HunyBadger

I am planning ot drive from Frankfurt to Trier after I arrive at the airport. The directions on Mapquest follow major highways but this is vacation afterall and I would like a more scenic route. I have a giant map of the country but the congestion of roads makes it tough to see the route numbers for the smaller routes, both near Frankfurt and Mannheim. Can someone offer directions that would be more pleasant than taking major highways?

PalQ

Classic scenic route: Go along Rhine from Mainz to koblenz, passing thru finest of Rhine Gorge (practically the only part of this long river in Germany that can be called scenic) to Koblenz and then head up the Mosel Valley - one of Europe's very prettiest places - this serpentine river sinuously twists and loops thru a valley with slopes several hundred feet high on each side - southward-facing slopes are ubiquitously carpeted by vineyards yielding the fine Mosel white wines - some of Europe's northernmost vineyards that have thriven here since Roman days due to the valley's sheltering effect. The Mosel is totally scenic all the way to Trier - roads go right along the river.

HunyBadger

Is this easy to find or do I need to locate route numbers before hand? Also, since it's August and all of Europe is on holiday, won't those drives be choked with traffic?

PalQ

the roads are easy to find as they go right along the rivers - they are marked with numbers as well. The two-lane roads may be choked with traffic at times - the Mosel more so than the Rhine, which has roads on both sides of the river - the Mosel i believe attracts many more vacationers. The autoroutes are never far away in case it becomes too tedious - but the distances are not too far. I led bike trips down the Mosel for ten years and you could do most of it in one day by bike if you wanted to.

treplow

When you arrive in Germany, it may be worth investing in a more detailed road map. You can get them in the airport. I always rely on the maps published by the ADAC, the German automobile club. You don't have to be member to buy one at a newsstand. The ADAC marks traffic choke points (Staus).

Any road with the designation A (such as A-8)is an autobahn Roads as are roads with the designation B (e.g. B-305)are the equivalent of our US Highways. But even un-numbered roads are usually good ,as long as they are paved.

PalQ's suggested itinerary is very good.

usbeauty

Note of caution: I struggled getting through Koblenz and onto the correct route after leaving the Mosel (going in reverse from the OP's route). I wish I had had a more detailed map because I think I lost an hour circling through deepest, darkest Koblenz.

DeeDee

We traveled in this area in June. I would agree that a good map is essential. Just wish to point out that the route PalQ suggests is scenic, but is definitely a huge detour from the most direct way to travel from Frankfurt to Trier. Be prepared to drive for quite a few hours to travel this route. The Mosel River is beautiful and the road winding alongside the river is a simple, two lane road that winds alongside the river and through each of the little towns and villages along the way. We drove from Beilstein to Trier (not along the river) and it took about 50 minutes.

Looking at my map, it looks like the most direct route from FRA is A3 to A61 to Rt. 41 to A1 into Trier. If you buy a good map of this area, you could detour off this route to see some of the scenic areas along the way.

harzer

What is rarely done, but rewards you with an encounter with the entrancing Nahe river valley, is to get from Trier to Idar Oberstein (noted for its gemstones) and then to follow the Nahe to picturesque Bad Kreuznach, from where you can proceed along the Nahe as it joins the Rhine at Bingen.

In Germany, many wine-lovers consider the Nahe wines to be at least the equal of the more widely known Mosel and Rhine wines, and I agree with them.

Harzer

harzer

... I am suggesting this as a way to avoid retracing your steps to Frankfurt once you have got to Trier. But it would of course work in reverse as a route that is "more pleasant than taking major highways".

Harzer

ben_haines_london

Please can anybody say which side of the Main, the Rhine and the Moselle gives the better views. North or south side of the Rhine, then east or west side of the Rhine, and north or south side of the Moselle ? Road numbers would be of special value: E42 or road 42 from airport to Bingen, 9 or 42 from Bingen to Koblenz, and 49 or 416 from Koblenz to Trier ? You can avoid wandering around Koblenz if you drive up the west bank of the Rhine from Bingen, turn left at Boppard, drive up the hairpin bends, with views, on the minor road for Brodenbach, then whatever side people suggest along the Moselle from there to Trier.

Ben Haines, London
[email protected]

SAnParis

Once you arrive, they are plenty of very detailed Mosel Valley type/touristy maps w/sights to see, etc. Spend the $$ & get one.

BTilke

The best atlases for Germany that we've found so far are the HB Bildatlases that combine detailed maps with great photos and guides to the best parts of each region. Our German relatives have the complete selection and swear by them--they are full of tidbits for scenic places not on the usual tourist radar. We followed their suggestions for Saarland and Muensterland and found them superb.

Available in German only, but even if you can only read basic German, you can follow their suggested routes and check out the itineraries. HB Bildatlases can be ordered online or found in German bookstores or larger fuel stations.

For more info, go to:
http://www.hb-verlag.de/reiseziele_deutschland.asp

and cleck on the region of Germany you're interested in.

HunyBadger

We are back from this trip! Had a great time and wanted to add my $.02 about what we experienced.

Absolutely get a detailed map...the Michelin that I got in the States prior to the trip was no where near enough. Even many of the maps I saw in Germany weren't. An *atlas* is the way to go, if you are like us and want to know the small towns coming up.

Also, know the towns near where you are headed...the road numbers vary and aren't as well marked as they are in the US, especially the smaller roads.

We were told at the rental car place that the fastest route to Trier from Frankfurt was to Koblenz then south to Trier. This might have been the case but it was all highways. We were vacationing so we didn't mind a slower route. So we first headed the way they suggested, past Mannheim and curved north towards Koblenz. However we turned West at Simmern and jumped on the backroads. The road wound and twisted but it was perfect for us. There were a few bigger towns to get a fill up and take a break...still, the trip, even with the slower roads was only 2.5 hours. After getting an initial feel for the road signs, we had no trouble figuring out where we were or where we were headed. Only once did we get "lost" and that was in Luxembourg when there was an unanticipated detour.

All in all, the cities were harder to get around than the countryside b/c we had to feel our way through the cities, without detailed maps. The atlas was perfect for getting there though.

mvor

HunyBadger, I'm glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the advice about getting to Trier from Frankfurt; we'll be making this trip in November so I'll ibe sure to get an atlas.

DeeDee

I would recommend a map. The one we bought (in a Trier bookstore) is called Die Freizeitkarte by Allianz the Rhein/Mosel/Sudliche Eifel.

It shows every little road and highway and was perfect! Only problem was we should have bought it the first day of driving!