tostaky

Hi , My family of four (2 adults, 2 kids 4 and 8 yearls old) are going to Germany next summer (22-25 days between july 11 and august 20). I need advice on that itiniary (we are very open to any change since nothing is booked yet).

Our plan is to go to 4-5 base place and stay ther for 4-5 nights and them do daytrip from those place. We intend to do it all by train but if most of you tells us that the car is a better way to go we can rent one (for the whole trip or part of it) .

- Arrival in Luxembourg (stay all day and one night because of jet lag ! We choose that place instead of Munich, Frankfurt or Berlin because it would cost something like 300$ less by person)

- Luxembourg- Boppard (Cochem ? Koblenz ?)4-5 nights

- Boppard- Berlin 4-5 nights

- Berlin Dresden 2 nights

- Dresden-Nuremberg 3-4 nights Nuremberg (or a small town not too far from Nuremberg)

- Nuremberg-Munich 4-5 nights Munich (Maybe Prien since we want to do a daytrip to Salzburg)

- Munich Luxembourg (the worst part I guess, since it means we have to take a long train that last 7-8 hours,) 1 night Luxembourg and back home !

Questions:

1) Should we do it another way (Munich first, Nuremberg, Berlin and Moselle valley last for exemple)

2) Is it too rushed ?

3) any suggestions for our bases that take in account that we need moments for adults (Architecture, history and wine !) and for kids (zoo, park) ?

Thanks a lot in advance !

PalenQ

We intend to do it all by train but if most of you tells us that the car is a better way to go we can rent one (for the whole trip or part of it)>>

As in your other current thread if doing all that by train, IME great because you are going mainly to cities where cars are rather useless and public transit so so fine check on the German Railpass that lets you hop on any train anytime with very few exceptions - the Twin Pass plus to 50% off passes for the kids (I think) - sources for loads of great info on German trains: www.bahn.de/en - the official site of the German Railways for schedules and sample fares to compare against the pass; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com.

doesn't seem your itinerary to too rushed at all - indeed I may suggest addding some places and giving less time to others.

happytourist

You can easily do it by train. The länder tickets on Deutsche Bahn are daily discounted tickets that can be used between 9am and 3am, using local transport only (no high-speed trains). Last week we paid 38 euros for an all-day pass anywhere in Bavaria for four people. Going between the German states, you will pay a little higher rate but still very inexpensive--much cheaper than a car rental, and easier (parking is very difficult). We actually got the reduced rate going by train from Luxembourg to St. Goar (on the Rhine), so the rates will extend to the first major city outside of Germany. There is also a reduced rate on weekends called "happy weekend" or "schönes whochenende."

http://www.seat61.com/Germany-trains.htm#.VlTdOfmrShc

flpab

We like Nuremberg,check at Hotel Victoria right inside the city walls after you exit the train station tunnel.
St. Goar, Boppard, Cochem are all very nice places to visit.
If you go to Munich do take the train to Garmisch for the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slo1mlCVgvI
Easy day trip to Salzburg also but Munich is a great city to explore so don't short change you visit there.

Love the train system on Germany, very easy.

PalenQ

The German Twin Railpass could be as cheap or cheaper than a series of Lander tickets when you figure in inter regional trains where you may have to pay much more - a pass for two adults and two kids under 11 costs $635 or about 570 euros all told for ten days of unlimited travel at any day spread over a one-month period - 570 to connect all those places by rail on any train anytime - nice to hop the more comfy high-speed trains often than the stopping regional trains that are not so comfy and IME could be SRO at times - kind of a no-brainer to me anyway with a quick look.

Boppard to Berlin could easily cost p.p. over 100 euros for adults full fare or 50 euros or so on discounted tickets (or as low as 29-39 e if you book way earlier - book in stone as discounted tickets are train-specific and non-changeable and refunded minus 15 euros each I think) - so the pass considering long-distance high-speed trains are covered may well be the cheapest and best bet - even goes to Salzburg, Prague or Verona, Italy on the pass if you want (or Luxembourg perhaps).

bilboburgler

The Mosel has a kids fun park to the north which might be busy but fun. Nearly every little town down the Mosel will have a small pool and some open grass for the kids to run around, if you want more fun stuff you'll have to dig a bit but http://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/ gives you all the details.

Much as I like Lux City I might try and get to one of the towns for jet lag to get over and chill out. Then visit Lux city on the return.

As others on this site know I find Cochem a bit touristy, while Koblenz is just a bit big. But different strokes.... Have a look at Trier as an alternative small city but look at some of the little places down the valley, we spent a few days at Urzig (possibly too small) but still lovely last year but maybe Traben Trabech (I just know one of those is spelt wrong) is good.

In August a lot of Germans will be in the South of Europe so stuff will not be very very busy and the trains that run up and down the valley will be very useful to visit other little towns.

