Germany - ABD or another company or on our own? First time - family with teenagers

[SuzanneB74]

We are trying to plan a mainly Germany vacation for summer 2020. (I am up for adding Austria, Switzerland, and/or Belgium but I know we don't have enough time for all of that) We have about 10 or so days. This will be the first Europe trip for my husband and two boys (17, 15). I was in Europe when I was a teenager. I am looking for thoughts, recommendation on either ABD, another guided travel company or a really good travel agent to help me plan. We are adventurous, looking for history, city and country experiences. We are up for anything! No cruises, except for an afternoon type Rhine cruise if it fits in. We also do not want to visit a concentration camp. (I have visited Dachau and my kids are strongly against seeing one.) ABD sounds like a good itinerary, but looking for feedback from people with experience with this tour or ABD in general. We are DVC members but never used ABD. Thank you so much in advance for your help!!!

 

[2-pointdoe]

We loved our first ABD (italy) and have a 2nd (egypt) scheduled for June. I like having the hassle taken out of the planning. We have been looking at Germany also through both ABD and Tauck Bridges - they have an alpine adventure that does germany, austria and switzerland that seems to offer a ton of activity.

To me it really comes down to how much of the planning I want to do and if the tour visits the places I want to go. For us, the biggest advantage is having other children our daughters age on the trip.

 

[tcufrog]

I've been to Germany many times on my own. You don't need a tour group to enjoy the country. In fact, some of the best times I had in Germany were when we happened upon things that weren't on our list. There are some countries that I'd want to do with a group or would hire a travel agent for but Germany isn't one of them.

 

[SuzanneB74]

I've been to Germany many times on my own. You don't need a tour group to enjoy the country. In fact, some of the best times I had in Germany were when we happened upon things that weren't on our list. There are some countries that I'd want to do with a group or would hire a travel agent for but Germany isn't one of them.

Do you have any "must see" things we should have on our list? I am thinking Munich, Bavaria area, salzburg, Berlin.

 

[tcufrog]

What time of year are you going?

 

[SuzanneB74]

What time of year are you going?

Summer 2020 - most likely early June.

 

[Woodview]

Fly to Munich ........ Hire a car ........ ( Sixt car hire ) ....... Drive towards Austria & Explore

Plan your route yourselves ...... Use Google Earth to find hotels ( Best western , Post Hotels , Leardo chain etc. )


Book half Board ( Dinner , bed & breakfast )

loads of Cable / Gondola cars will be working , there are many scenic boat tours also .

Drive to Lake Constance & drive into Switzerland ( Extra Road Tax Disc needed for Switzerland & Austria )

No Toll Roads .

We do these trips on a regular basis for the last 40 years

2020 before Easter flying to Amsterdam & onwards . Then in May flying to Zurich , August Calgary &

Spokane ( USA ) & on to Vancouver ........ November To Northern France

 

[lovetotravel]

We went during the old ABD Germany itinerary (a June trip) called Once Upon a Fairytale which included stays at Heidelberg and Waldeck (hotel was a castle) and loved it. I am not sure I like the new itinerary as much as the old one.

 

[riot23]

I did the new Germany itinerary in July 2018. Here's a link to my Trip Report, you might find some useful info to help guide your decision.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/germany-abd-2018-mini-trip-report-complete.3706026/

 

[SuzanneB74]

I did the new Germany itinerary in July 2018. Here's a link to my Trip Report, you might find some useful info to help guide your decision.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/germany-abd-2018-mini-trip-report-complete.3706026/

Thank you for the report! It was very helpful!

 

[SuzanneB74]

After much thought and reading everyone's helpful replies, I think we are going to do the trip on our own. I am thinking Munich, Bavaria area, Salzberg, Prague. Any advice or "must see" or "don't have to see" places or activities would be great! Thanks!!!

 

[Woodview]

Here is a sort of a tour ........ see what you think.

