Thoughts on this Itinerary

Posted by John (Kent, OH) on 12/23/08 08:15 AM

Arrive Geneva on Saturday and travel to Gimmelwald.
Sunday enjoy Gimmelwald (read and walk up to Murren)
Monday enjoy Gimmelwald (Shark's Fin).
Tuesday travel to Rothenburg.
Wednesday travel to Munich later in the day.
Thursday enjoy Munich.
Friday do the castles around Fussen.
Saturday travel to Salzburg.
Sunday enjoy Salzburg.
Monday day trip to Hallstatt.
Tuesday travel to Paris (probably via night train)
Wednesday Paris
Thursday Paris
Friday Paris
Saturday Paris
Sunday fly home.
Monday drink lots of coffee at work!

Obviously this is a lot of travel within a trip. Starting in Geneva/Gimmelwald is the part of the trip that doesn't belong, but I really want to visit there again while hitting Austria/Baveria/Paris. It's a lot, but we're young and foolish.

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

12/23/08 08:29 AM

32352 posts

John,

That's a fairly "busy" Itinerary for what appears to be about a ten day trip. It sounds feasible, but be sure to plan your transportation links very carefully! What is "Shark's Fin"?

A few questions and comments for clarification....

How were you planning to "do the castles around Fussen"? You might consider day tours from Radius Tours (listed in Rick's book - they have an office in the Munich station).

How were you planning to do the day trip to Hallstatt? You might have a look at Bob's Special Tours in Salzburg. I used them for a day trip to Berchtesgaden in May, and had a very enjoyable day!

A night train is certainly one option for the trip from Salzburg to Paris (make sure it has no changes during the night). I haven't checked the routes, but a day trip via TGV might work also?

When in Munich station, you might try the Euraide office to see which tickets they can provide for your trips. They have english speaking staff, and I've found them to be very helpful and knowledgeable.

What time of year will you be taking this trip?

Happy travels!

Posted by Ron

southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.

12/23/08 08:30 AM

1717 posts

Hello John. I think you will have time for going to all of those places. But travelling in trains from Salzburg to Paris would be awkward. Do you already have the airline tickets ? Could you fly from the U.S.A. to Munich, and fly from Paris to the U.S.A. ? That way, your travel in Europe would be in one general direction : from East to West. The Munich airport is a good airport to fly to, with easy transportation into the city Munich.

Posted by Tom

Danville, VT

12/23/08 08:56 AM

12040 posts

My opinion? You're trying to schedule far too much in too short a time. It can technically be done... but you'll spend a lot of time in transit.

What time of the year will you visit? Realize that hiking options in the Alps are limited from late October to late May- early June, and during the two shoulder periods, Gimmelwald and Murren virtually shut down to tourists. I personally think that Rick oversells Gimmelwald, but that's just my opinion...