Germany, Switzerland, Italy...in a blur....

Once you’re in the walled area of Rothenburg, you’ll be grateful for your GPS (and steel nerves) because the streets are tight, often one-way, corners can be acute, and you’ve got to find one of the public parking lots because there’s no more non-resident parking on the streets. This is one place I want to know exactly where the hotel wants me to park BEFORE I start in. My favorite place to stay is tiny Pension Elke over a grocery store, but because our friends’ expectations are a bit higher than ours, we stayed at the Reichskuchenmeister, which has my favorite restaurant, and the rooms upstairs are very nice. (If you, like me, prefer sleeping with open windows, this might not be the best choice, because the hotel is about equidistant between two church bell towers which will keep you well informed of the time…all night.)

I really like to stay 2 or 3 nights in Rothenburg to make time for a day trip to Nurnburg and enjoy the nights without the crowds, but with only one afternoon and night, we could still visit St. Jacob’s, the castle garden with the great view, have drinks in a wine garden, walk some of the wall, have a leisurely dinner, and catch the 8 o’clock walk with George the Nightwatchman. I still enjoy Rothenburg even though it’s touristy, and even this short visit made our friends happy.

Our next day was another golden one for driving to Munich. We must have picked the scenic route on the GPS, because much was on the Romantik Strasse, and we didn’t hit the autobahn until the outskirts of Munich. Traffic was lighter on a Saturday, and we found our Blauer Bock hotel with no missteps, mainly because I’ve stayed there three times before. It’s a wonderful location right across from the Victualienmarkt, and they have their own underground parking, but their signage is almost impossible to see the first time there. (If you’re turning in a rental car in Munich, try to refill your gas before you get into the city, as gas stations are scarce and often complicated to find once you’re there. Learned that bit the hard way once before.)

On a sunny 70-degree Saturday I think every Municher was outside. You can choose to call that crowded…or festive. We spent our afternoon in the festive Victualienmarkt, ducked into several curlicued churches on the way to the Marienplatz, then taxied to the Englisher Garten to watch the surfers on the Isar. If you’ve never seen this, you should go. The Isar River winds through the park and gathers force as it passes through a culvert. They’ve added big blocks of concrete underwater to create some significant white water, and there are often a dozen surfers lined up on the river banks waiting their turn to jump in and surf — regardless of the weather. It’s definitely a play at your own risk activity, which the sign in German, English, and comic book pictures makes very clear. Since we had missed Nurnberg this trip, dinner was outdoors at one of Munich’s best spots for finger-sized Nurnberger brats - Nurnberger Bratwurst Glckl am Dom - where every table was filled on this beautiful warm evening.

On Sunday our friends’ priority was to visit Dachau. Even though he had some apprehension about the public transportation to get there, my husband went with them and found the S-Bahn to be very easy. And when you get off, everybody waiting for the bus is going the same place you are. The 11AM English tour was sold out when they arrived, but the guide for the tour sold them tickets, telling them the ticket office would only sell the official number. They were very pleased with both their guide and the tour.

My Sunday plan was to NOT visit Dachau (for yet another time.) Instead, I met a young German friend and we walked to the Auer Dult, a local Munich festival which happens three times a year. It’s like an American county fair, an antiques market, and a weekly European housewares market all rolled together. The rides are the tamer versions from Oktoberfest, all suitable for kids, including ponies, and rows of vendors sell all the usual German festival foods. Lots of tents selling dishes! Everyone but me looked local, and many were wearing traditional Bavarian dress. I found no treasures, but it was a fun place to walk and look for an hour or two.

Even on the most rushed visit to Munich I have to fit in at least one museum. It was the Pinakothek der Moderne this trip. Most of the artists were early 20th century German painters, very edgy for their time in history. If you’re lukewarm on “modern” art, you’ll probably enjoy the Neue Pinakothek more for its outstanding Impressioinist collection. If your attention span is a little short in art museums, go directly to the Impressionist rooms and add the other rooms at the end if the art is still holding your interest. Dinner tonight was at an old favorite, Altes Hackerhaus, an old brewery restaurant an easy walk from the Victualienmarkt area, which has a good traditional Bavarian menu and always friendly service.

Monday morning started our train days, loaded with a certain amount of angst, because though driving in Europe seems easy to me, public transport is a minefield. I’ve made multiple mistakes in multiple countries before figuring it out! Since I felt responsible for friends’ happiness on this trip, I posted our general itinerary on this forum and got excellent directions, especially from the Swiss posters. Lots of moving parts, but everything worked out perfectly! Here’s what we did to connect Munich with the Bernina Express to get to Lake Como.