Fly to Munich ..... hire a car .... using Sixt car hire ( Fuel Full to Full ..... unlimited Km. ... take out the insurance

.... your USA car insurance will not work )

Leave airport and drive to Salzburg ( Austria .. You will need a travel Pass for car ... can be bought at petrol stations )

Then drive to St. Wolfgang for boat trip, cable cars , And tour mountain trains <

Next return to Berchtesgarden & The Eagles Nest staying at either The Best Western Ramsau or

Hotel Seeblick , Thumsee , Bad Richenhall


Next Drive to Fusch staying at Hotel Romerhof ( Passing Karpun .... Summer Chair lifts etc )

Next drive over the High Alpine Pass ( Toll ) " The must see drive " The Grosglockner

At the end go left to Hotel Ferienhotel Glocknerhof at Berg im Drautal.

Next make your way way to Mittenwald & Hotel Rieger

Then to Lake Constance or Bodensee & go to Friedrichshafen & stay at Ring Hotel Krone

There see the " Air ships " ,, Take a boat trip or an expensive ( car tax ) drive into Switzerland .

Then Drive back to Munich.

We have done this trip & variations of it over the years .

Hope this Helps.

Remember that the Passion Play at Omeramagau ( ? ) is on this year .

 

[Woodview]

Note Phone the Hotels directly for better price avoid Airb&b

Take Half Board Option ..... Dinner , bed & Breakfast ... These meals are very good & saves you

searching for somewhere to eat.

Bring Swim Gear

 

[cschaaf]

Note Phone the Hotels directly for better price avoid Airb&b

Take Half Board Option ..... Dinner , bed & Breakfast ... These meals are very good & saves you

searching for somewhere to eat.

Bring Swim Gear

I just started planning a Germany/Austria/Switzerland trip on our own (kind of based off of Rick Steves trip, but with additions/subtractions to be geared more towards things we want to see). Why do you recommend avoiding Airbnbs?

Not close to being final yet, but our trip will look something like:

• Day 1 - Fly to Munich, arrive early AM. rent car. No real plan this day.
• Day 2 - Drive to/tour Dachau. Drive to Salzburg. See Hohensalzburg Fortress if there is time
• Day 3 - Drive to Hallstatt and tour. Return to Salzburg, go to Mirabellgarten.
• Day 4 - Drive to Fussen. See Mary's Bridge and/or Tegelberg cable car
• Day 5 - Maybe do Marry's Bridge or Tegelberg. Drive to Jungfrau region. Likely stay in Murren. Take in whatever scenery. Lauterbrunen
• Day 6 - Shilthorn, Wengen, Grindelwald, Gimmelwald, whatever fits
• Day 7 - Trummelbach Falls, whatever we couldn't get to the other days
• Day 8 - Drive to Eltz Castle. Tour if time. Stay in Koblenz.
• Day 9 - See Eltz if not done. Drive to Rotenburg ob der Tauber. Night watchman tour.
• Day 10 - see town, Christmas shop, St Jacob's church. Drive to Munich
• Day 11 - fly home

Busy schedule, lots of hotels, and some driving almost every day which we are fine with. Thinking of going in early June 2020.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Yes definitely do it on your own. We did our car through Sixt, as a pp mentioned. I was shocked though of the rate, I think it was like $900 for a week (mini cooper). We stayed about an hour south of Munich in the Garmisch area. We took our rental car up to Munich to tour Dachau, Olympic Stadium and soccer stadiums one day. Then we did a bus tour from our hotel of the main city. The bus tour just basically dropped us off and picked us up later in the day, we did that so we didn't have to worry about finding parking. Everything else was done on our own. One day to Innsbruck, one day to Salzburg, a day to tour a couple castles, a day to Berchtesgaden. Took a gondola up Mt Zugspitze. Did an alpine slide. Garmisch was a very small town (but very cute traditional Bavarian town). There was not much for activities right in the town, but it was a convenient location and had good places to eat when we returned for the night.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

We did Germany last summer and it was FANTASTIC and I wouldn't want to do it on my own Dachau has an alternate activity if you don't want to go (tour the BMW museum which the folks that went said was great!). It was a trip we'd repeat in a heartbeat. Lots of trips you COULD do on your own but the beauty of an ABD is that you just get to show up and enjoy the trip, your family, and your new friends. It's all made EASY.

 

[pjacobi]

I suggest that you investigate into public transit options. Public transit in Europe is often more convenient and cheaper than a rental car.

