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May Itinerary for 11-Day Germany/Austria Trip

My husband and I are arriving in Munich on May 1 and leaving out of Frankfurt on May 11. Can anyone offer input on the following loose itinerary we've planned. I grew up in Mackenbach (near Ramstein), hence the focus on that area towards the end of the trip. We really want to travel by rental car after Salzburg, so that is why we make the switch from train to car.

Day 1 (May 1) - Arrive in Munich in AM, visit Marienplatz, St. Peter's Church, Hofbrauhaus
Day 2 - Visit Dachau via 'Radius Tours' train tour in AM, then take train to SALZ in PM
Day 3 - SALZ sightseeing
Day 4 - Visit Berchtesgaden (options: bus tour from SALZ, or we will rent car in SALZ and drive)
Day 5 - Drive rental car to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Day 6 - Drive to Fussen
Day 7 - Drive to Heidelberg (big drive from Fussen!)
Day 8 - Drive to Ramstein
Day 9 - Drive to Trier (day visit) on way to Rudesheim am Rhein (or nearby town)
Day 10 - Rudesheim am Rhein (or nearby town) sightseeing/relaxing
Day 11 - Drive to Frankfurt for flight

Does this itinerary seem like complete madness? There's just so much to see and so little time. Also, I know RS doesn't think Rudesheim am Rhein is worth a visit, especially if we were staying for two nights. Are there any other suggestions for a romantic, wine-filled, last stop of our trip. As you can tell, we're going to be doing a lot of traveling so we want the last day to be relaxing and lovely.

Posted by
26831 posts

Do not plan to rent a car in Austria and drop it off in Germany. That will mean a very large international drop fee.

Can't comment on the itinerary details, but we have several folks who are extremely knowledgeable about Germany. They'll provide good advice.

Posted by
8091 posts

Madness? Not at all. You're familiar with Germany, and it's certainly do-able. I would stay in Innsbruck rather than going up to Garmisch, however.
You might want to see if you can find a rental car in Germany just outside of Salzburg. If rental cars are not returned to their home country, drop off fees will be charged to return the car. And don't forget about the vignette sticker required on windshields to travel the good roads of Austria.

Posted by
3049 posts

The only reason I'd call this trip "madness" is because it's entirely 1 night stays. That's really tiring to some people (including me) who prefer to 'base' out of an area. However with the exception of Fuessen to Heidelberg you don't have any super long travel times so if you're happy to live entirely out of a suitcase and be committed to driving every day on this trip, I don't see why it's not workable.

From Trier I'd prefer to stay in Cochem, visit Burg Eltz, etc.

Posted by
7595 posts

I don't like your plan. You don't spend enough time in Munich. All these one day stays would drive me crazy.

Posted by
8377 posts

Why stop in Ramstein? Military connection? Too much on your plate with this itinerary. Too much time in traffic and sightseeing is of the rear end of trucks.

St Goar or Goarhausen instead of Rudesheim.

Posted by
10 posts

Thank you all for your thoughtful advice! I didn't know about the drop off fee for rental cars between 2 countries, so will definitely rent in Germany and not Austria. I also keep telling myself we can (and will) visit again and it would be best to slim down our schedule. This will be our first trip away from our one year old son, so a little relaxation would be nice, too! And yes, I'm a military kid, hence the trip to the Ramstein area!

Posted by
3049 posts

If you wanted to get some rest, I wouldn't do this trip, but rather split between a couple of bases: One in Bavaria and one close enough for the Ramstein visit (Trier, Cochem or other Mosel or Rhine location).

Here's how i'd rework it:

May 1 - Munich, sightseeing and dealing with jet lag. Overnight Munich.
May 2 - Pick up rental car in Munich, drive to Salzburg. Sightsee and overnight Salzburg.
May 3 - Sightsee Berchdesgaden area. Overnight Salzburg.

May 4 - Drive to new base in Fussen/Garmish area. Overnight.
May 5 - Castles/sightseeing. Overnight in new base.
May 6 - Here you could spend one more day in the region or go north. Assuming you still want a pretty busy schedule, head to Rammstein, leaving your previous base very early, and spend a few hours in Heidelberg for lunch/sightseeing then continue on to Rammstein, overnight there.
May 7 - 10 - Stay in new base, using it for daytrips. Again, I'd recommend Cochem on the Mosel, it's about an hour from Trier, it's beautiful, full of wine, castles, and relatively easy drive to Frankfurt for your flight out.

Posted by
10 posts

Sarah, this schedule rework looks wonderful! You’ve given me a whole new set of eyes on the planning! Do you have a travel blog? If not, you should!