13 travel days starting in Frankfurt: we plan to stop at Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Nurnburg, Augsburg, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest Prague. Too busy? Could someone lend a geographical hand to help. We have a car, but we are open to park and ride or ? Thanks for any input.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Make sure your car is cleared to go to Prague and Budapest. Get your Int. Drivers Permit. Don't forget to pay your fee at the Austrian border for using the Autobahn, it's only 8 Euro but the fine for not having it is a lot. You also need a reflective vest, the rental company might provide it. Bring a GPS from home (either Garmin or TomTom with European maps), you will be glad you did and save a lot of time and hassle.
It's a lot to cover in 13 days, especially if you need to get back to Frankfurt for your flight home. If you need to drop anything make it either Prague or Budapest because they are in opposite directions from Vienna.
Posted by
Paradise
6929 posts
Yes - too busy. And you surely don't want a car in major cities like Munich, Vienna, or Prague.
I'd cancel the car reservation and use the train throughout. With smart ticketing decisions you might spend less on rail travel than you would on gas alone.
Your first six listed destinations can all be reached by "Bayern Ticket" or "Bavaria Ticket" - a 27-Euro daypass for 2-5 people. If you're heading straight Würzburg, for example, then at FRA, you could get regular tickets to Kahl, where Bavaria begins (a few Euros each) and a Bayern ticket (which covers Kahl to any of those cities on the RE, RB, and IRE trains.)
You can base yourselves in Würzburg and daytrip easily to Rothenburg and Nuremberg on a Bayern Ticket.
You can travel W'burg to Munich on a Bayern ticket.
You can base yourselves in Munich and daytrip to Augsburg and Salzburg on a Bayern ticket as well - or just use a Bayern ticket to get to Salzburg if you're on your way east from there.
If You're keeping Vienna, you might want to check rail ticket prices from FRA to Vienna at www.bahn.de - There are some Ëuropa Spezial tickets (limited availability) selling for 39 Euros each way. Then hit the Bavarian cities on your way back.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
I would also suggest you travel by train. You can also get a Bayern/Barvarian ticket to the Czech Border. Then buy a ticket from the Czech Border to Prague. Train travel is very inexpensive in Czech Republic.
Remember the Bayern/Barvarian tickets for 6 of those cities listed in the above post.