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AUSTRIA:
Innsbruck: This one of the best places to see the Alps up close, and the best time to come is in mid-spring. That's because the Alps still have snow, and it's quite warm.
Innsbruck doesn't have any museums, but the view of the Alps is amazing, because they go through the city.
Salzburg: Salzburg is a wonderful Austrian city because there is so much to do there. There are many museums to visit, and many castles to see. One of my favourite castles is the Festung Hohensalzburg. There are also a Salzburg Residenz and the Salzburger Dom. Not only can you see these museums, but there are also places in the mountains where you can see salt being made. One of these places is called the Dürrnberg.
FRANCE:
While on the train to Paris, I got a chance to see Strasbourg and Nancy. Both are nice, and they both have Franco German architecture. The road is also nice because one sees many vineyards and they look interesting because they're all on hills. I enjoyed seeing some French villages on my way to Paris.
Paris: I had the most wonderful time in Paris!
There are so many nice things to see there, and there are many tour guides driving around the city. The tour guide we took is called "L'Open Tour". It's very convenient because it goes to all the famous stops, and you can get on and off at each stop to have a look around. The ticket is valid for 2 days (unless you lose yours), and you get a free set of headphones to listen to the tour guide. The languages are both French and English. There are four types of L' Open Tour buses, and you decide which tour you want to take and what places you want to see.
You can go and see the Louvre, or the Arch of Triumph on the Champs Élysees. There is also a stop in front of the Eiffel Tower and you can take an elevator to either the first or second and third floors. The price is slightly expensive but the view is worth it. Just keep in mind that you can take 276 steps to the first floor. I believe you have to go to the left side of the Tower to be able to take the stairs. Good luck!
The tour buses (there are four different lines called the blue, yellow, red, and green lines with each one going to a different part of Paris downtown) will also take you to other parts of the city like the Sacré Cœur or Le Boulevard de St. Germain. There are also stops like L' École Militaire and Place d' Invalides.
I think the most wonderful place is the garden near the Notre Dame de Paris, or you can go on top of the Cathedral to get a better view. Here is a photo of Notre Dame de Paris.
A place I recommend you to see is the Madeleine Cathedral. It was done in a Greek style, and the acoustics inside are remarkable. It's also a remarkable cathedral because of it's lack of windows. And all the floors in the cathedral are made of marble.
Another very beautiful place is the House d'Opera, which is where many people still come to see plays.
GERMANY:
Heidelberg: The most interesting of all castles ( that I have seen) is the Heidelberger Schloß. It's so interesting because it's a roman remain. It shows how thick the walls of the castle were built and how it survived a bombing.
Near the Heidelberger Schloß is the Apotheker Museum, which is interesting if medicine is your thing. There are ancient tools, displays of old-fashioned pharmacies and many other interesting things to see. It's cool because it shows how medicine developed throughout the years.
Nuremberg/Nürnberg: A very interesting city. It is amazing how well Nuremberg has been renovated. It received the worst bombing possible and the renovations are wonderful to see.
Nuremberg has mountains, but not the Alps. It's a typical German city with nice German architecture and a couple of gothic churches. Another thing about Nuremberg is the Kaiser Schloß which is on top of a hill. The people who used to live in this castle had trouble with finding water because they could only get it from the well but it's too high. The castle has a high tower and the view is wonderful. You'll notice that the castle has some parts through which it was hard to get into. The same thing goes for the Fest Hohensalzburg, located in Austria (see Austria, above).
Whilst you're in Nuremberg, you might like to visit some of its museums or famous landmarks.
Neuschwantstein: This is the most beautiful of all castles in Bavaria/Bayern, and it is similar to the Walt Disney Land Castle because it has been inspired by them. The plans for Neuschwanstein were designed and changed many times by Ludwig II. He built this castle in the Alps because he admired them more than Munich. It wasn't built for Ludwig himself, but for his best friend and famous composer, Richard Wagner.
When you go to Neuschwanstein, be sure to visit the Marienbrücke which has the best view of the Castle and the surrounding background. If you're not afraid of heights, then you can have a look down the bridge and see the beautiful river. You could also here the water running.
Don't forget to look around you because there is so much to see. There are the Alps and a beautiful landscape all around.
Inside the castle: There are different tours in many different languages. The information gathered is both usefull to know and quite interesting. While you're inside, don't just look at the architecture, but also at the beautiful views outside the windows. The rooms are spectacular, but unfortunately Ludwig didn't see the whole castle as finished because he died much earlier than that. Neuschwanstein is really worth visiting because there is so much to see.
If you want to, then you could also visit the Hohenschwangau castle(located close to Neuschwanstein, but on a different mountain peak). I haven't been to Hohenschwangau, so I can't say what it was like.
If you want to visit both, just ask for the Royal Ticket.
There is another interesting castle which has something to do with Ludwig II. This is the Linderhof castle (located in a totally different city). Linderhof was the last castle that Ludwig saw as finished. It was also his home. When you go there, you'll notice that there are swans and a beautiful garden in the castle. This is because he really admired swans and peacocks. I particularly like the fact that the castle starts with an evening instead of a morning room. That's because to him the evening was like the morning and the morning was like the evening.
Both places are worth visiting, and I guarantee that you'll enjoy them while you're there.
Passau: I didn't see the whole city, just a small part of downtown. You can see the Dom from the pier in Passau. From it you can also see the Altes Rathaus, which has an interesting scale on it. The scale marks the height of the floods, and the date they happened in. The worst and highest was in the 16th Century. While you're downtown, I suggest you go through some of the streets to get a feel of the city's nice atmosphere and to see the water-coloured houses which give the city a nice impression. Despite the fact that Passau is a Bavarian city, the houses here are different from the ones in Munich (Bavarian capital). I strongly suggest you to go through Donau river on a boat ride, because the views are so beautiful. I didn't go through the whole river (because it's the longest in Central Europe); just a small part near Passau. I got a slight impression of Salzburg, but I knew that this is Passau, the city with yearly floods.
It is a city with mountains, but they're not as high as in Salzburg, partly because they are closer to Czech Republic then Austria.
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