We are planning our Europe 2016 trip now for Sept 9th thru October 7th. Our entry and exit points were somewhat determined by our free airline miles/tickets, so, we are flying into Zurich and out of Rome. We just need to figure out the middle now. We plan to bring only a carry-on and or backpack each and are looking into leasing a car and will use rail/boat and possibly small flights to get around, just need to put things in order. Our wish list is: Zurich to Fussen (base camp) then from there take trips to Dachau, King Ludwigs Castles, Eagles Nest, Alps then move on to Hallstat, Vienna, Lake Bled, then to Croatia for the Northern Coast and Plitvice National Park. From there take the Ferry or fly into Venice and then rail/fly or drive into Rome. We really don't want a car in most of the major cities, but, leasing seems the way to go with a long visit to save money, so, we may pay to park in some cases. There will be four people in our group and we plan to use VRBO or AIR B&B along with some other small hotels recommended by Rick's books, etc. We are really trying to keep costs down and I think we can do it. I am looking for suggestions and an order to the itinerary that makes sense. Any brave souls willing to offer suggestions?
Posted by
Paradise
6632 posts
"Fussen (base camp) then from there take trips to Dachau, King Ludwigs Castles, Eagles Nest..."
You know, it's 7 hours round trip by car for Füssen - Berchtesgaden (Eagles Nest) and 4 hours round trip for Füssen to Dachau. Kind of long day trips.
You might create a second Bavarian base in Berchtesgaden - then day trip into Salzburg from there. You can get a free transit card in Berchtesgaden for the local area - it also provides a discount on the trip into Salzburg:
http://www.berchtesgaden.de/en/1729dfcb-8446-9357-3b94-1670a0a27d2c.html
Ludwig's castle aren't really castles - they're late 19th century residential palaces. Neuschwanstein has a faux castle exterior. Check out Hohensalzburg Castle in Salzburg and Hohenwerfen in Werfen, just south of Salzburg.
Posted by
OP
32 posts
Thank you, I have been reading about Berchtesgaden and am thinking the same thing. We have to determine what is most important to see and how to use the time efficiently because we have a lot of geography to cover from Zurich to Rome! So thankful for any suggestions.
Posted by
Phoenix AZ
635 posts
Oktoberfest will take place 17 September to 3 October. Lodging in the Munich area will be in high demand, and prices will be higher in much of Bavaria, more so the closer you get to Munich. Unless a visit to the Wiesn is in your plan, you may want to pencil in Bavaria before 17 September.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
321 posts
Hi Mick- we did 28 days in Germany and Switzerland ( 1-29 Sep) in 2015.. Leasing a car was about 2 times as much as renting, so we rented for the entire trip.. And what are you going to do with your car when you use "small flights to get around"? You might consider a rail pass since you will be taking a few long trips. And if you can nail down your travel dates, point-to-point rail trips would really be inexpensive for 4 people traveling together if you buy several months in advance. And another word of caution, sometimes 2 couples don't want to see/do the same things (or they start getting on each other's nerves), so it would be nice to be able to take a break and not be tied to one car for all of your transportation.
The earlier you book hotels the better your selection and cost/location/amenities will be. This is especially true around Munich during the Oktoberfest, which is Sep 17 to Oct 3 in 2016. . Be sure you understand the hotel cancellation policy-When you book early, you can usually get reasonable rates with free cancellation as late as a week or so before your day of arrival. And plan on laundry days if you are traveling with only one carry on per person. Train travel would be a snap traveling this light. And there are a few overnight trains which would probably help you cut expenses (no hotel costs) IF they fit into your agenda.
You might consider the following route. Train from Zurich to Innsbruck, rent a car, then drive Fussen/Munich (for Dachau)/Eagles Nest(if the weather is good)/Hallstat/Vienna and turn the car in. Then take the train for the rest of your trip. You might want to park the car in Vienna and drive to Graz or Klagenfurt to turn it in depending on how many days you will be in Vienna , parking costs in Vienna, and the cost of the train from Vienna onward vs. the cost from Graz onward. Remember that picking the car up and returning it in the same country usually saves a ton of money!
I hope you have a fabulous trip with many wonderful memories.
Posted by
Oberpfalz, Germany
1289 posts
My two cents, I love the mountians in Tirol/Sud Tirol Sexton Alta Pusteria, Seiser Alm), but you would be getting there late in the season. would go farther south on the Croation coast (Split Podgora), but here too late in the season. Im partial to the Oberpfalz und Franken Region in Bayern (Nürnberg, Regensbuerg, the Franken Wine Region and Altmühltal area.