Germany, Austria, Budapest, Prague, 2023
DAY HOTEL ACTIVITY
9/11 Vienna Arrive Vienna, check in
9/12 Vienna Vienna city sightseeing
9/13 Vienna Schonnbrunn and Belvedere Palaces
9/14 Vienna Budapest
9/15 Salzburg Check out, train to Salzburg, check in, Salzburg city sightseeing
9/16 Salzburg Hallstat
9/17 Salzburg Berchtesgaden
9/18 Salzburg Salzburg city sightseeing
9/19 Munich Check out, train to Munich, check in, Nymphenburg Palace
9/20 Munich Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles
9/21 Munich Dachau
9/22 Munich City sightseeing
9/23 Munich Train to Rothenburg, city sightseeing, train to Munich
9/24 Berlin Check out, train to Berlin, check in, Berlin city sightseeing
9/25 Berlin Berlin city sightseeing
9/26 Berlin Prague
9/27 Check out, fly back
Trains Germany website is bahn.com. Austria website is oebb.at. Reserving a seat costs 4.50 per trip. ICE and IC trains are cheaper if bought earlier, but RE trains are a fixed price. LED above or on the seat side – GGF-Reserviert means the reservation system has not been updated, and seat may have been reserved, GGF-Freigeben means someone has reserved this seat, Bahn-Comfort means this seat is for passengers with a Bahncard, Schwerbehinderte means the seat is for disabled passengers, an itinerary means the seat was booked for that section, blank means the seat is free. Terms - Abfahrt means departure, Ankunft means arrival, Bahnhof means train station, Hauptbahnhof or Hbf means a city’s central train station, Bahnsteig means platform, Fahrkarte or Fahrscheine means tickets, Gleis means track, Haltestelle means stop, Nachste Haltestelle means next stop, Klasse means class, Reservierung means reservation, Verspatung means delay. Useful information www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-germany.htm
Vienna
Vienna airport station is called Flughafen Wien. Ticket to city is 3.90 and takes 15 minutes. There is a more expensive City Express, which is not needed, the regular regional train is good enough. Vienna Hbf, or Wien HBF is the main train station. Unlimited tram/bus/metro pass is 5.80 for 1 day (till 1:00 am) 8 for 24h, 14.10 for 48h. Single ticket is 2.40. Vienna Card is 17 for 24h, 25 for 48h. Ticket must be validated before use.
City Hall, Rathaus, tourd are on Mon, Wed Fri. Ticket may be free but has to be reserved at 8:00 the day of the tour. There are limited spots and they sell out fast.
Across the street is the Imperial Court Theatre, Burgtheater.
Just south is the Parliament building.
Maria Theresien Platz is across the street.
Cross the Burgring to Heroes’ Square, Heldenplatz. This contains a huge gateway over the road on the south side, called the Outer Castle Gate, or Auberes Burgtor, the remnants of the historical fortification walls. It also contains the statues of Archduke Charles of Austria and Prince Eugene of Savoy. This is also the location where Hitler announced the annexation of Austria.
Hofburg Palace. Part of the palace, Neue Burg, or New Royal Palace, flanks Heroes’ Square, but the majority of the palace is further down on Michealerplatz. Walk about 300m through the palace passages. Hunting Plateau is nice. Most popular attraction is the Imperial Apartments. Open 9:00-17:30, cost 17.50, Sisi Ticket for 44 includes Hofburg Palace, Imperial Furniture Collection and Schonnbrunn Grand Tour. The Vienna Plague Column, or Trinity Column, or Dreifaltigkeitssaule is through Graben, a premier shopping area. Halzburg emperor Leopold I is on the pedestal.
Ankeruhr, or Anchor Clock. In the front of the clock, a set of figurines, each representing an important personality in Vienna’s history, passes as time goes by. The clock chimes a little tune at each hour. At noon, there is a little show of all 12 figurines and tunes.
St Stephen’s Cathedral, Stephansdom, has beautiful interior. Open Mon-Sat 9:00-11:00 and 13:00-16:30. Haas House has glass walls with reflection of St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Vienna State Opera, Staatsoper, is along Karnterstrasse (Stock im Eisen, a tree trunk with nails driven through may be seen on the way).
People’s Garden, Volksgarten, Rose garden and replica of Greek temple of Hephaestus.
Votive Church, Votivkirche
St Ruprecht’s Church, Ruprerchtskirche
Viennese City Park, Stadtpark has gold statue of Johann Strauss playing violin.
