[mbintx]

In beginning stages of planning a European vacation. I was born and raised in Germany but haven't been back since 2003. My wife has never been to Europe.
Therefore, everything we do/see will be new for her but not necessarily for me. I've seen a good portion of Europe, but a lot of it was while i was a kid.

Everything is still in early stages, but we're thinking approx. 14 days. Kick-off will be Frankfurt to see relatives. Then south, most likely near Munich. I'd like to hit Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, then north to Prague. After Prague, back to Frankfurt for flight home.

Definitely will be doing the Cologne Cathedral, Nurburgring, The Porsche Museum and Schloss Neuschwanstein. Once we get into Switzerland and Austria I'm less firm. This is where I'm looking for suggestions on places to stay and see:

Zurich or Geneva?
Best places to explore the Alps via gondolas?
Is Lake Como/Lake Lugano area worth the side trip? What about Milan?
Good driving routes?

Anyone familiar with that area, please chime in. We're looking at August/September time frame but are somewhat flexible.

[KingOfJericho]

Skip Milan. I've been all over Italy in recent years and Milan is the one city that just did nothing for me.

[MrRoboto]

Zurich is beautiful. One of the highlights of my last trip.

We went through Switzerland, Austria, and drove the romantic road back into Germany. (your wife may like it) very scenic.

[Arben72]

I love Zurich and Geneva but I'd recommend you spend a little time in Lucerne also. I really didn't enjoy Milan but my sisters did. It's all a matter of preference.

[M_Six]

On our Germany trip a few years back we wandered from Munich down to Ramsau (check this webcam in the daytime. http://www.ramsau.de/webcam/ramsau-kirche.jpg). Then it was a short hop to Salzburg. We were going to just visit and leave, but we ended up staying there 3 days. Very cool city.

Having lived in Germany I'm sure you're aware of all this, but for others who may be reading this....if you rent a car you'll need a permit to drive on the autobahns in Austria (not expensive at all) and many car rental places won't allow you to take their cars into the Czech Republic.

I envy you for your trip. I'd love to have two weeks to go back to Germany.

[mbintx]

I visited Salzburg on my last trip, so I'd prefer to find a city I haven't been to.

And good to know about the rental car issue with the CR. Need to look into that. Taking the train instead might be fun!

[M_Six]

Yeah, I wanted to drive over to Budwar to visit the breweries, but no such luck. Hard to get there without a car, too.

[PINeely]

Lake Como is gorgeous, definitely take a trip out there if you have the time. Good eating there too. Skip Milan as KingOfJericho said, it's a business city without much to do. There is a shopping center there with a lot of designer shops which is right next to an incredible cathedral. That really is it though; takes an hour to see and then you're done.

[mercedes123]

Lake Como is good, worth a side trip if you can fit it in your trip. Switzerland is awesome, I could probably spend 14 days just there.

Highlights of Switzerland for me were:
Geneva/Lake Geneva (I stayed in a hotel in Montreux which is on opposite side of the lake from Geneva, beautiful town)
Jungfrau
Rigi Kulm (near zurich)
Mount Pilatus
Gornergrat/Zermatt

[kscarrol]

In Switzerland, +1 for Lucerne but also check out Bern. Did both years ago while backpacking through Europe. Great memories!

[Wild_Will]

I am U.S Military stationed in Germany right now and I recommend stopping by Regensburg as well if you can!

[mbintx]

Sounds like Milan is a bad idea...

[smyles]

Dunno, I've stayed in Milan for a couple days and liked it. But I guess different strokes... as Zurich was complete meh. Not sure there's much in Austria besides Vienna.

[PascalsWager]

Germany: Rotenburg, a great old walled city, is a must visit. i also enjoyed Munich and the Black Forest area very much - although kinda cheesy, Ludvig's castles in Bavaria are pretty awesome too. While Berlin is a more modern city since the destruction of WWII, its not as historical, but great zoo, Checkpoint Charlie museum is cool, and the scene is pretty ridiculous for contemporary art/music/clubs etc. Although this is somewhat morbid - I went to Dachau prison camp from WWII era - something about experiencing the holocaust history and earth first hand was important for me, even though I'm not jewish and <50% german.

