Paris to Bavaria Region Train/Car Travel

I believe that for Germany, most of the high speed trains from Paris terminate in Mannheim, so that might be a good place to pick up a rental car. Mannheim will never make anyone's top 10 list for destinations in Germany, but there's plenty to see nearby.

I am thinking that you might get a connection at Mannheim to Munich (or take the TGV to Stuttgart and change there) and spend your Munich days on arrival. Then rent your car and drive to Fuessen, Innsbruck, and Salzburg. Return the car to Munich airport when you leave. Or am I guessing wrong that that is where you plan to return from? Remember to purchase an Austrian vignette as soon as you cross into Austria.

If you are still going to Zurich, then keep plan A - train to Zurich, then train to Singen or thereabouts and rent there.

"We are trying to find a balance of train travel and car travel."

This isn't a goal I really understand. The car is either a better or worse choice for Germany depending on your needs there, as I see it. Traveling to larger cities usually renders the car a burden. You might run your Germany destinations by the forum to help determine whether the car is a solid idea or not.

Paris to Munich by train is only about six hours direct. I'd go to Munich from Paris in one train leg and then hire your car. All the places you mention can be easily reached from Munich by train without a hire car, though.

Make sure that your hotels have guest car parking. Central Munich is not a nice place to drive.

"Central Munich is not a nice place to drive."

Right. I found Salzburg pretty messy as well.

Thank you all for your responses.

Our original plan was to go straight to Munich and day trip from there. Then I started reading the threads about parking and cost. So after some research, we realized that we could get to Zurich in 4 hours (realizing it will be more like 6, rather than the 7-8 for Munich). We thought this would be a nice overnight, get a good night sleep, wake up refreshed, rent the car, drive to our next overnight destination, the Fuessen area. We really wanted the flexibility of driving the Alps area, stopping when we wanted, maybe having a more enjoyable scenic view than from a train on someone else's schedule, and be within a 2 to 2 1/2 hr hour (give or take) drive to our next destination, Innsbruck. We would overnight there, then head on to Salzburg, overnight in Salzburg. From Salzburg, we would then head to Munich and overnight there for 2-3 nights. Unfortunately, we have to head back to the States from Frankfurt, so we will lose a day at the end just getting to Frankfurt from Munich.

Zurich is not set in stone. It was just an option to reduce train travel time on that day, and to give us the option of renting and getting in the scenic driving that we wanted prior to reaching Munich for a few days.

Of course, the more I look at the maps, the more I want to do and see.....ughhh! It's so hard to keep it at a manageable, enjoyable pace. But I'm trying :)

Thank you for the recommendations on Mannheim, I will definitely check that out tomorrow.

In Zurich, you are likely to find that hotel costs to be about double German prices. And the car rental prices with a drop in Munich. The only real way to to determine this is an honest to goodness quote.

Hi,

Depending on when you leave Paris, both the TGV and ICE train end in Frankfurt. The one I always take upon leaving Paris Est direct is the TGV or ICE that arrives in Frankfurt Hbf at 10:58, so you have one hour before noon. Then you can change to the Frankfurt - Munich ICE train direct.

Ah. but get off in Mannheim, and you shortcut going north to Frankfurt, just to go south to Munich. The train through Strasbourg to Stuttgart shortcuts it even more.

How about this? Take the train to either Mannheim or Stuttgart, pick up the rental car in either of these two cities, have fun driving around the Alps for a few days, then drop it off as you enter Munich. Then, take the train back to Frankfurt after you see Munich.