St Charles Church, Karlskirche, with green dome and reflecting pool
St Peter’s Church (go inside) open Mon-Fri 7:00-20:00, weekends 9:00-21:00
Am Hof church
Austrian National Library, State Hall
Naschmarkt
Hundertwasserhaus
chonbrunn. U3 Herrengasse to Westbahnhof, U6 Westbahnhof to Langenfeldgasse, U4 Langenfeldgasse to Schonbrunn. Open from 9:00-17:00. State Apartments 20, Imperial Tour 24, Grand Tour (both ) 29, Sisi Ticket for 44 includes imperial Apartments of Hofburg Palace (17.50), Imperial Furniture Collection and Schonnbrunn Grand Tour (29). Museum of Carriages open from 9:00-18:00, cost 6.00. Belvedere Palace. Open from 10:00-18:00. Lower Palace is open till 21:00 on Wednesday. Outside grounds free, Upper Palace is 13.40, Lower Palace 10.90, combo Upper + Lower is 21.87.
Liechtenstein Castle. Take metro to Meidling train station, take local train to Modling. There are 10 trains per hour and ride is 15 minutes. Take bus #262 to entrance (siedlungsstrabe stop) then 6 minute walk to castle. 50 minute tour at top of each hour, open from 10:00-16:00, cost 9.00. Walk 1km from entrance to castle, to Seegrotte Hinterbruhl, open from 9:00-17:00, 45 minute tours every 20 minutes, cost 10.00 Franzensburg Castle. From Karlsplatz, take U1 subway to Hauptbahnhof station (2 stops, 3 minutes), take bus #200 to Laxenburg Franz-Joseph-Platz (13 stops, 30 minutes) and walk through castle park. Park is 1.50, bridge to castle is 1.00.
Budapest
Train from Vienna Hbf goes to Budapest. Metro connects to Budapest Keleti station. Danube runs north-south. Buda is on west side and Pest is on East side. Metro has 4 lines. Validate ticket before getting on. Single ticket is only valid for one uninterrupted ride. Buy another ticket if changing lines. Line 1, yellow, stops at Opera (for Opera House), Hosok (for Heroes’ Square and City Park), and close to Chain Bridge. Line 2, red, stops at Keleti (train station), Bajcsy-Zsilinszky (for St Stephen’s Basilica), Astoria (for Great Synagogue), Kossuth (for Parliament), Batthyany (for Fisherman’s Bastion). Line 3, blue, stops at Kalvin (for Great Market Hall). All three intersect at Deak Ferenc (for Vaci Utka street). Single ticket is 450, pack of 10 is 3000, 24 hour pass is 1650. Will need a minimum of 8 tickets, so buy a 24 hour pass.
Take metro from Keleti to Kossuth to Hungarian Parliament, which is on Pest side of river. Buy tour ticket online (45 minute tour). Walk around building and end on Kossuth Square, on east side. Leave the square from the southeast corner near the equestrian statue, walk past Imre Nagy statue (man standing on bridge), and follow the southeast diagonal street, Vecsey, to Liberty Square.
Leave square from southeast corner, walk south for a couple of blocks on Sas Street, to St Istvan’s Square, to St Istvan’s Basilica (St Stephen’s Basilica), with it’s extravagant interior. The Basilica and Parliament are the same height and signify the balance between church and state. No other building in Budapest can exceed that height. Entrance to church is free, but dome requires ticket. The small chapel to the left of the altar contains a glass case with St Stephen’s hand. For 100 HUF they will turn on the light in the case.
From the front steps, walk west, away from the church, across the square, into the pedestrian street, Zrinyi Utca, which connects St Istvan’s Square to Szechenyi Square and Chain Bridge. This street contains the Fat Policeman, an old time Hungarian police officer. Chain Bridge is a stone suspension bridge with stone lions that spans the Buda and Pest sides of the River Danube. The Shoes on the Danube Monument, along the Danube, is a memorial to the many Jews and other people who were murdered along the banks of the Danube in WWII after being forced to leave their shoes behind.
Walk along pedestrian pathway on north side of the Chain Bridge, from Pest to Buda, takes 20 minutes. From Chain Bridge, walk west, around the roundabout, to the entrance of Varhegy Tunnel, or Buda Castle Tunnel. In front of the tunnel is the Zero Kilometer Stone, the center point of Budapest, from which all distances in Budapest are measured. To the left of the tunnel, is the Buda Castle Funicular that goes to the top of Castle Hill. To the right of the tunnel are the Kiraly Lepcso stairs that lead up to Castle Hill.
