GAS 2019!!

The GAS tour was the first Rick Steves tour that I took. You will love it. I did and now have been on 8 tours. Happy travels.

Yay!! have fun..... I am going on two but have not decided on my dates yet

You'll have the best time! Such a fantastic tour! So excited for you.

Be sure to look at the scrapbook winner from this year...Girlfriends Go To. It was done by my friend Kristi and it was a girlfriends trip on the GAS tour. We had a blast! You're going to love this tour!!!

This is a fun tour!! I hope you all have enough time so that you can arrive at least the day before the tour starts, if not 2 days before. This is a busy tour so for me it works better to be over jet lag before it starts. Your arrival day will not have much time for seeing things in Trier. 2 nights gives you a full day plus a partial day on the day the tour starts. It also gives you some flex time to allow for flight delays.

Most people fly in to Frankfurt and generally take the train. I followed the advice of a scrapbook done the year before I traveled and flew in to Paris, then took the train to Trier via Saarbrüken. I’m retired so no problem with time. I spent a week in Paris.

I agree with an earlier poster. Look at the scrapbook from last year. It is very good and can give you some suggestions about what to do in your spare time. I also encourage you to watch some of the Rick Steves videos. There's some great shows on the different places you will see.

My husband and I flew in to Frankfurt and took the train to St Goar on the Rhine river. We stayed there 3 nights. We took the KD line to go up the river to see the castles on the Rhine and then the next day went down river to Koblenz on the same boat. Then took the train to Trier to start the tour. After the RS tour finished in Vienna we took the train to Rothenburg and spent 2 nights before taking the train back to Frankfurt to fly home.
This is a wonderful tour. One of my favorites. Enjoy the planning process for the next year. It's fun too.

Eva- we are considering this one as well, but most likely the tour beginning June 25! :)
Janet- thank you so much for your post! I was disappointed that this trip did not include the Romantic Rhine, and I think you just gave me a solution to that problem! Yay!!!

Very likely will be going on this tour myself (the July 6, 2019 trip), pending whether or not I end up buying a new house and having to move in around that timeframe -- will be finding out soon, LOL. If not, it'll probably be the July 20-August 2 tour instead (right before we go back to school).

My friend and I are planning on this tour but not till September. And I agree, look at Kristi’s scrapbook. She gives alot of great info and looks like so much fun!

Thanks to everyone for all the great tips!

We’ve decided to spend two days in the Rhine Valley before the tour. We found a nice Air BB in Bacharach, but we also like the Rhien Hotel in St,Goar.

Any opinions about which would be easiest for connections etc.? I understand from Bacharach we would need to take a short train ride to catch the boat for a cruise., but Bacharach looks a bit more interesting....

Eva,
When we took the GAS tour we took the train to St. Goar. When we got off the train it was a 2-3 min walk to the Rhein Hotel. The Hotel is directly across the street from the KD line that travels up and down the Rhine river. Email the hotel for their rates and if you decide to stay there call them directly to book it. The owner's name is Gil. He is very friendly and helpful. We reserved the balcony room on the second floor. We were able to sit on the balcony in the evening and watch the river traffic. When we checked in to the hotel he sat down with us and helped us line out our itinerary while we were there. He also told us about good restaurants and the best gelato in town and in Koblenz. We took the KD line from St. Goar up the river to Assmanhausen on the first day. The second day we took the KD line down to Koblenz, looked around the town, had some amazing gelato and took the train back to St. Goar. The next day we took the train to Trier to start the GAS tour. Bacharach also is an interesting town. I just haven't spent any time in the town. I've seen a lot of great information about it and it looks fun also.

We stayed in Bacharach and loved it. It is only a 10 minute train ride to St. Goar where you can see Rheinfels Castle and catch the boat for your cruise back to Bacharach.

We, too, stayed at the Rhine Hotel in St Goar and loved it. We also requested the balcony room and enjoyed watching the river traffic. If we were returning to the area, I would definitely chose the same hotel. The ease of transportation connections can't be beat.

Hi there, I booked one of the Oktoberfest timed trips...so excited! I am a single traveler and need my alone time at the end of the day, so I booked the single supplement. Has anyone else done the single supplement for the GAS tour? How was the quality of the rooms? Any words of wisdom? Thanks! :)

What Rick Steves books are helping you with your GAS tour

Jill, I did the GAS (and all my RS tours as a single supplement). Rooms were fine. I think the smallest room was in Muerren and it had the European single bed BUT the view out the window was the Schilthorn as well as the Almendhubel funicular!! I think all the other rooms had double beds altho I can’t picture what my room looked like in BadenBaden....so that might have been a single as well.

Paula, the guide book for the GAS tour is a special one with parts taken from the Germany, Switzerland and Austria books. It’s on heavier paper than the regular guide books so slightly harder to pull sections out of.

I understand from Bacharach we would need to take a short train ride to catch the boat for a cruise., but Bacharach looks a bit more interesting....

That's not entirely true. Many people recommend that you train to Bingen and start the cruise there rather than in Bacharach, but that's not necessary. I stayed in Bacharach and caught the boat right there, cruised to Boppard, then took the train to St Goar to see the castle, then took the train back to Bacharach. It was a wonderful day spent on the Rhine.

