First Trip Confusion!

Hi Mark.....Starting from scratch I would suggest: fly to Paris, fly to Venice, train to Salzburg, study hard. But, if you must start from Munich, I think Frank's idea of the northern part of Italy sounds like a lot of fun. Whatever you decide, unless you have a personal need to visit Zurich I suggest you drop it to use the time elsewhere.

To help get an idea of distances and drive times, visit: viamichelin.com.

If you really have to see those places, Amsterdam, Paris, and Zürich, fly into Amsterdam, take Thalys to Paris, then the train to Zürich and on to Munich.

There are plenty of Europa-Spezial fares from Zürich to Munich for €29 per person, €58 for two. You'll spend at least half of that just for fuel.

All that driving is really going to eat up that week... If it was me I would pick either Paris or Amsterdam and spend my time in that one place. That way you can actually relax and get to know the place. There is plenty to do in either city and side-trips to nearby small towns are easy and cheap via train. At the most I would divide my time between Paris and Amsterdam, but 2-3 days in either city isn't much time IMO. Any travel that is around four hours one-way is basically a day lost when you factor-in packing/unpacking, finding your hotel/apartment, etc.

Car rentals are expensive and the price of gas will blow your mind; it was the equivalent of $6.50/gallon when we rented a car in 2005 and I suspect that it has gone up a bit since then... Then you have to deal with maps, new road signs and generally expensive parking fees.

If you have a few weeks and want to tour the European countryside then a car may be just the ticket; we were glad to be rid of our rental after five days!

If you can get to your destination in four hours or less by train then I would go that route instead of flying... If you fly you have to factor-in time spent getting to and from the airport and allowing enough time for checking-in and security, plus luggage hassles.

Trains are more relaxing and they usually arrive in the city center or within easy walking distance in smaller towns. Luggage is a non-issue and you can enjoy the scenery and your fellow travelers.

If possible I suggest flying into the city you want to visit first rather than flying to Munich and immediately getting on the road for your real destination. Going back and forth between destinations doesn't make much sense to me... Fly into Paris/Amsterdam, take the fast train to the other city and then train/fly to Salzburg. You can buy an "open jaw" ticket that may be a bit more expensive but you won't be using vacation time flying in and out of the same airport.

You better get your room reservations, etc. ASAP!

Mark, I assume that you already reserved an airplane ticket for flying to Munich. If you will be in Europe for only one week before you begin attending classes in Salzburg : I recommend that you stay in Austria that week. The day you arrive at the Munich airport : immediately ride in trains to Salzburg, check in to a Hotel in Salzburg. You might want to sleep there for two hours, in the middle of the day.
If you will be a professional attorney at Law, I guess you will be able to afford another trip to Europe, later. In that future trip, you can go to all the countries and cities in Europe that you want to go to. In this trip to Austria, I suggest that you stay in Austria. I suggest, First whole day in Austria: be a tourist in Salzburg. 2nd day : ride in a train to Halstat. 3rd Day : Ride in a train from Halstat to Salzburg, it could include a stop for a visit at Bad Ischl. 4th Day : ride in a train from Salzburg to Melk : visit the Abbey (it is large, opulent, I liked its Library.

Hi Mark,
With just 1 week I'd look at a map and focus on things that you'd like to see nearer to Salzburg--Vienna and surrounding area or travel to the Alsace region of France, Slovenia, or Switzerland--though it's possible to visit some of these regions on week-ends while you're in classes (?). On the other hand, if Paris or Amsterdam are destinations you really want to visit, look at the budget airlines that fly there from Munich (www.whichbudget.com). Trains are very efficient and renting a car can be a hassle--especially for the long distances you're describing. It does take a lot of research and if you have the time that's the fun part--Rick's books help lay out itineraries and you can get them from the library as a starting point to look at different regions for ideas about transportation, hotels, etc. Best wishes!

Kent and others contributed to this post about trip planning. Also, remember that this won't be your last trip to Europe!

Itinerary Planning

I doubt it would be cheaper to drive; it certainly won't be faster. Amsterdam to Paris is served by the high-speed Thalys, and Paris to Zurich is also serviced by the high-speed TGV. The end of June is cutting it a bit close with the advance fares, but you might be able to get a non-refundable ticket for about 50 euros. Full fares will be about 100 euros.
Parking in both Amsterdam and Paris is very expensive!

Hi Mark. You said you will fly to Munich, and you will begin attending classes in Salzburg one week later. I suggest : stay in Austria. Ride in railroad passenger trains. I would go to Halstat in Austria (stay there one night) to see a big lake surrounded by Alps mountains. And go to Vienna, to visit the Schonbrunn Palace. I think a student would want to be at Salzburg, to get oriented to the town, and settled in, for at least two days before your classes begin there.

I read the linked post Sharon and I sound like many of the travelers mentioned in the post!