At the top of the stairs, take a left on to Hunyadi Janos, then first right on to Disz Ter. Stay to right where road splits, passing the Statue of Independence War, and continue on Tarnok street, which is adorned with painted facades and balconies. Walk north and Tarnok street ends on Trinity Square. The Holy Trinity Column in the center of the square was built to ward off the Black Plague. When the plague returned 3 years later, a bigger and better column was built, and the plague never returned. On the east of the square is Matthais Church, where Hungarian Kings were coronated, until the Ottoman Turks took over and turned it into a mosque. Tickets are needed to enter, and shoulders and knees must be covered.
East of the church, at the edge of the hill, overlooking the Danube, is the white Fisherman’s Bastion. The arches offer great views of the Danube and Pest. The 7 pointed towers represent the 7 Magyar tribes that founded Hungary. In the center is St Istvan, the Hungarian King that brought Christianity to Hungary. Ticket is needed to go up to the top.
Walk west past the church, through Holy Trinity Square, on to Szentharomsag street. Walk west past Ruszwurm Café to west facing terrace Toth Arpad, and Buda Hills lookout point. There are stairs and elevator down to tour the Hospital in the Rock museum, which has tours every hour and requires a ticket. Walk north along Promenade to St Mary Magdalene Church. Find Vienna Gate. Go back to the funicular or steps.
To go to Sandor Palace, go to the Disz Square parking lot, near the top of the stairs, turn right and walk a few steps to the statue of the Old Hussar (Hungarian warrior holding a sword), turn left to walk along Szent Gyorgy, walk past the ruins, along the flag lined road to Sandor Palace, the residence of the President. Changing of the Guard takes place every hour. Opposite Sandor Palace is an ornate gate that leads to the front of Buda Castle Royal Palace, which houses several museums. Tickets are needed for the museums, but entry to palace grounds and courtyard are free. The King Mattias Fountain is on the exterior of the castle, towards the back, near the courtyard entrance, and resemble the Trevi Fountain of Rome, on a smaller scale. The equestrian statue of Eugene of Savoy sits in front of the palace, under a large green dome. The Turul Bird statue is a mythical creature of Magyar legend. From the castle, there are great views of the Basilica, Parliament, Danube and bridges, including the Chain Bridge.
Walk back to Pest side and take metro to Kalvin. Walk to the Great Market Hall. Walk west one block to the east end of the green Liberty Bridge, or Freedom Bridge, which is one of the prettiest bridges in Budapest.
Get on metro and go to City Park and see Vajdahunyad Castle, originally built out of cardboard.
West from City Park, is Heroes’ Square, also known as Hosok Tere. Statues in center make up Millennium Memorial, that commemorates past leaders and war heroes. Archangel Gabrielle is in center, flanked by the 7 leaders of the tribes that settled Hungary on one side, and important leaders and persons in Hungary’s history on the other.
On way back, get off at Opera and see Hungarian State Opera House, then get off at Deak Ferenc to see Vaci Utca, one of the most famous streets and the main pedestrian thoroughfare in Budapest.
Salzburg
Train from Vienna HBF goes to Salzburg HBF.
Mirabell Palace and Gardens. Southern entrance to the gardens has two large pairs of Greek fencing statues. Turn around for a great view of Hohensalzburg Fortress. The north-east corner has the Pegasus Statue Fountain, which, along with the nearby terrace steps were featured in Sound of Music (SOM). Climb the terrace steps for a great view of Salzburg. On the west side, opposite the palace, follow another set of steps guarded by lions, across a small footbridge, to the Dwarf Gnome Park, Zwergerigarten. The dwarf with the glasses was the one the Von Trapp kids patted on the head. Nearby is a long pergola, vine tunnel and hedge maze. Inside Mirabell Palace, there is a 3-level staircase with angel statues, open daily 8:00-18:00 and the Marble Ball Room, open Mon, Wed, Thu, 8:00-16:00, Tue, Fri, 13:00-16:00.
Leave Mirabell towards Markartplatz Square, you face Mozart’s residence. Turn right and cross Markartsteg, the love lock bridge of Salzburg. Find one of the passages between all the houses and go to Getreidegasse. The yellow building with the Austrian flag is Mozart’s birthplace.
Go through another passage and you are in front of University Church. Behind University Church is the Convert Hall where the Salzburg Festival takes place. From the concert hall, visit the Franciscan Church, Franziskanerkirche. Interior has a forest of columns holding up a vaulted canopy of a ceiling.
