Hi all! My family is traveling in Italy for 2 weeks and then my husband will be staying on solo for another 7 days, starting in Rome and ending (and flying home) from Berlin. He wants to leave Italy once we depart and head north. The 7 days will include all travel days, including the flight out of Berlin back to the States. He's looking for itinerary suggestions - things he's considered so far is taking a train from Rome to Salzburg. The going to Fussen to Munich and ending in Berlin. It's a lot of places - something we'd never try as a family but he may be able to swing it solo. Still, he's a bit undecided. Looking for all thoughts and suggestions, including whether he should fly or take the train initially to leave Rome.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
What sort of things is he interested in seeing and doing?
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7935 posts
Month? Year? Has anyone in the family been to Europe before?
Google Maps isn't that accurate for travel details, but it suggests that Rome-Salzburg alone is 9 or 10 hours on the train. His seven days are going to evaporate pretty quickly. If he can stay with only small luggage, maybe he could start with a discount air ticket?
Berlin is an excellent visit, but you can only scratch the surface of Berlin in a day or two. He may with to think more realistically about his objectives. Perhaps he could concentrate on southern Germany, and fly home from Frankfurt or Munich? Or on Northern Germany, to fly home from Berlin.
As others noted, we need to know his interests and objectives. Family history? War history interests? Mountains? Specific museums? Mozart and Bach?
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7050 posts
Google maps' advice should be taken with a grain of salt. But there are direct night trains from Rome to Salzburg, they are probably the most time efficient way to travel between the cities. The day trains are also an option, it takes some time but the route through the Alps is very scenic.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thanks for the replies so far! To answer some of the questions, this isn’t any of our first times visiting Europe and husband is very comfortable traveling solo in other countries. His interests are hiking, museums, good food. He will probably skip cathedrals or anything religious. And the time period will be late May.
This makes me think he should either just go to Berlin via plane or do the Alps for hiking and then maybe fly out of Munich instead of Berlin.
Posted by
Lake District, England
8127 posts
Or, if just going straight to Berlin there is a night jet train from Rome to Munich, from where it is 4 hours on an ICE to Berlin.
No need to connect straight through. Could have the day in Munich then take an evening ICE.
Posted by
Germany
645 posts
I would suggest Dresden and Saxon Switzerland. Museums in Dresden, great hiking nearby in the Sächsische Schweiz. Towns like Rathen are an easy distance from Dresden and you can hike amazing places like the Basteibrücke. Really lovely area.
There is great hiking in Austria and very southern Germany, but the good museums in Munich are a bit further away. Or hike in northern Italy / Austria / southern Germany, then do museums in Berlin.