Okay so I’m attempting to plan a 50th Wedding Anniversary trip in December 2026. Fly into Munich, spend 3 days(it’s Bavaria at Christmas), Eurail to Vienna, spend 2 days. Eurail to Prague, spend 2 days. Eurail to Nuremberg, spend 1-2 days. Eurail to Rothenburg um Tauber, spend 3 days unwinding and walking. 4 day Eurail Franfurt and fly home.
$1,730.00/2 people flight
$674.00 Eurail
Is this feasible or am I nuts.
While the final decision is yours, it may be a bit too optimistic and rushed.
Have you looked at travel times between these cities?
Have you looked at the sunrise/sunset times. The days are much shorter in December.
I have been to everywhere you list except Rothenburg. If you wanted my opinion, I would spend two nights in Rothenburg and three nights in Frankfurt.. I would then add the extra time to Vienna and Prague.
Honestly, it would still seem rushed.
Feasible, although I would make it at least 3 days in Vienna and 3 days in Prague, since travel time will not give you 2 full days in these cities, more like 1 full day and an evening.
I get slightly more for a Twin Senior 5-day Eurail pass, $699. But you really only need 4 days, since Nuremberg to Rothenburg is a cheap VGN Tages Ticket Plus. That would cost 25.50 EUR (~$30) total for 2 people, plus my price of $623 for a 4-day Eurail Pass,
Price out the train journeys separately, the Eurail pass may not be worth it. You’ll still need to pay for reservations even with the pass.
If you aren’t familiar with Christmas markets, they’re a HUGE deal in all of these cities. You may wish you had more time to spend in many of the cities. Especially in Vienna. Instead of staying in Frankfurt, I would stay in Cologne, an hour away. The markets are fabulous. Neither Cologne nor Frankfurt are charming. There’s a very active group on fb called Magical Christmas Markets of Europe that is very helpful.
Lets see:
Day 1, Munich, arrive 2pm
2 Munich
3 Munich
4 Munich
5 Train to Vienna (4 hours), arrive hotel no earlier than 2pm
6 Vienna
7 Vienna
8 Train to Prague (4 hours), arrive hotel no earlier than 2pm
9 Prague
10 Prague
11 Train to Nuremberg (3 hours), arrive hotel no earlier than 3pm
12 Nuremberg
13 Train to Rothenburg (1.5 hours), arrive hotel no earlier than noon
14 Rothenburg
15 Rothenburg
16 Rothenburg
17 Train to Frankfurt (3 hours), arrive hotel no later than noon.
Sure, doable. Not sure of the attraction of some of these stops, but its not too hurried for most folks. I would price tickets independently, I bet you save money if you buy 30 days + early.
Hopefully Ms Jo chimes in on the Frankfurt part of the journey. If she doesn’t, then PM here and ask. Real dates will help some too. You will get more detailed suggestions.
If this is for Christmas Markets, then google "best christmas markets in Europe" and you will get a half dozen good lists to look at. Then maybe rethink your stops .... or not.
For those long walks in Rothenburg, if it is 15 December the average is 33F to 38F for a high. The possiblity including the 10% bands is about 27F to 47F. Dress warm. Oh and there is will be a 26% chance of rain and 80% chance of overcast skies. But you wont see the overcast skies, much, because the sun sets at about 4:15pm. Having said all of that. If Rothenburg interested me, I would go. Its wineter, so what, have fun.
Thank you all for your input, I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions. Yes this trip is a Christmas Market excursion. No I will not be staying in Frankfurt, just flying out, not overnighting in Nuremberg.
What are the train/rail agencies to book these rides independently?