Head to St Peter’s Monastery. The narrow nave is lined with large painted canvases under a muraled ceiling. On the north side of St Peter’s Square is a vertical sundial on the archway leading to the Franciscan Church. At the corner, next to the entrance are two more entrances. The one with #803 is the restaurant. The entrance to the left is the cemetery, where the Von Trapp family supposedly hid from the Nazis after the concert.
Walk through the cemetery keeping to the right and you come to the funicular to Hohensalzburg Fortress. Take the funicular up and see at least the 3 viewpoints, Medieval Prince Apartments and Golden Fortress Room. Open May-Sep, 9:00-19:00, cost 15.50. From the fortress, go to Chapter Square, Kapitelplatz has wide angle views of the fortress. Featured in SOM where Maria catches the bus to visit the Von Trapp family. Contains giant oversized chess board, Sphaera, a 30ft yellow orb sculpture with a man standing on top and Horse Bath Fountain, Kapitelschwemme. Area around this also has great views of the fortress. There is a public restroom under archway separating Kapitelplatz and Cathedral Square.
Go to Salzburg Cathedral, Dom, open Mon-Sat 8:00-18:00, Sun 13:00-18:00. Organ performance, June-Sep, Wed and Sat, 11:15-12:15. Madonna statue is in front of the doors. The two statues outside are of St Rupert with the salt barrel on the pedestal and St Virgil with a church. The two statues on the inside are St Peter with the keys and St Paul with the sword. One floor up are the four evangelists. Another floor higher are Moses and Elijah. Jesus is all the way at the top on the roof gable. The three gates are left to right, the Gate of Faith (Tor des Glaubens), Gate of Love (Tor der Liebe), Gate of Hope (Tor der Hoffnung). The ceiling inside tells stories, the top left is Jesus coming to Jerusalem, the top right is the last supper, the story goes on to the crucifixion and the end of the story is the main altar, the resurrection. St Rupert was the founder of the city and his remains are in the black box underneath the altar. At the end of the church, to the left are stairs leading down to the crypt, where most archbishops were buried. Bronze baptismal font with lion statues is where Mozart was baptized. Cathedral has five organs. When you enter, go right past the first side altar, go past three more altars till you reach the transept, where you can see the four organs, two side altars and the black relic box. Stand in the middle of the transept and look up at the paintings and the dove.
The squares around the cathedral are the center of town. Residence Square houses the pink St Michael’s Church to the north, New Residenz, Neugebaude, to the east, Salzburg Cathedral to the south and old Residenz, Alte Residenz to the west. Residenz Square was featured in SOM, Maria enters through the Domplatzarches on the southwest corner and splashes in the Horse Fountain, Residenzbrunnen, which has a Triton, that matches the Triton Fountain in Rome.
Go inside the Old Residenz Palace, Wed-Mon, 10:00-17:00, closed on Tue, takes 30 minutes for staterooms.
Head over to Alter Markt Square, old market. In the northwest corner is Old Town Hall or Alter Rauthaus. #10a is Salzburg’s smallest house. #6 is the Old Royal Pharmacy, Hofapotheke.
Next to Residence Square is Mozart Square and Mozart’s statue.
Go down to the river and cross Mozartsteg, which was featured in SOM.
After the fortress, head over to Nonnberg Abbey, featured in SOM
Hallstatt
Bus #150 from the bus depot in front of Salzburg main train station to Bad Ischl, pronounced as badt ish-l. Takes 90 minutes. Bus #542 from Bad Ischl bus station toward Gosaumuhle/Hallstatt. Final destination will be marked as Gosausee, pronounced as go-zow-zee. Takes 20 minutes. There is a 20 minute layover. Bus #543 from Gosausee bus stop to bus stop Hallstatt Lahn (Seelande). Takes 10 minutes. There is a 4 minute layover. To go to Dachstein Ice Cave, stay on bus #543 through Obertraun to Dachstein Visitor Center. Takes 15 more minutes. Dachstein Visitor Center stop is called Obertraun Dachsteinseilbahn Talstation on website. Check bus schedule to get bus back to Hallstatt Lahn.
At Hallstatt Lahn, get off and explore the village or take a tour of the salt mine from the visitor center near the bus stop. Check bus schedule to bus back to Gosausee-Bad Ischl-Salzburg. Ruckfahrt is ‘arrival’ and Abfahrt is ‘departure’.