That's really helpful Nancy, thank you!!

Thanks Pam!

What is the typical start time for this fall GAS tour? Pre-planning guide says 1-6pm, but a more definitive time would be helpful for travel planning. :)

Another question...re: trains. Which train stations do I use in Frankfurt and Trier? I see several options for both when I search. Thanks!

Jill for Trier you'd use the Trier Hbf or Hauptbahnhof which is the main train station.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trier_Hauptbahnhof

editing to add: I just looked at my folder from this tour and the meet-up time was 4PM. We met for about an hour, did introductions, got buddies and housekeeping stuff out of the way. We had a quick break, then left the hotel and did a short orientation walk on the way to the Welcome dinner which was held at a restaurant across from the Dom.

IF you are coming in to Trier this day, I'd get there as early as possible. There is a lot to see in Trier and you really don't go in anything on the walk with the local guide. It's Sunday AM and the churches will be having services. Then you leave for lunch along the Mosel (neat place!) and the tour of Burg Eltz. By the time you are back to Trier it's dinner!

Which train stations do I use in Frankfurt

If you are in the city of Frankfurt itself, the most common station used is the Hbf (main station), although depending on where you are in city, there are some other train station. In addition there is a system of S-/U-Bahns to get you to the stations. At the airport (FRA), there are two stations, the Fernbahnhof, which is farther out and serves mostly long distance trains, such as the ICEs, and the Regionalbahnhof, which is close in and serves the S-Bahn and regional trains. To go to the Rhein gorge (Bacharach, St. Goar) or to Trier via Koblenz you want the Regionalbhf.

Thanks, Lee and Pam!!

We did this tour 2 yrs ago. Our scrapbook is up documenting it. It's a great tour!

Once in a lifetime things to do: the baths in Baden Baden and as much mountainy nature you can get in Murren.

Thanks Justin,
Definitely looking forward to the ‘“mountainy scenery”

My daughter and I are booked on the same tour. This will be our 4th. We love Rick Steve's tour. She celebrated her birthday on a Rick Steve's tour in Rome and our tour guide had a birthday cake made for her, and another couple celebrated their anniversary while in Venice and they scheduled a special gondola ride for them. This made us a fan of Rick Steves tours for life. I do not believe that any other tour company would give you this type of special treatment. We will be staying in Bacharach a few days before the tour as well.

Happy Travels
Cindy

Nice to meet you Cindy!

Anyone willing to do the Sound of Music scene a la the Griswolds with me during GAS? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9LNFXiVRk8

I'm kidding of course. Though I will be posing with my Seahawks 12 flag on a mountainside like this! :-)

I'm doing the 9/28-10/11 trip...anyone else? Flying to London first to visit friends, then taking train from London to Trier to arrive the day before the tour starts. Has anyone else done this train trip before? I just love European trains and it's about the same amount of time if I were to fly London to Frankfurt (security, flight, train).

I've done Paris to Trier via Saarbrucken by train and it was very easy. If you are taking the Eurostar to Paris you'll have to change train stations to Gare de l'Est but it's a shortish distance.

Just Booked! DH and I are beyond excited for our GAS tour that begins Sept 7! We are doing a few days pre in Bacharach and 4 post in Paris.

I am a real castle geek so the castles along the Rhine will be like a dream for me! I am also really interested in seeing 2018's scrapbooks? Is anyone else living vicariously though others travels, like I am ?

No Grumps here! Just wide grins!

Nancy

Will be traveling on the July 19 - August 2 GAS tour — just booked my flight this evening (got a great deal out of the blue on Lufthansa after keeping an eye on various fares) and am very much looking forward to this. I might’ve chosen a slightly-earlier departure date except for a couple of other life-commitments during the upcoming summer, plus I’m a teacher, so this particular window is pretty much the last one open to me during this summer before we finally head back to school.

Anyone else taking this trip too?

Question about laundry during this trip. While I'm totally down with using a launderette, which I did in Belgium last year in it (I found it fun in a dorky sort of way), there are times when I need to hang dry clothes in my hotel room because they can't go in the dryer. Do hotel rooms on the GAS tour typically have hangers in their closets? Or do I need to bring travel hangers? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I need to be mindful of every bit of weight in my backpack. Thanks!

Jill, what I'd recommend in lieu of hangers is a travel clothesline. Takes up almost no room in suitcase, and attaches via suction cups to your hotel's shower. We use one to hang-dry clothes (overnight) we wash in the sink. Works great!

I always pack a tubular plastic coat hanger. I have one that has a hook as well as slots on the top as it improves function for me. I also pack a couple of clothes pins. I can hang a shirt, from the hanger, add pants with the clothes pins and hang unders from the hook, lol!!

I tried the blow-up travel hangers but they didn't work for me. A friend uses them successfully but they just didn't stay inflated. I didn't like the clothesline as I felt like things dried better if I could get them out into the circulating air.

The hotels usually have coat hangers but sometimes they are the dumb ones that many hotels have that won't hang elsewhere.

