Hello,
I am looking for the wisdom that I have found from this forum every time I seek it.
I’m trip planning for a 3 week trip to Switzerland, Austria (Vienna) and Germany (Berlin, Munich) etc. for Sept 2023.
I’m wondering where to fly in to and out of and in which order I should plan this trip.
We are open to all modes of transportation.
Thank you in advance.
Maureen
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17566 posts
Hi,Neighbor to the North!
Berlin is kind of an outlier on this trip, being so far to the north of Munich,but with 3 weeks you have time for that. We enjoyed an overnight in Bamberg between Berlin and Munich, but I am sure there are other places as well.
You could do a one-way trip (open jaw) from Zurich teo Vienna, with Germany in the middle (the reverse direction works just as well). Or Geneva to Vienna (or the other way) if flights are cheaper. Especially if you want to visit the Suisse Romande, the French-speaking area of Switzerland.
We have been in Switzerland the past 2 Septembers,and it is a great time to be there. If there are particular events you want to see in Vienna, you could build your dates around that.
Posted by
OP
Toronto
26 posts
Thanks Lola :)
Posted by
906 posts
Here's one option, shown on Google Maps .
The distance is about 1,515 km (941 miles), about the distance from New York City to St Louis.
Posted by
Irving
3292 posts
Multi-city or one-way tickets is what you need to purchase with Berlin and Zurich or Geneva being the airports to fly into and out of.
I can’t say how many nights to sleep in Berlin because I don’t know what your interests are. This city has some of the coolest neighborhoods and I enjoyed exploring them.
There's a direct train between Berlin and Munich (4h 45m): https://int.bahn.de/en. I wouldn’t spend more than three nights in Munich if taking day trips i.e., the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial that’s a 15m train ride from Munich’s main train station. Salzburg is another good day trip option from Munich (2h).
What makes Munich special is it's a springboard to visit the Bavarian Alps where you could easily spend a week before going to Vienna. You could take a train to Füssen (2h 15m) and sleep there two nights and visit the castles. From Füssen take a bus to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and sleep there to explore Zugspitze. The attractive town Oberammergau also makes a good day trip from Garmisch-Partenkirchen by bus that is known for their wood carvings (45m). Before leaving Garmisch-Partenkirchen rent a car and visit Berchtesgaden and Eagles Nest.
From Munich take a direct train to Vienna (4h 15m). I suggest five nights in Vienna and include a day trip to Bratislava’s old town by direct train (1h).
From Vienna fly nonstop to Geneva or Zurich then take a train to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and sleep there for five nights: https://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable.html.