Dachstein cable car goes up to the first stop, where there is a 30 minute steep walk to the ice cave. Inside the ice cave the walk is about 800 metres and about 500 steps. The cable car then goes to the second stop, where there is another 30 minute steep walk to the 5 Fingers lookout. The cable car goes to the third stop where there are hiking trails. Runs daily every 15 minutes. Cost is 56.66 USD for ice cave + 5 Fingers. The view from 5 Fingers is mostly the same as what you see along the way to the ice cave.
Take funicular to skywalk and salt mines. Take elevator or stairs to viewpoint. Entrance to salt mines is about 20 minutes from top of funicular station. Salt mine tours last 90 minutes.
Buy day ticket from bus operator (may be cash only). This works on all 3 buses.
Berchtesgaden – Konigssee, Eagle’s Nest, Ramsau
Bus #840, Watzmann Express, goes from main Salzburg train station to Berchtesgaden train station, leaves every hour and takes 45 minutes. Bus doesn’t leave from the main terminal in front of the train station, it leaves from an alternate bus stop in Stall J, in front of Akakiko restaurant, across the street from where taxis are parked. Last bus back is at 18:15
Bus #841 from Berchtesgaden to Schonau am Konigssee, takes 15 minutes. When boarding bus #840, buy Tages-Ticket, day ticket which includes both buses, round trip.
Eagle’s Nest bus schedule at Deutsche Bahn, tourist office across from train station, or posted at bus stop. Tages-Ticket, day ticket is good for bus from Salzburg-Berchtesgaden-Obersalzberg, and discount on Eagle’s Nest bus.
Train and Bus station are about 10 minutes from the center of Berchtesgaden.
At Schonau, walk down the main street for 5 minutes to get to the dock. Ticket counters are on right. There are two tickets – first stop is Sankt Bartholoma, 35+35 minutes, and second stop is Salet/Obersee, 35+25+25+35 minutes, roundtrip cost 29.40 USD. Use restroom before buying ticket, because they will assign ticket to first available slot. Go to Salet first, then stop at Sankt Bartholoma on way back. Visit church in Sankt Bartholoma and old hunting lodge which is now a restaurant. In Salet, follow path through forest, and after about 15 minutes you get to Lake Obersee, and a hut.
Bus #838 from front of Berchtesgaden train station (Berchtesgaden Hbf) to Documentation Center parking lot (Dokumentation Obersalzberg), 10 minutes. From Documentation Center parking lot, go down steps at far right, to Eagle’s Nest bus ticket office. Bus goes from Documentation Center (Kehlstein Busabfahrt Berchtesgaden) to Eagles’s Nest elevator shaft (Kehlsteinparkplatz Berchtesgaden). Bus runs every 25 minutes between 8:30-16:00. Bus ticket includes entrance to Eagle’s Nest.
Bus #846 goes from Berchtesgaden station to Ramsau. Waterfalls are at 5th stop, Ramsau b Berchtesgaden Wimbachbrucke. St Sebastian Church is at 9th stop, Ramsau b Birchtesgaden Kirche. After getting off bus, cross street and walk across bridge into meadows to get great photo of church. Buy day ticket from bus operator (may be cash only).
Munich
Train from Salzburg HBF goes toMunich HBF. Train - Single ticket is 3.70, daily ticket is 8.80 in first zone, may be 11.20 for Dachau. Munchen Card, 16.90 for 24 hours, covers transport + discounts Munich XXL pass covers all tram, bus, subway, train (including RB and S2) for 8.90 per day (buy from MVV or Deustch Bahn ticket machines, if using Deustch machine, select MVV option). Bayern Ticket (after 9:00 on weekdays) includes Munich XXL + Neuschwanstein + Berchtesgaden + Salzburg + Rothenburg, as long as you use regional trains, not ICE trains is 26 per day
Marienplatz, home of neo-gothic New City Hall (Rathaus). Walk through the grand gates to the courtyard to get a different view of the building. To the East is the Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus). The Glockenspiel or carillon will activate each day at 11:00 and 12:00. 100 meters away is Alter Peter (old Pete) the clock tower of St Peter’s Church. Interior is quite noteworthy. Climb the tower to get the single best view of Munich. A short walk away from Marienplatz is Viktualienmarkt, a gourmet food market.
Head west from Marienplatz and you will come to Kaufingerstrabe, continue west to Neuhauser Strabe, continue west to Karlsplatz where you see the large city wall gates, Karlstor and the grand Palace of Justice, Justizpalast. Hofbrauhaus is a beer hall with authentic food and souvenir shops around it.
