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Logistics of arrival Munich/Frankfurt/Nuremberg

Posted by (California ) on

We (2 adults and 2 kids) are planning our vacation and I am stuck on the order of cities and logistics. It’s been awhile since I’ve planned a trip like this so I am a bit rusty. As you can tell, I am also a bit unsure and overwhelmed. This is the first part of our 4 week vacation, eventually ending in London.

We will arrive on July 6 and plan go to Munich and the Frankfurt (specifically Butzbach) before moving on to Strasbourg. I hope this all makes sense and I type this out

So far, these are the options I’ve thought about for our itinerary

Option A-arrive in Munich and staying for 3 days and then going to Butzbach via train (4 hours) but that would be on a Sunday in a very small town so I’m not sure that would be ideal if many places are closed.

Option B- the reverse, arrive in Frankfurt, stay in Butzbach that day/night, on to Munch for 3 days, then to Strasbourg. The train from Munich to Strasbourg is also 4 hours.

Option C- Arriving at either Munich or Frankfurt, then taking a train for to Nuremberg for a couple days, visit Butzbach from there as a day trip. Take the train to Munich and stay for three days then off to Strausbourg.

Items to note:
-I would like to avoid multiple 4+ hour train trips with kids. The first hour they’ll likely thing it’s cool but after awhile they might get bored.
-I haven’t booked the airfare yet but the price is about the same for both cities the only difference is the arrival in Munich is at 9:45am vs Frankfurt at 3:30pm
-My husband grew up in Butzbach and we want to take the kids to show them, the only real reason to visit the Frankfurt area.
-We have never been to Nuremberg and would like to visit.
- We have friends that will be in Munich on the July 9-10 so it would be great to see them although we are not planning our trip around their schedule. Option A would have us leave the same day they arrive
- it’s been 10 years since we’ve traveled to Germany so an easy arrival day after a long flight would be great.

If there are other options or thoughts please let me know and to all that read/respond to this, thanks in advance.

Posted by
4054 posts

You haven't included how you are returning to North America (presumably). One option is to take the fast train from Strasbourg to Paris. But I think it would be rash, these days, to try to connect to a trans-Atlantic flight from the train. I would allow a night in Paris, which adds to the cost and reduces the time you have to spend elsewhere. These multi-destination itineraries should always be booked as a single ticket using the appropriate search function.

Posted by
6664 posts

I am guessing here - Option C makes it seem like you'll have 5 nights in Germany, July 6-10, then you'll travel to Strasbourg on the 11th, right? Here's how I'd probably manage a 5-night stay. Travel times are authentic but just suggestions and can easily be adjusted

You might not need to prepurchase FRA > Butzbach and Nuremberg > Munich as they're doable by regional train.

6) FRA airport > Butzbach, 1 hr. (17:21 - 18:25) for 1 night
7) Morning in Butzbach. Butzbach > Nuremberg (10:45-14:22) for 2 nights; 1.3 days in Nuremberg
9) Morning train to Munich (8:01 - 9:10) for 2 nights; 2.5 days in Munich
11) Morning in Munich. Afternoon train to Strasbourg (12:45 - 16:13)

It's a long haul from California. The 6th won't be a good day for sightseeing even if you arrive earlier. You should all try to stay awake until at least 8 pm so that you don't all wake up at midnight.

I actually like Nuremberg more than Munich, so actually, I'd spend more time there. But you're focused on Munich and have friends coming.

Posted by
63 posts

Thanks for the response. This is just the first part of a month long trip. We are planning on ending our trip from London.

Posted by
14580 posts

The last time I saw Butzbach was in 1992.

Given the above choices, I suggest Option B. Stay a day or two in Butzbach after arrival, or if you prefer, stay in Gießen, closer to Butzbach than is Frankfurt., while spending the day in Butzbach. The Zentrum in Butzbach is nice.

Posted by
2354 posts

Butzbach > Nuremberg (12:00 - 13:10)

Butzbach-Nürnberg is approx. 3 hours.

Posted by
6664 posts

Butzbach-Nürnberg is approx. 3 hours.

Aaargh. Sure is. Good catch Nigel. I've revised my previous post.

7) Morning in Butzbach. Butzbach > Nuremberg (10:45-14:22) for 2 nights; 1.3 days in Nuremberg

Posted by
63 posts

Thank you all for your advice, guess I had my times off a bit. Appreciate the feedback.

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