Austria/Germany/Paris in 15 days - itinerary help!

The last train to leave Cologne most days leaves at 18:42 (6:42pm) and arrives at Paris Gare du Nord at 21:59 (one minute to 10pm). It is a high speed Thalys train and attracts a decently high fare at the last minute but considerable savings can be made if purchased, non refundable and non changeable, for a specific seat on a specific train only, well in advance. The Dom (cathedral) and Roman Museum are highlights of Cologne; the "Chocolate Factory" is, unless it has changed dramatically since I was there a few years ago, really a third rate attraction and my wife and I agree not really worth the money or time. We have been on much better experiences elsewhere - the top being the real Cailler chocolate factory tour in Broc near Gruyeres in Switzerland where the show is excellent and comprehensive and the chocolate on offer to sample is way more than either of us could manage. But you may feel it worth the time and effort, everybody is different.

The last train from Trier to Paris is at 19:48 with arrival at Paris Gare de l'Est at 22:50, the previous one is at 17:48, arr 20:54. Both of those require a change at Saarbrucken with little time to spare. Both require advance planning because both change onto trains which require advance reservations. The earlier one is onto a TGV (French), the latter is an ICE (German). ICEs normally don't require reservations but ICEs to Paris do. Failure to have a mandatory reservation when checked by the conductor will result in very high fines.

If you are attempting this rail travel with a railpass like a Eurail Pass you need to be warned that the mandatory reservations required by Thalys and TGV are very expensive for pass holders and difficult to get because of rationing by the French, and that the seat reservation cost is included in the normal tickets, even the really cheap advance ones.

I like Trier very much and stop overnight there almost every year but it is certainly not in the first tier of cities for first timers to Europe. I may be making a mistake but it sounds like this is your first time to Europe?

B and B's are much more likely to have trouble with late check in than hotels. After all the person who checks you in just before midnight is also the same person up at 5 am to start breakfast for those people who want their eggs and croissant at 6:30. It isn't fair on them not to allow them the evening and a good night sleep. Hotels which have night staff are much easier late at night, those with 24/7 desks are easiest.

In any case if you are expecting a late arrival anywhere be sure to make clear when you wish to arrive, and remind them close to travel, so they don't think you are a no-show and sell your room to somebody else. Be prepared if it is a Band B for them to refuse to accommodate you when they are trying to sleep.

This trip strikes me as very rushed. On a honeymoon, too. When will you have time for the romance of a honeymoon? Only one full day in Vienna when you are jetlagged? Canada, as I well know, is a very large country. You don't say if you are coming to Europe from the Maritimes or Vancouver, but either way it is a long tiring trip to Vienna and it is a pretty big place to see and enjoy in just one day. Take time to enjoy the pastries, the coffee, and the finger sandwiches, in addition to all the wonderful sights.

2 nights in Paris is only one full day, or much less than one full day if you sleep in after a late arrival in Paris the previous night, and way less than a reasonable time to enjoy Paris.

You have lots of moving around here with a number of situations where you are sleeping in one place but mostly leaving that place to go other places during the day. It sounds exhausting to me.

To help answer the questions you asked, go to the DB BAHN search (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en) and check on trains between all the places you list. You might find some issues there in terms of schedules, number of stops, number of train changes and how long it takes to get places. Be careful to pick the right places from the drop down lists when so many have the same name. For example, there are 10 destinations with St. Wolfgang in their names. You also may find that some of the places you plan to stay are not particularly convenient to some of the things you want to do. Pay particular attention to how long it will take you to go to and come home from Bacharach to Burg Eltz via Koblenz and then compare it to the much longer round trips to Cologne and Trier.

With moving around so much, you will be losing time for seeing things when you are stopped, unless the trains rides are fun part of the trip for you. Be sure to click on the map for the route of any trip you find interesting. You can buy tickets for travel that involves Germany, although fares are not likely to be posted yet. You can keep watch on when the cheap fares are available over the next few months and jump on them then. The Man in Seat 61 (http://www.seat61.com/) can tell you more about that.

You are concentrating on Germany and Austria and leaving only one full day in Paris. I'm sure you have your reasons, but that's a shame, especially for a honeymoon. Having lived in Germany, I'd give up part of the itinerary there to add time to Paris, or I'd skip Paris altogether and save it for when you can do it justice.

About Burg Eltz, we've been there and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it is a little complicated to get to. Go to this link, http://burg-eltz.de/en.html, and click on "planning your trip" to find out about that.

About the Eagle's Nest, we took an historical tour run by Americans who have lived in Germany for decades (http://www.eagles-nest-tours.com/EN/eagles-nest-tours/index.php?navid=2). The tour starts from a building just across the street (and river) from the train station in Berchtesgaden. I highly recommend it for the content presented.

"We are on a tight budget," One of the most prominent budget-busters can be transporation, particuarly when you're stringing together a series of destinations that aren't particularly close. If this were my honeymoon, I would probably cut it in half. Austria and southeast Germany or Paris and west-central Germany. Save money and time by moving around less. Perhaps, then, you'll have more money for some special dinners and more time for... you know....

Thanks for taking the time to share all of this information and feedback folks. We've both been to Europe before but never together and it is our first time visiting Germany and Austria. Also our honeymoon is taking place 1.5 months after the wedding so we do get some down time after the wedding.