Not far from Hofbrauhaus is Residenz, Munich Residence Castle, former home of the Bavarian Kings, now a museum, with the crown jewels of the Bavarian Kings.
Maximillianstrabe is the avenue with high-end shopping, and at the end is the Maximilaneum, the seat of the Bavarian State Parliament.
Englische Garten is a landscaped park in the center of town.
Odeonsplatz was the site of Hitler’s failed first attempt to seize power. Nearby is Theatinerkirche, Theatine Church. Frauenkirche, Cathedral of Our Lady. Konigsplatz, has several museums.
Neuschwanstein Castle
From Munich, take train to Fussen, Monday-Friday leaves hourly, takes about 2 hours, earliest is at 9:41, depart 7:20, for 24.00 (train cars at front will be closest to station exit, sit on left). From Fussen, take bus #73 or #78 to Hohenschwangau, 10 minutes. Exit bus and walk up the hill on the right to ticketing center. Shuttle bus from Hohenschwangau parking P4, to goes to Neuschwanstein parking lot which is 0.4 miles uphill of castle, every 20 minutes, takes 10 minutes. Train ticket from Munich to Neuschwanstein will include train + first bus. Hours from 8:00 to 17:30. Backpacks not allowed.
Photo from Marienbrucke, a bridge a short walk from castle, right next to shuttle bus stop. View of Lake Alpsee from windows of Hohenschwangau Castle.
Tickets only at Hohenschwangau town, at base of mountain. Tickets to Neuschwanstein Castle, Neuschwanstein Castle + Hohenschwangau Castle, or both castles + Bavarian Kings Museum. Online reservation must be made before 15:00, 2 days before visit. If visiting both castles, leave 2.5 hours between start of each tour.
Bayern Regional ticket covers train from Munich-Fussen and bus from Fussen-Hohenschwangau
Fussen – Stadt Fussen (city hall), Benedictine Monastery of St Mang, Basilika St Mang, Hohes Schloss.
Dachau
S2 train from Munich main station, Karlsplatz, Marienplatz or Isator subway stops to Dachau station (direction Petershausen) in 25 minutes. Bus #726 from bus depot in front of Dachau train station (Westside) to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Bus Stop (towards Saubachsiedlung, to KZ-Gedenkstatte) leaves every 20 minutes and takes 7 minutes. Visitor center has maps, audio guides for rent and tours at 11:00, 13:00, (12:15 on weekends only). Average visit 3-4 hours.
Nymphenburg Palace
Tram #17 fom Karlsplatz to Schloss Nymphenburg, then walk 720m.Open 9:00-18:00, cost 8-15. Marstall Museum with carriages. Four park palaces on grounds. Amalienburg with hall of mirrors, Badenburg, Pagodenburg, Magdalenenklause.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Train from Munich HBF to Rothenburg.
The entire wall is about 2.9 miles, so just do a small portion. The city walking tour is 1.1 miles.
Start at Old Town Square, Marktplatz. Council Drinking Hall, Ratstrinkstube. In front of the hall is a modern clock, a calendar date clock and a sundial above the black double eagle coat of arms. At the top of every hour, from 10:00-22:00, the small windows flanking the sides of the clock open, to reveal hidden mechanical figures that re-enact a famous story from Rothenburg’s history called legendary Master Draught.
Town Hall, Rathaus. Town Hall Tower, Rathausturm.
The entrance to the tower is on the front of the building complex, facing Market Square. Fountain of St George, Sankt Georgsbrunnen, sits over Herterich’s Well. Meat & Dance House, Fleisch und Tanzhaus with the Romanesque Royal Fountain, Hofbrunnen at the back. Mayor Jagstheimer’s House, Jagstheimerhaus. Imperial Dungeons. Lords Alley & Fountain, Herrngasse & Brunnen. Franciscan church, Franziskanerkirche with a fountain outside, is on this street. Cross street Herring Washing Street, Heringsbronnengabchen has a large ivy covered mansion.
Castle Road, Burggasse, is at the bottom of the hill. Enter Furbringer Barn Gate, Scheunenturm, to see the former grounds of the Royal Castle. King Conrad Hohenstaufen’s Castle ruins & garden, Burggarten. Castle Gate & Tower, Burgtor & Turm. Two small gatehouses in front of the Castle Gate helped funnel in traffic, control customs and thwart attackers. After entering, you see a decorative Pitch Nose Mask, pechnase, with a mouth hole, the guards used, to pour hot tar on attackers. On each side of the mask are two large vertical slots, where chains were fastened, to raise the gate’s drawbridge. There is a special ‘manhole’ a miniature door only big enough for one person at a time.
