We are planning a trip to Germany and Switzerland in July 2025. I need help with my itinerary and I'm looking for improvements or suggestions. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers that will be turning 16 on this trip. My daughters would like to hike or go biking but I'm unsure where to do this. This is what I have planned. Fly into Munich from US. Sites we would like to see
Day 1- Arrive in Munich, Deutches Museum & dinner at Hofbrauhaus
Day 2- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, English Garden
Day 3- Day trip to Neuschwanstein & Lindehof Palace
Day 4- Travel to Zermatt
Day 5- Matterhorn & glacier viewing (Gornergrat Railway & Forest Fun Park)
Day 6- Travel to Lucerne- take scenic boat cruise
Day 7- Day trip to Mt. Titlis or Mt. Pilatus (undecided but leaning towards Mt. Titlis)
Day 8- Travel to Zurich & depart.
We do not want to rent a car. I'm overwhelmed with all of the choices for trains and other passes. Should we travel to Zermatt at all? Is it too far out of the way? Any tips or advice would be appreciated.
Posted by
Paradise
7134 posts
My daughters would like to hike or go biking but I'm unsure where
to do this. This is what I have planned...**
Let's see how you handle my curveball...
Germany offers these activities all around the country. I enjoy easy-medium hikes of maybe 2-3 hours at a time, preferrably with great views and few crowds. I also like biking, on the flat, with rides that are scenic and easy. My favorite place for this is the Mosel River Valley, where both opportunities exist together. A few examples:
Hiking:
- The Calmont: https://en.visitmosel.de/hiking/tour/the-calmont-klettersteig
- The Moselsteig: https://en.visitmosel.de/hiking/moselsteig-trail-stages
- The hike to Prinzenkopf lookout (near the Calmont): https://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/en/point/viewpoint/prinzenkopfturm/8607678/
These bike rides are near the Calmont and Zell: https://www.komoot.com/guide/71218/cycling-around-zell-mosel
Burg Eltz Castle - Rick's favorite castle in Europe - is easy to visit from the Mosel River. Reichsburg Castle and Marksburg Castle are too.
All the above places lie on/near the Mosel River train line between Koblenz and Trier. On the Mosel, you'll be hitting old-world towns and villages like these.
Zermatt is a long trip. The most dramatic alpine scenery IMO is in the Berner Oberland. See Rick's advice. But Luzern and thereabouts is nice too. I'd go with the B.O.
Munich, Dachau, Neuschwanstein, the Hofbrauhaus, etc.: I'd advise against these destinations in the heart of summer. It's a tourist swarm, which I suppose is OK if you hope to spend your days largely with your US and other international tourists. The Mosel will be "busy" too, it will seem less so (and most visitors are from German/Europe.) For interesting "big-city" visits with museums, etc., Cologne, Trier (Roman History,) and Mainz combine well with these other Mosel destinations. Mainz is only 20 train minutes from Frankfurt Airport.
To sum things up here... I think a few days in the Mainz/Cologne/Trier Mosel region, combined with a few days in the Bernese Oberland, compares well with your current plans. You can get between Mainz and Lauterbrunnen (B.O.) in just under 6 hours (8:42 - 14:26, or 14:42 - 20:26, for example.)