Fall Trip -any tips appreciated

Your question is a bit vague - are you looking for tips like the current thread in To The Boot titled "What "extra" item do you never get on the plane without?"? Have you read any guidebooks yet? "Europe Through the Back Door" is an excellent place to start. It's more HOW to travel, not so much WHERE.

Kate, As Eileen mentioned, it would help to have a bit more detail on your travel plans. For example, what is the time frame of the trip? If this is your first trip to Europe, my first "helpful tip" would be to pre-read the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as that will provide a lot of planning tips and other details on "how" to travel in Europe. As you're planning to travel by train, pay careful attention to the "Rail Skills" chapter. Which international airport will you be departing from in California? You're probably right that Frankfurt will be the most economical choice, as it's one of the largest airports in Europe so has lots of flight availability. I also travel from the west coast, and usually end up transiting through Frankfurt regardless of where my end destination is (except for Paris or U.K locations, so that varies somewhat according to the specifics of each trip). Cheers!

If prices are comparable, Munich is a nice clean airport to fly into and out of- doesnt have the traffic and crowds of Frankfurt as your plans all seem to be South of Munich.

Consider an open jaw ticket to save backtracking and perhaps cheaper.

Kate, fall is a great time of year to go to Europe. The crowds tend to be less and the weather is great. You are right, the Frankfurt airport is less expensive and has more flights. Munich is also a great airport to fly in/out of. Or, you could fly into Frankfurt and out of Munich to avoid backtracking. How long is your trip? Use this site to check out train schedules: http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en I would suggest you purchase the Rick Steves' tour books for each of the cities you want to visit. You can actually order them on this website under "Travel Store". They are currently on sale. For hotels, there are several options: Rick Steves' tour books, the "Graffiti Wall" on this website, or ask another question on this traveler's helpline specific to that city. Many people also use the Trip Advisor website. Come back with more info on the specific info you need and we'll try to help.

Frankfurt is probably the most economic nine times out of ten. I would still search a variety of possibilities (and maybe set up fare alerts on search sites) because occasional sales make flights into other cities a bargain. This summer I saw a great deal into Dusseldorf. I once got a great deal from San Diego to London Gatwick with only a brief stop in Phoenix. From London (or other European city) you may be able to tie into dirt cheap hops into other cities (works best with carry-on only).