Germany/Austria Itinerary Help!

Posted by kariejwilliams on 12/29/19 06:15 PM

Hi Everyone! I am planning a trip to Germany and Austria for 10 nights, and would love any input on my itinerary (destination choices, routes, nights stayed in each etc). I already have my flight booked and will be flying into and out of Frankfurt. Any tips are appreciated! Here is my tentative plan:

Tuesday
• Arrive in Frankfurt 1205pm
• Travel by train to Stuttgart ( I have a friend who lives here so will stay with her and recover from jet lag).
o Stay one night in Stuttgart
Wednesday
• Leave Stuttgart and travel to Fussen
• Stay 2 nights in Fussen (should I stay one night or two?)
-Will be planning on going to Neuschwanstein Castle
Thursday
• Stay in Fussen
Friday
• Leave Fussen and travel to Munich
Saturday
• Stay in Munich
Sunday
• Stay in Munich
Monday
• Leave Munich and travel to Salzburg
• Stay in Salzburg
Tuesday
• Stay in Salzburg
-Day Trip to Hallstatt (Is Halstatt worth staying 1 night or should I tracel back to Salzburg?)
Wednesday
• Stay in Salzburg (Or Halstatt?)
Thursday
• Leave Salzburg or Halstatt and travel too Wurzburg
• Stay in Wurzburg
Friday
-Travel from Wurzburg to Frankfurt for flight departing 1PM.

THANKS FOR ANY INPUT!!

Posted by Russ

Paradise

12/29/19 06:52 PM

7072 posts

What month is your trip?
Are you traveling by train the whole time?
Your main goals seem to be Munich and Salzburg. Why? What do you hope to see/do in these places?

At first glance, Füssen and Hallstatt impress me as lengthy and unnecessary detours. Why not just visit the Königssee area from Salzburg (closer.)

https://www.auwirt.com/files/fotos/Umgebung/Berchtesgaden-koenigssee-auwirt-hallein.jpg

https://previews.123rf.com/images/mildax/mildax1406/mildax140600224/29106797-blick-vom-jenner-auf-den-k%C3%B6nigssee-deutschland.jpg

There are many very good alternatives for destinations depending on the season - closer ones than any of these if you are flying into and out of FRA. (Würzburg is the exception - actually not far from FRA and a good choice, I think - maybe for longer than you planned however.) None of the places would below would require a rental car (at least not during the major travel months.)

Rhine
Rhine Cruise
Marksburg Castle
Rheinfels Castle
Trier (Mosel River)
Cochem (Mosel River)
Eltz Castle (near Cochem)
Mainz
Miltenberg (Main River)
Besigheim (near Stuttgart)
Esslingen (near Stuttgart)
Guttenberg Castle (Neckar River)
Bad Wimpfen (Neckar River)
Büdingen

Posted by kariejwilliams OP

12/29/19 06:57 PM

2 posts

Thanks for your reply. We will be travelling in March, and will be travelling by train. We got flights into FRA as they were very cheap in comparison to the average price. Our goal of the trip is to experience a little bit of both bigger city and smaller, slower German cities. We want to see the Alps as well, which is why we were thinking of travelling Southeast. Would you have any different suggestions knowing this?

Posted by Russ

Paradise

12/29/19 07:26 PM

7072 posts

March isn't a good weather month for hanging out long in the Alps.

If you will definitely be going all the way to Munich, then I suggest a day trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for a quickie visit and a look around. That's less than 2 hours each way by train.

Again, if you just want a look around, and if Munich isn't in the cards, then you could do that from Stuttgart... plan a one-night visit to the real Alps - the ones in Switzerland - to Luzern from Stuttgart, probably. That's a 4-hour train ride, and a full day there isn't a bad idea at all. Maybe you'll get lucky with the weather. You can find trains there for €20 each way at the German Railways (DB) site.