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Itinerary: Germany (and Wroclaw and Prague) - any icing to add to 7-layer travel cake?

Posted by (near San Francisco) on

I booked my flight in early June and leave in 4 weeks! Traveling solo, except Dresden. Hotels, main transit and key activities booked. There are very few things in this plan that didn't have influence or input from RS books and forum members.

Thank you to all! And there is still room for your input on sights, food tours and restaurants in each city!

7-CITY CIRCUIT: Denver first, then Frankfurt-Erfurt (Buchenwald/Weimar)-Dresden-Wroclaw (Swidnica)-Prague (Terezin)-Nuremberg (Bamberg)-Frankfurt

  • Bay Area to Denver, visit family, leave dog
  • Non-stop, round trip Denver-Frankfurt late Sept to mid-Oct

LOGISTICS

  • By the numbers: 23 nights in Europe, 6 cities, 5 trains/1 bus, 7 hotel res, 58 places in Google Maps, 98 docs in DropBox, 7 new phone apps, 1 SIM
  • Saved $ on trains with BahnCard 25 (note to cancel)
  • Vodafone UK SIM activated
  • Packing for carry-on, will check bag on return (incl in ticket)

LOCATIONS/PLANS

5N Denver, mid-Sept

  • Visit family, leave dog with family
  • weather check. final pack, check passport to make sure I don't leave it in Denver!

1N Denver to Frankfurt

  • I thought about flying home from Prague; the connection was ugly
  • Instead, I added 4 nights to visit Nuremberg and Bamberg, 2N back in Frankfurt (much better!!)

1st day (am arrival) and 1N Frankfurt: Hotel Ibis Centrum

  • Took the advice of many to spend my first night in Frankfurt, rather than guessing train times to Erfurt
  • S-Bahn from airport to Frankfurt (Main)
  • short walk to Ibis Centrum
  • After breakfast (you'll detect a pattern!) train to Erfurt

3N Erfurt: Hotel Mercure Erfurt

  • Chose hotel to be in the heart of Oktoberfest
  • See town sights and preparations for Oktoberfest
  • 1 day rental car (have IDP) for some family stuff (1 hr)
  • Take advantage of car: Buchenwald Memorial, stop in Weimar
  • Oktoberfest opening parade & festivities
  • Topf & Sons
  • After breakfast train to Dresden

4N Dresden: Motel One am Zwinger (couldn't pass up the location!)

  • If I arrive in time, join DresdenWalks city tour
  • Booked Historic Green Vault and a ballet at Semperoper
  • A girlfriend from London will join me for 2 days of museum hopping – Zwinger museums, etc
  • She loves fine dining and chose Genuss-Atelier, reservation made
  • Researching Bastei Bridge as a day trip
  • After breakfast train to Wroclaw

4N Wroclaw: Hotel Europeum (near old town)

  • Went to Krakow last year, thrilled to return to Poland!
  • ATM in train station
  • Will book Wroclaw Dwarves & Communism once schedule opens (perhaps 1 or 2 other tours)
  • Day trip to Swidnica town and church via the bus that leaves from behind the station
  • "Vacation from my vacation" day and laundry
  • After breakfast FlixBus to Prague

4N Prague (my 2nd visit): Motel One near Florenc Station

  • CSOB ATM next door to hotel
  • Previously visited the Castle, Old Town, Mucha Museum, City of Prague Museum (loved it!)
  • Going back to visit Terezin (tour booked with Pavel Batel)
  • 2 morning tours booked with Jason at LivingPragueTours (Old Town and Jewish tour, WWII tour)
  • Operetta (Polska Krev) booked, Karlin Musical Theater
  • Afternoons free for options (Petrin Hill, Franciscan Gardens, Museum of Communism, etc)
  • After breakfast train to Nuremberg

4N Nuremberg: Hotel Victoria (near train station)

  • visit Nazi Documentation Center and Rally Grounds, Nuremberg Trials Memorial
  • Imperial Castle and other town sites
  • Day trip to Bamberg
  • After breakfast train to Frankfurt

2N Frankfurt: Hotel Ibis Centrum (tried to get Motel One Romerberg, but booked for conventions)

  • Frankfurt on Foot Tour
  • Kleinmarkthalle, cathedrals, Romerberg
  • Hoscht neighborhood
  • After breakfast flight Frankfurt to Denver

6N Denver

  • Visit family, get dog
  • After breakfast flight to Bay Area
Posted by
2996 posts

General plan looks good.

Just add some details from a list of basic tips of traveling to / in Germany. Examples:

  • Languages: do not forget to download languages for offline usage.
  • Money: In Germany you shall get some Euro from an ATM
  • Power supply
  • Familiar with VAT refund

Have a good journey.

Posted by
5362 posts

Thanks Eef and MarkK!

MarkK, I reviewed that website, thank you! I'm bringing some leftover Euros to get my trip started and have mapped out ATMs along the way.

Posted by
3560 posts

Impressive planning! Have a great time and be sure to tell us all about it when you get back. I learn so much from reading trip reports.

Posted by
5362 posts

Many thanks, Dave, for your earlier forum ideas for Erfurt and the heads up about Oktoberfest. How silly would I have looked to show up unaware!!

diveloonie, thank you! That's a very nice comment from a "travel planner extrodinaire!!!" My trip plan is much richer and more complete for all the information I gathered and responses I received on the forum. I will definitely post some sort of trip report. It will be my first, so we'll see what I come up with that might be useful or interesting!

Posted by
14972 posts

Good trip. I would have chosen to stay in Weimar, since I am more familiar with that place, know of 2-3 Pensionen and small hotels before entering the Zentrum, and would take the train to Erfurt.

Depending on your interest in German cultural history, I would suggest that Weimar is worth at least a day's visit.

Posted by
5362 posts

Hi Fred - thanks for that Weimar suggestion!'

I have "family roots" near Erfurt, so that was the "seed" for my entire trip. Later I learned from the forum (thanks Dave!) that I'd be there during Oktoberfest, so Erfurt was a fun base. I rented a car one day for the family side trip and had a chance to drive through Weimar, on my way from Buchenwald concentration camp to Schloss Belevedere. Weimar does like a lovely place to spend a few days!

Posted by
5362 posts

This is my Google Maps route map for anyone who might be looking to plan a trip. All of my transfers were by train, except from Wrocław to Prague, where I took a FlixBus. I rented a car one day from Erfurt train station to drop into some smaller towns, spend several hours at Buchenwald, drive through Weimar and stop in the afternoon at Schloss Belvedere.

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