Germany, Austria & Switzerland's Best Trips

This is the Austria Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Austria is a road-tripper’s fantasy land. Not only are there spectacular backdrops of spellbinding landscapes and storybook architecture, opportunities to get out and experience them abound.

• follow the Danube River as it flows through forests and vineyards
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• walk through wildflower-filled pastures and savour local produce on the Tyrol & Vorarlberg route
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• twist and turn along three of Austria’s most spectacular mountain passes on Grossglockner Road
• discover even more with walking tours, detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Passau, Engelhartszell an der Donau, Linz, St Florian, Mauthausen Memorial, Melk, Dürnstein, Krems an der Donau, Stift Göttweig, Vienna, Salzburg, Werfen, Lienz, Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Zell am See, Krimmler Wasserfälle, Gerlos Alpine Road, Zell am Ziller, Innsbruck, Silvretta High Alpine Road, Rappenlochschlucht, Bregenz, Feldkirch, Schoppernau, St Anton am Arlberg, Landeck, Starkenberger Biermythos, Stift Stams, Hall in Tirol, Kitzbühel, Petronell-Carnuntum, Rust, Schloss Esterházy, Burg Forchtenstein, Burg Lockenhaus, Burg Güssing, Schloss Riegersburg, Graz, St Gilgen, Mondsee, Unterach am Attersee, Kammer, Seeschloss Ort, Traunkirchen, Bad Ischl, St Wolfgang, Obertraun, Hallstatt, Burg Hochosterwitz, Klagenfurt, Velden am Wörthersee, Ossiacher See, Millstatt, Spittal an der Drau, Weissensee, Salzburg Walking Tour and Vienna Walking Tour.

This is the Northeastern Germany Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Drive into the spiritual heart of Germany to discover endless beaches and pristine lakes, proud and ancient cities, magnificent gardens, opulent palaces and excellent food and drink.

• follow one of Germany’s great rivers past palaces and fortresses to Dresden
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• enjoy a tantalising tour to a watery forest, WWII sites and medieval marvels
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• celebrate the bracing, beautiful Baltic from Lübeck to Rügen Island
• discover even more with walking tours, detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Lübeck, Travemünde, Wismar, Kühlungsborn, Bad Doberan, Warnemünde, Rostock, Ahrenshoop, Prerow, Greifswald, Stralsund, Göhren, Jagdschloss Granitz, Binz, Weimar, Dessau-Rosslau, Magdeburg, Wolfsburg, Alfeld, Hanover, Lüneburg, Ludwigslust, Schwerin, Güstrow, Waren, Neustrelitz, Neubrandenburg, Greifswald, Görlitz, Bautzen, Saxon Switzerland National Park, Bad Schandau, Festung Königstein, Bastei, Pirna, Weesenstein, Pillnitz, Dresden, Moritzburg, Meissen, Leipzig, Freyburg, Dornburger Schlösser, Erfurt, Drei Gleichen, Eisenach, Kassel, Berlin, Lübbenau & the Spreewald, Schloss Branitz, Cottbus, Stift Neuzelle, Frankfurt (Oder), Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen, Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow, Kloster Chorin, Gedenkstätte & Museum Sachsenhausen, Saarbrücken, Mainz, Frankfurt, Hanau, Steinau, Fulda, Gotha, Jena, Naumburg, Dessau-Rosslau, Quedlinburg, Wernigerode, Goslar, Mühlhausen, Schmalkalden, Saalfeld, Chemnitz, Berlin Walking Tour and Dresden Walking Tour.

This is the Northwestern Germany Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

On these diverse road trips you can explore the fabled vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle valleys, get a culture fix in Cologne and journey along the German Fairy-Tale Road.

• wind through the winery-filled Moselle from historic Trier to the river’s end
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• enjoy a summer jaunt from Emden along the Wattenmeer coast to Sylt
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• fall under the spell of the castle-lined riverscape along the world-famous Rhine
• discover even more with walking tours, detours, and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Emden, Greetsiel, Norddeich, Jever, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Hamburg, Husum, Sylt, Hanau, Steinau, Marburg, Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, Kassel, Wilhelmshöhe, Göttingen, Bad Karlshafen, Bodenwerder, Hamelin, Hanover, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Duisburg, Xanten, Essen, Dortmund, Münster, Soest, Paderborn, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Remagen, Koblenz, Braubach, Boppard, St Goar, Loreley, Lorelei Sculpture, Kaub, Bacharach, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Trier, Bernkastel-Kues, Kloster Machern, Traben-Trarbach, Zell, Beilstein, Cochem, Burg Eltz, Alken, Koblenz, Schweigen-Rechtenbach, Annweiler, Hambacher Schloss, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Deidesheim, Bad Dürkheim, Bockenheim an der Weinstrasse, Frankfurt Walking Tour and Cologne Walking Tour.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Classic Trips, Germany, Austria and Switzerland’s Highlights, If You Like, Need to Know, Berlin City Guide, Vienna City Guide, Zurich City Guide and Germany, Austria and Switzerland by Region chapters from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Start your planning here. We reveal the ultimate road-trip list for Germany, Austria and Switzerland PLUS the highlights you’ll discover on the way and practical advice to kick-start your trip.

