We are planning on visiting some parts of Germany and Austria in late August/early Sept. and could use some help in refining our plans:
We will be arriving in Munich. We have a good friend in Fussen so part of the plan is to spend one full week in Fussen and take day trips to some nearby sites recommended by our friend, That would leave us with about 10-12 days to visit places that are outside the range of day trips. Our current thoughts are to visit Salzberg and Vienna and may be add Prague to the list.
We plan to rent a car in Fussen and one of our questions is: should we travel to Salzberg and Vienna by car or should take a train? If we take the car, is traffic and parking in Vienna ,Salzberg and Prague a problem and pricey?
I normally stay at SPG hotels but find that these hotels in Vienna are upwards of 300 euros per night (ouch). Any recommendations for clean cheaper hotels in early September?
If we had 10-12 days what would be a good distribution of the days between the three cities? We are NOT museam buffs but of course we would spend SOME time visiting them but prefer nice scenic places.

If late August/early Sept. is a BUSY time to travel, our other option is late October/early November. What kind of weather should once expect in early November?
Thanks in advance for your help.

You likely won't be able to drive a rental car from Germany into the Czech Republic. THey tend to "disappear" over there. Restrictions in the rental agreement.

Look into planes/trains from Germany to Prague. Definitely go to Prague. Wonderful city.

November in Germany? Grey, chilly, rainy. Very few fine days. Late autumn can be really dull. September is great. The school holidays are over, it's shoulder season, hotels etc. get cheaper, temperatures are still quite warm. October can be lovely, the leaves of the trees get their bright autumn colours, but there are rainy, chilly periods as well. - In any season it's necessary to bring an umbrella to Germany. But November is usually the ugliest month of the year for travelling. So if you have the choice...

I don't think you'll need a car for the itinerary you're planning. Public transport is very good. Parking in all the cities can become a real nuisance: difficult to find a spot and expensive.
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) has a useful website for information on trains: http://www.bahn.de
(Click on "International Guests" to get the English version)

For all kinds of information about the cities, sights, events, accommodation etc. look for the websites (versions in English) of the local tourist offices. Google will help to find them.
By the way, the town is called Salzburg. Otherwise your computer won't find it.

For Vienna I'd recommend a stay of minimum 4 days/5 nights. There is so much to do and see!

Thanks for the quick responses. When I relayed the replies to my wife, she decided that we are DEFINITELY going in August ^ . Also, we are now leaning towards renting a car for the Fussen and surrounding areas and then taking a train to cover Fussen/Salzburg/Vienna/Prague/Munich. Based on the German rail website, it seems that the most appropriate pass would be the Eurail Select Pass for THREE countries!! Given that this pass offers unlimited travel, are there any other recommendations for places to visit in addition to the ones on our plan?

Also, any recommendations for hotels in Vienna and Prague?? Thanks again for all the help.

There is one quite famous hotel in Tyrolia I'd like to recommend: The Stanglwirt , homepage: http://www.stanglwirt.com

I got to know this place in the late seventies and early eighties when doing frequent skiing trips to Austria with my family. Now it has become much more glitzy and sophisticated, I guess. Franz Beckenbauer, the German soccer legend is one of the habitues at the restaurant and adjacent golf course. A very pleasant place in every season to experience Austrian hospitality. ^

Last fall we stayed at the Ibis Mariahilf in Vienna and enjoyed it very much. Important to ask for a back room however, as those facing the street are impossibly noisy. The Ibis Mariahilf has almost all European clientele, is budget but newish and very clean, modern elevators, and even some semblance of air conditioning, though not very effective. (Yes, we needed it.) Blond furniture, good buffet breakfasts.
In Prague we have stayed at the Esplanade, at the Hilton Atrium, and at the Marriott. Of those three, we enjoyed only the Hilton Atrium. The Marriott was just too formal and cheerless. No one ever smiled. The HIlton is out of the way, unfortunately, and when we were there, our room was a garish pink. Still, it was a far happier experience than the Marriott. YMMV.
I agree with the other FTers that taking a train is a better choice than driving. A lot easier, assuming you buy your rail passes beforehand.

