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Germany 12 Days (Arrive from Zurich) - Itinerary Help request

Posted by on

Hi, we are planning a trip to Germany for 12 Days (10 May to 22 May). We are a group of 3 (2 adults, 1 teenager) . We will be coming from Zurich into Germany and exiting from Berlin. I found below itinerary (scroll way down - heading ITINERARY DRAFT) as a starting point for me from one of Rick Steve's forums.

Here are my questions - thanks in anticipation forum members :)

  • Q1 : If we have to follow below itinerary (i.e start with Rhine valley), which is the nearest place to drive to (car rental or public transport) from Zurich? Munich looks like 3.5 hours via road but will starting from Munich mean going all the way back? Or is there another place we can start from, in Germany but still follow below itinerary.
  • Q2 : I saw discussions around ferry / trains in other forums to cover Rhine Valley - is the whole terrain doable with car or will the car be a liability? Or we are missing out on some beautiful scenic spots if we took the car (we have done earlier the Rhine Valley cruise in Austria). We plan to drive upto Munich or Nuremberg.
  • Q3 : We are keen to cover Rhine Valley, Black Forest, Munich & Berlin - obviously i will need to exclude places from below. I am thinking of dividing as follows:
    • Rhine Valley + Black Forest : 5 nights
  • Munich (sleep in Munich) & day trips : 3 nights
  • Berlin (sleep in Berlin) & day trips : 3 nights

My questions are: (a) Can I exclude Romantic Road and if yes, does it mean, I take a direct train from Munich to Berlin? (b) Is above division of nights reasonable? (c) What are the places we can see from Berlin (drive as day trips)? We have never been to Germany before, so not going Berlin is a bit unthinkable :)).
Highly appreciate any revert.

ITINERARY DRAFT (COPIED FROM TRAVEL FORUM):

  1. Day 1: - to Rhine Valley (sleep in Bacharach)
  2. Day 2: Rhine Valley (sleep in Bacharach)
  3. Day 3: To Burg Eltz and Mosel Valley, then drive to Baden-Baden (sleep in Baden-Baden)
  4. Day 4: Relax and soak in Baden-Baden (sleep in Baden-Baden)
  5. Day 5: Explore the Black Forest (sleep in Freiburg or Staufen) Day
  6. To the Bavarian Alps (sleep in Füssen or Reutte)
  7. Day 7: Visit Neuschwanstein, other castles, and explore the region (sleep in Füssen or Reutte)
  8. Day 8: To Munich (sleep in Munich)
  9. Day 9: Munich (sleep in Munich)
  10. Day 10: To Dachau, then follow Romantic Road to Rothenburg (sleep in Rothenburg)
  11. Day 11: Rothenburg (sleep in Rothenburg)
  12. Day 12: Rothenburg (or Würzburg), drive to Nürnberg, drop off car (sleep in Nürnberg)
  13. Day 13: Train to Berlin from Rothenburg
  14. Day 16 : Depart from Berlin
Posted by
21118 posts

Do not rent a car. A Swiss rental car dropped in Germany, will have to be transported back to Switzerland before it can be rented again, and you will have to pay for that as well as lost rental days.

Your closest place to Zurich in this itinerary is Freiburg (Breisgau), Which is about 2 hours by train from Zurich airport.

Is there a reason you are flying into Zurich? This itinerary seems based on flying into Frankfurt. Maybe you plan some time in Switzerland before doing this. If so, where in Switzerland are you going?

You can build in itinerary that is more logical and hit your important destinations. Just list them and tie them all together in a logical geographical order, ending up in Berlin.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you for the prompt reply. We are getting the Schengen Visa from Switzerland, hence we come in from Zurich. Well noted on the recommendation around public transport and not rental.
Is car rental usually possible from your recommended place of entry into Germany?
The itinerary I pasted above does seem to have a logical flow into Berlin - let me know if you have other thoughts? I of course need to exclude couple of places.

Posted by
2974 posts

Just a comment on Fuessen or Reutte. Pick Fuessen. Fuessen is a very charming old town very close to Neauschwanstein. Reutte… I don’t get the allure, if there is any.

Burg Eltz ia all that and more. Don’t forget to visit Marksburg castle on the Rhine.

Posted by
21118 posts

The RS itinerary, as I said, is based on flying into Frankfurt and makes a giant "U" dipping down to Munich then up to Berlin. It includes 3 nights in Berlin, which I think should be a minimum. From Zurich, you are coming in at the bottom of the "U". With 12 days, I'd go like this.

Day 1. Land in Zurich, train to Zurich HB (main station). There is a direct train from Zurich HB to Munich every 2 hours at 43 past the odd hours (9:43, 11:43, etc.). It takes 3 hours and 20 minutes to Munich. (sleep in Munich)
Day 2. Tour Munich. (sleep in Munich)
Day 3. Day trip to Fuessen to see Neuschwanstein, (sleep in Munich)
Day 4. Travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. (sleep in Rothenburg)
Day 5. Tour Rothenburg.

Day 6 to 9. Open to decision
Day 10. Travel to Berlin. (sleep in Berlin)
Day 11. Tour Berlin. (sleep in Berlin)
Day 12. Tour Berlin. (sleep in Berlin)
Day 13. Depart.

That leaves evening of Day 5 through 9 open to you. You could head to the Rhine and Mosel valleys, then take a train to Berlin from either Frankfurt or Cologne. Or you could continue through central Germany to Nuremberg, Erfurt (with Eisenach and Weimar), then to Berlin. If you want, you could rent a car leaving Munich and drop it at the last city before going to Berlin.

Posted by
2584 posts

I bet that Rhine river cruise in Austria was interesting.

Since you are landing in Zurich, visit the Black Forest first. Either get a car over the border in Germany or use trains. Staying in most towns in the BF will allow you to use local trains for ‘free’ ( you actually pay a small tax with your room ).
Next go to the Rhine ( the one in Germany ). Trains are easy to use there to see the most important ( commonly visited ? ) sights. Take the ICE ( fast ) train from Cologne to Berlin.

As an alternative, go from the BF to Munich, then Rothenburg/ Nuremberg and on to Berlin

Posted by
7045 posts

(a) Can I exclude Romantic Road...?

You can exclude or include anything you wish. I think it's unwise to copy other people's itineraries off the forum or elsewhere. It's your trip - you can decide what is most interesting to you and where to go.

(c) What are the places we can see from Berlin (drive as day trips)?

Assuming that you are "keen" on seeing Berlin, which I think means you really want to see it, your current plan does not include time for day trips from Berlin. Most people devote 3 days minimum to Berlin, I think.

A logical driving route that would minimize ground travel would result from an itinerary outline as follows...

1) Zurich > Black Forest (roughly between Basel and Karlsruhe) for 3-4 nights.

(Gengenbach is a good base town. It is similar to Rothenburg in some ways. Stay there and you can ride the trains for free in the Black Forest, if you wish, with a free KONUS card.)

(There are many places in Germany to get a car. Freiburg, Offenburg for example.)

2) Black Forest > Middle Rhine Valley (roughly between Mainz and Koblenz) for 3-4 nights.

3) Middle Rhine Valley > random overnight stop between the RMV and Berlin. Pick a town that looks interesting for 1 night.

(Yes, you can use a car in the MRV.)

4) Random town > Berlin for 3-4 nights

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you for the couple of itinerary options! I got a Germany Visa appointment, so hopeful we may start from Munich (instead of Zurich to Munich leg). I will evaluate the options and reach out for some more help.
Of course, it will be my itinerary; I thought a baseline draft helps a bit, and thank you for the ideas.

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