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Help with Itinerary Please

Posted by (San Francisco) on

I spent a year in Germany in college and haven't been back to Europe since. My husband, two teenagers, and I are planning a trip for this June. We thought we would have 2+ weeks in Germany. But, airfares are much better to Paris, so we need to fly in and out of Paris. Now, the kids want to spend at least a few days in Paris before moving to Germany. I've put together this itinerary. I'm worried we're doing too much. Could you comment?

Day 1 - Tues. 6/12: Leave Oakland at 17:05

Paris (4.5 days):
Day 2 - Wed. 6/13: Arrive Paris around noon. Check in to apartment
Day 3 - Thurs. 6/14: Paris
Day 4 - Fri. 6/15: Paris
Day 5 - Sat. 6/16: Paris
Day 6 - Sun 6/17: Paris

Rhine River (3 days) (Never made it to the Rhine/Mosel area in college and would really like to see it)
Day 7 - Mon 6/18: Leave Paris on 9 a.m. train for Kaiserslautern.
Arrive Kaiserslautern @ 11:30. Rent car
Drive to __. Sleep in ___

Day 8 - Tues 6/19: Rhine River
Day 9 - Wed 6/20: Rhine River

Rothenburg (Romantische Strasse) (Spent 5 days on the Romantische Strasse in college. Not feeling the need to do it again, except for Rothenburg, which I found to be magical -- despite the crowds. The side trip to Pfaffenhofen is for a pilgrimage to a yarn shop)
Day 10 - Thurs 6/21: Rhine River to Rothenburg
Day 11 - Fri 6/22: Down Romantische Strasse to Pfaffenhofen to Fussen

Fuessen (never been to Fuessen, but I have been to Reutte)
Day 12 - Sat 6/23 Castle Tours and bikes
Day 13 - Sun 6/24 Fuessen to Munich

Munich
Day 14 - Mon 6/25: Walking Tour, Viktualienmarkt, Biergarten
Day 15 - Tues 6/26: Day Trip to Salzburg
Day 16 - Wed 6/27: Munich: 1/2 day Dachau, plus ______

Home
Day 17 - Thurs 6/28: Fly Munich to Paris to Oakland

Posted by
5697 posts

Who are you flying ? Norwegian? WOW ? Just wondering about your connections MUC-CDG-OAK on the last day. (But it's on the way back, so you will have the weekend to recover or make alternative connections.)

Posted by
440 posts

Its doable, i would have a rest day in the middle just relax by a pool or in a park with a picnic to recharge the batteries.

Posted by
32 posts

Thank you, @Laura B and @jayhamps. We are flying Norwegian Oakland to Paris and back and will fly Air France from Munich to Paris early in the am the day of departure for a pm flight. That part makes me nervous (what if the flight is cancelled?) but not sure what else can be done other than flying the night before and staying at a hotel by the airport. That said, Lufthansa in and out of Frankfurt is cheaper today. The question is whether I can get the kids to back off of Paris.

Posted by
6663 posts

"I'm worried we're doing too much. "

I think it may be too much in a couple of ways... it looks like you're keeping the car from K'lautern onward... probably too much driving for the adults, too much riding around in the back seat around too much of southern Germany for the teens, I think. And that flight to Paris is too much hassle and risk.

Also... your plans rely quite heavily on Rick's clichés about Germany, IMHO. Your Germany time will be much less German if it's all spent with the international tourist contingent and the Ricknicks - seems like they all hit R'burg, the Romantic Road, the "castles" in Füssen, Dachau, and Salzburg. I would definitely try to cut back on some of those - maybe keep Rothenburg, as it's near some other very fine places (Würzburg, Bamberg, and Nuremberg for starters) and since you can share your love of the place with your family. Munich might be a keeper too, but the other urban choices I just mentioned could make it a question mark

Of course Salzburg isn't German in the first place. It's heavy with tourists too but still very worthwhile, in part because of what's outside Salzburg - the Eisreisenwelt, Hohenwerfen Fortress, Berchtesgaden and the Königssee for starters. If you go there, go there for at least a couple of nights.

The Rhine/Mosel is still less tourist-trampled and still pretty German as Rick Steves destinations go. And it's near both FRA and Paris. You won't regret your time there. Do your castle tours and biking there if you can!

I don't know if you have considered ZURICH as a fly-in airport for southern Germany. I have used it a couple of times. ZRH is a GREAT airport only about 4 hours by train from Paris, 4 hours from Munich, and 4 hours from Frankfurt and Mainz (Rhine region) and 2 hours by train from Freiburg (headquarters for visiting the Black Forest and Alsace, nice places to visit if you are headed to Paris btw.) It's much easier to access than CDG for sure. I was just looking at google flights and found direct round-trip flights with SWISS and its partners for June 12-28, SFO-ZRH, priced at $875.

Posted by
6663 posts

As you indicated, it's easier if Paris is out of the mix. But it may not have to be if you really like the fast pace you first suggested. If it turns out you like those SFO -ZRH flights, I could see starting with the skeletal itinerary below. (If you talk the kids out of Paris with a plan to visit Strasbourg in it's place, would they go for that? That would be FAR simpler.)

ZRH - Munich + ?? (5)
Munich - Rothenburg/Franconian towns & cities (3)
Franconia - Rhine/Mosel (3)
Rhine/Mosel - Paris (4)
Paris - Strasbourg or Black Forest (2) - ZRH

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