Sorry for all the questions, and I really appreciate all the help! If I could 'like' your replies, I would! :)

Does this tour go to Eagle's Nest? Great photo opp, so I hope so! https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/hitlers-eagles-nest-at-berchtesgaden

Hey there! My family did this tour in May/June 2017 and was honored to meet Katy, who posted above about the scrapbook, and her friend Kristi that did the scrapbook. It was an amazing trip, one that is imprinted on my heart. Amazing scenery, wonderful people.

This tour did not have Eagle’s Nest included, much to my hubby and daughter’s dismay. We considered a day trip there from Salzburg but opted against it.

Enjoy. You’re gonna love it.

We also stayed in Bacharach for three nights before heading to Trier to start the tour. We fell in love with it, and say all the time that we would love to live there.

Thanks Holly,
Do you have any restaurant recommendations in Bacharach?

Anyone else booked for the Sept 7-20 GAS tour?

I have been reading scrapbooks and looking forward tot he crop from this last year! Loving Kristi Trainer's winning edition, lots of great restaurant and to do info on that one!

Nancy

We just booked the Sept 7 GAS tour. My confirmation says that there are fewer than 5 spots left and I have to wait 3-5 days for final confirmation. Has anyone else received a message like this and not been confirmed? Tentative plans are to arrive in Frankfurt a couple of days early and spend the time along the Rhine and stay 3 days after the tour to visit Prague.

Replying to Jill regarding laundry. We always bring a travel clothesline. It's braided rubber tubing, about 6' long with loops on each end. with 1 or 2 small keychain type carabiners it has all kinds of attachment options. No need for clothes pins. You just tuck the fabric of your garment between the braids. It doesn't weigh more than an ounce or two and takes up no space. https://www.amazon.com/FLEXO-LINE-Campers-Boaters-Travelers-Clothesline/dp/B071ZZMJ8Q?th=1

Hi Brian!

Nice to hear from someone else on the tour! It is starting to feel real now!

We likely may run into you then, as we are flying into Frankfurt via Paris and staying a few days in Bacharach before heading to Trier. I could not allow those castles on the Rhine and that wine to go unviewed or sampled...LOL.

Post tour we are heading back to Paris for a few days before heading back to Houston.

You say we, are you travelling with family or friends?

Nancy and Pete

Hi Eva,

Regarding restaurants in Bacharach, I think what I have been able to glean from reading scrapbooks and Tripadvisor is Stubers is one of the forces to be reckoned with. His menus look amazing. Have a look at Kristi Trainer's Scrapbook for where she and her two girlfriends dined.

I also have added AmMarkt in Saint Goar, PostHof Bacharach and wine tasting at Weingurt Kurt Heinrich as other possibles.

I am also waiting with anticipation for new scrapbooks to look over for more ideas!

Nancy, it will be my wife and I traveling. We haven't really planned the details of our time before or after the tour yet, so I'm not sure where we'll be staying. We'll have to start planning, looking at airline/airport options, etc. This will be our first group tour. I've always done all our trip planning myself. I welcome the opportunity to turn these duties over to Rick Steves & Co. for most of this trip! We're used to traveling light with only carry-on bags, and we're looking forward to a tour that travels this way.

Brian,

It is our first one too! We are very excited about it. I have always been the planner too, (sometimes a bit too much I admit!)
and there is still some to do on the post tour, but it will be nice to not have to worry about the hotels, sightseeing and navigation and just let our leaders do so.

Nancy

Nancy and Brian - We took our first RS tour last September. It is sooo much more relaxing and fun to have all the transportation and hotels etc. arranged for you. You'll have a great time! Enjoy!

I should also mention that we are booked for GAS in May. Anyone else??

We just got final confirmation for the Sept 7 GAS tour. When I booked the link said "Filling Fast" and it took a couple of days to make sure we were in. Now to start planning a couple of days along the Rhine before the tour and probably 3 days in Prague and/or an extra day in Vienna after the tour. Any recommendations welcome!

c.figura -Thank you! We are really looking forward to it!

Brian- That is great news...I would stay at Rhine Hotel in Bacharach (I am definitely going to Stubers Restaurant after reading Kristi Trainers blog. I did not make reservations there because they were not on my Chase points list. I have been trying to keep costs down so used our bank of saved points to hotels, secondary hops on airlines and a tour or three in Paris. We are staying at the Am Markt in Bacharach to sleep off our jet lag and Rhine river cruise. Staying 3 nights in Bacharach and then one night pre tour start in Trier. I have already confirmed that night with Hotel Residence Zuckerberg. They are VERY nice! Welcome to our tour!

I booked the 2 nights prior to the tour at Rhein-Hotel Bacharach. Still deciding what to do on the last day of the tour - spend an extra night in Vienna and head to Prague the following day or leave for Prague late in the day on the final tour day.

My friends and I decided to book the tour starting Oct 1. Anyone else out there who booked this date? We’re flying into Paris on Sept 28 and plan to arrive in Trier on the 30th. After the tour, we’re heading to Budapest. I’ve gotten so many great ideas from this forum and love looking at the scrapbooks. I’m borrowing Kristi’s idea of booking a single and a double room between 3 friends so we can take turns with a single room.

