I would appreciate any advice for my trip itinerary. I am planning to fly into Amsterdam, travel throughout Belgium/ Germany / Switzerland / Austria for about 2 weeks, and then fly out of Munich. This will be my second trip to Europe. Some cities I know I would like to visit are Amsterdam -- Brugge -- Lucerne -- Salzburg -- Munich. Does anyone have other cities along this itinerary they would recommend, and what do you recommend to do there? I am wondering what cities in Western Germany (or Eastern France - I have already visited Paris and the south of France) are worth including on our trip. Also, am I really missing out by skipping Berlin in this itinerary?
Posted by
Stafford, Virginia, USA
143 posts
I would suggest Alsace and its Wine Route. Strasbourg and Colmar are both wonderful cities. You could base in one of them and do day trips to the region. Also, on your way to Lucerne from Alsace, you could stop in Freiburg for a few days and investigate some of the sights in the Black Forest.
Posted by
Green Bay
21152 posts
I'd also suggest Alsace, but you already have a full 2 weeks here.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
Christy: Travel is always more efficient if you flew open jaw'd into one city and out of another. Boston direct flights to go Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich; flights don't go to Brussels direct. Your listed cities are more of a circle than in a straight line, and would be difficult to visit in 2 weeks without backtracking. I've done this trip a couple of times by auto. Have you considered flying into Amsterdam and taking a train down to Cologne to see the Duomo? Then, travel up the Rhine River through Koblenz to Bacharach. Take the train from there to Munich. Salzburg is on the train line about 90 miles east of Munich. Then you could double back thru Munich and catch the train southwest to Switzerland, where you could fly home from Zurich.
Sometimes 2 weeks is just too short to see everything. Add any more cities, and they might all be a big blur.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I'll agree with the others. The issue is not "what am I missing," it's "I only have two weeks and have to be selec-tive." You're going to miss lots whatever you do see, so just decide what is important to you. I love Berlin and far prefer it to Munich. But that's just me, and there are several threads here about this "rivalry," with others feeling just the opposite. I agree that some of your travel times would be long. Start by looking at the Bahn website http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en to check train routes. Once you see how long your rides will be, you may then want to limit yourself to a smaller geographic area.