We are in the beginning stage of planning a 3 week trip to Europe for next September. We will be leaving Paris on a Sunday and plan to arrive in Rome on the following Saturday. My husband would like to see Neuschwanstein Castle and I would like to see beautiful scenery with alps and lake villages. I am looking for ideas to fill 6 nights. We are traveling with only a backpack and do not mind a different place each night. For this leg of our trip we prefer no big cities and would rather not be locked into a tight train schedule. My original idea was to rent a car from Garnish to Lake Como area but it sounds like that is not a cheap way to travel since we will be in different countries. I'm looking for suggestions on where to stay these nights. We would like to stay in small quaint towns most likely on a train route with option to get on and off as we wish. I'm not sure if that is even possible.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Why not a few days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen? Rent a car for Neuschwanstein. Have a route which includes Ettal (a wonderful baroque monastery), Linderhof (another project of Ludwig) and the Wieskirche (more Bavarian baroque).
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen you can take a train to Innsbruck. There you can pick up the train from Munich which brings you to Verona by way of the Brenner Pass. One of the best train routes in Europe.
You can stay in Verona, or base yourself for a few nights in Vicenza (which I find a more interesting city). Padova and Venice can easily be visited on day trips (take the cheap Regionale trains).
Posted by
8102 posts
We lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years and loved Southern Bavaria. I know there is an overnight train from Paris to Munich that even goes on to Italy.
We spent lots of time in Garmisch while in Germany. The Armed Forces Recreation Center was there and had tours going to Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, Linderhoff and more. You can go up on the cable car or mountain train to the top of the Zugspitte.
You can do all of this out of Garmisch.https://www.viator.com/Garmisch-Partenkirchen/d22133-ttd
I would plan on four days for Garmisch. You might spend a couple of nights in Munich if possible.
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1928 posts
If you are looking for something very small and quaint, we love Mittenwald. It is about 30 min from Garmisch but you are close enough to do day trips all over from a base in Mittenwald, or just spend a night. We love it there. We also loved Hall in Tyrol, but again, our desire is the tiny little quaint places which are not for everyone. You could rent a car for just Germany and then take the train into Italy. That's what we did and took a train from Innsbruck to Venice.
Sounds like a great trip!
Posted by
OP
wi, usa
3 posts
Thank you for your responses. I think the GAP area looks lovely as a base for 2 nights and also like the idea of visiting the Ettal Abbey. I was really hoping to fit in the Northern Lakes area but am having a hard time figuring out transportation. My ideal would be a train that we could hop on and off taking 2 days to get there. Or is it possible to do part of this by car?
We really don't have any desire to go to Venice. Maybe on another trip. On this trip we were hoping for more of a mountain lake feel with the Alps as a backdrop.
We have also considered dropping Rome from this trip and heading to Iceland from Munich instead.
I apologize for rambling. As I mentioned we are in the beginning stage of planning so I am still open to other suggestions.
Posted by
Ohio
171 posts
k19 wrote: We have also considered dropping Rome from this trip and heading to Iceland from Munich instead.
My preference would be to fly to Munich on Sunday and pick up a rental car at the airport. Drive to Fussen and stay the night. See Neuschwanstein from Mary's Bridge - there is a bus that goes directly to the bridge. Here's the view of Neuschwanstein from the bridge:
You can then choose whether to wait for the bus to take you back to Fussen or walk down to Neuschwanstein and Fussen (it's all down hill from the bridge).
From Fussen take the Alpenstrasse to Oberammergau, Linderhof Palace (my preferred Ludwig palace), Garmisch, Berchtesgaden and Salzburg. It's a beautiful drive through the foothills of the Alps, past little villages and beautiful lakes. In Berchtesgaden you can go up to the Eagle's Nest for a spectacular view and/or visit the Documentation Center (a museum presenting the acquisition of the area by Nazis before WWII). Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace and home to the von Trapps.
From Salzburg it is an hour or two to the Munich airport and drop off of your car.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Italy: No hop on/hop off train tickets, although you can get off at any stop; in Italy, the regionale trains allow a specific amount of time to complete your journey, so a quick stop to look around might be possible. But, your machine-validated ticket includes a time/date/station stamp, so if your time expires, you face a hefty fine.
Other countries' laws may vary, or allow an "all day" ticket.
Also, renting a car in one country and dropping it in another can involve a big drop off charge.