Hi all - planning a last minute 10 night trip from Vienna to Zurich. Will have 2 nights in Vienna, 2 in Munich and last night in Zurich. Trying to determine other good options for 2 more stops - ideally more about beauty, nature, relaxing than sightseeing buildings. Will be traveling end of July/beginning of August. Was going to do Lake Como but seems like it may be too difficult to get to and tough for hotels this late. Appreciate any suggestions - looking at a map isn't helping too much! Thanks.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17557 posts
Hi—-it would be easier for people to help if we knew more details. How will you move from place to place—-by train? And are Vienna and Hamburg the first two stops, with 6 nights free after that before your flight out of Zurich?
If you are traveling by train, it is a 9-hour journey from Vienna to Hamburg, so if you can be flexible with your dates for Hamburg I suggest you build in an overnight stop along the way (or 2 nights). You basically have to traverse Germany from south to north, and there are lots of good sights on the way, but mostly cities and towns. Salzburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, and others are all on the way.
And then from Hamburg you go back through a different part of Germany, passing through Munich, Freiburg, and Basel to reach Zurich. That is another long train trip (7 hours). So basically you could be spending your whole time moving across Austria and Germany, then to Switzerland for your flight home. There might be 2-3 days to spend at a lake (Bodensee, Vierwaldstättersee), or in the Black Forest of Germany, or the Bavarian Alps, but not much further away than that.
If Hamburg is a must, then maybe consider flying there?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Oh my I made a big mistake in my post here! We will be going from Vienna to Munich not Hamburg! Both were in consideration but decided on Munich as it is closer. Whew thank you for pointing that out - hopefully it helps with a possible itinerary. And we are still determining if we will do train or car.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17557 posts
Yes, that does make a huge difference, and something nice will be possible, although it still depends on lodging availability at popular lakeside or other nature-connected locations.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Yes I’m sure that makes it more practical!
Any suggested towns to stop in for lake or mountain beauty?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17557 posts
I suggested Luzern and/or Locarno/Ascona on your other thread, and those would still work. Or Luzern plus Berner Oberland (alpine villages).
You do not really need a night in Zurich before your flight unless the departure time is early morning. Luzern is just over an hour from the airport, so lots of people choose to stay in that city before their flight, rather than change hotels again.