Itinerary Critique - Germany, Czech Republic (9/17 - 10/1)

That's a lot. You had me for the most part up to Rothenburg/Nuremburg. From personal experience I can share with you....

we had a flight arrive at FRA at 5am and headed to Bacharach. You get there pretty early but at that point, you really cannot check into a room. At best you can only drop you bag. So we did and then set off exploring. Because we cannot sleep on a plane, we spent that day in a fog. We did some hiking, took the boat to St. Goar - but could barely muster the energy to do anything of great effort. So leaving the very next morning to Baden-Baden would have been very hard to do mentally and physically.

Secondly - the train system is so slick for most of this journey - I wouldn't get a car until later in your trip (only really to get to Rothenburg). And in most cases the train is probably faster. So I would train from FRA - Bach - BadenBaden - Munich. Skip Fussen as an overnight and instead do it as a day trip from Munich. Another good reason to not have a car is that driving a car into Munich during Oktoberfest is hazardous. Trust me, we did it. Nearly got sideswiped by a trolley. Parking is flat out impossible. And worst of all - we could not find the return depot at the train station. it was a major headache.

Munich to Prague looks good. Then you come back to Munich which is backtracking and you also have to check in/out of a hotel twice in Munich. I think you could time the trip so as not to return.

What about Frankfurt to Prague and then to Munich? Giving yourself lots of time in Munich to explore surrounding areas?

Bach (2) - Frankfurt to connect to Prague (3) - Munich with daytrip to Fussen (4) - Rothenburg (2) - Baden Baden (2) - fly home from Frankfurt.

9/24, 9/25, 9/26 - Explore Prague on foot. Take overnight train back to Munich.

9/27 - Arrive in Munich on overnight train in morning. Spend day in Munich / Oktoberfest. Overnight in/around Munich.

9/28 - Wake up in Munich, drive to Rothenburg ob de Tauber (~2.5 hour drive). Explore Rothenburg, overnight in Rothenburg.

9/29 - Wake up in Rothenburg, drive to Nuremburg. Explore Nuremburg for the day, overnight in Nuremburg.

9/30 - Wake up in Nuremburg and drive back to Munich. Spend day/night exploring Munich / Oktoberfest. Overnight in Munich.

10/1 - Breakfast in Munich before a tired 11:40 AM flight back home! Phew....that just tired me typing it out!

Finally, I forgot to mention some of our goals for this itinerary:
(1) Avoid loooong driving days.
(2) Avoid too many one-night stays
(3) Avoid Munich on the weekends during Oktoberfest.
(4) Balance between big cities and smaller towns.
(5) See as much as possible, but still have time to "soak up the culture."

Anything you would change? Too much driving / too many destinations? Any hidden gems we are missing along our route? Would it be worth it to try to squeeze Salzburg in there somewhere? Feel free to provide insight, as this is the first time we have ever planned an itinerary! Thanks!!

-Matt

A little busier than I would personally prefer, but overall, manageable. Just a few minor suggestions mostly based purely on my personal opinion.

If you are in your 20s, you may prefer Freiburg as a base for the Black Forest over Baden-Baden. More lively student population here.

Only bother with Reutte if you are an absolute Rick Steves fan who wants to see every location in his book. It is a completely ordinary town that just happens to be surrounded by the Alps. With a car, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Grainau, Ehrwald, Oberamergau (this might be tight this year with the Passion Play, though), etc would all be better choices... Hell, anywhere but Reutte!

Finally, one safety note. For your first day, keep your driving to a minimum. You will be quite jet-lagged. If you plan to visit St. Goar, see it the next day or visit it by rail or boat. To reach St. Goar by road, you have to descend a long, very narrow, steep, winding road. Not the kind of road you would want to drive on after flying in from California. I haven't visited Bacharach by car, but given the geography of the region, it wouldn't surprise me if the approach was via similar roads.

@Tom: Thanks for the thorough reply. From the sounds of it, Baden Baden may be a better place to pass through as opposed to spending 2 nights there. I need to look into Freiburg as a base for that part of the trip...sounds interesting! To be honest, we were only looking at Reutte as a suggestion from RS...we don't know too much about this area. Is Fussen pretty much the same story as Reutte? As for the cities you recommend instead of Reutte, where would you recommend staying as a base for exploring around Miitenwald, Grainau, Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau??

@Amy: Great information on not even messing with a car heading in to Munich. As we sit state-side we are enchanted by the thought of driving in Germany, and my wife seems to think we will see more this way. Also, it gives us a little more flexibility with our schedule. We will definitely avoid driving into Munich though. Unfortunately, your itinerary suggestion will not work for us as our tix are booked and we are flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich. Since our trip is basically u-shaped, I can't figure out a way not to backtrack at some point.

@James: Any suggestions on modifying the itinerary to eliminate Reutte and Baden Baden? Is your opinion of Fussen the same as Reutte? We were planning on heading to this area for a couple days for the obvious German castles.

What is the general consensus on Salzburg?
Anyone have an opinion on doing Rothenburg, and Nuremburg as 2 one-day trips from Munich as opposed to staying in Rothenburg and Nuremburg? How is this drive?

I personally like Garmisch best because of the skiing in the winter and the hiking in the surrounding area. Mittenwald is more picture-book. The other towns I listed, with the exception of Oberamergau, are more rustic.

Fussen is preferable to Reutte, although a little too stuffed with souvenir stands for me. Would only stay here if you didn't have a car and wanted to see the castles.

Take the train to Bacharach after landing. It is easier and faster.

The Oktoberfest and Munich itself are going to be packed no matter what day you go. Just the weekends are even worse.

A stay in Baden-Baden will help you to recover from the long flight and the jet lag. There are several thermal baths to go to and to relax. The casino is world famous and the black forest at the door steps. Clinton and Obama both enjoyed their stays here.
Marlin

As far as Baden-Baden goes, the baths are fantastic, but there's not much else, IMHO. We did the baths 15 years ago and are still talking about it. If you do go, I'd only do one night there.

OK, so our latest revelation is that overnight trains from Munich to Prague are perhaps not the best way to go. Seems like a very limited schedule and high prices. Does anyone have experience on overnight trains from Munich to Prague (and back)? Can you use a Eurorail Pass on these trains or is there an additional fee? Is it possible to get a decent night's sleep on these trains?

The other option we are considering is taking a late evening train from Munich to Prague on the dates mentioned above. We are thinking that this will allow us to see some of the countryside along the way and still won't eat up too much of our day. How is the scenery along this ride? Anything worth staying awake for?

Finally, it looks like the trains from Munich to ROTD and to Nuremburg are on high speed lines and are very frequent. Seems like it may be a better idea to do ROTD and Nuremburg as day trips, using Munich as our base. The only concern here is the availability/price of rooms in Munich during Oktoberfest. Does anyone have suggestions on reasonably priced places to stay that are still near the action?

Thanks for the help...we have learned a lot here.

how about flying into Frankfurt and out of Prague. that way you don't backtrack at all. and everything is on the way. stop in Cesky krumlov if you have time. gorgeous.