A nice hotel in Vienna in the 200 Euro range, is Hotel am Stephansplatz; right opposite the cathedral.

We stayed at the Graben Hotel in Vienna about a year ago. We paid right around 130 Euros a night. It was in a great location, and was a nice, decent hotel - nothing extremely fancy but nothing shabby either.

As far as your dates, remember Oktoberfest will be going on from 9/17 until 10/3. So, you may either want to avoid those dates completely, or go right in the middle of them, depending on if you want the Oktoberfest experience (which I would highly recommend). The weather in September can be great - just like fall here. If it were me, I would choose September over August for the weather and Oktoberfest.

Just my 2 cents.

No problems to enter Czech Republic with a German rental car. But inform your rental car company in advance that you�ll be travelling to Czech Republic. Mercedes,BMW,Audi,VW won�t be available for rentals which include an entry to the Czech Republic.
The only time I made a bad experience was in Prague when a car audio system was stolen out of a friends car. I try to park my car in a safe place if possible but if not I don�t have a very bad feeling about that.

I would also pick September over August. The weather will be much better. Also, all the Germans seem to take their vacations in August (at least it certainly seems like it!) and so between the Germans on holiday and the Americans on summer vacation, everything is more crowded (and more expensive) in August (except possibly for Munich during Oktoberfest).

Thanks everyone for your help with the plan. We have decided to leave towards end of August and spend the first week in Fussen area with a rental car. Then we will travel by train to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague.
Have not yet decided on the best train route but thinking of di=oing:
Fussen- Salzburg; Salzburg-Vienna; Vienna-Prague; and Prague-Munich from where we return to Canada.
Will report on our experience when we get back. Getting excited already.

@retired FF

August can be very hot in Central Europe, I would rather postpone my journey to mid september if your intentions allow it. But you have already made your decision for August, which is nevertheless a nice month. Last year we had a awesomely convenient August with temperatures around 25-29�C, two years ago it was extremely hot.
November is likely to be foggy and cold, which might not be the best month to tour the region. Cities like Vienna can be visited all the time.
I always recommend a train ride, because you can see the landscape and contribute to the environment protection. Driving in a city like Vienna may be stressful and expensive due to the high costs of gas and parking.
Unfortunately I don't know a reasonable accomodation in Vienna, but you can be sure, that all hotels have a good standard. If you consider a not centrally located house, you may save several bucks. It's not necessary to be accomodated in the city center opposite of the St. Stephan's cathedral.
A reliable source regarding hotel quality and experience reports is www.tripadvisor.com . I am sure you will find a place suiting your needs and imaginations.

Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately, our committments back home require us to be back by September 13th and that is why we chose late August. Given that we will be spending the first week in Fussen are, we will only start our Austria trip around September 3rd, so hopefully, the weather won't be too hot.
Re: hotels, we have narrowed it down to the Bristol (seems that we may be able to get this using part cash and part SPG points) or the Hilton Danube. Bristol location seems to be very central...
Thanks again.

August can be hot ... we had temperatures in the 50tis and rain in Aug. some years ago.
I don't know Bristol .. think it's one of the nice hotels at the "Ring". We have stayed at the Hilton Danube. The hotel and prices are O.K., a little remote, but a free shuttle to Hilton on the "Ring". Free parking!!

Yes, weather can be hot at this time of the year. You had bad luck, 50�F (10-15�C) are rather rare, although it takes place, especially in mountainous regions like Salzburg or Tyrol. But 50�F doesn't represent an typical Austrian summer!
Two years ago, we didn't know how to deal with the soaring heat. We suffered on temperatures around 40�C and above. Such conditions occur too.

Hotel Bristol is a perfect choice, because it's conveniently located at the Ringstra�e, Vienna's majestic boulevard. The state opera is opposite, and the city center with K�rnterstra�e and St. Stephan's place are less footsteps apart. I think the Bristol is a ***** hotel, and belongs to the Westin Group.

The Hilton Danube is supposed to have great views to the danube river, but it's a little bit off the main sights. I think, the connection to public transport could be improved.

Enjoy your trip to Austria!
(the end of August should be not as hot as the beginning of this month. Maybe I made it too much up, but it takes place sometimes.)