-Paul

 

[Woodview]

I just started planning a Germany/Austria/Switzerland trip on our own (kind of based off of Rick Steves trip, but with additions/subtractions to be geared more towards things we want to see). Why do you recommend avoiding Airbnbs?

Not close to being final yet, but our trip will look something like:

• Day 1 - Fly to Munich, arrive early AM. rent car. No real plan this day.
• Day 2 - Drive to/tour Dachau. Drive to Salzburg. See Hohensalzburg Fortress if there is time
• Day 3 - Drive to Hallstatt and tour. Return to Salzburg, go to Mirabellgarten.
• Day 4 - Drive to Fussen. See Mary's Bridge and/or Tegelberg cable car
• Day 5 - Maybe do Marry's Bridge or Tegelberg. Drive to Jungfrau region. Likely stay in Murren. Take in whatever scenery. Lauterbrunen
• Day 6 - Shilthorn, Wengen, Grindelwald, Gimmelwald, whatever fits
• Day 7 - Trummelbach Falls, whatever we couldn't get to the other days
• Day 8 - Drive to Eltz Castle. Tour if time. Stay in Koblenz.
• Day 9 - See Eltz if not done. Drive to Rotenburg ob der Tauber. Night watchman tour.
• Day 10 - see town, Christmas shop, St Jacob's church. Drive to Munich
• Day 11 - fly home

Busy schedule, lots of hotels, and some driving almost every day which we are fine with. Thinking of going in early June 2020.

Do you realise the amount of kilometers that you wish to drive .... on good mountain twisty spectacular roads .

I would SKIP from Day 8 , 9 , & 1half of day 10

From Grindelwald drive to Interlaken to Thun to Luzern to Cham to Zurich

to Winterthur to Konstanz then car ferry to Friedrichshafen Germany ( home of the Airships " Blimp " )

Lake Constance or Bodensee has a very good round boat trip calling at small towns

Stay at The Ring Hotel in Friedrichshafen

Then drive Back to Munich ...... a Much more relaxing less stressful holiday .


NOTE you Will NEED a car travel disc ( Buy at filling stations ) to travel into Austria (a 5 to 6 day ticket 0

AND a MUST travel Disc for Switzerland .... this is checked at BORDER entering Switzerland .
..........................................................................................................................
I am travelling this route from May 27th to 12 th June but we fly from Cork Ireland to Zurich

Car hire is by Unirent car is a Skoda Octavia Estate . ( Also Try Sixt Car Hire )

.............................

NOTE your DAY 8 & 9 take you WAY north into Luxemburg & back down to Munich

 

[AddictedtoTravel]

We've recently traveled through Germany on our own (me and my 18 year old daughter) and enjoyed it immensely. Although we would have enjoyed going on the ABD as well. Since it is just the two of us we like having others to travel and interact with. There have always been kids/young adults around her age and she thoroughly enjoys it. For this reason we have found we like group travel, which was a surprise to us because we are a bit independent and I love to plan

For our trip we spent 3 nights in Munich, 2 nights in Rothenburg, a night in Nuremberg and 5 nights in Berlin. We stopped at Dachau and in Regensberg and Bamberg along the way. We used MyDayTrip for transportation from Munich to Rothenburg and from Rothenburg to Nuremberg and then the fast train from Nuremberg to Berlin. MyDayTrip was excellent and I highly recommend it. It's like Uber on steroids.

Some of our favorite things and highlights..
Neuschwanstein & Linderhof castles
Bike tour through Berlin with a stop at the English Garden for Radlers (tour with Mike's Bikes)
Walking the streets of Regensburg and lunch there (I can't remember the name of the restaurant, it was great!)
The Nightwatchman tour in Rothenburg
The Documentation Center museum at Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg
High speed train to Berlin (I love trains)
Street Art Tour in Berlin
The Famous Insider Walk-Hidden Berlin and All main sites (This was the most incredible walking tour. Our guide was magical and brought history to life. We literally laughed, cried ...)
A day on Museum Island, Berlin
There are lots more. We loved this trip! Germany is beautiful, the people are amazing and it was just such fun.

 

[ldo]

We only use public transit. It take a bit of planning but is quite doable diy. Sometimes we take a day tour to ease logistics.