One of the posts asked that the travelers provide more info of our interests, etc. I'd say we're most interested in history especially World War II sites. I also like seeing things related to business and law such as the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Though I'm not opposed to backpacking, it's not my first choice. As far as funds to travel when we touch down, we have between 2000 and 2500 euros but I'll have to make that last for cheap meals during the time in Salzburg. And finally there is an excursion planned for Vienna with the class on one weekend and the other weekend will be free. I thought about going the other way in Austria, to Innsbrook.

I have a question about the rental car. Even if I stay closer I would figure it would be less expensive to rent a car for a week. I think I could probably get one for $300 off a place like Hotwire. Then even with the gas pretty high it would be cheaper than hopping on a train, especially if I wanted to visit more than 1 or 2 places. Before I started doing research I thought about riding around Europe on the train but looking at RS's train prices for two is pretty steep. But maybe I should scrap the whole car thing if everybody's advice is to stay in Austria?

Hi Mark,
For something different than Austria since you'll be there for a few weeks you could train to Strasbourg, France (about 5 hours and 69 Euro each way) to see the seat of the European Union--check out the Wikipedia entry for Strasbourg to see if it looks interesting. You could stay in a smaller town nearby like Colmar for example. For lots of W.W. II history, great museums, and a relatively inexpensive cost you could train or fly to Berlin from Munich (check out AirBerlin).

Mark, you're with your girlfriend. Get out of the lawyer mode and think relationship mode....ask her what she wants to see. Somehow, I'm guessing courtrooms and battlefields are not high on her list.

Fly into Munich, go through Switzerland, down into italy, head toward Venice, north to Salzburg.

Lots of beautiful scenery, lots of romantic places, lots of history.

You're already going into Vienna with the class, and Innsbruck is a great idea for the other weekend. Look into train passes instead of a car. The scenery is beautiful. Why miss it while trying to drive the mountain roads.

If you really prefer Amsterdam and Paris, don't drive. It will take too long for the time you have. Look into cheap flights.

One question no one asked...how much luggage do you have? If a lot, your options might have to change.
Think about flying into Salzburg. There are plenty of cheap airlines that go there. Drop off most of your luggage and then take a small carryon for the rest

...Have overnight accomodation at Melk. (I liked Melk, it has beautiful old buildings and friendly Austrian people). 5th day : ride in a bus from Melk to Krems, ride on boat on Danube River from Krems (a pleasant town) to St. Michael, ride in bus and train to Salzburg. Read about all of that in the book " Rick Steves' GERMANY & AUSTRIA, 2008". Enjoy Salzburg.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Your genorousity overwhelms me. I'm getting the hint...don't rent a car! And I don't have to see all the countries I was talking about, it would be better to have a fun, relaxing vacation then to just check the boxes off the list. Many of you have been suggesting riding the train, even if staying completely in Austria. Does that mean one of the passes like RS sells the best option? I noticed that the fewer the countries, the less days traveling the price goes way down than having a multi-day Euro pass. Or should I buy station to station tickets. Also there is a gentleman I ran into that happened to be born in Salzburg. He said it was best to book all my travel in the US rather than once I'm there. Is this true? Does this even apply to things that can be done on-line?

Hi Mark. If you will be in Austria only, I think an Austria railroad train Pass is the best value for you. The price for the Austria Pass for unlimited travel in trains in Austria, any 3 days, is $ 128. per person, for the "2nd Class Saver". That is the rail pass that you want. Read about it at this website (click on "Railpasses" at the top of this web page). Buy the rail pass in the United States of America. I recommend : buy the Rail Pass from Rick Steves' business. (He has an employee in Edmonds who works with rail passes, only). If you buy the rail pass from Rick Steves, the total price for it is likely to be lower than the price for buying it from a travel agent in your town. And Rick Steves might give you an extra item : a good map. Buy the Rail pass, using a credit card. Rick's business will send the rail pass to you, quickly. I like Austria !

The price for the Austria Rail pass (3 days) might be the same as the total of the prices you would pay for riding in trains in Austria for 3 days, buying a ticket at a train station there each day. But I recommend buyng the rail pass : if you have a rail pass you will not need to buy tickets at train stations those three days. Just walk into a train, show your validated and signed Austria rail pass to the conductor. If you ride in a train from Salzburg to Melk, you might want to pay extra money for reserving seats in the train. (That is a main railroad line between Salzburg and Vienna).

Hi Mark,
You've done a lot of great work already on planning this trip and you're right--taking the train is probably the best option. Since you're going to be in Austria for 3 weeks anyway, I really like Frank's idea of heading to Italy for a few days--it's only a 5.5 hour train ride from Munich and you could stay in Venice or Verona (a little less touristy than Venice.) From Verona or other northern Italian smaller cities you could go to Venice--2 hours by train from Verona--for a day trip. Point-by-point rail tickets aren't too expensive if you can book in advance. Get Rick's book and check out hotel or hostel options--best to book before you go in high season.