• trip highlights: the best experiences and the road trips to take you there
• classic trips: check out the routes that you simply must drive
• expert advice: discover even more with our guides to Berlin, Vienna and Zurich, plus practical need-to-know information

Coverage includes: Welcome to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Classic Trips, Germany, Austria and Switzerland Highlights, If You Like, Need to Know, Berlin City Guide, Vienna City Guide, Zurich City Guide, Switzerland by Region.

This is the Road Trip Essentials chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Getting the basics right – from hiring a vehicle to knowing the road rules – is a must for any road trip. This chapter contains all you need to know before you go, plus some handy hints for while you’re on the road.

• information on hiring a car or bringing your own
• tips on insurance, road rules and driving licenses
• information on accommodation, visas and travellers with disabilities
• language guide

Coverage includes: Germany, Austria and Switzerland Driving Guide, Germany, Austria and Switzerland Travel Guide, German Language and French Language.

This is the Southern Germany Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Dreamy castles, romantic Alpine meadows, glassy mountain lakes, enigmatic border forests – southern Germany has the lot, and tons more besides.

• take the German Alpine Road through Germany’s slice of Europe’s top peaks
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• follow the Bergstrasse, a diverse route following an old Roman trade route
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• drive around Lake Constance, one of Europe’s most attractive lakes
• discover even more with walking tours, detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: Darmstadt, Grube Messel, Burg Frankenstein, Lorsch Abbey, Heidelberg, Wiesloch, Mannheim, Burg Guttenberg, Schwäbisch Hall, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Coburg, Bayreuth, Würzburg, Tauberbischofsheim, Weikersheim, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, Harburg, Donauwörth, Augsburg, Landsberg am Lech, Schongau, Wieskirche, Füssen, Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles, Passau, Tittling, Frauenau, Zwiesel, Gläserne Wald, JOSKA Bodenmais, Weiden, Lindau, Füssen, Oberammergau, Schloss Linderhof, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Bad Tölz, Chiemsee, Schloss Herrenchiemsee, Berchtesgaden, Königssee, Friedrichshafen, Meersburg, Wallfahrtskirche Birnau, Konstanz, Rorschach, Bregenz, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Burg Hohenzollern, Breisach, Gengenbach, Baden-Baden, Geroldsauer Wasserfälle, Mehliskopf, Walderlebnisstation Hundseck, Wildgehege Breitenbrunnen, Mummelsee, Ottenhöfen, Allerheiligen Wasserfälle, Lotharpfad, Kniebis, Freudenstadt and Munich Walking Tour.

This is the Switzerland Trips chapter from Lonely Planet’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland Best Trips guidebook.

Dazzling outdoor scenery and chocolate-box chalets combine with local traditions, cosmopolitan cities and smooth infrastructure in Switzerland, making it easy to dive into its heart on these road trips.

• see the greatest of the great outdoors in the Swiss Alps: perfect peaks, gorgeous glaciers and verdant valleys
• pick the right route with inspirational images and key trip highlights
• admire architectural marvels and epic water features in oft-overlooked northern Switzerland
• get around easily with colour maps and route directions in easy stages
• savour a glorious lake, stunning vineyards, enchanting villages and fairy-tale castles around Lake Geneva & Western Switzerland
• discover even more with walking tours, detours and ways to link your trips

Coverage includes: St Gallen, Appenzell, Schloss Arenenberg, Stein am Rhein, Schaffhausen, Rheinfall, Basel, Ligerz, Nyon, Château de Prangins, Lausanne, Lavaux, Vinorama, Montreux, Château de Chillon, Peak Walk by Tissot, Gruyères, Geneva, Fribourg, Interlaken, Bern, Emmental Region, Unesco Biosphere Entlebuch, Lucerne, Stanserhorn, Zürich, Arosa, Vals, Disentis Abbey, Andermatt, Engelberg, Giessbachfälle, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Schilthorn, Kandersteg, Aletsch Glacier, Zermatt, Chur, Bad Ragaz, Davos, Swiss National Park, Müstair, Zuoz, St Moritz, Sils-Maria, Via Mala, Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona, St Gotthard Pass, Zurich Walking Tour and Geneva Walking Tour.