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Itinerary Planning - 12 days Germany, Austria, and Prague

Hello! Would love feedback on how to plan our spring trip. We have 12 days on the ground (14 total, but 2 are for travel)

We fly in and out of Munich (can't change). Our initial plan, was just to explore Munich, Bavarian Alps (3-4 days) and then maybe a day or so in Austria (Salzburg and Hallstatt). Now the group is talking Prague, and from the US, I just have a hard time grasping how far away everything is.

We will be renting a car, and love to drive. That being said, we don't plan to have the car during our time in Munich. So we would like to plan to explore Munich either at the beginning (getting car after we've toured Munich) or at the end of the trip, so we can return car and then explore Munich on foot. (Did this in Dublin, worked out great).

Now....how to plan this time?! Is 3-4 days in Bavarian Alps too long? Would love to stay at least 2 nights in each place, as we travel with kids. Can we see most of Bavarian Alps from a stay in one location? Stay in Fussen?

Hear a lot about Rothenburg, but its north of Munich and not really "on the way" anywhere. Any advise you can provide as to how to lay this out is greatly appreciated! We are a traveling family, with two kiddos (6 and 10). They are GREAT travelers. We love to get out, hike and hang with the locals. Not necessarily museum goers. :) TIA!

Posted by
12040 posts

The Bavarian Alps aren't one distinct point, but a region. How long you spend there is entirely dependent on what you want to do. But in general for the Alps, if you're planning your trip without the benefit of a short term weather forecast, you should plan at least 3 nights in each location. It can and does sometimes rain all day in the Alps. Three nights gives you two full days and hence, more of a hedge against bad weather.

Rothenburg is nice, but not nearly as unique as advertised. If you have to drive out of your way to see it, you're bypassing plenty of alternatives.

Posted by
288 posts

Prague is about a 5 hour trip from Munich by train/bus. Driving across to the czech republic can be an issue as rental car companies in Germany didn't want you taking their cars there, so the cost was really high. With advance purchase the trains were a better deal. If you stay in Prague you wont need car there as the city is walkable and public transport Is good also.

Posted by
179 posts

As you are travelling with kids, I would find it a bit cruel to deny them the snow fun in the Alps. Because the alps still have snow in spring, for skiing and later for sledding. But you have to pick a suitable location and stay there for two days or so. Garmisch comes to mind, and the Innsbruck area in Austria. Also nice sights in the area, for example Hall in Tirol. That may be a nice contrast to Munich. Go to Salzburg through the Alps. After two days Salzburg/Hallstadt, you have about three days left and I would not go to Prague, because it's a 5 hour ride each direction. With kids, each one a whole travel day. Instead, go to Passau, Regensburg and back to Munich.

And of course, if you had been even more specific on the date and what you want to see, we could give a whole lot more options what to see in the area.

Posted by
10 posts

@ Tom - thank you for the info. I was hoping to spend at least 2-3 nights/3-4 days in the Bavarian Alps region. Was worried it was too much time. But hubby has always wanted to drive the Alpine Highway through there. He loves history, and we love the mountains...so it is a good match.

I appreciate your thoughts on Rothenburg. Its mentioned everywhere, so I started feeling like we really needed to get up there to see it, despite it not really being on our way anywhere....as of yet anyway. Thanks again!

Posted by
10 posts

@ Keith - thanks for the advise about Prague. While I do enjoy "road tripping" while on vacation, I also didn't want to add undue stress by driving, when things are just better experienced by train or walking. We actually love to walk around every city we explore, we find we discover better spots just taking a stroll! Thanks!

Posted by
10 posts

Thank you @jjj for your insight! We will be traveling the first two weeks of April. So while we will plan for varying weather, we have read and expect to have more spring-like weather. We come from Colorado in the US, so our kiddos definitely get lots of snow and mountains. We love to hike, and are hoping to find some places to do that. Nothing too strenuous as we have kiddos, but any trails that run 1-4 miles would be fine! I would say we are the type of travelers who like to seek a good balance between seeing new cities and having time to discover things, or stumble upon things. We definitely don't want to just check things off our list. :)

I appreciate your city suggestions, as I often feel there are many hidden gems that just can't be found on typical itineraries. I know that driving the Alpine Highway is a must for my husband, but I also know that while I'd like to spend 3-4 days there, I don't want to make everyone move to a new place every night. Is it feasible to stay in one city along that region and venture out from there. I feel its so hard to get a sense of how long it takes to get places. I only have our mountains for reference and it can take hours to reach various areas. :)

Thanks again for your help!

Posted by
12040 posts

But hubby has always wanted to drive the Alpine Highway through there.

Which road do you mean? There's an Alpenstraße in Bavaria, and a separate Großglockner Hochalpenstraße in Austria. The former is more of less a secondary route that skirts the feet and forelands of the Bavarian Alps and links together the towns. It never ascends particularly high, however. Although it runs through a very scenic part of Bavaria, it doesn't necessarily provide the most impressive visuals.

The latter is a limited-access toll road that climbs up to a high mountain pass and provides access to Austria's highest peak, Großglockner. If you're thinking of a road that climbs into the sky and provides stunning vistas (weather permitting), this is the one to drive. However, it runs south in the opposite direction that you would need to travel to continue on towards Prague. You can drive it as a daytrip from Salzburg, although it would occupy most of the day.

Posted by
179 posts

I better link it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossglockner_High_Alpine_Road
There are some more roads like it in the Alps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_paved_roads_in_Europe

Coming from Colorado, the most impressive thing about the Alps would be how many people are living there, right in the middle of the mountainside. But then, that's something even better observed in Switzerland.

EDIT: I just read the Großglockner road is closed from end of October to start of May due to seasonal, heavy snow (10 to 21 metres peak, in February)

Posted by
10 posts

Thanks @jjj, and thank you for the update on that road. A couple of our mountain passes here are typically closed through the winter months, as they are just to dangerous to drive. But I really appreciate knowing that ahead of time so we didn't plan on it, and get surprised when we got there!

We are starting to consider NOT going to Prague on this trip, but rather using our time to explore more of Germany. This may actually allow us the opportunity to see Berlin! So, not sure how I'll lay this out either. We fly in and out of Munich. Still want to drive through the Bavarian Alps and into Austria (Tirol, Salzburg and Hallstatt).

Would LOVE to hear more about places we should see! Am hoping this is a good decision to not go to Prague.....another time.