We are all set for the Sept 7 GAS tour. I just booked our flights. Fly to Frankfurt, train to Bacharach, 2 nights before the tour in Bacharach at the Rhein-Hotel, train from Bacharach to Trier, and 3 nights post tour in Prague at the Hotel Hastal Prague. We'll take a 4 hour train ride from Vienna to Prague on the afternoon that the tour ends, then fly home from Prague via Amsterdam.

Any fellow Geocachers on here? Anyone who's geocached on the GAS tour previously?

Eva, please accept my apologies if I repeat anything that's already been said.

We did the GAS tour last year and it was AMAZING. We were especially amazed by the Switzerland part of the tour. It was our fourth RS tour and it may have been the best (although I might just think that because it was the most recent). We have already booked tour number 5.

We spent two nights in Bacharach (Rhein Hotel) before the tour started; it broke up the travel between Frankfurt and Trier, and gave us a chance to see one of the most scenic stretches of the Rhine. Bacharach is about an hour north of Frankfurt by train, and Trier is about two hours from Bacharach by train (with a change in Koblenz). The two nights in Bacharach allowed us to take the boat ride up to St. Goar where we had lunch and browsed in the shops. For dinner, we dined at Stuber's, which is a fine restaurant in the Rhein Hotel.

While in Bacharach we stopped at St. Nicholas Catholic Parish Church but it was locked. A lady in the bookstore attached to the church was kind enough to unlock it for us, and we had the inside of the church all to ourselves for a few minutes.

After the tour, we spent one extra night in Vienna, and spent the day at Schonbrunn Palace.

Thanks Al,
I appreciate all the info. We currently have an ABB in Bacharach but I’m starting to think the Rhein Hotel in St. Goar might have a bit more personality.
The room available is on the third floor, anyone have opinions on this?

I wonder if it might be too hot...
I am really torn between St Goar and Bacharach. I get the impression that Bacharach May be more touristy?
Any info is appreciated!
Thanks,
Eva

Eva, you can't go wrong with either village. Whichever one you stay in, do take the boat ride to the other one. (The boats have commentary in multiple languages.) My opinion after just a couple of days in the area was that St. Goar has more shops, but Bacharach is prettier.

We decided to stay at the Rhein Hotel in St. Goar instead of Air BB in Bacharach.
I am cancelling the ABB today if anyone is interested . It does look sweet. It is hosted be Malgosia, she is a “super host”.
Eva

Was on this in late May 2018 when I took my nephew for college graduation gift. Fun trip!

Was pleased that I learned my lesson after Paris city tour and opted to arrive a few days early. Flew into Frankfurt and, upon arrival, took local train transport to Bingen. Walk around Bingen for a bit and dinner was enough for that day before early bedtime.

Next day in Bingen was our Rhine boat trip. Went to Saint Goar and climbed up to Rheinfels. Another good day and took boat back. We had debated about stopping in Baccarach to see extra town but hotel receptionist said "you've seen one Rhine town...." We didn't miss and enjoyed our day with castle watching from boat and hike to castle ruins.

Next day was train to Trier with walk to meet up hotel. All worked well and we had an enjoyable experience on the whole tour.

Really pleased with decision for our few days on our own pre-tour to ease in and get over jet lag. Few days at end of tour were fun, too (we went back to Bavaria and met some of our German cousins for the first time.)

General tour question...approx what time is breakfast everyday, tour start and what time do tours end each day?

Jill, the various breakfast rooms are usually open at 7. Generally if it’s a bus day you’ll leave at 8 to 830 depending on your first stop. City tour days are sometimes a little later. It seems like Switzerland might have been earlier on the day we went up the Schilthorn (optional) just to catch good weather.

Some eat at the end of breakfast and head for the bus. I go down first, then head back to the room for a few minutes.

Re: Baden Baden, is there an alternate option/activity for those who don't want to do the baths? And please don't judge or try to talk me into it. I just hope my tour group doesn't shun me for not wanting to partake--naked or not. I would love a good massage though! Is that an option?

For Jill: Of course you don't have to do the baths. Your "free" time is really time to do whatever you want. No baths or massages for us. Instead we took the bus, and then the funicular to Merkur Summit. We then wondered around town, and ended up having coffee and dessert at Cafe Konig.

The baths at Baden-Baden are not part of the tour. People who visit them do so during free time when no tour activities are scheduled.

No problem with not doing the baths. I did some bird and people watching along the Lichtentaler Allee and had a wonderful time!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtentaler_Allee

Others took the funicular up as indicated. I don’t think anyone went to the casino but several went to the high end shops.

Small World! I too will be celebrating my 60th by taking the 07/06/19 Best of GAS Tour joined by my lovely wife Veronica. We are looking forward to the adventure this summer. Looking forward to meeting you Eva and Sarah!
All the best!

Thanks Carol...coffee and dessert at Cafe Konig sounds fantastic! Just looked it up online and my mouth is already watering.

