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Germany, Austria, and Italy Itinerary

My family of 4 (ages ranging from 63 - 24) are are planning a last minute trip flying into Munich on Oct 2nd and out of Milan on Oct 22nd. Our high priority events and places are Oktoberfest, the Dolomites and Lake District. We are also interested in visiting the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Cinque de Terre, and Tuscany. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!

Posted by
3124 posts

Just a couple of random notes.

Neuschwanstein is beautiful from a distance, less so up close. Built in the 19th century, it's not a "real" (i.e. medieval) castle and this shows. Getting there from Munich involves quite a lot of driving on steep, winding mountain roads. Once you arrive, you must park some distance down the mountain and either walk up or take a horsedrawn conveyance.

The Munich Oktoberfest is huge. Beware of pickpockets as well as people who have overindulged and are acting obnoxiously. As a family, make sure you have a plan for what to do if you get separated in the crowd.

Posted by
5641 posts

Where does Austria come into your plans? I don't see it listed anywhere other than that title. I think this is pretty ambitious for a last minute trip and definitely needs more specifics. Bavaria is a huge area. The Dolomites, the Lake District, and Tuscany are areas, not specific places. And have you considered the time required to get from one place to the next?

I hope you already have your hotel reservations for Munich, as they will be hard to come by and expensive at this point. You can do Neuschwenstein as a day trip. You can also rent a car and tour some of the closer Bavarian towns as a day trip. My first inclination would be to axe the Black forest ( no pun intended) since it's an outlier.

Get a map and try to plan a logical progression. Perhaps from Munich to a town in the Dolomites, then to your Tuscan destination, thence to Cinque Terre (there is no de) and on to (just a suggestion) Varenna. Stay in Milan for the last night (or2). As you refine you itinerary, take into consideration that you'll lose at least a half day to travel every time you move locations. Try to avoid 1 and 2 night stays as much as posible.

Posted by
8360 posts

The area you are interested in is pretty vast, and it will be difficult to see all on your list in 3 weeks. Oktoberfest is just about over and might be something to avoid--crowds. Munich alone is worth 4 days, and Florence and Tuscany are very time consuming. You might consider removing the Black Forest and Cinque Terre did to time issues. A good driving itinerary of the region might be:
Munich--4 days
Salzburg--2 days
Innsbruck/Tirol--4 days driving into the countryside to places like Fuessen/Neuschwanstein.
Drive over the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway (if still open) into the Dolomites.
Spend 2 days driving around the Northern Italian mountains.
Venice--2 to 3 days
Florence 5 days--taking day trips out to hilltowns like Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Volterra, Lucca.
We have toured these cities and the region since 1970 and found the sights to be incredibly beautiful.

Posted by
5641 posts

David, the problem I see with you driving plan is the enormous drop off fee they would incur if they started driving in Germany and dropped off in Italy.

Posted by
138 posts

We enjoyed our time at the Neuschwanstein Castle and stayed overnight in Fussen at the Hotel Sonne Fussen. The town of Fussen is so quaint and just a short drive to the castle. The hotel sits among shops and restaurants and within walking distance is a beautiful church that is worth seeing. I know they say Neuschwanstein is not a real castle but we thought it was beautiful and one of our favorite stops in Germany. The castle Hohenschwangau is in the same area. Make sure if you purchase tickets to both that you know which castle you are headed to first. We made the mistake of taking the bus up to Neuschwanstein only to find out we were at the wrong castle! We had to run down one hill and up the other hill to Hohenschwangau. Didn't make the tour but we had some laughs over it later!

Loved Munich - Just enjoyed walking around town and visiting the shops, beer halls, restaurants, markets and churches. If you are in Munich, you should try to find time to visit Dachau concentration camp. Very solemn place but something worth seeing.

I haven't been to Italy yet - heading there in late October - but loved Germany when we visited. Hope you have a wonderful time!

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you all so much for your input! Below is a rough outline based on your feedback. If there is anything you think we should cut or other beautiful places or more specific towns to see I welcome your opinion!!!

October

2 - 5: Innsbruck (with day trips to Munich for Oktoberfest, Fussen/Neuschwastein, and others)

6: travel from Innsbruck to Milan (train), rent a car Milan and travel to Varenna

7-8: Varenna

9: Drive from Varenna to Dolomites

10 - 11: Dolomites

12: Dolomites to Venice and drop car

13: Venice

14: Venice to Florence (train)

15 - 17: Florence (with suggested day trips)

18: Florence to Cinque Terra

19 - 20: Cinque Terra

20: Cinque Terra to Milan

21-22 Milan

Posted by
451 posts

This looks much better. I would add a second night for Venice.

Posted by
10713 posts

It's difficult for me to see exactly how many nights you will be in each place. I agree about adding a night to Venice and spend only one night in Milan.