From Munich’s main train station we took the turquoise Alex train, buying our group ticket from the restaurant car once we got onboard. Arrived in pretty Lindau two hours later, stored our luggage in lockers in the station, then walked to the nearby waterfront for lunch. Next train was a short hop to Bregenz, Austria, then another quick ride to St. Margarethe, just over the border into Switzerland. Final leg took us through farmland and small towns to Chur. All of these are small stations, and the signage makes it very easy to find your next train. In Chur we went to the RBB office in the train station, and a very helpful young man working there figured out all our connections for the next two days, and we left with a stack of tickets to get us on the Bernina Express route in the morning with one more overnight stop before we headed to Lake Como. Our hotel in Chur was the pristine, ultramodern ABC, and our dinner was down the street at the uber traditional Romantik Hotel Stern. Switzerland is welcoming and immaculate, and we are throwing francs by the fistfuls Into their economy!

Bernina Express day! This has been on my bucket list forever. Our hotel in Chur was across the street from the train station, and we had a 1058 launch time, so it was a peaceful morning. We opted not to take the official Bernina Express, but took another red train going on the same tracks and leaving a little later. (Friends this summer found the official train packed with tour groups, and disliked photographing through windows that didn’t open, even though they were oversized for better viewing.) We sprang for first class tickets for this, and lucked out on an entire car to ourselves. The configuration is double seats facing on one side of the aisle, and singles facing on the other, and two sets of each to a car. Half the windows lower for better picture taking, so I could jump side to side as much as I wanted without stepping on my traveling buddies. We had perfect weather, stunning green and gold landscapes, cows and villages, trestles and tunnels — all even better than I imagined. After almost two hours of this scenery, arrived at small working town Samedan. Pizzas outside in the sun while we waited for our next train. This three minute ride to Pont Murrotti was so short we stood by the door til we could hop off.

We’re spending tonight in a pretty fabulous mountaintop hotel called the Romantik Hotel Muottus Muragl, which can be accessed only by funicular. (I read about this one on the Man in Seat 61 website.) Got off the train at about 6000 ft altitude, and we’ll be sleeping at 8000. They’ve left our hotel key and funicular pass at the base station, and we’ve just rolled our luggage up a short path and caught our breath when the twice an hour funicular arrived. We’re the only ones with luggage on this trip up, but everybody else has hiking poles. OMG. What. A. View. We could see our white hotel perched high up on the crest of the mountain, way above the treeline, but could never imagine this view. There are wide decks facing west over the valley with deep cushioned chairs and banquettes, and a hang glider just buzzed us on his way into the thermals.

There are hiking paths in all directions, most fairly level, but at this altitude, probably challenging. This is a Tuesday afternoon, and most of the hikers look like retirees. We’re content to park on these sunny benches with our drinks and watch the paragliders sail past. The updated Scandinavian-style bedrooms here are small, but this is not the kind of place for sitting in your room, even though the view from every window is exceptional. There are pleasant sitting rooms at the end of the halls when it’s too cold to sit outside. There seem to be only about 16 guest rooms here. Would love to see this in the snow. (They told us they actually got 20 cm in August!) The restaurant is expensive but very good. The included breakfast is extraordinary. This is definitely a splurge kind of place, but worth every Swiss franc for the experience.

This Wednesday morning we’re taking the funicular back down the mountain to the train tracks to the tiny unmanned station for Pont Muragl, and following the directions I got on the Forum to push the button we hope signals the train to stop and pick us up. We’re standing by the tracks so he can’t miss us! He stopped, and we’re on another quick standing ride to reconnect with our Bernina Express route. Glad we got the first class tickets, because this BEX train’s almost filled. Soon, enough hikers got off so we all had seats together. Yesterday was a green and gold day, but today as we traveled higher, the trees and fields were more solid gold, with white patches of snowy peaks and the otherworldly turquoise of glacial lakes. There’s a tabletop map to plot out our World Heritage UNESCO route, and and overhead announcements alert us to the most spectacular views, in German and in English. When the train began its slow descent, we looped through circular viaducts and down the Main Street of one Swiss town. This was a fabulous bucket list experience, but now I want to see it covered in snow!

The BEX line ends in Tirano, where we changed to an Italian train headed to Lake Como. Our final stop was Varenna, a charming town where real people live, not just those catering to the tourist trade. We walked off the train right into a friendly taxi who delivered us around a couple of harrowing turns and down a narrow alley into the parking garage of our waterfront Hotel du Lac. Our rooms had French doors opening onto tiny balconies right over the lapping water. There are a few streets in Varenna but mostly steep pedestrian alleys with broad shallow steps. Everywhere’s a hike, but a scenic one.

We have Thursday to see as much as possible of Lake Como’s villages, so we’re on one of the first boats out with our day passes. First stop was Lenno, and the long harborside walk to get to the start of their famous garden, Villa del Balbianella. This is a classic Italian garden; more greenery than flowers. The curving path was tricky; you have no idea how high you’re going to climb to get to the best part. Once we were on top, we were so glad we got the combo tickets that included the palace. This house and gardens now belong to the Italian Trust, but they were originally renovated and furnished, to the highest standard, by a young trustafarian who aspired to be a world class expeditionist. He apparently had endless funds, because not only did he explore the world’s most exotic sights - the North Pole, Mt Everest, Patagonia, ancient Mayan cities, Alaska - but he amassed collections of artifacts better than most museums. The highlight was the top floor of his house, shaped like a ship’s cabin, and centered with a polar bearskin-rugged dog sled. The walls were filled with glass cases of memorabilia from his travels, arranged by destination. Fascinating! The palace tour was designed to walk you from top to bottom, so at the end we hopped a quick boat to get us back to where we started in the gardens. Found a great sunny lunch spot one block up from the water, Trattoria Stefano. Back on the ferry to Villa Carlotta, another famous Lake Como garden. We all voted for the shorter, more level blue trail instead of the 90 minute red path goat trail on this one. In late October this garden’s past peak season, but there are still some flowers, water features, and a pool of turtles to see.