Thanks Brian, good to know this isn't part of the tour. :)

My wife Cathy and I are flying into Paris (2 nights) and taking a fast train to Trier for the May 11–May 24 RS GAS tour. Then a train from Vienna to Prague for Best of Eastern Europe tour that starts the same day the first one ends. We would have preferred some down time in between, but this is what we could fit in our schedule. We will fly from Ljubljana back to Paris for 6 more nights. We did RS 17 day Best of Italy Tour in 2009 and RS 14 Day Ireland in 2012. Both of those were great!

Jim

We just got our "tour kit". We didn't really need the money belts or ear plugs, but I guess now we have extras. We look forward to going through the Germany Austria and Switzerland guide book that was included and also the Pocket Prague book we added to our order. We'll be heading there for a few days at the end of our tour.

Hey Brian!

Yes, I got mine a few weeks ago and thought the same thing. The guidebook is nice though I rarely take them once I start travelling, but I sure do read them first! I am growing my collection of RS books! I need the 3 language phrase book and the Pocket Paris book. I splurged and bought suitcases when they were on sale. We have nice Travel Pro luggage, but only one small piece that is carry on worthy. I wanted to make sure it was small enough...Gosh that sounds crazy!

I posted a topic for our tour specifically, but still have not found our other tour mates. I guess some people just completely miss the forum. I have started a spread sheet for each area/days we are travelling and adding ideas for free time. One of the new tour scrapbooks had nice ones started and I have been editing those for us. I have been trying to wrap my head around the hiking and trails and navigation in Murren. With all the up and down it is confusing! I finally found some nice graphics that explain the trains, trams and trails a bit better. I guess I am a visual learner!

Hope you and your family are doing well.. 5 months today for our start! Getting excited.

Nancy

Nancy, I do the same thing re: spreadsheet for daily activities. Very helpful to have it to make sure we don't unintentionally skip anything we're interested in. I'll have to look for your post regarding our specific tour.

Hi Nancy,
Are you on the July 6 GAS tour?
Eva

Nancy, one thing I’ve found is that very few on the tours even realize the forum is here!!

I’ll also add, being a visual learner as well, is that Muerren makes so much more sense when you get there, lol!! The hotel desk will have maps of the area and your guide will be helpful in orienting you to what’s what. I’d recommend not putting too much effort in to understanding the lay of the land until you get there and see it.

Apparently the GAS guidebook is assembled just for the tour. I was hoping to get a Kindle version I could put on my phone but no such luck. I’d prefer not to carry the whole book with us.

Brian, totally agree! They need to start providing this. I'm not lugging any of his books, and prefer using the Kindle app. Backpack space and weight is limited. At least we have a tour guide taking us pretty much everywhere. For any free time, we can always use the Googles.

Jill, I sent an email to inquire about an electronic version of the guide book. I'll post any news when I receive a reply.

I think I will download any walks Rick has and transcribe other suggestions to my spreadsheet. I have never been too keen on lugging a book and the GAS one is fat! I am hoping for a Kindle version too so waiting to see what the office says Jill....

I will probably take the phrase and Pocket Paris book... They are more size manageable. I am hoping I can put them into my Veloce Pack.

Nancy

Nancy and Brian: 👍👍

No luck on the Kindle guide book. This is the reply I received today:

Hi there,
Thanks for the email. At this time we do not offer our guidebooks to tour members in e-book format because the books come from us and not from the outside retailers who sell the e-book format. Unfortunately since we do not own the rights, you cannot use your tour kit to substitute the e-version. Do let us know if there’s anything else we can help with!

Happy Travels,
Emily Eastman
Tour Department
Rick Steves’ Europe
130 4th Ave N
Edmonds WA 98020

tour@ricksteves.com

Tour Department: 425-608-4217
All other departments: 425-771-8303

Fax: 425-771-0833

Bummer! You know what would also be awesome for the tour guide book? A table of contents and index. 😎

Jill, the guide book appears to be made up of sections yanked out of other RS guide books. I agree! Contents and index would be very helpful. Of course if it were an e-book it would be even easier to search. I did send a reply to the email I posted earlier that detailed the (obvious) advantages of an e-book and suggested they consider it in the future.

I don't mean to be sacrilegious here, but I was looking on Amazon for Kindle versions of the books that the GAS guide book is pulled from. I found this Lonely Planet GAS guide book that was free with my Amazon Prime membership. I haven't looked at it yet, but the Amazon site has already sent it to my phone. https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Germany-Austria-Switzerlands-ebook/dp/B01AMWVTV4/ref=sr_1_17?crid=6T8QMA7W86P5&keywords=rick+steves+austria+2019+guide+book&qid=1554777736&s=gateway&sprefix=rick+steves+austria%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-17

Brian, thanks for the tip! I’m going on GAS tour in October and have downloaded the book on my kindle app from Amazon. I didn’t even know we can “borrow” books from prime ao this is great! Looks loke all the Lonely Planet books are available.

We just booked the 8/3 tour -anyone else on that one?

Hello!

I just booked the July 6th 2019 GAS tour as well, really looking forward to it! Many thanks to all the questions and answers already in this thread, so much helpful information. And thanks Brian for the link to the Amazon Prime GAS book- I agree, Kindle-compatible would be so helpful for the Rick Steves' version.

