Fine tuning of my train Itinerary

Train to Frankfurt, go down the Rhine, to Munich

Munich is a lot closer to Prague than is Frankfurt. It would seem logical to go from Prague to Munich.

You seem to have given this a lot of thought. These are great destinations. Just a few observations which may have occurred to you.

First, you jump around a lot, and for such a lengthy itinerary that can be taxing. Its great that you can get a month in Europe. I'd want a change of pace in the middle somewhere, settling down in one spot for the better part of a week. (Or even for a week; you might consider a rental somewhere.)

Along those lines, I'd think about visiting the Cinque Terre after Rome, to catch your breath. Especially if you don't stop in Venice.

You may also want to reorder your itinerary depending on what you decide. Does it really make sense to go from Italy to Bavaria to Prague and back to Germany? Maybe, but it's a lot of jumping around.

3.5 days is enough to see the things you've listed in Paris, but not really a whole lot of time in the city. If you are flying into Paris the morning of the first of those days and you are not 100% immune to jet lag I think using one of those days to visit Bayeux is a very bad idea. Otherwise I just think it is not a good idea.

A better plan, if you can spare the time, would be for you to spend at least two days and a night in Bayeux in addition to the 3.5 days in Paris.

As for reservations, you can travel without most places in May if you are flexible. If you are staying in Gimmelwald, where beds are limited, you should reserve ahead. And there's no reason not to save the trouble of finding a room in Paris your frist day by reserving in advance.

Thank you those are great suggestions! Especially doing CT, after Rome. It's true maybe I should do Austria & Prague then do all of Bavaria at the end, then fly out of Munich. I get in at 1100 a.m to Paris, so that was my day and a half I counted. I was pretending I wouldn't have jet lag,ha. Thanks,love the suggestions. Keep them coming!

Lindsay,

A few thoughts on the Itinerary you listed....

Paris, 3.5 nights - it would be nice to allow more time in Paris, given that you have so many sites that you want to see, perhaps 5 nights.

Bayeux, 2 nights - that's probably the minimum time to allow. In addition to the BattleBus tours, you'll want to see the Bayeux Tapestry as well. Be sure to reserve the tours, as they book up very quickly.

Interlaken, 3 nights - that's going to be a LONG rail journey. I wouldn't recommend a night train, as these have from 2-6 changes (you WON'T get much sleep!). Although it's a long trip, the train I'd probably use departs Bayeux at 08:41, arriving Interlaken Ost at 17:57 (time 9H 16M, change at Gare St. Lazare, Metro to Paris Est and another change in Basel, reservations compulsory). Keep in mind that when you arrive at Interlaken, you'd still have to take the Berner Oberland train and Post Bus to reach Gimmelwald so it would be a LONG day.

Vernazza, 2 nights - the journey there will be a bit lengthy also, but one that I would probably try. The fastest trip is a train departing Interlaken Ost at 08:01, arriving La Spezia at 15:18 (time 7H 17M, 3 changes, reservations compulsory.

Rome, 3-4 nights - that's an easy trip, about 4 hours by direct train (reservations compulsory)

Venice, 2 nights - that's also an easy trip from Rome, and would be a good "intermediate" stop on your way north.

Munich, 3 nights - while there you could take day trips to Neuschwanstein or just enjoy the wonderful city of Munich.

Salzburg, 2 nights? - as you want to see Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest as well as Salzburg, you'll need to allow time for that (Eagle's Nest MAY not be open in May - it was still "snowed in" when I was in that area last May).

continued....

Lindsay - part 2....

Hallstatt, 2 nights - I'd recommend at least 2 nights, in order to tour the Salt Mine and the town. It's a wonderfully relaxing place (which you may appreciate at that point in your trip).

Vienna, 2 nights

Prague, 3 nights - about 4.5 hours by train from Vienna. I'm not sure if Auschwitz would be a feasible day trip from there? You might either leave that for the next trip or drop one of your other stops to allow extra time for the trip to Krakow.

Some of your sightseeing time is going to be needed for long rail trip. It would make things a lot easier if you could you fly home from Prague. If you're not able to get a reasonably priced flight from Prague, Frankfurt would probably be your best option as it's a major "hub" airport. However travel time by train from Prague is about 8 hours minimum.

Good luck with your planning!

Verifying Ken, Auschwitz it too far as a daytrip from Prague.

You've budgeted enough time for most of your destinations, but if things get tight, realize that seeing both the Berner Oberland and the Bavarian Alps is a bit redundant (and Switzerland is much more expensive). But, it doesn't look like you're going that far out of your way to see either, so you should be OK. You might want to consider putting another stop between Bayeaux and Interlaken, because the distance here is very long. Dijon? Besancon?

Instead of Auschwitz, you might want to consider visiting Theresienstadt (Terezin) instead.
Auschwitz is over 200 miles from Prague.

Question- If the Berner Oberland is so similar to Bavaria, is there somewhere else you would recommend going in Switzerland? The majority of posts on Switzerland that I have read have been on the Berner Oberland, I love Bavaria, and am open to going anywhere else in Switz. if you have suggestions? Thanks!

On different trips we stayed in Lucerne and Lugano. Both interesting in different ways, but with similarities. Both are on lakes, both are easily accessible and easy to get around. Lucerne is generally German speaking, Lugano is Italian. Both have many restaurants and both are equally expensive. Lugano is one of the most prosperous cities in Switzerland, but in the poorest canton. We enjoyed both. Stayed at teh Walter Hotel in Lugano - a faded beauty from bygone days. The Hotel des Alpes was our stop in Lucerne. Both looked over their lakes and we were happy with them.