My wife and I are flying to Munich on Oct 22. Some friends are flying to
Venice on Oct 19. We want to meet up with them on the 23rd. Basically, we
want to take them to Munich, Garmisch, Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague. But I
am not sure where to have them meet us. Everytime I go to bahn.de, it tells
me pricing info is not available. Makes it tough to plan. If someone can
recommend a train itinerary based on the cities I mentioned, that would be
great. I am tentatively thinking

Venice->Garmisch->Munich->Prague->Vienna->Salzburg->Venice

regards,

brian

Have them meet you in Munich! I would say a restaurant! German city is
better known for relishing the culture of eating and drinking than
Munich. Spending hard-earned cash on culinary extravagances has become
second nature to the locals. The city boasts several restaurants
ranging from the good to the very good, however it should be noted that
the quality of the cooking is not the only thing that is high, the
prices are fixed accordingly. Restaurants are mostly located in the
inner city areas: Altstadt, Schwabing, Maxvorstadt and Isarvorstadt.

The flagship of Munich's gastromical community is Tantris, which has
won several awards by the dreaded Michelin Guide critics. Munich's
luxury class of restaurants also includes small and intimate places
with a loyal regular customer base; such as Boettner, which has
remained true to its elegant tradition for generations, as well as
Kleinschmidtz, which has in recent years successfully transformed
itself from a wine merchants into a popular venue for those in the
know.

Of course Munich is not without its share of traditional Bavarian
cooking and is famous for its roast pork, dumplings, cabbage and white
sausages. Those who fear the tourist crowds of the famous Hofbräuhaus
should head for the Andechser am Dom, where they serve beer brewed by
monks at the Andechs Monastery, 50 kilometres outside Munich.
Traditional dishes from Upper Bavaria, prepared in the good
old-fashioed way are available at Weißes Bräuhaus. The Wirtshaus zum
Huterer has a small yet refined atmosphere, and for those who have had
their fill of Bavarian beer, there are always the fine wines of the
Pfälzer Weinprobierstube.

International cusine is served at Hunsinger Pacific, which offers
"Fusion Cooking" and a luxurious ambience, at the higher end of the
price scale. Slightly lower prices but a higher perspective are offered
by the Metropolitan, where you can enjoy an outstanding view over
Marienplatz and the town hall. Kays Bistro has been a favourite of
Munich's VIPs and celebrities for several years.

Some consider Munich to be "Italy?s most northern city", which is
confirmed by the sheer number of Italian restaurants. Pizza at Bei
Mario, traditional Italian cooking at Osteria Italiana and the unique
Italian way of life at Acquarello to name but a few.

Unimpressed by Italian domination of the culinary lanscape, the French
infulence is also at work here: Chez Philippe is more like a living
room, serving delicacies by our western neigbours. Fans loyal to La
Bretagne treasure it for the freshly prepared fish dishes from the
Atlantic and Mediterranean. The Spanish taste for fish has alsoleft its
mark on Munich, in cosy restaurants with a relaxed and laid-back feel
to them, such as Spado's or the earthly Andalusian El Perro y el
Griego.

Those who relish a skillfuly prepared fish dish should try one of the
Japanese restaurants - their numbers are increasing repidly in Munich
as Sushi become more and more popular. Good Sushi restaurants include
Enshu and Tokami. Other options for fans of Asian cooking are Hong Kong
Bar, Man Fat (Chinese) and Shida (Thai) or the Indian Tandoori and
Ganga.

Even the USA has gastronomical ambassadors in Munich, they include;
Munich?s First Diner, Bobolovsky?s and Dillinger. Young people
congregate in the fashionable Tex-Mex bars such as Enchilada, Tijuana
and Zapata.

Away from the noisy crowds of the trendy bars, Greek and Turkish
restaurants are pleasant places for families. Schwimmkrabbe is a
favourite meeting place for locals, Robinson often host jam sessions
and Lucullushas the additional appeal of reasonable prices.

DAY 1: Depart from the USA

DAY 2: MUNICH Welcome to Munich, the capital of Bavaria. Spend the
afternoon exploring the green city on the banks of the Isar River.

DAY 3: MUNICH The word Gemütlichkeit means coziness, hospitality,
warmth and welcome. Dive right into this German way of thinking on a
guided tour of the country's most beautiful city. Visit the Rococo
splendors of Nymphenburg Palace, the sprawling Olympic Park and the
famous Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz. Leave Munich this afternoon for
Dachau , a grim but important reminder of Germany's brutal Nazi past.