Power walked the waterfront afterward to make the ferry to Bellagio. Not our fave. Lots of shops filled with glittery jewelry and Murano glass. Sat down for a sunset drink, then realized our boat to Varenna was leaving, so chugged our overpriced drinks and ran. Back to pleasant Varenna. Walked more narrow stone streets to Osteria Quatro Pass for our dinner reservations. Small vaulted dining room, friendly service, and lobster shells piled high with pasta and astice chunks. One of our favorite dinners!

Our taxi lady picked us up right on time this Friday morning after breakfast, and after one hour on the train, passing Lake Como villages, we’re at the huge white marble Milano Centrale station. Our taxi must have passed two dozen banks before dropping us at our small Gran Duca di York hotel. We’re very close to the Milan Duomo, but definitely in the banking district. Our rooms are very nice, with glass doors opening onto private vine covered patios. We have only this afternoon to blitz Milan, and when I asked the hotel desk for a nearby quick lunch recommendation, he sent us to the wonderful Hosteria Borromei, filled with bankers, and offering a menu of interesting daily specials. A very good meal with the locals.

We Google-mapped the short walk to the Duomo, then waded through the pigeons and fashionistas posing for photos to buy our tickets. Massive interior, even larger than the Cologne Dom. Brilliant stained glass windows and an anatomically correct marble sculpture of poor flayed St. Bartholomew wearing his skin...around his shoulders. Carved by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s students. Up the elevator to the roof, we were with the gargoyles, Gothic spires, and bird’s eye view over the piazza...and lots of young couples who needed to document each three foot mark with a photo...of themselves. Clock’s ticking. Into the elegant glass-topped Galleria lined with designer shops. Not sure why this seemed a good idea for a coffee stop. Rude waiter preferred us to order a complete meal. Wish I had unsuppressed my urge to ask him which meal Italians usually eat at 4:30 PM.

I watched the Rick Steves video and saw Milan’s enormous Cimetario Monumento filled with dramatic carved tombs. I really wanted to see this, and as soon as we were in a taxi headed that way in five o’clock traffic, I knew this wasn’t one of my best ideas. We pulled up to the immense marble building fronting the cemetery just as the guards were shooing everybody OUT. A total miss this trip, but I will come back again and see the monuments, and find the world’s largest equestrian statue. Milan suffers from no quaintness, but I think there’s a ton of fine art here I’ve never seen. And La Scala. I’ve always come through Milan on the way to someplace else, with a one night stop and time to see only one or two things. It’s definitely calling me back for a longer visit.

Saturday morning we shared a taxi to the airport with our friends, dropped them at Delta to fly home, and we went on to Lufthansa to fly back to Germany for a few more days to visit friends. The pace of this trip was much faster than we usually travel, but it’s what worked for our friends. The five nights in Germany left me wanting more, even though I’ve lived there and seen it before. It worked as a snapshot for our friends, and we could fit in as much as we did because we knew every location so well, down to where to park and where to eat, and were comfortable driving and speaking basic “travel” German. October was a brilliant weather month for all three countries. Switzerland is so well-organized, clean, and beautiful, but this all comes at a price. Two nights on Lake Como was enjoyable and about right, while most Italian destinations can lure me in for a week or more. All the restaurants and hotels I named are places I would recommend and return to. I’ve gotten so many good ideas from this forum, I hope something I’ve shared may help you. Ciao!

Thank you, Ruth. What great descriptions, with just the right amount of detail.

"the default speed limit drops to 50k whenever you come to a town or village, even though there is probably no sign"
According to the German traffic rules the speed limit begins at the yellow city-limit sign and ends at the same sign with a red diagonal line if not otherwise stated. Sometimes there is a stationary speed check camera not far after the yellow sign, so you should slow down before and not after the sign.

Thank you for your useful posts. Your friends are very fortunate to have you as a tour director!

What a great trip report! Taking notes, and so happy you liked Milano!

How I would love to be your travel friend! Wonderful trip report and thank you for all the great ideas for future travel.

Wonderful trip report - thanks for posting. Adding this itinerary to a potential future trip with a few extra days.

Great Trip report. I also took friends to Switzerland and Italy this past summer. We did the Bernina Express (opted for the RR instead of the BEX) and a night in Varenna. Loved your report! I will also have to go back again to this area of Switzerland - just breathtaking.