Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

We will need to travel from Paris to Munich to P/U the car. I know that it takes about 8.5 hours by train and we wouldn't mind taking the time for that, but is it worth it, or should we just fly? Is there nice countryside to see along the way? We would be traveling during the day.

Once we pick up the car in Munich, we have about 6 days before we have to be in Verona Italy for business. We did the Como thing already and I was thinking about swinging north and east with this itinerary:

Munich to Prague (5 hour drive) 2 nights
Prague to Vienna (4 hour drive) 1 night
Vienna to Graz (2 hour drive) 1 night (worth a night here?)
Graz to Trieste (4 hours) 1 night
Trieste to Verona (3.5 hours)

Is there much to see in Graz and Trieste? Would there be any concern driving through Slovenia to get from Graz to Trieste?

After business in Verona, we will drive to Frankfurt for the auto show, drop off and flight back to LAX. The drive from Verona to Frankfurt is about 8 hours! Too much for one day?

All in all, it seems like a lot of driving..opinions?? Am I nuts?

Comments very much appreciated.

Reply » Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

The countryside goes from flat to hilly and so forth between Paris and Munich. It is not as spectacular as taking the train from Milan to Paris through the Alps. I say - save your time and fly.

There is a lot of driving there and not much time to see things - it looks like half of every day (except for Prague) is spent driving. If you're quick about seeing things (15 min for Notre Dame, dear!), then this might work...but it kind feels to me lile you're not going to get to see a lot at any one place...but you will see a lot of places and a lot of countryside!

Verona to Frankfurt in one long day is possible...or you could break it up if you're getting tired of sitting in your new car

Remember to think about the inevitable road construction and inevitable traffic jams in figuring times. I always find it wise to build in some extra time for these slowdowns or that "Oh, honey, look at that castle...can we stop?" opportunity. In fact the latter created some of my most enjoyable memories of my travels in Europe - wineries, castles, quaint museums, interesting Roman ruins, etc.

Sounds like you have some time - enjoy!!

Greg

Reply » Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

I think Trieste is a great city. Lots of history, very managable with population of about 250K, easy to navigate, good hotels, great food. The border crossings to/from Slovenia two years ago were very quick and easy; if you have the right papers for you and the car there was no delay. (In fact, the only surprising thing was when the border control person handed us a brochure suggesting which Slovenian cellular network to use for roaming.) On the other hand, the border crossing from Croatia into Italy was completely backed up for miles the day I was there.

In general, I agree with Liverman--I'd recommend covering a bit less territory and spending a bit more time in one or more of your stops.

Reply » Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

I think this depends on how much countrytside you wish to see. I previously went on a two week four city journey that took me to the four corners of western europe. I ended up taking an overnight sleeper train from Paris to Munich in order to save energy for Oktoberfest.

You can check some of the sites like raileurope.com for more info. We had arrived in Paris in the afternoon; boarded the train at 11pm and had a sleeping car for the evening and arrived in Munich in the morning. The sleeping quarters were smaller than a jail cell, but it had two bunks with the restroom and showers at the end of the car. They'll wake you up when it's time for coffee and muffins; served in you're "room."

Seeing you're intinerary, you might want to consider this part as just transit; saving you're energy for when you get off the train and into you're new car.

Reply » Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

Now r111, how would you know the size of a jail cell

....don't answer that!!

Thanks for your thoughts.

Reply » Paris to Munich?...and help with itinerary.

I too think you're trying to cram a destination or two too many into your alloted time. I'm not sure what your interests are in each of your identified destinations (sightseeing, shopping, visiting friends/relatives) but with that schedule, you'll barely get to experience any of those cities. I haven't been to Prague yet but 2 to 3 days there seems ok. I've been to Vienna several times and I'm always finding interesting things that are new or I previously missed. I'd recommend 2 to 3 days in Vienna too.

I'm the type that really likes to soak in the city - sip a coffee at some Vienna's famed Cafes, enjoy a beer or five in several of Munichs beer gardens, etc. I like a little bit of the museums, shopping and sightseeing but get burned out on that stuff quick. If I was a roaming vagabond, I'd hang out in most of these cities for several days or even weeks! But given you're time line, if you have similar tastes as me, you'd be better off spending 2 or 3 days in each of your big city destinations and 1 or 2 days in Graz and/or Trieste. Maybe do 3 days in Prague or Vienna, 2 in Graz and 1 Trieste

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