Ludovic
Traveller
3 comments
Posted 11 years ago
Hello to the railcc Community!
My plan is to travel through the two main German-speaking : Germany and Austria. And maybe Switzerland. I start from France so I could be able to do something like France -> Germany -> Austria -> Switzerland -> France.
It'd be for summer holidays so it can be 10 or more days.
I plan to do it next year or the year after (enough time for me to save money, as they're not cheap countries :D ). Two cities are necessary in my mind: Berlin and Vienna. Otherwise, I'm open-minded on everything.
What are the best options for me ? Has anyone already done this kind of trip ? Can anyone suggest me some trips ? Is it worth the prize to get an interrail pass ?
Thanks in advance,
Ludovic
Tomthebear
Traveller
138 comments
For Germany I would recommend visiting, besides Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Also 2 very nice cities. For Austria maybe also go to Innsbruck and Graz. And if you want to stay in the german speaking part of Switzerland, you could go to Zurich, Luzern (include a visit of the Verkehrshaus, it is a very nice technicsmuseum), Basel, and maybe Bern. I haven`t been to Bern myself, so I can`t tell much about this city. But Basel is also very nice, and would be the boarderstation for your re-entry to France.
Are you planning to just roam around bigger cities, or would you like to see some beautiful landscape? If so, you could include a bit of hiking in the mountains.
And if you are interested in technics, you should, when you are visiting Hamburg, go to Laboe, near Kiel, and visit U-995, the last existing VII-C submarine of the world. It is a great piece of history (WW2)!
Ludovic
Traveller
3 comments
Thank you Tomthebear!
Coming from France, I think to add a city from western Germany, such as Cologne (Köln). From there, I would be able to go to Heildelberg to visit the famous castle. Then Hamburg, Berlin, Dresde and Munich. And then Austria and Switzerland.
Well, that's a beginning :) But it sounds good.
By the way, I'm interested in culture / history / sport. So why not hiking ?
Ludovic
Tomthebear
Traveller
138 comments
For the hiking part, I did 2 nice trips, while I was in Switzerland, some years back. Maybe you like to do them as well.
On the first trip I went by train to Göschenen, then by bus (the yellow ones, the swiss call it Postauto) first to Inertkirchen, then, by another bus to Grimsel Hospiz. From there I took a nice walk around the lake. Once you have reached the street, there is a place with a snack bar and people selling local food, there is also a bus stop. I then took the bus to Meiringen, and from there the train to Brienz. In Brienz I got on a sightseeing ship and took a trip across the lake (takes around 2 hours), I got off at Interlaken. From here you can either continue your journey, or you can take another boat and tour lake Thun. This is, what I did. It means 2 hours more on the boat, and I began to get bored. The hike around the lake takes around 1-2 hours, depending on how fast you walk.
The other trip was by train to Locarno, by bus to Sonogno, then a 4 hour walk along the Verzasca valley to Lavertezzo, back by bus and train. There are many places, where you can take a rest and a bath in the river, but it is damn cold!
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
If you travel Cologne to Heidelberg, do it along the river Rhine, not the high-speed line!
[u]https://rail.cc/en/train/cologne-to-heidelberg[/u]
You can even make a break there. :)
Information about Heidelberg: [u]https://rail.cc/en/heidelberg/c[/u]
I recommend the Hostel Lotte: [u]https://rail.cc/en/heidelberg/lotte-the-backpackers/l448[/u]
Peter :)
Ludovic
Traveller
3 comments
Thanks Tomthebear and Peter for all your advices !