My husband and I are planning a trip for fall of 2018. After approx. 3 weeks in England and France our intention is to take the train from Paris to Lucerne for 2 nights and then on to Lauterbrunnen for 3 nights. From Lauterbrunnen we are considering going on to Germany and Austria but that part is still very vague. We would be arriving in Germany around the first of October. We think we might like to spend some time in Bavaria, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna, flying home from Vienna. The biggest issue is we really don't know much about this area so the planning is a bit more perplexing.
Questions:
1) What would be a suggestion as to how to get from Lauterbrunnen to Germany?
2) Should we go to Munich first and then to Bavaria?
3) Our tentative thought was 3 nights in Bavaria (not sure what town), 4 nights in Munich, 2 nights in Salzburg and 4 nights in Vienna.
Does this sound reasonable?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have to offer!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
1) What would be a suggestion as to how to get from Lauterbrunnen to Germany?
3) Our tentative thought was 3 nights in Bavaria (not sure what town), 4 nights in Munich, 2 nights in Salzburg and 4 nights in Vienna. Does this sound reasonable?
Very reasonable. Carry on using trains, as you already have been London --> Paris --> Switzerland. The route depends on where you are going in Germany first. Switzerland --> Munich --> Salzburg --> Vienna is a good route. Salzburg is close enough to Munich that you could do it as a day trip.
2) Should we go to Munich first and then to Bavaria?
Duh, Munich is the capital of Bavaria.
You could do day trips from Munich south to the Alps (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, or to Füssen where the Royal castles are). Autumn will be starting to get colder, so you may want to restrict yourself to cities, and you have already seen the Alps.
Or there are many other towns in Bavaria you could visit as day trips: Nuremberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber etc. It is easy to get to all of these by train.
Posted by
OP
Missouri
40 posts
Lol! Chris, thanks for the post. I am obviously very geographically impaired! By Bavaria I did mean the area with the royal castles. I appreciate the suggestion of day trips. I like the idea of being able to stay longer in one place without having to move around so much. The other thought I had was going somewhere we could spend some time on the Rhine and maybe do a day cruise. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on that? Thanks.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
I would suggest that you avoid being in Munich ( or anywhere in southern Bavaria) until after the first weekend, Oktober 6th and 7th, or else you would be there during Oktoberfest, and it will be overcrowded and accommodations, if you can even find them, will be expensive.
BTW, I went through Hohenschwangau on the last Saturday of Oktoberfest in 2014, and it was crawling with tourists. The line for castle tickets was out the door.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11315 posts
The biggest issue is we really don't know much about this area so the planning is a bit more perplexing.
I hope I am not simply stating the obvious, but have you read Rick Steves' guidebooks on Germany and Austria? That is where I would go to get a sense of what locations I might enjoy and how long to spend in each, plus all the info on transit between locations.
FYI, I would spend at least 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen. It is a fabulous area and should not be rushed. Three full days (4 nights) Is not too long if you enjoy the mountains.