Help with Fall Itinerary

Hi Dyan, I wouldn't be concerned with the weather, how many places are open and Oktoberfest the first week of October. We've traveled to Bavaria and Austria many times in October. It's our favorite month to travel to the Alps. If Switzerlands costs are a worry, either meet in Frankfurt and visit the Rhine, Mosel and maybe Rothenberg ob der Tauber. You could also meet in Munich and head right to Salzburg 2 hours away. Visit Berchtesgaden 30 min. away from Salzburg. Add the Garmisch/Mittenwald area, Innsbruck area and/or Fuessen and there's a week's trip. Don't worry about anyplace besides Munich being affected by Oktoberfest. Paul

Rick doesn't have a monopoly on October travel wisdom in Germany, or on travel wisdom in Germany more generally. There are MANY alternatives to Munich, Oktoberfest and southern Bavaria, places he tends to overemphasize that are heavy with tourists and stereotypes of Germany. For a less touristy experience, I'd suggest meeting in Frankfurt and doing a week near there instead. You might spend 3-4 days on/near the Rhine, where nice weather isn't always guaranteed but still probable. You can tour 800+-year-old castles, visit old-world villages, and enjoy the area's great scenery by train and by boat. September's wine festivals will be over with, so you should have your pick of accommodations at reasonable prices. http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/ You could also spend 3-4 days in northern Bavaria (Franconia) seeing Bamberg, Würzburg, and/or Nuremberg. Like the Rhine, Bamberg is a UNESCO-protected World Heritage site, a fabulously preserved old city, with its own unique character. Würzburg's Residenz is a Unesco site as well: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/169/ And Nuremberg is a great city with a fine old town and lots of WW II history. Bacharach on the Rhine is 1 hour by train from FRA. Würzburg is 1.5 hours.

Dyan, what city are you flying out of? How do you plan on travelling? Train or Car? If you want to go to the Swiss Alps, I would fly into Zurich and then make your way to the Berner Oberland area. We like to stay in Muerren. I was there two years ago in the fall and stayed at Hotel Alpina which is open the first two weeks of October. Yes, you will find some hotels and restaurants closed during this time, however, it is quiet and peaceful without the tourist crowds. Switzerland is beautiful but very expensive. If you are concerned about funds, I would stick to Germany or Austria. Oktoberfest does go through October 7th. However, you do not have to stay in the city. You could stay south and take the train in for a day of siteseeing. After a few days in Bavaria, you could go to Salzburg and spend a few nights there. From Salzburg, we took a day trip to Obersalzburg (outside of Bertchesgaden) and went to the Nazi Documentation Center which contains a museum and Hitler's Bunkers. Just a few ideas.

If you don't want to do Oktoberfest, don't go to Munich during Oktoberfest. I've heard the rest of the city isn't too much worse than usual in terms of crowds, but getting a hotel will be impossible. There's a lot to explore near Frankfurt. Also Berlin is an amazing city and worth seeing. And of course, there's always the Southwest - Black forest, Swabish Alb, Alsace, Lake Constance. October weather in Germany usually is still pretty decent and the fall colors will be nice, too. Switzerland is horribly expensive. If you want to save money, stay away from there and Munich. The rest of the country is pretty affordable, particularly the further northeast you go.

Dyan, judging from your post, I will assume that you have seen little, if any of Europe. If this is the case, I would say that you have a wonderful opportunity with hopefully free, or at least half free, airfare. Yes, Switzerland is VERY expensive. However, perhaps the least expensive area is the Berner Oberland. You can stay in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, or Murren quite reasonably. This applies to both accomodations and eating. While there are many nice places to visit in Germany, I would not put them at the top of my list of places in Europe to see, particularly if you exclude Munich. You mentioned Belgium and the Netherlands. Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent are very interesting. Paris and Provence are terrific. And, my favorite, London. If you have around a week, I would choose one of the above three. However, before you eliminate the Lauterburnnen area, check prices. And, if you want some real confusion, start checking into the various Swiss passes and cards available. That will really make your head spin.

Thank you, for all of the replies. We decided and booked flights to Munich. Most likely we will do a day in Munich and then head elsewhere. We are looking into Austria, or possibly the Oberland area of Switzerland. If we go, we will only stay a portion of our trip in Switzerland to cut down on costs. We are renting a car because we like the freedom of a going and doing whatever we want. Plus we got a great deal on a car rental. This will be my fourth time to Europe, however the first time to this region.