22 day tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Not sure what you mean by the 22 day tours of GAS (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The longest GAS tour I see on his tour page is 14 days and does not include Appenzell. Anyway, you can find rail connections by using the German Rail website. It shows connections all over Europe, not just Germany.

I think this link is what OP is referring to. Haven't been there, wish I could help!

Looks entirely too ambitious too me and not very realistic. I'm tired just reading it. There's too many changes of location, and it leaves little room for error- traffic jams, bad weather, rail delays and strikes, etc. What happens if you drive all the way to the Berner Oberland (driving past dozens of other less isolated Alpine resorts along the way) and it's cloudy and rainy on the one day alloted for hiking? It can probably be done... but why?

Looking at the itinerary, my comments: I would not skip Hallstatt. IMO, it's the most beautiful town in Austria (maybe the world). I would skip Hall. It's a convenient stop between Hallstatt and Switzerland, but that's about it's only virtue. If Baden-Baden is their idea of the Black Forest, I would skip it too. However, if you could manage Freudenstadt, that would be a plus.

Tom's right. WHY the frenetic pacing to squeeze all this in? Who cares about Lake Geneva? And you're right that you'll need another night on the Rhine, especially if skipping Baden-Baden and the BF, which means a long trip from Murten to the Rhine. I would pare this down A LOT. Absolutely get rid of Baden-Baden. Only 2 nights in Vienna? You need at least one more, or don't go. Agree with Lee that Hall can go. Innsbruck too, I think. And I don't think Bern is a must at all. Can't comment on Murten - never been - but it looks lovely. Rick's itinerary by train: It's mostly feasible. But IMO, this is not a sound itinerary, just a list of Rick's personal favorite spots. The "Romantic Road" towns can't be seen by train alone, as I'm sure Rick knows. He says "slight modifications" are needed in spots. I guess he means the Romantic Road bus - one per day - which links the RR towns but doesn't stop long enough in them even for a good pee. If not that bus, then without an overnight along the RR somewhere after R'burg, it's not practical to make the train-bus-train connections you must make by public transport to see the RR towns and reach "Bavaria" on Day 3 (which I guess means "Füssen"??) So maybe you skip the RR towns without stations, or stay longer there. (I can't believe that Rick's staffers haven't told him where Bavaria is by now. Bavaria is a state that includes the towns he mentions. You can't go from the RR to Bavaria or from Bavaria to Munich any more than you can go from Miami to Florida.) Rick's "itinerary" lacks credibility. Investigate the named destinations and choose what interests you. Note that Rick has omitted many great Bavarian destinations (Garmisch, Mittenwald, Berchtesgaden, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Regensburg) which may also interest you. THEN figure your transport.

I have to reinforce what the others are saying that the linked itinerary isn't really enjoyable. You should research the three countries you mention and pick out a few cities/towns you'd like to see, then work on time management at each location and transportation between them. Only having half a day in Salzburg is such a waste, it's a great city. Some of the jumps, like Vienna to Zurich area, or Geneva to Berlin may be better served by a quick flight than on the train. Personally, Baden-Baden, Innsbruck, and a few others are a waste of your time. My suggestion would not to make a huge loop, but to start in say, Vienna, and head through Salzburg, Munich, then fly out of Berlin or Frankfurt or Zurich. Or fly into Munich, head to Switzerland, up through Strasbourg, Mosel valley, then fly out of Berlin.

I think the trip is pretty ambitious myself. To be fair, it is set up to do by car but Rick said it could be done by train. Fussen or Ruette in Bavaria was intended stop. I also appreciate the suggestions for additional towns that could be bypassed. Since we are just starting to plan, this information will be a great help. Thanks to all. Keith

In three weeks, I would schedule about 6 overnight stops. Some things can be enjoyed along the way between stops, but spending 3 nights in each place will make the moving of luggage and changing hotels more manageable. Daytrips from some stops could make it possible to include more sight-seeing. Once you are there and reach a comfort level with the pace of your traveling, you can add or delete places and activities.

Keith: Here's a map of the Bavarian rail lines so you can see which Romantic Road towns are served. You'll find Rothenburg o.d. Tauber near the top south of Würzburg; Füssen at bottom near Munich. The blue lines are rivers. Note that the other towns I mentioned are on major train lines and easy to reach. http://www.bahnland-bayern.de/content-startseite/streckennetzplan-pdf You may find the Bayern Ticket handy for your trips, including Salzburg; it's also good within Munich: http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm

I took RS GAS 14 day tour in September of this year. It was very enjoyable. You should look at that tour's itinerary to see what it visits to help in your planning.

Keith, While Rick's suggested Itinerary may be feasible, it covers a lot of stops in a short period of time and whether by car or train, it would be exhausting! I'd suggest reducing the number of stops to allow a more relaxed pace. It would help to know which places you're most interested in seeing, and whether you've travelled in that area before? To add to Charlie's comments, another option would be to consider the GAS tour, as that covers all the highlights and I'm sure you'd have a great time. You could spend the additional week on your own seeing locations not covered on the tour. Happy travels!

First, we have never traveled to this part of the world before. We've done 9 days in Paris (our first trip) and followed Rick's guidebooks to the letter. We've done a 16 day Rome, Venice, Florence, Cingue Terra, Rome trip also following Rick's guide book. We've done a Southern half of England and Wales 16 trip and a 16 day trip to Spain that included Barcelona, Grenada, Gibraltar, Seville and Madrid. All these using Rick's books. I am just starting to look at incorporating some of the suggestions like picking 5 or 6 spots to stay and using other means of transportation to see sights as opposed to picking up and traveling to each sight on the route. That way we might get into a cheaper railpass. Now the tough part, choosing the 5 or 6 stops. Oh, the reason for doing a circle is that we have not been able to find reasonable airfares flying into one city and out the other. How do people find deals? Keith

Cal me crazy, but I did this tour and loved it. I did slight modifications, 2 night stays everywhere.
I loved it by car except for Munich.