Also look at bike hire (and yes you can hire little tag-along trailers for wee-kids) nearly all the TI offices offer a deal. You can ride down the valley and catch a train back (with the bikes).

tostaky

Thanks for all your replies !

stil got some questions :

1) Abouth the railpass. it sure looks to be a good option/deal, but since we should do many daytrip from our different base town we still have to pay for train on those days. If we travel 22 days, and take trains 15 days there would be 5 days to pay for them outside de railpass.

If we use that pass, can we (should we ?) reserved our places in trains, especially for long rides like Koblenz-Berlin ?

2) Palenq you've said: ''doesn't seem your itinerary to too rushed at all - indeed I may suggest addding some places and giving less time to others.''.

I'm curious to know what you would add or remove !

thanks !

PalenQ

The days you make excursions from your base you can use the above described regional passes - yeh you have to use local regional trains that can be crowded at times and slower but usually you are not going long distances - Use the max of ten unlimited travel days on longer trips. Each kid that age up to two of them gets a free pass.

I think you may want to look at a first-class pass as IME there are many more empty seats than in 2nd class - you can usually hop on without reservations and find seats IME but since you want four seats together it is a good idea to reserve seats ahead of time for a few euros - just take your pass up to any train station ticket window and book them - need not be in your departure town to do so.

PalenQ

Too leisurely? Well most is just about right but 4-5 days in Boppard to me is about 2-3 days too much - maybe include Heidelberg or some other neat city in your trip and less on the Rhine, which can become boring for some after a few days - Boppard has a main rail line running thru it and major highway - make sure your hotel is away from the nearly constant noise.

bilboburgler

Boppard is really just a one or two night stop as P says, you need to be out in trains or boats visiting other places.

PalenQ

other places like Cochem and the Mosel - I'd base in Cochem myself and do day trips to the Rhine and along the Mosel, infinitely more serene and beautiful than the Rhine IMO - as they say in Germany 'the mother Mosel' and the 'father Rhine'- Rhine is a fast-flowing highly industrialized river with a constant parade of horn tooting freight barges and ships and two rail lines, one on each side of the river and roads as well on each side.

Cochem is sheer serenity and very popular with Europeans, especially Dutch who come here to see hills I've been told (did ten years of group tours along the Rhine and Mosel - overwhelmingly Cochem and the Mosel was more liked than the Rhine.

Anyway consider Cochem as a base - perhaps along with Boppard - 2 night in each maybe or 3:

https://www.google.com/search?q=coch...Hc1eBukQsAQIHA

Cochem's castle tops a vineyard clad hill - vineyards carpet the steep Mosel slopes - there is a winery with tours right in the town center - cozy guesthouses provide cozy places to stay - Burg Eltz one of Germany's most famous castles is a short train ride away - boats between Cochem and Beilstein go along an incredibly gorgeous part of the gorge-like Mosel - again vineyards and cute wine towns dotting the sinuously twisting river:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mose...HYbzCFYQsAQIHA

Bike rentals abound for long or short treks (4 yr-old may use a tandem) with bike paths right along the river.) In less than an hour by train you could be on a Rhine boat for a day out if not basing on the Rhine.

If you have time for both great - if not IMO Cochem and the Mosel are way way nicer - yes that's my opinion and others may differ - it was also the opinion of the vast majority of over 1,000 bikers I lead on trips thru the Mosel and Rhine some time ago yes but the general nature of the two has not changed much.

Cochem is a family town - with mini-golf along the river, etc catering to the many families that stay here. I've never stayed in Boppard but when thru it dozens of times and it seems to be squeezed between the rocky slopes and river in this the narrowest part of the Rhine - it is a very pleasant if rather loud town due to the trains and vehicles speeding thru it, constantly it seems to me.

PalenQ

and about those bargain regional passes - they also come in first class for relatively little more p.p. and though not all regional trains have first class many IME do and I've been in a spacious first class section with many empty seats when 2nd class has been SRO - for a little more consider first-class in regional (Lander) passes to supplement on days you may not use a railpass if you that way.

PalenQ

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/wo...linz.html?_r=0

The noise problem in Rhine Valley towns is a real problem - natives having trouble sleeping - 300 trains a day speeding thur - ask your hotel about noise if a light sleeper. One reason I recommend Cochem always aver Rhine-side towns - well lots of reasons but one major one - takes away the serenity that Cochem has (its train line has much fewer trains and is largely in tunnel in the town center.

PalenQ

In Nurnberg be sure not to miss the old Nazi Parade grounds just a short S-Bahn ride south of town - the largest collection of Third Reich relics - the stadium and balcony from which Hitler famously reviewed thousands of goose-stepping troops is still there as are other stadiums and the immense parade alley - all rehabbed from when I first saw it all over grown about 20 years ago.

http://www.museums.nuremberg.de/docu...pics/party-ral

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/nuernberg2.htm