Eva and Mikey, look forward to meeting you! I am flying into Luxembourg on the 5th, and will train into Trier that day. At the end of the tour I am going to fly from Vienna to Amsterdam on Friday, before flying home from there on Sunday. Can't wait!

We are booked on the May 18th GAS. We just got the final tour information, now it seems so close! Anyone else on this tour?

We are on the May 18 GAS tour also. Arriving in Luxembourg on 14-May and taking the train to Trier on 16-May

Hi timallman! We will fly into Frankfurt and take the train to Trier May 17th. See you there!!

Hi, anyone going with us on GAS Sept 10-23?? I am looking at the Rhine River cruises for early arrival and Prague after. It looks like there is nothing worthwhile in Frankfurt from the previous postings?? Any recommendations for after other than Prague (in case we can take Eastern Europe in the future)?

Thanks
Katherine

Hello Katherine, it looks as though we'll be just a few days ahead of you on the Sept 7 GAS tour. We've booked 2 nights before the tour at the Rhein-Hotel Bacharach. The terminal for the KD Line boats is right nearby. In Prague we booked the Hotel Hastal Prague in Old Town for 3 nights post-tour. We haven't made detailed plans yet for either Bacharach or Prague. We'll be doing some river exploring from Bacharach for sure, but no details yet. In Prague we're considering booking a guide for a walking tour and then just winging it once we're there.

Others please forgive the slight detour on the GAS thread for the Prague info.

Hi Katherine,

We are headed out on the GAS tour on Sept 7-20. The KD Rhine tours look like a lot of fun! Here is a link to their site for you. You can buy an all day pass, which is my plan, right now, though like anything may change :)

http://kdrhine.com/rhineschedule.htm
https://www.k-d.com/fileadmin/schiffstouren/KD_Fahrplan_intern_2019_web.pdf

I think we are going to ride from Bacharach (where we are staying) to Braubach since I do want to see Marksburg and Reinfels ( I am a huge castle fan)

We are doing our post tour in Paris, so are not staying east post tour.

Happy travel planning,

Nancy

Hi. We are booked on the 8/3 tour GAS tour. Looking forward to it. Looks incredible. Tour seems to be slow filling up. Anyone else booked in?

Hi Andrea - We are also on the 8/3 GAS tour - me, DH (each early 50's) and DD (college aged, and our German interpreter!). This will be our 3rd RS tour. Louise.

Nice to meet you Louise. Looking forward to the tour! It’s our first RS. Our son is working in Germany for the summer as part of a university program so we will meet him first before joining the tour. It will be lovely for you to have your DD with you. Cheers!!!

We are going to be taking the September 24th through October 4th tour and are looking for tour mates! This seems to be a popular place to post for this tour! Even though it is several months away, we are pretty excited! Anyone out there on this tour?

For those who have done this tour before, have you had any hotels with shared bathrooms? I paid the single supplement and hoping I have my own for the duration of the trip. I'll make due if I have to, just hoping I don't. I remember this as a kid traveling through Europe and it grossed me out back then. ;-)

Hi Jill,
It’s my understanding that shared bathrooms are likely on Rick Steeves tours.

I wouldn't call shared bathrooms "likely" on RS tours.
I have never run into that on 6 tours, although I understand it's a possibility according to the FAQ.

Read the 2nd paragraph here:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/rave-reviews-tour-hotels

That’s good to know, this is my first one

Nope, no shared bathrooms on this tour. I HAVE had a shared bathroom on the 21 Day Best of Europe but not on GAS. I had single supplements on each one.

Here's where to look, and I am giving you the example of the tour where I DID share a bathroom.

Go to the Tour page:

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-21-days

Scroll down to Physical Demands:

Number 5. Be content with the possibility of sharing bathroom facilities at one hotel during this tour. (Sorry I had to type Number 5 - if I just put 5 down it keeps changing it to a 1 and if I use the # before it makes it all big caps)

For the GAS tour the shared bathroom is not listed:
1. Carry/roll your luggage over uneven pavement (possibly several blocks) and up stairways to reach your hotel, then up several flights of stairs to reach your room.
2. Be on your feet, walking and standing for up to three hours, indoors and outdoors, in all weather conditions.
3. Sleep with street noise and no (or weak) air conditioning.
4. After orientation and transportation lessons, be able to navigate towns and cities on your own.
5. Adjust to constant Alpine weather changes that can interfere with sightseeing.
6. Handle steep walks and long castle stair climbs at Burg Eltz, Neuschwanstein, and Trümmelbach Falls.

I think the one other tour where there is a shared bathroom is one of the ones with Scandinavian stops.

Thanks, I have not received such a specific list yet.

Oops, I meant to include the link to the GAS page where I copied the stuff. Sorry!

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/germany/germany-austria-switzerland-tour

Then go down to Physical Demands and click on the "+" sign.

Right I had seen that, but not the specific info about castle stairs and the falls.
Much appreciated,
Thanks!