DAY 4: PRAGUE Journey to Nuremberg, the home of the famous artist
Albrecht Dürer and Peter Henlein, the inventor of the pocket watch!
Enjoy a walking tour of downtown Nuremberg, perhaps stopping for the
city's famous Rostbratwurst , small grilled bratwurst sausages with
sauerkraut. See the towering Imperial Castle before you depart for
Prague.

DAY 5: PRAGUE Wake up in Prague, the perfectly-preserved jewel of the
Czech Republic. Take a guided tour of the huge Hradcany Castle complex,
including the cathedral, the fourteenth century Charles Bridge, and the
architectural artistry of Malá Strana . Enjoy free time to stroll down
the Golden Lane, once a favorite of alchemists, or explore the Prague
Ghetto, which contains Europe's oldest Jewish cemetery.

DAY 6: BUDAPEST Leave Prague, stopping briefly in Brno, the second
largest city in the Czech Republic. Continue to Budapest, known as the
Paris of Eastern Europe.

DAY 7: VIENNA Explore Hungary's capital on a morning guided
sightseeing tour, taking in Castle Hill and Mathias Church, the Royal
Palace, and Heroes Square. Enjoy an afternoon drive across the Austrian
border the lovely city of Vienna.

DAY 8: SALZBURG Explore riches from the Habsburgs' sprawling empire
at Schönbrunn Palace on your morning sightseeing tour of Vienna . In
the afternoon, journey to Salzburg, known as the most musical of all
Austrian cities.

DAY 9: SALZBURG See the enchanting sights of Salzburg this morning.
Enjoy a walking tour of the Mirabell Garden, the Getreidegasse , and
Mozart's House. The afternoon is free to explore the Hohensalzburg
Fortress, located 400 feet above the city center, or the collection at
the Residenzgallerie.
DAY 10 GARMISCH See the most extravagant of Ludwig's fantasies,
Herrenchiemsee, on which he lavished 20 million marks. Ride a boat
across the lake to the island-perched palace, to visit its apartments,
Hall of Mirrors and gardens. Continue to Garmisch for dinner and
overnight.

DAY 11GARMISCH Enjoy a free day in Garmisch or choose to ascend
Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, on an optional cablecar ride,
where you will take in views that stretch all the way to Salzburg.

DAY 12 MUNICH Spend a day with Ludwig II, the "mad" king who built
Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castles, with their lavish apartments and
Linderhof's fantasy grotto. See the painted housefronts of
Oberammergau, famed for its Passion Play. Continue to Munich.

Hi Brian:

I'll be in Nuremberg, Munich, and Zurich next month. With gas prices
so high, I've been taking the train on a regular basis. Be sure and
look into the "Bayern Ticket" option. Two adults and kids can travel
anywhere in Bavaria for 22 Euros from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. the next day.
Singles can do the same for 17 Euros! And the Bayern ticket will get
you to Salzburg also.

Have a safe trip.

A.C. in Houston

I'd say meet in Munich and stay there for a day or two, day-tripping
the Garmisch area either by rental car or train. (Munich to G-P is only
a bit over an hour, and there are frequent trains.) However, if by
"Garmisch" you mean the castles, it's a bit harder to do via train.
With four of you, a rental car wouldn't be too much of a splurge.
Either rent a car at the Munich Hbf. and drive down via the Autobahn
(about 1.5 hours, a very easy and pretty drive), or take the train to
Garmisch and rent a car there for the day (rental agencies right across
from the station; I think Hertz is there, and Europcar).

I believe the trains from Venice run through Innsbruck, and then onto
Munich. Trains from the south to Garmisch also connect through
Innsbruck (via Mittenwald), so if you want to meet your friends in G-P
that's possible, too, without them having to backtrack.

If you are trying to save some Euros on train fares, you can get to
Prague pretty cheaply from Munich by using the Schones Wochende ticket,
which is good anywhere in Germany and as far as Pilsen, CZ, for up to
five people (IIRC), for around 30 Euros (only on weekends, though). We
flew into Munich, used the weekend ticket to go to Pilsen, stayed
overnight (hotels are much cheaper than Prague), and caught the early
morning train to Prague (about an hour, and really cheap, like around
$6 US for two of us). It gave us nearly a full day in Prague, without
the Prague hotel rates.