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Feuerlein’s Oriel Window, Feuerleinserker has a 2nd floor corner bay window with a pointy roof sticking out of the house like a balcony.
St Jacob’s Church, Sankt Jacobkirche is dedicated to St James, has a statue of St James holding a shell. There are many shell icons on the ground, marking the Way of St James (pilgrimage to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela. Inside, upstairs on the west side of the church, is the Franciscan Altar, or the Altar of the Holy Blood. The center panel shows the Last Supper, the left panel shows Jesus entering Jerusalem, the right panel shows Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Above is the Relic of the Holy Blood, a crystal said to hold a drop of Jesus’ blood. The lower level of the church has other small carved altars. St the eastern end is the High Altar with stained glass windows above.
Plonlein Corner.
Down the hill to the right is Kobolzeller Tower & Gate.
Up the hill to the left is Sifter Maker’s Tower, Siebersturm.
Marcus Tower and Arch, Markusturm, is part of the original town wall. This gateway and stubby clock tower was the outer edge of the first city wall, with access through Woodsman Archway, Roderbogen.
Best photo viewpoint is near the flower laden Woodman’s Well, Roderbrunnen. Blacksmith House was built on a triangle corner lot. See this house from ground level, before climbing the stairs up the wall. In front of the Roder Tower, Roderturm, is the Roder Gate, Rodertor. As you exit the multi-stage gate, two stone bridges, formerly drawbridges, lead over the town’s dry moat, past armed curtain walls, guardhouses, an elevated gatekeeper’s cottage and through three archways. The twin huts with pointed roofs at the end were used as a toll booth and customs house. At the end, back track through the gate system and climb the wall at Roder Tower. Walk along the city wall, below Rotten Tower. This is the only round wall tower and was used to house serious criminals.
Infirmary Quarter, Spital. Hospital Tower and Bastion, Spitalturm. Hegereiter House. Little Flushing Tower, Stoberleinsturm. Old Horse Mill, Rossmuhle. Panorama Trail Viewpoint. St John’s Church and Fountain, Sankt Johannis. Rothenburg’s Western Towers. St Wolfgang Church, Wolfgangskirche. Narrow Gorge Tower, Kilengentor. Northern Wall Walk. Gallow’s Tower & Dry Moat, Galgentor. White Tower & Jewish Quarter, Weiberturm.
Berlin
Train from Munich HBF to Berlin HBF.
Pariser Platz or Paris Square is flanked by Brandenburg Gate or Brandenburger Tor. This is the best place to get a photo of Brandenburg Gate. It is also the beginning of Unter den Linden. During the cold war this stood in no-man’s land between East and West Germany. Lit up at night and is less busy at night.
One block north is the Reichstag. Tickets are free but have to be reserved ahead of time, either online or in a building across the street. Take elevator to top floor and wander around the dome, and see the working parliament below.
Holocaust Memorial.
Unter den Linden runs east-west, between Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Cathedral and Alexanderplatz.
Nearby are Berlin Opera House and equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. Gendarmenmarkt is a square that houses the Franzosischer Dom (French Cathedral), the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) and, in between, the Konzerthaus Berlin (Berlin Concert Hall). In the center is a fountain with a statue of poet Friedrich Schiller. Deutsche Dom was a cathedral that is now a museum. Can walk part way up the tower, where the landings provide some good views of the red brick tower topped by the dome. The stairwell is on the right of the cash register, and the stairs run around the outside of the tower. Open 10:00-18:00, free.
Alexanderplatz- World clock, Fernesehturm tower, with lift to the top, open 9:00-midnight, the square right behind the tower has a fountain layout where you can get a good photo of the reflection of Marienkirche, or St Mary’s Church in the water.
Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), follow signs to walk around all the halls, climb to the roof terrace and go down to the crypt. Night illumination is beautiful. Open Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00, Sun 12:00-20:00.
Friedrichstrasse or Frederick Street is a 3.3 km street with high-end stores and theatres. It also contains a replica of Checkpoint Charlie.
Pergamon Museum includes the Pergamon Zeus Altar, Gate of Miletus, façade of 8th century castle from Jordan, Ishtar Gate. Victory Column in Tiergarten Park (park has free bathrooms)
Prague
Train from Vienna or Berlin HBF to Prague. Vienna is closer.
