We are arriving in Frankfurt late June for 2 weeks stay around Germany before heading to Czech Republic for a wedding. We pick up a car at the airport in Frankfurt and will head to Bacharach for our first couple of nights and then will make our way finally arriving in Munich. I will book our first few nights accommodation but was wondering if it's okay not to book will on the road. It's nice to be able to arrange our schedule as we travel, stay somewhere a little bit longer, etc. Any suggestions on an itineray would be appreciated. We were thinking about Rhine and Mosel Valleys, Romantic Road, German Alpine region, etc, with maybe 2 days in Munich. Any must sees? Thanx
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
If you have a rental car, make sure your hotel in Munich offers parking. Public parking is very scant in the city.
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
I'd have your place in Munich booked. Personally, I don't like going into big cities without having a room ready for me. Little towns are easier to walk around and hunt for a room, but not so much with big cities. And you'll more likely be left with the leftovers -- either something expensive, or more reasonable but not desirable. For the smaller towns, go equipped with a guidebook, like Rick's, so you'll have an idea of what's there and where they are and how much they'll cost.
I agree with leaving your car in Munich, if you even use a car at all (I'm waiting on Lee to come in here and tell you that you can do this all by train). You won't want one in Munich, and many rental companies won't let you take a car into the Czech Republic.
Posted by
OP
Brisbane, Australia
2 posts
Thanks for the information. We are dropping the car in Munich a couple of days before we leave for Czech Republic. We want to catch a train from Munich to either Prague or go straight to Karlovy Vary. Can anybody help with information about the trains. From what has been said, I will book our accommodation at the Rhine and in Munich and maybe in Rothenburg and perhaps for the rest trust to luck.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19110 posts
You can best do Munich to Prague one of two ways. You can find these connections on German Rail website.
The fastest connection is by ICE from Munich to Nürnberg and then a non-stop bus from Nürnberg to Prague. This takes about 5 hours and you can get a Europe-Spezail fare as low as €29 pP by advance purchase online from the Bahn. Tickets are date and train (bus) specific, have limited refundability, and go on sale three month before the travel date and sell out quickly, so they should be booked as soon as you can commit.
There are also three regional train connections, the first leaving Munich at 9:01 that cross the border at Furth im Wald. These trains take about 6 hours. You can do this trip with a Bayern-Böhmen ticket to Pilsen. That ticket will cost €28 for up to five people. You will then need a Czech Rail ticket from Pilsen to Prague for about €5,68 pP. I'm told you can purchase the Czech ticket from the conductor on the train between the border and Pilsen. If not, you have 13 minutes in Pilsen to buy the ticket. You can also take a bus from Pilsen to Prague for less.