Central Europe 2026 · Trip Planner

📋 Documents & permits

Check all passport expiry dates — valid through Feb 2027 minimum

Monitor ETIAS launch status — may be required by July 2026⚠ Check travel.state.gov for updates

Obtain IDP for each driver — apply at aaa.com online (allow 2+ weeks + shipping) or walk into any AAA branch same day. Need: valid US license, 2 passport photos, $20. Cannot apply more than 6 months before travel.⚠ Do not apply before Jan 17, 2026

💳 Money & cards

Notify bank and all credit cards of travel dates and countries (FR, DE, CH, AT, LU)

Add PIN to all credit cards — needed for European unstaffed kiosks and parking machines

Purchase travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage⚠ US health insurance does not cover Europe — Alpine rescue can cost $30–50k out of pocket

📱 Apps to install before departure

Trainline — LC→Strasbourg tickets · ref YX7YPP · all 4 travelers

DB Navigator — Strasbourg→Offenburg regional train (no reservation, ~30 min frequency)

Mobiliteit.lu — Luxembourg city transit · Bus 16 from airport to Kirchberg · all transit free

CTS app — Strasbourg tram · hub: Homme de Fer near Place Kléber

MVV app — Munich transit for Jul 27–31

Download offline maps: France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria

Confirm phone plan covers FR, DE, CH, AT⚠ Switzerland not EU — verify roaming charges separately

🛣️ Vignettes — purchase after car pickup Jul 21

Note rental plate number at Sixt pickup — needed for both vignettes

Swiss e-vignette — buy at via.admin.ch using rental plate · CHF 40 · active immediately⚑ Must be active before entering Switzerland Jul 23 · enforcement is automatic plate-scanning · fine CHF 240

Austrian 10-day vignette — buy at ASFINAG webshop evening of Jul 23 · ~€13 · active immediately when purchased online⚠ Needed before entering Austria Jul 24

Confirm Sixt rental does NOT include vignettes — German pickup cars do not have them

🎟️ Bookings still needed

Dachau KZ timed entry — kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de⚠ Peak July — book well in advance

Munich → Salzburg ÖBB Railjet — oebb.at · ~€30pp each way advance

Mozart's Birthplace — mozarteum.at⚠ Mozart 270th birthday year 2026 — busier than usual

Price Salzburg Card (24hr) at salzburg.info — covers Geburtshaus + Hohensalzburg + city transit

Check Zugspitze youth rate for 15-yr-old at zugspitze.de before travel day

Breitachklamm tickets — breitachklamm.com (also available on-site)

✅ Bookings confirmed

Strasbourg — apartment, Place Kléber area, Jul 20–22

Colmar — apartment, Jul 22–23

Schloss Wartegg, Lake Constance — Jul 23–24

Hotel Lainbach, Wangle/Reutte — Jul 24–27

MOMA1890 Boutique Hotel, Munich — Jul 27–31

Kings-Ticket Jul 25 · Hohenschwangau + Neuschwanstein · 4 tickets · serial 78045–78048

🚗 Car rental — Sixt Offenburg

Confirm Sixt Offenburg hours for Tue Jul 21

Confirm rental explicitly covers France — pickup DE, first drive crosses into FR⚠ Get cross-border permission in writing at booking

Confirm cross-border permission for FR, DE, CH, AT

Confirm one-way fee: Offenburg pickup → Munich drop Jul 27

Confirm fuel type (petrol vs diesel) — check dashboard sticker before every fill-up

✈️ Leg 1 — Frankfurt arrival Jul 18

Passports accessible at FRA — Schengen entry stamp, arrive T1 8:55 AM

Confirm bags checked through to LUX at AUS check-in

Withdraw €200–300 from FRA bank ATM — not currency exchange counters⚠ First cash need is Breitachklamm parking (€4 cash only Jul 24) — top up with CHF in Colmar before Switzerland

LH 5642 departs T1 at 1:10 PM — allow for possible bus/tarmac transfer to Air Dolomiti gate

🏰 Leg 2 — Luxembourg City Jul 18–20

Arrive LUX 2:00 PM · Bus 16 from airport (free, no ticket) toward Kirchberg · Mobiliteit.lu for stops

