DiAnne_Garza

Hello

My husband is serving in Afghanistan and we are meeting in Landstuhl in May for his two weeks R&R. Can anyone tell me which airport I should fly into? Is it reasonable to see some major things in Germany and also see Prague? Any tips on where to stay, where to go, suggested itineraries? I'm clueless and he has no time for research right now. Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Sassafrass

Hi DiAnne,

Did you know that, depending on how long he is deployed, you can use space-a to fly to Germany? You would fly into Ramstein, which is very, very near Landstuhl. It is only about a 20 minute bus/taxi ride. Go to this website: Dirk Peperd's Message Board at www.pepperd.com. You have to join, but it is free and safe. You will get lots of advice and help from other military people.

It is really easy to travel in Germany, and quite doable to visit Prague and Germany in two weeks. You could rent a car or use trains. It would also be easy to visit Paris, which is lovely in May, and only a three/four hour train ride from Ramstein. You would also be near Strassbourg, France and the Alsace Wine area.

There is a nice military resort, in Southern Germany. You might look into that. There is a hotel on the Ramstein base for military people, very nice and reasonable prices. Also, check the USO in Ramstein for any tours they offer, and hotels, etc.

If you decide to use commercial flights, your best bet is probably Frankfurt, but then you have to take a bus or train down to Ramstein.

basingstoke2

Pretty much what Sassafrass says. There is lots that is nearby Landstuhl. Trier Germany and Luxembourg are easy drives - under 2 hours. Heidelberg and the Romantic Road are also not far. On the base there is also a moral and recreation office where tours to all sorts of places, usually Prague as well can be arranged. They have an office upstairs in the air terminal. Hahn airport is in-between Landstuhl and Frankfurt and is served by some of the regional airlines, but Frankfurt is probably your best bet. They used to run a shuttle bus from the Frankfurt airport to Ramstein AFB and I think they still do, but check. The lodging on the base is often difficult to get into, so don't depend on it being available. There is a car rental agency on base near the exchange with a branch in Landstuhl. In Landstuhl be sure to stop by "ICE" my favorite ice cream parlor.

janisj

"<i>. . . a moral and recreation office</i>"

The '<i>moral</i>' office won't lead you astray. Giggle font off

(The Morale and Recreation center)

Thanks to your husband (and you) for your service.

As you can see from the above posts, you can get lots of help/connections right on base

Russ

You'll probably want to spend some time seeing the area near Landstuhl. Nearby Trier is very interesting but just one of many interesting spots along the Mosel River in Germany:

http://www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/mos...ightsengl.html

North of Trier is an old German WW II bunker you can visit:

http://www.westwallmuseum-irrel.de/index_en.html

And the Mosel terminates at the Rhine - where medieval castles, wine, and attractive villages are the main draw:

http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...php?id=318&L=3

There's a train/bus daypass that gets you all around this region - 29 €/day for 2-5 people; click on the map here to see the train routes:

http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets-and...-pfalz-ticket/

basingstoke2

BTW, if you are going to travel by train, the station in nearby Kaiserslautern has the best service and schedules.
Amsterdam - 7 hour drive, less by train.

BTW, when you say you will meet in Landstuhl, do you mean at the lodging at the hospital, the town itself or actually at the base? Landstuhl is a pleasant little town, but there is not much there. Kaiserslautern has much better connections to the rest of Germany and Europe.