Prague Castle, or Castle Quarter. From Malostranska metro station, catch tram #22 Open 6:00-22:00, but monuments don’t open till 9:00. Buy the Circuit ticket with the discount for seniors and add photo. Opt for the shorter ticket which includes the four main sites St George’s Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral (see St Wenceslas Chapel with a hidden coronation chamber that holds the Crown Jewels of the Czech Republic and take 287 steps up to the top of the Great South Tower which has seven massive bells, including Zikmund, the largest bell in the country), the Old Royal Palace (see Vladislav Hall and Bohemian Chancellery) , Golden Lane with colorful houses lining the street in the north east corner, Daliborka Tower, a round tower at the eastern end of Golden Lane, Rosenberg Palace (skip if no time), Royal Gardens with the bronze Singing Fountain. Head to the first courtyard at noon to see the Changing of the Guard.
Petrin Tower, go to the top to see view of Lawrence Cathedral and Charles Bridge. Lawrence Cathedral. Infant Jesus of Prague statue in Our Lady of Victorious church. Vysehrad National Cultural Monument, Franz Kafka statue in New Town.
Walking tour – start in Wenceslas Square, go down Vaclavske Namesti street, to where it meets Melantrichova, which is Old Town Square, with Old Town City Hall and Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The city hall has a tower that can be climbed for great views and a clock on the side, that marks each hour with a procession of the 12 Apostles. Walk straight to Charles Bridge. Cross the bridge to Lesser Town or Mala Strana, and the Lesser Town Bridge Tower. Continue over the bridge to Klarov Street. Follow the road around the gardens to the left, to Prague Castle. Go back to Vaclavske Namesti street where you find the John Lennon wall. Head down the river bank, past Kampa Island and Kampa Museum, to Most Legii Street, and cross the river. Continue heading down the river on Masarykovo Nabr Street to Dancing House, go through New Town and back up to Wenceslas Square. Or, after crossing the river, continue on Narodni Street back to Wenceslas Square.
Vienna
Heldenplatz is where Hitler announced the merger of Germany and Austria
Karlskirche – can climb steps to dome
Plague Column or Trinity Column or Pestsaule was erected after the great plague epidemic of 1679
Salzburg
St Peter’s Cemetery – Cemetery in Sound of Music
Basilika St Michael – Church in Mondsee, used for wedding ceremony in Sound of Music
Leopoldskron Palace – Lake terrace scenes in Sound of Music
Wolfgangsee – lake and village of St Gilgen
Schloss Hellbrunn – gazebo used in Sound of Music
Hallstat
1-7 town 8-12 Five Fingers viewpoint (30 minute steep trail from cable car) 13-18 Dachstein Ice Cave (30 minute steep trail from cable car. Cave length about 800m, with about 500 steps inside cave. Budapest Shoe Memorial – Memorial of shoes along the Danube, to remember the Jews and other people killed by the Nazis, in WWII. They were forced to remove their shoes before being killed. My feet are small, I wear a women’s size 5.5, but you can see how small this shoe is compared to mine – a small child! St Stephen’s Basilica-006 is the Harvest Wreath of all Hungarians. The Bread of Hungarians, 15 Million Seeds of Grain program is a charity initiative of Hungarian farmers. Farmers from all across Hungary donate wheat to organizations that provide assistance to Hungarian children. The wheat collected is ground by nearby mills and used to provide fresh Hungarian bread to thousands of Hungarian children. To commemorate the initiative, the Carpathian Basin Harvest Wreath, commonly called ‘rain snail’, is made from wheat spikes from the Hungarian counties, as a symbol of and hope for bountiful rains. Munich Nymphenburg Palace Nymphenburg 001-013 Schloss Nymphenburg Amalienburg 001-003 Amalienburg Palace Badenburg Palace Marstall Museum 001-006 Marstallmuseum Pagodenburg 001-003 Pagodenburg Palace Magdalenenklause 001-003 Magdalenenklause Palace Marienplatz 001-006 New Town hall 007 Mariensaule column 008 Old Town Hall 009-012 Church 013-014 Alter Peter Dachau 001 Guard Tower 002 Gate 003 bunkbeds 004-005 showers and toilets 006-007 crematorium 008 gas chamber 009-010 badges 011-013 memorials
Berlin
Cathedral dome has 227 circular steps – one way, once started can’t go back
