Itinerary help Germany, Prague, Austria, Switzerland & Italy

I'm pretty sure I'm trying to see too much.

Glad you have come to that conclusion already. :-)

Now here's the standard advice from this forum: 2 nights = 1 full day, with travel days before and after.

1 night = one travel day before and one travel day after.

With your one night for the Rhine area you won't have time to see anything. Not sure what means of transportation you are planning on taking, but you will arrive from Frankfurt jetlagged, and you will have a full day of pure driving ahead of you, going to Prague.

2 nights in each of the other places will reduce your genuine vacation and sightseeing time by about 50% because you are actually going to spend every other day just packing, unpacking, and getting from point A to point B. Doesn't sound enjoyable to me. I'd cut some destinations at one end or the other and save them for a later trip.

Another consideration: If there is nothing you will have time for seeing in Germany, why fly into Frankfurt? Wouldn't flying into Prague make more sense for you?

Thank you!
My brother booked their flights (to use miles) before I had a route mapped.
I agree it isn't making the most sense. What would you give up? I know the thought was see Germany... I'm having a hard time giving up Prague.

I answered your question in your other identical post. By the way why did you post the same question twice? If it happens inadvertently delete the other question(s) so you have all your answers in one spot.

I agree with everything Anna (above) said. I'll add that of the places you've listed, Milan is the least interesting. If you've already bought tickets, sleeping in Milan the night before your flight is a good idea; but you could add the other day to one of the other destinations. Vienna definitely needs more time than you've allotted it. Even if you are locked into the FRA arrival, you should look into cheap flights from there to one of the other cities. Just be sure to allow an adequate amount of time for baggage retrieval, immigration, etc. I'm pretty sure there are showers somewhere in that airport, and there are plenty of food options to make your wait time bearable.. If by any chance you haven't bought tickets yet, look at flying into Vienna or Munich. In fact, I think there are non-stops from some US cities to Munich.`

There are also nonstop flights from some US cities to Prague and Vienna.

Moving two posts from duplicate thread:

Posted by Ilja, Seattle
06/26/17 09:41 AM
3513 posts

You've got 8 destinations in 16 days. 2 nights equal 1 full day. I am afraid it won't work. Destinations are relatively far apart. You will gain a lot of experiences with trains and railroad stations. Otherwise it will be just a blur. My suggestion: with 16 days maximum 4 destinations. Let's say Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich. Or Milan, Lake Como, Switzerland (Luzern or Berner Oberland or Zermatt).

Posted by FastEddie, Florida
06/26/17 09:54 AM
543 posts

I agree you should probably cut a few places from your list. Aim for 3 nights per stop.
If Switzerland survives the cut, I suggest staying in Lauterbrunnen to maximize alpine fun or Luzern if you would like a mix of city and mountain attractions.
Prague seems a little out of the way geographically compared to the other places on your list. If you really want to keep it, consider flying into Prague and then going to Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Cut Frankfurt and Munich.
Or if you want to keep Frankfurt, a Rhine cruise, and Munich, I would suggest cutting Prague and Vienna.
What ever you cut, don't worry because you will return!

I know the thought was see Germany...

Was that just a thought, or was that what you wanted to do?

Because at the moment, you are not. A drive from Frankfurt to Prague and one day in Munich is not exactly what I'd call "seeing Germany".

I am not saying you have to - it's your choice what you want to focus on. But I do think you will have to focus and make some choices, or you will end up not getting to see anything at all except for the rear lights of the car in front of you.

If you're going to Prague after only a night or two in Germany, then I'd stay those nights in the direction of travel toward Prague. For instance, Nürnberg is the starting point for several direct bus departures to Prague, operated by German Rail.

If aiming for the Bernina Express route, then Pontresina, Samedan, and St. Moritz are mountain towns where you could stay along that route. Zermatt is 8 hours to the west, at the other end of the Glacier Express route.

I also would stay give at least one night from Milan to Vienna. I've always stayed in Salzburg and Munich separately, but they're close enough to day-trip in either direction, 1.5 - 2 hours each way if you wanted reduce moving hotels. You also could travel to one of Milan's airports from Varenna on Lake Como, which adds a 1-hour train leg to that day's connections, but only if that still allows a generous amount of time before your flight.

Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it.

Ok, thank you all for the quick reply! I definitely need to reevaluate! Back to the drawing board!
Thank you for other options!
I never thought I'd get back to Italy after my first trip and did it 3 years in a row! So I guess I'll be patient.

Hopefully your brother can redeposit his miles, and re-book once a worthwhile itinerary is in place. He may be out a nominal booking fee, but better to do that than have to build the trip around his flights.

If the flights cannot be changed then I would suggest no more than 4 destinations, given how geographically widespread your wish list is.

I never thought I'd get back to Italy after my first trip and did it 3
years in a row! So I guess I'll be patient.

Now that's the right attitude! :-)

Here's another alternative for you to consider in case you're stuck with those flights: Plan your trip around the longitude from Frankfurt to Milano. I know, that means sacrificing Prague for this trip, but you'll be gaining so much in terms of more leisurely traveling and sightseeing. Keep in mind that you've only got 16 nights. Here's a bit of what that could include:

Frankfurt - Rhine Valley - Worms - Heidelberg - Speyer - Black Forest - Alsace - Strasburg - Colmar - Switzerland - Milano.

I don't see you getting bored traveling that route in 16 days. :-)

"Plan your trip around the longitude from Frankfurt to Milano."

I think this is the best advice you could have received.

From FRA you are only an hour or so from the Middle Rhine Valley. September is the best month to pay the area a visit - the wine fests and September weather combine for a great stay. The MRV is a UNESCO World Heritage site and absolutely deserves more than 1 night.

Rick's Rhineland Castle guide
Rhine Cruise (Bingen - St. Goar)
Bacharach
Cochem (not far from Burg Eltz Castle.)
Give yourselves some chill time for spots like the Günderodehaus (near Oberwesel) and Boppard's Gedeonseck (near chairlift ride in Boppard.)

Wine fests like this one in Oberwesel take place every week in September. What's your arrival date?

Anna has suggested places to the south that are very worthwhile. I would suggest the adorable Gengenbach as a strategically-located base town for visiting the Black Forest towns (as well as Strasbourg and Freiburg.) Your train trips within the Black Forest region will be free of charge with the KONUS card you receive by staying in certain towns like Gengenbach.

I think this is the best advice you could have received.

Well, thanks! * blush*

If Munich, Bernina Express (Switzerland) and Lake Como are still in the mix:

Take a look at this rail map of Switzerland:

https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/pdf/freizeit-ferien/ferien-kurztrips-schweiz/internationale-gaeste/sts-geltungsbereich_en.pdf

Coming from Munich, I suggest you travel down to either Lindau or Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee (Lake Constanz). Take a boat across the lake into Switzerland, and catch a train aiming for Sargans, Chur, and St. Moritz/Pontresina for the Bernina route. You will pass right through Appenzell ( the canton and the town) and there might be a nice place to overnight here. Then on via Chur to one of the Engadine villages right on the Bernina Pass route--- St. Moritz at the upscale end, Pontresina for lots of hotel and restaurant choices ( and a nice lift excursion if you want), or Samedan for a small-village feel, with less expensive lodging.

From your village in the Engadine, you can ride the Bernina Express to Tirano, or choose one of the more frequent regional trains that uses the same tracks. At Tirano you will cross into Italy and catch a train to ride 1.5 hours to Varenna.

Wow! Yes! That really helps! My next mission was to figure out that train (Bernina) from Munich (or Salzburg) getting to Varenna! So thank you very, very much! I was about to schedule an appointment with one of the RS guides but I'm thinking you have saved me a trip!

For our most recent trip to Italy (September 2015) I purposely booked our flight into Zurich so we could ride the Bernina Pass route. We spent two nights in Samedan first and boarded a regional train for the trip to Tirano. I got a great deal on the tickets by booking well in advance on SBB.ch--- I believe it was 32CHF for the two of us. From Tirano to Varenna ( where we spent one night) was also a cheap ticket, bought from Trenitalia.

The regional train was fine---our coach was nearly empty and we could freely move from one side to the other to see the views. So if the named Bernina Express train schedule does not meet your needs, just plan on the regional train.