SKPKCP11

Kindly advise which is the best and safest place to be based in the Black Forest.
Also, to visit Europa Park which is the best place to be based at. Any idea regarding the entrance fares etc.

What is the budget we should keep per person for a basic meal in Munich and Berlin - not in a fancy place and no wine etc.

In the midst of planning and do not want to be way of the mark. Any low cost recommendations that we can go and eat with children is welcome.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

logos999

http://www.europapark.de/lang-en/Home/Prices/c336.html
Safety is not an issue in the Black Forest, no wild animals either

Depending where you eat in Munich, a main dish in the evening would be about 9-14€ and a beer (0.5l) for 3.60€, cheapest restaurant in a Schrebergarten about 7.50 with salad and 2.20 for a beer. It all has become very expensive. VinzenzMurr has 5€ Schnitzels, 2.50€ Leberkäs and all the other classics. Highly recommended and a lot tastier than McD!!

logos999

http://www.vinzenzmurr.de/mittagstisch_imbiss.html

bilboburgler

safety in black forest, I have been scared by a blackbird thinking it was a wild pig. There are a few wild pigs but unless you corner it and get between a mother and piglets you will not have a problem. Food in Germany is generally lower than say france. Just as Logos says. The trick to the price is to stick to the lunch time fixed menus and have a big breakfast. I think you will find wine by the glass cheaper than beer. Children generally welcome all over Germany, note that german kids are generally well behaved

ira

Hi BB,

>I have been scared by a blackbird thinking it was a wild pig.<

You are lucky that it didn't think that it was a bear. It might have attacked.

bilboburgler

am I a prince dreaming I'm a butterfly.....

logos999

Bruno the bear is dead

logos999

To more things you must be aware of when driving or hinking:

If you see this sign, don not enter under ANY circumstances

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...gebiet.svg.png

The fines are horrendous far more than any traffic fine.

The sign below means, that you may enter on foot, with your car only if you have serious business there. i.e. you own some land there. You must give a plausibe reason.

http://www.gnadenthal.de/images/Landschaftsschutz3.gif

quokka

Of course you can enter a Naturschutzgebiet on foot if you stay on the marked trails, don't take anything except photos and don't leave anything except footprints (as that wise old saying states). If there are no marked trails, though, it's no-go.

No bears or wolves, no robber gangs - these are all gone. The only real danger you should watch out for are ticks. The Black Forest is a high-risk region for both tick-borne encephalitis (did I spell this correctly?) and Lyme disease.

Carotta

We were in Munich two years ago and on the advice of other travelers we ate at the train station a couple of nights ...we had great choice for good prices ...and it was actually good stuff, not just the typical fast food predominantly found here (Canada) in train stations...leery of this advice at first, I was very pleasantly surprised. To keep costs down we ate a bigger lunch in the beer houses (you can walk it off!) then picked up a light dinner at the end of the day at the station. Having been in Paris right before Munich we were thrilled with the prices of food...goes to show, everything is relative.

dfourh

For Europapark entrance fares are simple at their website:
http://www.europapark.de/lang-en/Home/c51.html

For places to stay, if you have a car, you could enjoy Strasbourg if you want a wonderful, atmospheric city with reasonable accomodation a short drive away. If you want something smaller and intimate, but with great sites - - a gem of a small town on the Rhein, then Breisach am Rhein is a hidden secret, with amazing views, a great cathedral, and also very reasonable accomodation options:
http://www.breisach.de/html/seiten/t...nav=38&lang=en

SKPKCP11

Thanks to all for the quick reverts. Any precautions to take to avoid contracting tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease.

Logos999 - please could you explain what do you mean by :
Schrebergarten and VinzenzMurr
We are essentially big meat eaters and freak out on the sausages and pork. Any pointers in this direction are welcome.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

logos999

Don't enter a Naturschutzgebiet unless the sign says, that you may enter. It's all explained under the sign. Some times of they year, you actually may, if you're walking.

VinzenzMurr = Bavarian fast food "restaurant"...
http://www.vinzenzmurr.de/filialen/m...adtgebiet.html
Schrebergarten = (allotgarden) Area, where people enjoy gardening on tiny areas of land, in many cases with a restaurant somewhere.

http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...eingaerten.jpg

SKPKCP11

Thanks Logos999 for your quick revert. We are not likely to do any nature trails as the kids do not wish to walk a lot.

Just need your quick info and ideas :
We plan to fly into Munich and out of Berlin (if possible) or Munich. I would like to see other cities & towns (day trips) close to Munich which can be reached by train. Any recommendations?

We want to visit Eschwege as our Aunt lives there. Not sure what are the stay options in Eschwege for 2 nights.

We want to visit Berlin and visit other cities and towns (day trips) from Berlin by train. Your recommendations please?

Had intended to stay at Gutach in Black Forest and in St. Goar but not sure how to work this out. Also, I am a bit doubtful whether it is worth it to stay in BF with all tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease that Quokka has indicated. I am okay with giving it a skip but definitely would not want to take chances with kids below 10 years.

Yes most important we will travel everywhere by public transport and will not be driving and will have 2-3 big suitcases. Any restrictions on luggage on the train/buses? Kindly advise. Do the train and bus doors open automatically or do we have to open the doors. This is our first trip to Europe. Hence, the many queries which seem rather stupid.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

logos999

Ticks are a problem, if you walk in the forests with the kids wearing shorts, also depending on season and weather. If you stay in town, there's no problem. In summer, you have to check your cat for ticks regularly and she always brings some home. But you don't go where the cat goes . 2-3 big suitcses and no car and kids... I don't see how you can do it, but you surely have done it before and are experienced? The doors have to be opend manually, either push a button a press a lever which needs some manual power. There's not really much storage space on trains, some at one end of the car and overhead storage. It depends how big your suitcases are. I frequently use a duffel bag. Local busses don't have much storage space. You'd have to put it on the seats, which usually is a problem..

Geordie

For cheap Italian meals in Munich, I think Pasta e Basta is good value, pasta from 3.25 Euro.

They have a few locations, here's the website, its in German but its pretty easy to follow

ttp://www.pastaebastaweb.de

There are lots of other options cheap Italians, just depends where you will be staying / visiting