This was published 8 years ago
Tripologist: Advice for trips to Germany, Canada and Tuscany
The journey on the Rocky Mountaineer is fabulous but far from cheap.
I'm planning to spend a couple of weeks in Germany next year. What would be the best time to go and can you recommend some places and activities that are a must-see and do?
D. Pullen, Launceston
I would put Berlin at the top of my list. It's an intense, exciting city and an incubator of new ideas in music, arts, architecture and fashion. Stay at least four days. Hamburg, Dresden and Munich are other cities that you might work into your itinerary. You'll probably want to experience something of Germany outside the cities and The Romantic Road romanticroadgermany.com, which starts on the Austrian border and winds through Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg to the city of Wurzburg, is a fine touring route, stitching together medieval walled towns, mountain scenery, old market towns and some of the extravagant architectural works of Mad King Ludwig II, Neuschwanstein Castle high among them. There are plenty of guided coach tours along this route but even better is a self-drive trip, especially if you plan to take in some of the walking trails through the vineyards in the Tauber valley or linger in the historic villages, churches and monasteries of the lovely Pfaffenwinkel region. Sensational in late September. The road is about 350 kilometres long but anything less than three days would be criminal.
Stepping out in Germany.
If you were to do this drive from north to south you could end it with a hike through the wonderful alpine walking country of Berchtesgaden National Park, just to the north of Austria's Salzburg region.
When to go depends on what you plan to do, but starting from mid September, when the summer holidays are over but you can still expect weather warm enough to enjoy a stein of excellent German beer in a Munich beer garden, would be my pick.
The official German Travel website germany.travel has plenty more information to help you plan your trip.
Celebrity Cruises scores highly for its Mediterranean trips.
In 2016 we plan to go to Canada, which of the Inside Passage cruises are best? Then doing the Rocky Mountaineer but It seems expensive. Are we better off doing a bus tour or even hiring a car? When is the best time for seeing the scenery?
M. Taylor, Kirrawee
The major operators on the Inside Passage cruise route are Holland America hollandamerica.com and princess.com. Both operate big vessels in this region, which means their prices are highly competitive and they do a decent job of it. On these vessels you'll be travelling with more than a thousand cruise buddies and that's not to everyone's liking. Smaller expeditionary vessels from operators such as Ponant (ponant.com) Lindblad Expeditions (expeditions.com) and Un-Cruise Adventures (un-cruise.com) offer a more intimate and impressive experience – stand up paddle boarding among glaciers if you please – but far fewer passengers mean much higher costs. Whichever cruise you choose, make sure your itinerary includes Glacier Bay, the scenery is astonishing, it feels like you're living in a postcard. Check the reviews on Cruise Critic (cruisecritic.com.au) and you should get a good idea of which cruise is right for you.
The journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer (rockymountaineer.com) is fabulous but far from cheap. For the Journey Through the Clouds, a two-day ride between Jasper and Vancouver via Kamloops, I'm getting a price of $1898 in May 2016. Another alternative is the VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) train that makes the same journey at a starting price of CAD$128.10 for that date. Note however that the VIA rail trip is essentially point-to-point. It traverses wondrous scenery along this route but it slows down only briefly, and does not offer the same glass-roofed observation car as the Rocky Mountaineer, nor anywhere near the same level of comfort.
If you want to savour the majestic scenery of the Canadian Rockies, my choice would be to drive yourselves. Pick up your vehicle at Calvary, drive to Banff and spend a night or two then drive the Icefield Parkway to Jasper. This is not a long drive but it won't take you less than a full day, there's jaw-dropping scenery all the way, and you might have to stop for bears. You could leave your hire car at Jasper and take the VIA Rail train to Vancouver.
Prime time for this adventure is between June and September.
I'm planning a family trip to Tuscany in 2016 and hope to find a villa to accommodate grandparents plus two families of four each, both with young children. somewhere close to town and with a pool would be a bonus. any cost-effective cruises we could tack on to the end?
J. MacKIntosh, Port Stephens
Villa Carda (mytuscanyaccommodation.com) could be a happy choice. It's a six-bedroom villa near Castel Focognano, in the hills south-west of Florence. The villa comes with a pool and it's in tranquil, private surroundings yet close enough for easy access to cities such as Florence, Siena and Arezzo.
You can find several other large villas with pools that will whet your appetite at the Your Tuscan Villa website (yourtuscanvilla.com).
The Disney ships (disneycruise.disney.go.com) get a good rating for their Mediterranean cruises. Keeping those kids entertained is a Disney specialty and happy kids equals happy times for all, yet they also offer plenty for the rest of you to enjoy. Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.com.au) is another operator that scores high marks for its Mediterranean cruises.
CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU…
The question was "What's the best guided tour you've ever done?"
"Seductive Sicily," writes K. Mentink. "Seven years ago I travelled here with Simon Tancred of Hidden Italy Tours on a walking tour. This incredible destination at the juncture of so many cultures had always been number one on my bucket list, but difficult to access as a single female traveller. Simon made it possible to enjoy the amazing food, truly breathtaking scenery and unique hotels. It has taken me another seven years to save up but I have just repeated the experience through Sardinia. Expectations exceeded on all fronts."
From R. Silber, "Our best guided tour was in Israel last year. My brothers and I had just visited the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, when a taxi driver approached offering "a very special tour just for us". In typical fashion, my Israeli brother entered into negotiations in his broken Hebrew, and before long, we were whisked away for a truly unforgettable day to Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and Ginosar Kibbutz, accompanied by running commentary from our friendly local guide, who shared fascinating and touching stories about his family and life in the Holy Land."
G. Clarke writes "Two weeks before my first guided tour of Japan, the tour operator advised that late cancellations meant I would be travelling alone. He offered me the options of a full refund or a Japanese guide all to myself. I chose the latter and never regretted what turned out to be a fantastic introduction to a wonderful country."
Next question: Some air travellers push well beyond the limit when it comes to carry-ons, to the detriment of those who obey the rules. Should airlines be more diligent in enforcing carry-on limits?
Send response to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au. The best response will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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Include your name and your suburb or town and send it to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au All published questions will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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