Anyone going on the 6/22/19 GAS tour on this forum? We are flying into Luxembourg early Friday morning and will be spending time with family (Great Grandparents emigrated from there in the late 1800s) until the tour starts on Saturday night.
Patty

Anyone on the GAS starting on 8/16/2019? Me and lovely wife are taking our second RS tour. Very much looking forward to it.

Anyone doing the Sept 28-Oct 11 GAS tour? I know I asked a few months back, but thought I'd check again. :)

Anyone returning from recent GAS tours? Interested in any current info you may have that would be helpful to those of us who will be going soon! Thanks in advance.

We just got back Friday. It was fantastic! Anything specific you’re wondering about?
Eva

Can you share the hotel list? Guessing it won't be much different by the time my tour rolls around in 2 months. Curious...want to start looking them up. :)

https://account.ricksteves.com/itinerary/GAS070619/hotel_list.pdf
Let me know if this works. Do you know who your guide is yet?
Eva

Doesn't work. Maybe just copy paste the text from the page? No, don't know guide yet.

Hotel List
Sat, Jul 06, 2019 – Mon, Jul 08, 2019
Hotel Residenz am Zuckerberg Trier
Frauenstraße 7
Trier
Phone: 011 49 651 97930 / Fax: 011 49 651 9793 2099 info@residenz-trier.de
www.residenz-hotel-trier.de
Mon, Jul 08, 2019 – Tue, Jul 09, 2019
Hotel Heliopark Bad zum Hirsch
Hirschstraße 1
Baden Baden
Phone: 011 49 7221 939 0 / Fax: 011 49 7221 939 111 info@heliopark-hirsch.de
www.heliopark-hirsch.de
Tue, Jul 09, 2019 – Fri, Jul 12, 2019
Hotel Jungfrau - Murren
Murren
Phone: 011 41 33 85 66 464 / Fax: 011 41 33 85 66 465 mail@hoteljungfrau.ch
www.hoteljungfrau.ch
Fri, Jul 12, 2019 – Sun, Jul 14, 2019
Hotel am Viktualienmarkt
Utzschneiderstraße 14
Munich
Phone: 011 49 8923 11 090 / Fax: 011 49 8923 11 0955 reservierung@hotel-am-viktualienmarkt.de www.hotel-am-viktualienmarkt.de
Sun, Jul 14, 2019 – Tue, Jul 16, 2019
Hotel Trumer Stube
Bergstrasse 6
Salzburg
Phone: 011 43 662 874 776 / Fax: 011 43 662 874 326 info@trumer-stube.at
www.trumer-stube.at
Tue, Jul 16, 2019 – Wed, Jul 17, 2019
Hotel Gruner Baum
Marktplatz 104
Hallstatt
Phone: 011 43 6134 8263 / Fax: 011 43 6134 8263 44 contact@gruenerbaum.cc
www.gruenerbaum.cc
Wed, Jul 17, 2019 – Fri, Jul 19, 2019
Pension Nossek
Graben 17

Thanks a ton!!

Hi Eva,

So glad you had a great time. Can you tell me how the Pension Nossek was? Also out of curiousity who was your guide and how did they do?

Thanks!
Nancy

We just got back Friday. It was fantastic! Anything specific you’re
wondering about? Eva

Nothing in particular. Just curious if there may be useful info that hasn't been covered here - new restaurants, old restaurants no longer there, anything you wish you packed but didn't, etc. Glad to hear you had a good trip!

I never needed my clothesline or cloths pins. All bathrooms were set up well if you need to do hand washing.
Laundry service was available in Mürren, Salzburg and Vienna.
All hotels had elevators. Food was ridiculously good at breakfast, you might need to pace yourself !
In Baden Baden the Northern Indian restaurant was
Phenomenal, be sure to walk down to the Rose Garten there!
There were always so many great restaurant choices we didn’t need to plan ahead.
If you like classical music check fir events ahead of time in Salzburg. The Mozart Opera dinner is fantastic.
Get ready for an adventure if a lifetime!
Happy travels,
Eva

Nancy
The Pension Nosseck was an older building but very nice. It is so centrally located you will be amazed. You can literally can walk to most sights within 3-5 minutes! Don’t miss the broadcast concert at City Hall. You might want to eat somewhere quieter before heading over.

Our guide was Iris and she was fantastically flawless and made every day so much fun! All of the local guides were also excellent. I only wish I could do it all again!

Wow, the hotels look really nice! And all have really good reviews around the web. I'm super excited!!

Thanks Eva! Very helpful. Do you remember the name of the Indian restaurant or how to find it?

Brian,
No but your guide will know it, it’s just off the main square. They did get busy, we were there late, around 9:00, but if you wanted to go earlier you might want a reservation.
Have fun!

Jill
You should be, you’re about to be very spoiled, enjoy!

Thanks for the info!

Did you just need Standard Continental Europe power adaptor plus for all the stops om GAS? I thought I read somewhere, Switzerland had a different style. We are also stopping in Paris on our way home, if that helps!

Thanks in Advance!

