My wife and I are planning our annual European trip for next September and we've decided to start off by going to Berlin and finishing in Veranna on Lake Como we are debating on a destination to stop for two or three days in between the two. Our first thought was Salzburg or Vienna but after watching Rick's show about Nurenberg I've become interested in that being a possible destination. One of the big factors in this decision is not so much the ease of getting to one of these places from Berlin but getting from one of these places to Milan and then on to Lake Como. If anyone has tried to go from one of these places to northern Italy I would really appreciate your input. The stop over would be two to three days at the most.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Since Nürnberg to Milan is 9-10 hours by train (followed by one more hour to Varenna), you might break the trip at Verona, where you change trains, any way. Then the travel day via Milan to Varenna would take about 3 hours. Or, if you just want to "get it done" and rest on the lake the next day, then 11 hours and 3 train connections is not impossible. I don't find any benefit with flying Munich-Milan.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Nürnberg is the hub for one of the low cost air carriers in Europe, I believe German Wings. A lot of times non-direct flights on that airline are rather long because they route you through Nürnberg, but in this case you would be starting in Nürnberg. Now, do they fly to Milan?
There are also many rail connections between Nürnberg and Milan daily. They take almost 10 hours. Most have two changes, in Munich and Verona, so Verona could be a second stopover.
The ECs that go from Munich to Verona stop in Bolzano, near the Dolomites, so that could be an alternate stopover.
I thought it was one of the low cost German airlines, but the website for the Nürnberg A/P doesn't show any of them flying directly to Milan. However, RyanAir flies to Bergamo, which is near Milan. There is no rail link from Bergamo A/P to Milan, but there is a bus to Bergamo rail station and a train from there into Milan. Watch out for the fare traps on RyanAir.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
Salzurg is one of my favorite places. Lots of sights - all within walking distance - great music and maybe the most beautiful city I've visited (and I've been to quite a few).
The view of the lighted old center at night from one of the walking bridges is permanently etched on my mind - so incredibly beautiful.
Posted by
back in the Americas
677 posts
Like Brad said, Salzburg was one of my favorites too. If I had to choose between Nurenburg and Salzburg I would choose Salzburg. Smaller, charming Old Town, beautiful scenery nearby. Ryanair has flights out of Nurenburg to Bergamo ( not too far from Milan) and Easy Jet has flights from Munich to Milan. FRom Salzburg you could rail to Munich and connect to a flight. I used to live in Europe and travelled on these budget airlines often. They are just fine if you follow their guidelines. If you do the whole trip by rail, here are a few suggestions that are most likely on your rail route: Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck or Trento. Do your connection research to find out your options and then make your decision according to your interests and transportation availability and ease. All of your choices are great!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
Joe,
Munich would also be a good place to consider as.....
- you could take day trips from there to Salzburg or other locations in the area. Nürnberg is only about an hour each way from Munich.
- there are good rail connections from Munich to Milan, although that's going to be a longer travel day (~7H:47M with one change in Verona). There's also a Bus departure from Hackerbrücke at 06:50 that will get you to Milan at 15:00. From there it's only an extra hour to Varenna.
- Munich will also probably have better flight options, should you choose to fly. It appears that easyJet has some flights on that route, but they may not operate every day so you'd have to work that into your planning. Note that easyJet uses MXP Terminal 2, so the easiest way to reach Milano Centrale is via the Malpensa Shuttle (bus, about an hour depending on traffic).