Leaving soon.....last minute questions

Take a deep breath and enjoy the fruit of your labor. Driving in Germany is easy. The signs are pretty easy to figure out. If you have a Rick Steves Germany book, review the road signs in the driving section. I used GPS on my phone during my May trip; it worked well --better than the GPS supplied in my (Ford) rental car; the GPS in Volvos and German cars I have rented worked much better than that in the Ford.

A couple of words of advice for the Autobahn: do everything you can to make sure fast cars can go fast. That means, stay right except to pass -- no driving the speed limit in the middle lane like people do here in the the US -- stay right! If the car in front of you is slow but faster traffic is coming behind you, let the faster traffic pass before you pass the slow car. Because cars will be traveling a lot faster than what you may be used to seeing, make sure you look a lot father behind you in the rear-view mirror than you typically do.

You can get your Eagles Nest tickets from the ticket booth next to the parking area, but, if you are going to see it as independent travelers, I would suggest getting there early before the tour buses start arriving. Don't miss the underground bunkers that are part of the Documentation Center. If you want a bit more of a comprehensive experience of Obersalzberg, including Eagle's Nest, then consider the tour offered by Eagle's Nest Historical Tours. The company offers excellent private tours, too, though I don't know what their availability would be at this point.

I'm not sure where you are staying in Salzburg, but, from the old town, take a walk along the river away from the old town towards the new town. Maybe walk down to the bridge where trains pass overhead (10-15 minutes), and then turn around and walk back. The walk back provides very nice views of the old town and fortress. If you are really adventurous (and know enough German to be able to order food/drinks), walk all the way to the library (Stadt:Bibliothek Salzburg), check out its nifty architecture that is reminiscent of a dinosaur, grab a drink/snack at its Panoramabar that offers nice views of the surrounding mountains and the fortress in the distance, and then walk back to the old town (about 30 minutes in each direction).

Good luck and have fun!

Oh... and post a report on the trip when you get back!

Thanks Dave! I am so excited.

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza which is near Mirabel gardens in Salzburg, so a little walk to Old Town. I love to walk and speak very very little German but I am pretty adventurous when it comes to wanting to try new things. I once took a train all alone in Switzerland to Zurich and had no idea what I was doing. I got a little nervous once or twice about finding my way back to the town I was staying in but I ended up getting back just fine ( of course I won't go into details about how long it took to find the right train).

I apprecIate your taking the time to respond. And I will write a trip report!

If you have an Android Phone, Google Maps allows you to download a route offline so that if you have spotty service you still have the directions. I've have never used it since it is a new feature and I haven't had the opportunity to try it in Europe.

Also Google maps allows you to download offline maps of cities/areas.

We found the tour of the Eagle's Nest and the Obersalzburg complex to be very informative. We took the tour recommended by RS -- David and Christine Harper. We booked ahead, but not sure how far ahead you need to book. I recommend you check it out.

The Crowne Plaza works great for the walk. Walk toward the river on Markus-Sittikus-Straße (comes off the roundabout in front of the hotel); once you reach the river, follow your nose (or the really big fortress) to the Altstadt.

padams and I are identifying the same company. I did the 8-hour "History Buff" private tour with the owner David. It was amazing for me, the history buff, but a little much for my friend, the history not-so-buff.

Salzburg: there is a great beerhall in town, a little walk from the main tourist area. Great fun, great food. We took a tour from Salzburg using Bob's in a small van. Recommend. We went to a concert in the garden, which was not expensive, very nice, and in a great venue.

Thanks everyone...I really appreciate all the tips. I think we will have so much to do that it may be overwhelming .😀

It's funny we each seem to have a favorite city ( three travelers, three cities) and I am sure we will change our minds about our favorites after the trip. .

Just received a map from my friend marked with her favorite spots in Munich from a local ( her hometown) perspective....no way we will see all of that in a day and half. She even marked the best place for ice cream.
😍

Wish me luck!

The rental car company will most likely offer you a GPS unit if the car doesn't come with one built in. I prefer these.
Otherwise, just use Google maps offline. I've done this many times and it works very well.
For the Eagles Nest just get there as early as you can...we showed up with no tickets about 11 in the morning and only had to wait about 25 minutes or so to get on the next bus to the top. There's a nice parking lot right there - if that's full just park along the wide road leading up to the main building.

if you are visiting eagles nest, and have time, consider visiting the nearby town of berchtesgaden ( there is underground parking available in the center of town) the buildings are nicely painted and its a nice town for a walk. there is a also a very interesting spa (therme) in berchtesgaden, which you will nearly drive past ( we had a great swim there some weeks ago, its open til late) for something totally different, but something the 'locals' do.

also check the car has an austrian vignette sticker.

Couple of things that threw me the first time driving in Germany. 1. Sometimes there are stop signs at traffic lights . . .what to do? If the lights are working, ignore the stop sign. If the lights aren't working, then STOP! The cross traffic has the right of way. 2. There's yield signs everywhere. Really look for them . . . they're important (duh).

Enjoy the trip. I've been driving for over a week and it's been a breeze.

When driving in Germany - everything and I mean EVERYTHING is marked with a sign. It can be a bit visually disurbing, until you sort of get used to it. Speed limit in all towns is 50 kph - once you pass a town sign, it is 50. Often there will be a speed camera there - first the 70 sign, then the town sign, then the speed camera. Folks entering the road on the right have priority, except if you are on the main road, as indicated by a yellow diamond. In a traffic circle, traffic on the left has priority, and it is nice of you to signal as you exit the circle. Make SURE you have a Vignette (Toll sticker) BEFORE you enter Austria from Germany, or they WILL ticket you. (this is well signed on the German side, naturally). Right turn without stopping is possible if there is a yield sign or a green arrow, otherwise you have to stop. Traffic jams (stau) are common - stay alert. Truck traffic (LKWs) is prohibited on Sunday on the Autobahn - which makes Sunday much nicer for driving cross country. Your car is a PKW.

You guys are all awesome! Thanks much! Or shall I say Danke!

Make sure you take the cable car up the Zugspitze at Garmisch. Go early as later in the day it can be cloudy. Munich is beautiful. Dachau is just outside of town. It is worth seeing.

Take the sound of music tour in Salzburg. It is a nice bus ride in the country.

Enjoy your trip. We leave in two weeks for the North of Germany and the Netherlands.

We used our iphone gps last year in Munich and many other places and it worked really well. We're doing it again this year. The phone gps worked much better than our car gps we took along. Have a great time.