Austria - didn't spend enough time there, but Salzburg was pretty awesome! Birthplace of Beethoven IIRC, cool castles and churches (like every old euro city lol). I will say the Austrian women we met were super nice and aggressive with the Americans language barrier be damned.

Switzerland - definitely Lucerne and Mt Pilatus as others have mentioned. Depending on when you go, interlaken is a pretty sweet spot too, as they have tons of outfitters and adventure-like options. Zurich is also nice, more of a shopping/urban experience, but nice.

If you dip into Italy and its summertime - do not miss the Cinque Terra or other stops along the Italian riviera. Great hiking, seafood, vistas, swimming beaches, diving rocks, etc. Being a but of an art-buff, too, Florence is a MUST - you can spend a whole day in the Uffizi just drooling.

[bolinp78]

Originally Posted by mbintx

In beginning stages of planning a European vacation. I was born and raised in Germany but haven't been back since 2003. My wife has never been to Europe.
Therefore, everything we do/see will be new for her but not necessarily for me. I've seen a good portion of Europe, but a lot of it was while i was a kid.

Everything is still in early stages, but we're thinking approx. 14 days. Kick-off will be Frankfurt to see relatives. Then south, most likely near Munich. I'd like to hit Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, then north to Prague. After Prague, back to Frankfurt for flight home.

Definitely will be doing the Cologne Cathedral, Nurburgring, The Porsche Museum and Schloss Neuschwanstein. Once we get into Switzerland and Austria I'm less firm. This is where I'm looking for suggestions on places to stay and see:

Zurich or Geneva?
Best places to explore the Alps via gondolas?
Is Lake Como/Lake Lugano area worth the side trip? What about Milan?
Good driving routes?

Anyone familiar with that area, please chime in. We're looking at August/September time frame but are somewhat flexible.

Rent a car and drive from Germany to Austria. We did this on our trip (Audi A6 hatchback IIRC) and driving through the countryside was one of the most fun parts of the trip. Yes, it is expensive to get a car for one day, but I think it's worth it. We stopped @ the Neuschwanstein Castle on the way.

(We started in Munich and ended up in Salzburg. The drive was only a few hours. You're starting in Frankfurt so it might not fit your itenerary, but it's an idea!)

[adriang]

Hallstatt Austria was beautiful. Rented a boat and had a swim in the alps, it was a highlight of my europe trip last year

[mbintx]

Great tips, everyone. Keep em coming.

We'll probably have a car most of the time, so touring around is good by me. I've been to Rothenburg o.d.T. several times, but it might be a good stop for the wife...

[pmeloche]

In Switzerland, I would recommend to visit Zürich and then go to Interlaken. From Interlaken, you can hike up to Wengen. It's gorgeous.

In Austria, you have to go to Innsbruck in winter.

The Dolomites in Italian Switzerland are awesome too.

[bimmette]

While in the Frankfurt area, take a drive north along the Rhine river about an hour or so to see tons of gorgeous old castles.
A great hidden castle which does tours of the inside and has most of its original furnishings is Burg Eltz. This is a true medieval castle compared to the Neuschwanstein castle.

[P1]

As a European, let me give you one tip: concentrate less on the large European cities and instead explore the little cities and villages. That's where the real beauty of Europe really lies.

[acdHQK713K]

Agree with skipping Milan. Just doesn't compare to the other cities.

Interlaken is a must see. There is just so much to do there. Switzerland is just an amazing place overall.

[Nate4641]

If you haven't been there I would recommend checking out the Mercedes museum after Porsche while still in Stuttgart, you can do both in a day. My parents came out to visit me when I was stationed in Frankfurt and my mom not being a car enthusiast or one who cares about museums was REALLY impressed with the MB museum when we went there. I'm not even a MB fan and I loved the place.

While at Neuschwanstein go check out Fussen down the road. Really nice small village, cool shops, not a lot of people, and I never saw any beggers which was nice after living in Frankfurt.

I would also second bimmette on a Rhine tour. Theres a nice tour out of Frankfurt that dives you down there, sees some cool stuff along the way, gets lunch, then you go on a boat down the river checking out all the castles. At the end they do a wine tasting, and they try to sell you some, and they highlight the local ice wine. I would recommend buying a couple bottles of the ice wine if you like it as their price with the tour is way cheaper than anywhere else I found out there.