Ideas for Germany/Switzerland/Austria tour?

[Princess & 4 Princes]

I don't know where this should be posted--I have searched all over & found nothing. We are doing a Med cruise in June & want to add a week in Germany, Austria (Salzburg), & Switzerland (Berner-Oberland area). I am wondering if a tour company would be easier with our cruise suitcases & cheaper than finding hotels by myself for a family of 5. Does anyone have any suggestions? Gate 1 looked good, but the dates I need are booked.

[GrammySpo]

We used Avanti for recent trip to Munich and Austria. They only booked hotels and transportation and we did the rest ourselves. Really had fun on Mike's bike tour in Munich and loved the original Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. Stayed in old town of Salzburg and loved wandering around that area.

 

 

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[Princess & 4 Princes]

We used Avanti for recent trip to Munich and Austria. They only booked hotels and transportation and we did the rest ourselves. Really had fun on Mike's bike tour in Munich and loved the original Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. Stayed in old town of Salzburg and loved wandering around that area.

 

 

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What kind of transportation? Trains and our luggage are scaring me.

[GrammySpo]

We had trains from Munich to Salzburg, Salzburg to Innsbruck, and train to Venice. They also arranged taxi to hotel in Munich and Venice.

 

 

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[GrammySpo]

We limited our luggage to one suitcase and carryon. Wouldn't recommend more than that.

 

 

 

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[GrammySpo]

I don't know if it was cheaper, but it was worth it for peace of mind. Also used the luggage packing bag that sucked the air out so clothes were very flat (can't remember what they were called). Did this for the clothes I only intended to use on the cruise. Worked out very well.

 

 

 

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[milolii]

Where do you plan to join the tour and where will you end the tour? Rome, Venice?

 

 

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[4774Papa]

I don't know where this should be posted--I have searched all over & found nothing. We are doing a Med cruise in June & want to add a week in Germany, Austria (Salzburg), & Switzerland (Berner-Oberland area). I am wondering if a tour company would be easier with our cruise suitcases & cheaper than finding hotels by myself for a family of 5. Does anyone have any suggestions? Gate 1 looked good, but the dates I need are booked.

Only a week to visit all three countries?

Narrow your trip to about three cities. Salzburg is a must see, and it is located SW of Munich, farther away from Switzerland. The Berner-Oberland area of Switzerland is in the middle of the country. It is wonderful to see. We visited there and went up Jungfrau. Interlaken was special.

 

If you go to Salzburg, it would be easy to visit Berchesdaden, Germany (nearby, home of the Eagle's Nest) as well, then on to Munich. You could stretch your trip to include Switzerland, but there is a fair amount of travel involved.

 

We lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years and that city is worth a day.

[24butterfly]

I don't know where this should be posted--I have searched all over & found nothing. We are doing a Med cruise in June & want to add a week in Germany, Austria (Salzburg), & Switzerland (Berner-Oberland area). I am wondering if a tour company would be easier with our cruise suitcases & cheaper than finding hotels by myself for a family of 5. Does anyone have any suggestions? Gate 1 looked good, but the dates I need are booked.

 

I've used Cosmos and Globus......

[swixpat]

Where will your cruise start if you do the land trip before the cruise, or end if you do the trip after the cruise. This will determine not only what you can visit but also the means of transport. Don't exclude renting a cat if you have lots of luggage.

[swixpat]

Sorry meant to write car rather than cat of course. Finger trouble on small hand held phone. The season would influence the transport as well.

[danacline]

I had this awesome vision of a cat wearing a little bellman's uniform...

[maryann ns]

The place to ask these questions is Trip Advisor. That being said you will save money and have a better trip by renting a car and going where and when you want. You can easily find places to stay without reservations in the off season. Otherwise use Trip Advisor's accommodation listings and sites such as Venere.com. I generally use these sites for ideas and reviews, but try to book direct. You can often find the website of a hotel just by googling its name.