Hello travelers,
My wife and I will be spending slightly over 4 weeks in Europe from mid-September to mid-October, flying into Frankfurt and flying out of Zürich. The first 5 nights are in Berlin. We'll be there mainly for our niece, who is running the marathon, but this will also be our first time in Berlin. We're looking forward to Berlin, but we were looking for a little help with the rest of this trip.
A couple of things to know:
We took a trip to Germany and Austria a few years ago, which included Munich, Füssen, Salzburg, Hallstatt, and Vienna. We loved it, but we intend to visit different places on this trip.
Lately, we prefer to settle down in one location for a while (4 or 5 nights or more), mostly to soak up the culture, even if that means we'll miss seeing every village or must-see attraction in the vicinity. After Berlin, we plan to spend some time in Bavaria. We are then thinking about heading to the French region of Alsace, before moving on to Switzerland.
So here’s a preliminary itinerary:
First 8 nights after Berlin:
Bavaria -
Most likely candidates:
Würzburg, Bamberg, Nürnberg, Rothenburg.
If we insisted on spending 4 nights each in only two of these towns, what would be the best scenario? We’d appreciate any suggestions for staying in a combination of these towns (or any other towns in this area), where 4 nights isn’t too much overkill.
Initial thoughts:
Bamberg looks like a place we could easily spend 4 nights in – especially if we were walking distance from the famous brewpubs. :)
We do not want to miss Rothenburg completely, but Rothenburg does seem like it could be a day trip from somewhere like Bamberg, unless someone feels 4 nights there is doable as well.
We are still unsure about whether we will have a car, but it is certainly a possibility. We are savvy enough with train travel for a couple of day trips, so only if there were some not-to-be-missed scenic drives would we consider having the car.
Next 8 nights of the trip:
Alsace France -
Most likely candidates:
Colmar, Strasbourg
So, the same question about spending this many days in only one or more of these towns. How would you split this up: 4 nights in each place, or 8 in one place with a trip or two to the other? Or any other towns nearby that make more sense for an extended stay?
How about renting a car while we are in Alsace? Aren't there some nice drives in the area (wine route)?
Last 7 nights of the trip:
Most likely candidates:
Lucerne, Zürich
We intend to spend several days at Lake Lucerne, which would include a day for Mount Pilatus. We’re not certain if we want to visit Zurich on this trip. We do have to fly home from there, but I do see that I can get from Lucerne to Zurich airport in an hour, so we don’t necessarily need to stay in Zurich at all.
Are there any suggestions for where we can spend the last 7 nights in combination with Lucerne?
It could include more of Germany/France, or somewhere else in nearby Switzerland. Or is staying in Zurich for like 3 nights a good idea? It also seems like train/bus travel might be best for this area of Switzerland, but if there are good reasons to have a car, please let us know what those are.
Anyway, we are completely open to any suggestions for adjusting this itinerary - or blowing it up completely if that’s what’s needed!
Thanks for any help.
