My boyfriend and I are planning our first European adventure. He's never been out of the country and is 24. I've been to France, Switzerland, Germany (just Munich), Italy (Tuscany, Florence, Rome and Venice) and Ireland and am 30. We have narrowed down our interest to Germany and Italy. I am looking for some suggested stops/itineraries - We definitely want to see some castles in Germany and my boyfriend is a very big beer connoisseur; I want to go back to Venice for sure - I also have some interest in visiting some coastal areas in Italy. We plan on flying into to Germany (Frankfurt) and out of Italy (Rome or Milan). We enjoy food and wine and we are very active we don't want to rush but we would like to see some great spots while we are in Europe for our short time frame.
Posted by
Chicago
8041 posts
Go to Bamberg try that smoked beer.
to Fussen (base to see Neuschwanstein castle).
Fussen to Innsbruck to Verona to Venice to Cinque Terre to Milan.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA, United States
451 posts
Back in 2012 we went to Germany and Italy (along with Switzerland). We really enjoyed Munich and the Fussen area. If you stay in Munich be sure to take a day trip to the Andechs Monastery brewery. We also really enjoyed Bacharach and took a day trip to Burg Eltz, which I enjoyed even more than Neuschwanstein. I wish we had more time to explore that area and there is good wine too, especially if you like Riesling. In Italy we went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre. I loved all of them though we only stayed in Florence for a night. We are returning to Rome this summer and I am looking forward to seeing more of the city and doing some of the things we didn't have time for the first time. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
NSW Australia
703 posts
if you are going to venice and also want to visit coastal areas, for a totally 'different' experience, consider lido jesolo, its only a simple local bus/ferry ride into venice. worth a look. ( check out the 'million' beach umbrellas etc on google maps)
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Arrive Frankfurt. To Rhine (2N)
To Wurzburg (2N)
- with day to Rothenburg ob T
To Munich (4N)
- with days to Fussen+Neuschwanstein, Nuremberg/Salzburg
To Venice (3N)
To Florence (3N)
To Rome (3N)
Depart Rome
Posted by
Paradise
6773 posts
"We definitely want to see some castles in Germany and my boyfriend is a very big beer connoisseur; I want to go back to Venice for sure - I also have some interest in visiting some coastal areas in Italy. We plan on flying into to Germany (Frankfurt) and out of Italy (Rome or Milan)."
I imagine you'll have a week minimum in each country. Below are some ideas for Germany and for local transportation there.
FRA to the Rhine/Mosel region - this is your best one-stop region for castles and old-world Germany. There are dozens of castles in this area - many are privately owned but there are three main castles open to the public. Burg Eltz (not far from Cochem on the Mosel) has been suggested already. To get there you take an hour's walk from nearby Moselkern train station. Marksburg Castle in Braubach (near Koblenz on the Rhine) is another great choice. Both provide English-language tours. Rheinfels Castle ruins and museum in St. Goar (further south of Koblenz) can be toured without a guide.
Cochem and Braubach are very attractive towns to visit. Most people plan to do a river cruise in this area as well to see the castle-studded Rhine River. Bingen to St. Goar is the best part and takes 1.5 hours. Here's the cruise boat in St. Goar.
St. Goar is a very good base for the area. You can cross the river by ferry there to get to Marksburg and Braubach. Rheinfels is right in town. And Cochem and Burg Eltz can be visited on a day trip from St. Goar. Trains cover both river valleys with hourly service in each direction and make getting around easy and cheap (VRM day pass for 2-5 costs €22.10/day.) 3-4 nights in this area might give you enough time to see thesecastles, towns, and a couple of other towns near St. Goar (Bacharach, Oberwesel.)
And I would spend 3-4 nights in another area already mentioned where you can indulge your beer passions - Franconia (Northern Bavaria) where BAMBERG is the beer capital. Here's a map of Franconia.
Bamberg's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Bamberg pubs: https://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm
Map of breweries: http://www.franken-sind-keine-baiern.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ausschnitt_Bamberg.jpg
Bamberg sights: https://en.bamberg.info/sehenswertes/
Bamberg is surrounded by other interesting places in Franconia as well - Nuremberg, Würzburg, Iphofen, Bayreuth... It's a great place to snoop around for a few days. (The local transportation network here offers day pass options similar to those in the Rhine/Mosel region for getting around by train.)
I would probably spend a couple of days in Munich after that prior to the trip to Italy.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for the great suggestions and the transportation help as well - I really appreciate the feedback!