keri

I will be travelling to Europe (1st time)with my husband this summer. I really want this trip to be great because I don't think we'll be able to go back for a VERY long time. I need help/suggestions for a particular part of our 5 week trip. We will start in Rome and spend 14 days in Italy. Then we are off to Switzerland for 6 days. Then we will head to France and Germany... <BR> <BR>This is the part I need help with: <BR>Bern to Colmar <BR>3 nights in Colmar (explore Route du Vin) <BR>Colmar to Heidelberg (1 night) <BR>Heidelberg to Rhine Valley(3 nights - any suggestions for where to stay?) <BR>Rhine to Mosel Valley (2 nights - where?) <BR>Mosel to Koln to take Thalys train to Paris (5 nights). <BR> <BR>Does this sound reasonable? All of our travel will most likely be done by train, unless it seems much, much better to do it by car. Does anyone know if there would be a way to fit in Rothenburg, or would that be too much? Thank you; I really appreciate all of the knowledge of the people on this site. <BR>Keri <BR>

Patrick

I enjoyed Colmar this summer, but it seems a bit odd for a choice for a three day stay if you are traveling by train, unless you want to rent a car there for two days to explore the area. By train, Strausbourg would probably be a better choice as a base. As for the Rhine and Mosel, I'd choose Rudesheim for the three nights on the Rhine (yes, it's touristy as can be, but oh, so much fun) with its easy accessibility to the KD boats to cruise up and down the Rhine exploring towns (and if you have a Eurail Pass, you just hop on or off the boats at leisure). In Rudesheim you can take the lift up the hill and have great wine on a terrace overlooking the town and river valley, do wine tastings, enjoy the evening oompah bands all over town, and I guarantee a summer wedding with the bride and groom being paraded through the streets on a horse cart. For the Mosel I'd stay in Cochem. You can even get there by doing the boat to Koblenz then another boat to Cochem. Then take the train from Cochem to Koln.

keri

Patrick- <BR>Thank you for your input. My thoughts were to take the train from Bern to Colmar (about 2.5 hours). We would probably get there late the 1st night, so we wouldn't have too much time. The next day we'd do the wine route by bike, foot, bus, etc. and sleep in Colmar. We would have to go through Strasbourg to get to the Rhine area, so would it make more sense to stay there the 3rd night? Thanks for your help.

Russ

Heidelberg is a nice town to visit, but it really doesn't require much time. If you're leaving Colmar in the morning, you could head straight to Heidelberg, leave your luggage in the lockers there, spend a half day seeing the castle and old town area, then hop back on a train for the Rhine. This would spare you some packing/unpacking time. Freiburg to the Rhine Gorge is only about 4 hours total by train. I would suggest staying on the left bank of the Rhine, in Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar, or Boppard, all of which have train stations, cruise boat docks, and are a bit more authentic towns, but more importantly, lie within the more beautiful Rhine Gorge where castles and cliffs abound (Rüdesheim to the south lies in relatively flat territory and is far less scenic.) St. Goar is my favorite spot; Boppard is also great -- a bit larger town with a pleasant cobbled center, river promenade, some Roman ruins, and a chair lift ride to a nearby peak for an amazing view of the river. <BR> <BR>I second Patrick's choice of Cochem on the Mosel wholeheartedly. Be sure to visit the Reichsburg Castle, right in town: www.roadstoruins.com/Cochem.html <BR>(there's a cool chairlift ride here, too.) What kind of accommodations are you looking for exactly? B&B? (very reasonable in this region.) Price range? <BR> <BR>You'll see a lot of nice things here -- no need to cross Germany just for the kitsch, the hype, and the tourists in Rothenburg, IMHO!

keri

Thanks for the input Russ. You seem to be an expert on this area (I have read many of your other posts). If we do a day in Heidelberg and then head to the Rhine, we will have 6 nights to spend in that area. Do you suggest splitting them evenly among the Rhine/Mosel areas? Or does the Rhine warrant more time? Or are there other areas near there to see? <BR>I would love to stay in one of the castles for a couple of nights - I don't think I could afford more than 2 though! Otherwise, a reasonable B&B would be great. I found some on the web that seem too good to be true for the price.

kk

Lovely web page for Cochem. Michelin says I can get to Cochem from Wiesbaden in 118 km. Would you think that would be an OK day trip, Russ? I would be doing that in late April. I've never seen the Mosel Valley and wanted to. I've been along the Rhine before and pretty sure I'd prefer the sleepier Mosel. It would be a pity to be so close and not see it.

Russ

Keri, KK: <BR> <BR>For some reason, I can't post a response to you on Fodor's. If you want to e-mail me, I'll send you the text. (note 3 s's in e-mail address!)

Russ

Hey, that post went through!! Why won't my first one?? Crazy board -- or crazy me??

Ben

&lt;&lt;Colmar to Heidelberg (1 night) <BR>Heidelberg to Rhine Valley(3 nights - <BR>Rhine to Mosel Valley (2 nights - <BR>Does this sound reasonable? Does anyone know if there would be a way to fit in Rothenburg, or would that be too much? Keri &gt;&gt; <BR> <BR>Hi Keri - you might consider spending one night in Heidelberg and then taking the train to Rothenburg o.d.T. for two nights. That would eliminate 2 days from your Rhine/Mosel plans but if you only spend 2 nights on the Rhine (Rüdesheim is your best bet when traveling by train) and then spend one night on the Mosel before training to Köln. The Rhine/Mosel area is excellent but you should be able to see enough of it in 3 days. Ben <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

devona

My husband & I spent 3 nights in Oberweisel at Auf Shonburg, a wonderful castle hotel. It was a great cntral location from which to explore the Rhine Valley. The hotel was magnificent in every way. Our room was in one of the turrets of the castle and had a balcony that overlooked both the Rhine River and a beautiful valley with terraced vineyards. The hotel's restaurant was a fabulous as well. We look forward to the day when we can return. I'd be happy to e-mail photos if you'd like.

keri

Thanks for everyone's help! I made a reservation for one night in the Schonburg castle. It was more than we wanted to spend, but I couldn't resist the chance to stay in a castle! We are going to spend the other nights either in Bachrach or Boppard before heading to the Mosel area. I tried to look on the web for a place in St. Goar, but it doesn't seem that there are as many choices. Does anyone have any websites that might be helpful? Thanks again!

Lara

Keri, St. Goar doesn't have many resources on the web, but keep in mind it's a pretty small place; Check out www.loreleyvalley.com for a few options.

xx

loreleyvalley.com

Russ

The Hotel Zur Loreley at the above website is a reputable, family-run place on a quiet pedestrians-only street in the middle of town: <BR>http://www.hotel-zur-loreley.de/st-g...any/index.html <BR> <BR>If you'd like a private B&B, try Ilse Kurz' place at Ulmenhof 11, phone 06741/459. It's a few steps uphill from the train station, and the night trains may be a bit noisy here, but what a view of the Rhine Valley her place has. <BR> <BR>Familie Franzman has a small apartment they rent in the cutest house in town on a quiet cobbled plaza near everything -- <BR>about $30/night for two. tel 06741/7358 and 06741/591. The address is Kirchplatz 6. <BR> <BR>Try the tourist office for more info -- 06741/383, fax 06741/7209, or e-mail at [email protected]

keri

Thanks for the additional info, Russ and everyone. I did look into the Zur Loreley, but they are booked for when we want to go. I will look into the others, but I have found that I prefer places that have a website. I guess I like seeing the places! It seems that there are lots of places to stay in Bacharch. Any thoughts on this area? Thanks.