Nancy

Yes, the EU adaptor worked everywhere, but don’t tell the Swiss, they are very proud to say they are not European.
Have fun!
Eva

I assume that the "EU adapter" was a Type C "Europlug" adapter. I have an older adapter of that type that has fat ends that will not fit in a Swiss socket; I think most newer ones will fit. Grounded plugs, like the German or French "Schuko" plugs (Type E & F) will not fit in Switzerland. The only grounded plug that will fit in Switzerland is the grounded Swiss plug, Type J.

Note that the Type C plug is, by code, only allowed for applications drawing 2.5a (573W), or less, so you cannot legally plug a hairdryer into it. Also, it is not "polarized", so it cannot safely be used with an American appliance that has a polarized plug, Type A (one blade wider).

If you buy the Rick Steves universal adapter, which is not very expensive, it works in all European countries. It's one piece and helps keep everything simple and the packing light.

The roster and hotel list for the Sept 7 GAS tour have been posted on the RS website. The hotels are the same as the list posted previously in this thread except for Salzburg and Hallstatt. Our hotel in Hallstatt appears to be 5km from town on the other side of the lake.

Sun, Sep 15, 2019 – Tue, Sep 17, 2019
Hotel am Mirabellplatz
Paris-London-Str. 1
Salzburg
Phone: 011 43 662 88 16 88 / Fax: 011 43 662 88 16 87
salzburg@austrotel.at
austrotel.at/hotel-mirabellplatz

Tue, Sep 17, 2019 – Wed, Sep 18, 2019
Dormio Resort Obertraun
Obertraun 302
Obertraun
Phone: 011 43 613 12 22 333
hansstallen@dormio.eu
www.resortobertraun.at

Hey Brian!

I know I saw this and wondered if maybe Rick is pulling us out of Hallstatt which has been under criticism by some for how overrun it is with tourists. I wonder if the bus is going to drop us off differently?

I also see we have Matthias as our guide. I think I saw him on the Travel show, but have not found the tape I had saved.

Any recent tours stay at this new hotel in Hallstatt!?

Nancy, I took a look on Google Maps. Apparently there's a ferry that crosses the lake from the Hallstatt train station, which is on the same side of the lake as the hotel. A little bit of a walk from the hotel to the station. From the looks of the hotel I would expect that the bus can get there without any problem.

[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dormio+Resort+Obertraun,+Obertraun+302,+4831+Obertraun,+Austria/Hallstatt,+Austria/@47.5621129,13.6460605,4151m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0x477137b4347b18c5:0x7cc0879ae2a1ee69!2m2!1d13.6790913!2d47.5580012!1m5!1m1!1s0x4771366f6e414663:0x16c165596a26c1ad!2m2!1d13.6492617!2d47.5622342!3e2!5i1][1]

Brian and Nancy,
Hallstatt was really cute, but the village was swarming with tourists when we were there in July. I think you will appreciate staying across the lake.

Eva, should I bring a travel pillow or do you think the pillows in all of those hotels were pretty adequate?

Pillows were very good and plentiful. I brought a blow up travel pillow for the plane and used it a lot on the bus rides as well. Most places did not have washcloths.
Have fun!

Tour roster and hotel list was just posted! So excited!! Our guide is Hans de Kiefte. Anyone familiar with him?

I'm on the GAS tour leaving 10/1 and I was poking around my tour account and saw that they have released the hotel list and tour roster. Our guide is Andrea Wolf. Has anyone here experienced her as a guide? This is so exciting!

For those who have done this tour, I'm working on my packing list for the trip starting later this month. Bringing my Allbirds sneakers, some black booties (not really dressy), but wondering if I should also bring a pair of ballet flats for dinners/evening? I brought them in March of last year (London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam), but never wore them. I was by myself, so I didn't really go out in the evening.

Are there nicer evening events that will warrant 'dressy' shoes or can I leave them behind?

Jill, unless you decide you want to do one of the Mozart dinner and concerts in Salzburg there is no need for the ballet flats. The dinner concert that most of my group went to had a dress code - no jeans, no athletic shoes. I skipped because I ONLY travel with athletic shoes (horrible feet) but I didn't mind. My group gave the concert mixed reviews for food/service/music so I didn't feel like I'd missed the opportunity of a lifetime. How far can you walk in your ballet flats? It was about a kilometer's walk from the hotel to the concert/dinner venue. Your black boots would work for this event as well.

Otherwise, no need for anything dressy. You'll want comfortable shoes for walking in Switzerland as well as, of course, the bigger cities.

Jill,
The only time dress shoes would have been helpful was in Baden Baden at the Casino. We toured it during the day and then were invited to come back in the evening but they stipulated " no athletic shoes" your booties might pass if they are low profile.

The Mozart concert is wonderful and the dress code is not strict. If there is nothing special going on locally, it is a good option. Its fun and the musicians were great.
Check online to be sure there is something else on the schedule in town depending how much you love classical music there may be lot of other options, but advanced planning may be necessary.
Hope that is helpful,
Have fun!
Eva

Frankfort seems to be the suggested city to fly to from the U.S. for the GAS tour but do some checking on Google Flights or Kayak. We found a cheaper flight to Luxembourg. We stayed a couple of days in Lux City and really enjoyed it. Visited Patton's grave at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. Trier (start of the tour) is a short train ride from Lux City.