Travel to Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Cami, I agree with the previous reply - more information would be really helpful. What are your travel dates? Have you bought air tickets yet? A few thoughts..... If you're planning to attend Oktoberfest this year, you may have some trouble finding Hotel bookings at this late date. You may have to stay outside the city and commute to the festivities. The rail systems in the countries you mentioned are excellent, so travel by train is usually the most efficient method. WHERE are you planning to visit in Austria and Switzerland? If you haven't been to Europe before, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. Given your home location, it would be a REALLY good idea to take a drive to ETBD in Edmonds and speak with Rick's travel experts. Paying the small trip consulting fee would likely save you a lot of time and money in the long run. While there you could also check the Guidebooks in the free Library or perhaps watch some of the PBS programs on the three countries you're interested in. With a very short two weeks, you'll need to plan your transportation and sightseeing carefully so that you don't waste ANY time. It would also be a good idea to get some Hotels booked! Once you've got a few of the details sorted, the group here can help you "fine tune" your touring. Happy travels!

Denise & Ken, Thanks to both of you for your questions/help. We have not purchased air or hotel tickets yet. We just starting talking about this trip a few days ago. Originally, we'd planned to go to Germany only, which I visited last year (Munich, Erlangen, Iphophen (?), Wurzburg, Dusseldorf). I had a chance to ride (and miss trains) and it was a great adventure. Yesterday my Dad suggested adding Austria & Switzerland as well. I have not researched either of these countries at all. So, I'm starting from scratch on what I'd like to do there. KEN: The suggestion to consult directly with Rick Steve's office just up the road, is one I've considered for the exact reasons you mentioned. DENISE:
I'd like to travel by train as much as possible, although open to driving if it makes sense to do so. Dates of travel would be: the week of Sept 24 for 2 weeks. Thank you both, ~Cami

How do you plan on travelling? Trains or car? Do you have flights booked yet? If you are going to Oktoberfest, you really need to get busy on hotel reservations unless you stay further out of the city in the countryside. For flights, it would be best to fly into one city and out another. However, it's not always possible and at least you are staying in one general area. You could fly into Zurich and out of Munich, or vice versa. Where do you plan on going in Austria? If it's Salzburg, they also have an airport. So, fly into Zurich and out of Salzburg. Come back to us with more info so we can help.

RS has a G/A/S Tour that I have taken and greatly enjoyed. You might want to go elsewhere on this web site to view his tours, clicking on the G/A/S one to see where he takes his folks just to get an idea of what he considers important. I made reservations for Frankfurt more than 6 months ago for September and had some problems finding exactly what I wanted but thanks to Jo, I was able to get a fine location.
Given the time frame before you plan on traveling, you had better make plane and hotel reservations ASAP. I go up to the RS headquarters in Edmonds for travel consultation every year prior to making final plans. Those folks have forgotten more than I will ever know about Europe. Happy travels and good luck.

2 weeks isn't a lot for 3 countries. A general interest itinerary that would include castles, museums and hiking opportunities and avoid duplication of your previous trip might go roughly like this, using one town in each area as a base for your stay; you'll find yourself among tourist in these places, as September is a prime month for tourism: Arrive Frankfurt Rhine/Mosel (3 nights, castles, hiking, maybe museums in Trier) Bernese Oberland, CH (3 breathtaking scenery, but tourists too) Salzburg, Hallstatt, Berchtesgaden (4, castles, museums, scenery, hiking, some tourists of course)
Munich (3, hordes of tourists) Depart Munich You'll surely want Munich reservations as soon as possible. O'fest sells solid well in advance and rooms will be very pricey. Of course, O'fest conflicts with your interest in avoiding tourist crowds. If I were forced to attend O'fest again, I'd arrive in Munich in the morning and leave in the evening for quieter and better-priced surroundings. Then I'd have two days to see some other stuff in Bavaria - Garmisch, Mittenwald, and Regensburg would be just a few good options. You probably don't need to sweat the reservations in the other places until well into 2013.