Bock Casemates Sunday — confirm tour time, bring a layer (cold inside, ~10°C)

Grip shoes for Casemates — damp smooth stone, narrow spiral stairs

🚌 Leg 3 — LC → Metz → Strasbourg Jul 20

Passports out and accessible — ID required on bus and TGV per ticket conditions

Confirm Autocar 68404 drop point at Metz Ville — proximity to TGV platforms⚑ Only 15 min to board TGV 9879 at 12:10 PM — critical if bus stop is not at station entrance

TGV 9879: Coach 11 upper deck · Seat 157 · Club Four · all 4 travelers

Arrive Strasbourg 12:58 PM · CTS tram to Homme de Fer / Place Kléber

🚗 Leg 4a — Offenburg car pickup Jul 21

RE/RB regional train via DB Navigator — Strasbourg → Offenburg ~25 min, no reservation needed

Confirm Sixt counter location relative to Offenburg station

All drivers present with passport and IDP at Sixt counter

Photograph all existing car damage before leaving lot

Note rental plate number — needed immediately for Swiss e-vignette purchase at via.admin.ch

💧 Leg 6 — Rhine Falls stop Jul 23

Swiss e-vignette confirmed active before crossing CH border⚠ Route from Colmar may enter Switzerland before reaching Schaffhausen

CHF withdrawn at Colmar ATM Jul 22 — for falls parking/entry, lunch, Schloss Wartegg

Depart Colmar early — Rhine Falls midday, onward to Wartegg afternoon

🌲 Leg 8a — Breitachklamm Jul 24

Check breitachklamm.com or weather morning of Jul 24 — gorge can close without warning

Have €4 in coins or small bills per car — parking cash only at both P1 and P2

Grip shoes essential — surfaces slippery when wet, especially near spray zones

Light rain layer for everyone — you will get damp from spray and dripping rock

Arrive early — P1 fills fast in peak July · upper gorge closes 45 min before main closing

Buy Austrian 10-day vignette tonight at ASFINAG webshop — activates immediately, needed Jul 24 into AT

🏰 Leg 8b — Kings-Ticket day Jul 25

Castle tickets downloaded offline — QR on phone (undamaged screen, no matte protector)

Depart Wangle by 1:30 PM · arrive village of Hohenschwangau ~1:55 PM

In Hohenschwangau courtyard by 2:40 PM — Tour 183 entry 2:55 PM

Allow for shuttle/carriage wait — peak July delays can be 30+ min

In Neuschwanstein courtyard by 5:35 PM — Tour 518 entry 5:50 PM⚑ Late = ticket void, no refund, no compensation

⛰️ Leg 8c — Zugspitze Jul 26 or 27

Watch 5-day forecast from Hotel Lainbach · buy at zugspitze.de the evening before a confirmed clear day⚠ No rebooking or refunds for weather — do not buy until forecast is solid

Jul 26 strongly preferred — Jul 27 is Munich drive day and requires very early return

Drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (~35 min) · park there · cogwheel train from Zugspitzbahn station⚠ Arrive before 10 AM on clear days · Eibsee road jams — do not drive to Eibsee

🏙️ Leg 9 — Munich Jul 27–30

Return rental car on arrival Jul 27 — confirm Sixt drop-off location in Munich

Dachau timed entry confirmed

MVV app loaded for Munich city transit

🚂 Leg 9a — Salzburg day trip

ÖBB Railjet booked via oebb.at — Munich Hbf → Salzburg Hbf and return

Mozart's Birthplace tickets booked via mozarteum.at

Salzburg Card (24hr) decision made — salzburg.info

✈️ Leg 10 — Return Jul 31

Leave hotel by 4:30–5:00 AM for MUC T2⚑ LH 125 departs 7:00 AM — no margin for a late start

FRA: arrive T2 area → depart LH 468 from T1 · use Skyline people-mover · allow time for security re-entry at T1

Confirm bags checked through to AUS at MUC check-in

Jul 30 is last full day in Munich — plan activities accordingly