Austria and Germany Tours & Trips

What our customers ask about Austria and Germany Tours & Trips

• What can visitors join in when it comes to local culture in Austria and Germany?

  You'll find amazing folk traditions alive and well across both countries. In Austria's Tyrol region especially around Kitzbühel you can jump right into Schuhplattler folk dancing during their summer festivals it's really something special. Vienna's got this incredible classical music scene and you really should try to catch a performance at the Musikverein or Staatsoper they're absolutely stunning venues. Over in Germany Oktoberfest is the big one running from mid-September into October in Munich where you can watch the traditional first-barrel tapping it's quite the spectacle. The Christmas markets are incredible too particularly Nuremberg's market in the Hauptmarkt and Dresden's historic Striezelmarkt which has been running since 1434 and puts on this amazing Stollen pastry parade.

• Where can you find the best natural areas away from the cities and how do you get there?

  The Austrian Alps are just spectacular especially in Hohe Tauern National Park where you've got these really well-marked hiking trails and the incredible Grossglockner High Alpine Road the views are just breathtaking. Getting to the Bavarian Forest National Park is pretty straightforward just hop on a regional train from Munich to Grafenau and you're right there with all these ancient woodlands and wildlife viewing platforms. The Wachau Valley along the Danube between Melk and Krems is absolutely gorgeous combining vineyards and medieval castles you can explore it by river cruise or bike the paths. Germany's Black Forest is another favorite with the Westweg trail connecting beautiful towns like Baden-Baden and Freiburg the hiking routes are really well marked and you can use the mountain railways to get around.

• Which places are worth visiting but don't get too crowded?

  There's this beautiful town called Hallstatt in Austria's Salzkammergut region with these amazing prehistoric salt mines and traditional lake houses if you go early morning you'll beat the crowds. Rothenburg ob der Tauber on Germany's Romantic Road is just incredible with its 14th-century walls still intact and these fascinating night watchman tours. Passau's really interesting where three rivers come together and has Europe's largest cathedral organ with 17974 pipes. Then there's Bamberg in Bavaria which surprisingly doesn't get too many visitors despite being a UNESCO site it's got this unique island town hall and they make this interesting smoky beer.

• What are the must-try local dishes and where should you eat them?

  The food scene is amazing in both countries. In Vienna you've got to try real Wiener Schnitzel it's actually protected by law to be made with veal and Plachutta restaurants do it perfectly. For traditional dishes head to historic places like Griechenbeisl from 1447 for their authentic Tafelspitz. In Munich the Viktualienmarkt is where you'll find proper Weisswurst but remember it's only served until noon that's the tradition. Berlin's famous currywurst was created by Herta Heuwer back in 1949 and Curry 36 in Kreuzberg makes it just right. In Nuremberg they take their Rostbratwurst seriously it's got protected status and has to be made just so the traditional Bratwursthäuser are your best bet for trying it.

• How do you get around Austria and Germany?

  The transport system in both countries is really efficient. Austria's ÖBB trains especially the panoramic Railjets connect major cities every couple hours while Germany's ICE network hits speeds up to 300km/h and runs from early morning till midnight. If you're in Vienna the U-Bahn runs all night on weekends which is super convenient. The German Autobahn is famous for having no general speed limit though they recommend staying around 130km/h. For getting around regions there are great deals like Bavaria's Bayern-Ticket for unlimited daily travel. The best part is both countries' systems work really well together and you can book cross-border tickets right through Deutsche Bahn's website.