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Planning a Trip to Europe in Sep 2016 - Need Help!

This will be my second trip to Europe and both will be for work. My first trip to Stuttgart broke all my apprehensions and concerns about traveling to Europe. I am in my 50s from Singapore working in China so my knowledge base has been basically Asia.

This coming Sep I am going to a work trip in Frankfurt. I am thinking of bringing my wife and extending from Frankfurt to a few wish-list places for a maximum of 14 days.

Our wishlist:
1. Starting in Frankfurt - Mad Ludwig Castle
2. Hallstat, Austria
3. Cinque Terre, Italy
4. Paris, France

  1. Too little or too much for 14 days?
  2. If my starting point is Frankfurt, should my end point be Paris?
  3. Should I buy a Eurail pass?
  4. Any help or advise is truly appreciated!

William

Posted by
4 posts

We have been to Istanbul and Antalya before and I guess that counts as Europe right!

In Germany, Eltz Castle is part of my wish list.

William

Posted by
32929 posts

In Frankfurt, for your work trip, will you be at the Messe for a trade show, or will you be in the centre of Frankfurt (a.Main - you do mean Frankfurt am Main, not the one on e eastern border, right?)?

Assuming F a.M can you fly home from Paris or can you fly home from Milano?

It makes little sense to go southeast and south and wind up northwest of your origin.

More sensible is to go to Paris first, which is the real outlier of the bunch, then either fast train or fly to Munich from where Füssen is an easy day trip (although there are many many other real castles much easier on your route, Neuschwanstein is only a late 19th century imagination of what a castle should look like, but if that is the image in your head and that of your wife by all means go), and then you can continue a couple of hours to Salzburg and thence to Hallstatt.

From Hallstatt to one of the villages in the Cinque Terre will be a difficult day's travel because both of the places are remote and difficult to reach. But, it can be done. I'd never do it. I suppose one way would be to return to Salzburg, then train to Innsbruck for the train to Verona, then change for the train to Milano, then change for the train to Genova, then the Regionale train to your destination.

You will be passing some fabulous places - not least Venice (and I never pass up a chance for Venice) - as you go to all your out-of-the-way places.

I don't know if there might be a cheap flight available to pop you over the Alps between Salzburg and Milano to short circuit some of that long long day.

I usually counsel against Eurailpasses because of the outrageous prices plus inconveniences, but for the long journeys you are planning, particularly if you are forced to return all the way to Paris at the end - maybe, just maybe, it may work out for you.

I don't think you have too many places for 14 days, just that you have picked really out of the way places which are a devil to travel between.

Posted by
7175 posts

I would forget Cinque Terre, as it means a flight plus trains from wherever you are. Munich, Salzburg and Vienna fit in with your other choices of Neuschwanstein and Hallstatt.

Train from Frankfurt to Munich (4nts)
Day trip to Neuschwanstein
Train to Salzburg (2nts)
Train to Hallstatt (2nts)
Train to Vienna (3nts)
Fly to Paris (4nts)

Posted by
2393 posts

You should look at the order of visit:

Frankfurt - train to Paris - 4 hrs on TGV €39/pp if purchased way in advance
Fly Paris to Munich 1.5 hours about $40/pp - train to Hallstat about 4 hours & 2 changes (Paris to Hallstat is about 14 hrs by train)
or fly Paris to Vienna 2 hrs $50 train to Hallstat about 4 hrs & 1 change

Then I would follow Nigel's advice Hallstatt to Innsbruck about 4.5 hrs then to Verona 4 hrs maybe overnight there then on to La Spezia and the CT next day - another 5 to 6 hrs by train

Price out each train journey and compare to a pass price - with flying a long segment I think point to point tickets will be least expensive

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you Nigel, David, Christi & stmurray2 for your responses. You all leave me with plenty to think about as I work on the plan.
Christi, I need to fly out from an international airport like Paris or Frankfurt.
David, I like your suggestions best.

Nigel, I have not received any information about the location of the meeting in Frankfurt yet so I don't know the location yet.
Do you know if a SIM card for the smart phone works throughout the various countries like the EURO or not?

Posted by
4 posts

I was reading in other feeds that credit/debit cards in Germany uses 4 digit PIN, my Singapore card uses 6 digit PIN. How do I get over this hurdle?

Posted by
487 posts

Munich has been mentioned already as a good base for visiting Neuschwanstein. You don't mention exactly when in September your trip will take place, but Oktoberfest in Munich starts on September 17 this year. This makes lodging more expensive and some dates/places will already be booked in Munich.