignment. Certainly not a requirement if it complicates itenerary / logistics.
Posted by
Florida
1456 posts
Here is an idea to get you started. You can do all this by train.
3 nights in Munich, then train to Bern
2 nights in Bern or Luzern
3 nights in Murren high in the alps
2 nights in Salzberg
3 nights Vienna
Since you'll have a high school graduate with you, I have one strong recommendation for you. A short downhill walk from Murren is the hamlet of Gimmelwald, which is home to my absolute favorite place to stay in the entire world: the Mountain Hostel. It's a gold mine of great youngsters in their 20s and 30s. While you stay in a comfy room in Murren, it might be fun to let your graduate stay at the hostel to get a taste of independence while in Europe.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11955 posts
As Sam said, it is key to jot down your musts and wishes then work on the logistics to see what you can do justice to in 2 weeks.
Transfers between these mountainous regions can be time consuming. Just Mürren to Salzburg takes about 9 hours by train. Flying isn’t much, if any, better. We recently transfer from the Dolomites to Lauterbrunnen and spent a night in Zürich versus taking 10 hours for the transfer which would have had us arriving in a very small town about 6pm. On a long trip, that one night stay is no big deal but in a two week trip, one night stays and long transfer days eat up pleasure time.
A planning rule we try to follow is no less than 3 nights in a location and where mountains an weather are concerned, 4 nights is better so your chances of at least some nice days are enhanced,
It would save time and, in the long run, money to fly into Switzerland if that is a high priority/centerpiece of your trip. I have found the best train trip planning tool to be the Swiss site, www.sbb.ch/en. Here you can plot routes between Switzerland and all neighboring countries.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2735 posts
You’ll definitely get to some gorgeous mountains. The Dolomites are stunning. We visited in 2023, along with a stay in Wengen. We’ve previously visited Berchtesgaden.
The Dolomites were our favorite for the truly other-worldly views, amazing food combining German and Italian favorites, friendly people, and much lower cost than Switzerland. We stayed at La Tambra restaurant and hotel in a family apartment. Gorgeous views from the balcony, and the best pizza and steak we’ve ever had. I would choose the Dolomites over Berchtesgaden, if time demands it.
I also recommend flying into Zurich, then flying out of Vienna or Munich.