A few general items, both my partner and I are used to long haul flights, we moved to Canada from Sri Lanka (beautiful and culturally rich place to visit if anyone's interested and incredibly affordable) and Dubai (great for shoppers - main attractions are shopping malls and hotels) so we've done the long haul trip quite a few times. That said we were concerned about jet lag -still trying to see if we can get a flight that arrives in Vienna 1 night earlier. As for Paris, we wanted that to be our cheesy but beautiful dinner at the Eiffel Tower or on the Seine River so we weren't planning on sight seeing too much as we plan to visit Paris in the future. We also have a post wedding photo shoot planned for Paris. It is a rather busy trip we are hoping to keep all our evenings very relaxed and don't have anything planned for the evenings. We aren't using a Eurorail pass as it doesn't make sense when we did the math - are we missing something? Finding the public transit system very confusing between the S Bahns - U Bahns - Buses and Trains.

@ Nigel, thanks for the info on Cologne Trier and Burg eltz? We are both history buffs so I guess our decision lies between Trier and Burg Eltz. depending on how the trip goes we might just chill in Bacharach before our trip to Paris. Would you recommend a different city along the Rhine to use as home base? In your opinion, Of the Palaces in Vienna which would you say is most worth the visit? My fiancé and I were considering Schonnbrunn. We are playing around with spending 3 nights in Vienna and 2 nights in Salzburg.

@ Lo thanks for the info on trains, Burg eltz and Berchtesgaden with regards to St.Wolfgang would we ask our hotel which stop to use? You would say that Berchtesgaden is worth the trip from Salzburg then? Given that we will get to Explore the Wolfgangsee area and hoping for a quick stop on our way to Salzburg in Mondsee is the Sound of Music Tour worth it or could we do it on our own?

@ Tom given that you know Germany best which areas would you suggest we skip if we are short on time? Is Linderhof worth a trip?

We are both foodies but aren't exactly the expensive candle light dinner kind of folks. We are more fans of the hole-in-the-wall delicious places or a picnic (difficult to picnic with all the snow in Canada ;) ) Got any recommendations?

Thoughts on us flipping our trip i.e. starting in Paris?

Actually, I've never been to Linderhof.

But anyway, like I said, I would prioritize. Go for either west-central Germany (accessible to Paris, the Rhine/Mosel/Main/Neckar) or go with Austria and Bavaria. You can find more than enough to keep you busy in either region, and you won't have to shell out quite so much money for transit.

• ...with regards to St.Wolfgang would we ask our hotel which stop to use?... Yep, or the ticket agent at the train station. I'm not a big help with Austria.
  
• You would say that Berchtesgaden is worth the trip from Salzburg then?... I think you could do the Eagle's Nest Tour on your own. If you check the train schedule, it is a short ride. You would have to time it so as to get there in time for the tour, so you need to explore the tour link I provided for information on that. Keep in mind that the tour goes from Berchtesgaden up the mountain to the top where the Eagle's Nest is. Depending on when you go, the whole trip door-to-door could take the better part of a day, but if you are interested in history, the time is well worth it.
• Given that we will get to Explore the Wolfgangsee area and hoping for a quick stop on our way to Salzburg in Mondsee is the Sound of Music Tour worth it or could we do it on our own?...I have never done the Sound of Music thing in any way, shape or form, so I can't help you with that.
• About Paris. We did not do the cheesy dinner on the Eiffel, but we did do a very nice splurge dinner cruise on the Seine. I can highly recommend the Bateaux Parisiens (http://www.bateauxparisiens.com/dinner-cruise-paris.html) for that. The cruise was timed so that you got to see Paris along the river go from day to night and we arrived back at the dock just as the Eiffel Tower was sparkling and sending off fireworks. It was a very romantic thing to do. In fact, there were 2 marriage proposals that happened on the boat, and both resulted in a "oui." The young couple who sat next to us was from Central Europe somewhere. She said it was the most romantic date she had ever been on. He said he would propose to her, but they were already married. We went on a Sunday evening and took the Metro from where we stayed in the Marais to the Trocodero stop across the river from the Eiffel. It's a popular spot to take a picture with the Tower in the background. That was fun, partly because the side we walked down was filled with people doing the Tango to a boom box in the middle of the group. Those kinds of unexpected things are part of what makes Paris, and many other places, so special for us.

Thanks Lo! We are super excited for our romantic night out in Paris, thanks for the link. We are thinking about flipping our trip I.e. Starting in Paris - the more we think about it the better the idea sounds.

We are huge history buffs so I think Berchtesgaden is a must visit for us :)!

Potential new itinerary

Paris - 2 nights
Mosel Town (not sure which one something close to Burg Eltz) - 1 night
Bacharach - 1 night
Rothenburg - 1 night
Munich - 2 nights
Salzburg - 3 nights
St. Wolfgang - 2 nights
Vienna - 4 nights

I highly recommend spending 2 nights minimum in any location....really....it's crazy to spend only one night in a place. You'll be grateful for the sense of sanity this will bring and much more enjoyment in all the locations which are all so marvelous.

Did you know the Von Trapp family home in Salzburg is a B&B? It's a little out of town but I can't wait to stay there! :) and the price is right.
http://www.villa-trapp.com/index.php

@Carrie - We stayed at the Villa Trapp - quite by accident as we booked it the night before our stay. It was lovely - the woman who runs it is very knowledgeable in the family/home history and is more than happy to share. One tip - when you go down the stairs from the train platform turn the opposite direction of the station ( IIRC that will be right) walk down that street and take a right at the end of the street - Villa Trapp is the first house on the right.