HappyCheesehead

Please, I sure could use some help with a last minute trip. I planned most of it in an afternoon at the bookstore but am stuck now.

Hubby is going to Germany for work and I will join him the second week. He is done about noon on a Wed. and we need to be in Beilstein, Germany about 5pm the next day (We are staying at Hotel Haus Lipmann 2 nights based on recommendations here, it is the only place I looked at - so many of you love it and that is the best rec!).

My thought is to leave Karlsruhe,Germany area where he is working and drive to Strasbourg, FRance for the Wed afternoon and evening. First, I am looking for a reccommendation for accom. I would like a nicely decorated and clean small inn or B&B type place mit charm in the historic area of Strasbourg or perhaps a bit out of town but in the direction of Trier. I can spend approx 190 euro. It is 217k to Trier from Strasbourg and hour past there to Beilstein I think. Should be doable in a day, right? Any advice as to a scenic route or towns to go thru for the days drive? We hope to be able to stop an hour or two at a time in some towns along the way. Which towns might give us the max impact for the short period of time we can spend?

I could also just head for Trier on that Wed but I was not really seeing that Trier would occupy much time (am I wrong?) or that there were any charming accom there.

If anyone has suggestions for point A to point B, please help me out! I hope I have provided enough info!

PalQ

Strasbourg take the Alsace wine strasse to Wissembourg then to Trier via saarbrucken - an industrial scarred area but then a nice river valley to Trier - the Ruwer Valley i believe - vineyards like the Mosel then along the extremely scenic Mosel to Beilstein - the best part of the Mosel starts just downstream from Trier - deep gorges covered by vineyards and punctuated by cute wine towns like Beilstein. A long drive however on two-lane roads - otherwise from Saarbrucken hop the freeway to Trier.

maitaitom

Beware of the dreaded "Saarbrucken Nebula" where we were caught for about an hour a couple of years ago. We were going from Beilstein to Ribeauville and got lost on the streets of Saarbrucken. Good luck!

HappyCheesehead

Thanks PalQ! Wissembourg takes us back pretty close to our starting spot - We will have traveled the wine road from Colmar to Strasbourg already. Is the road to Wissembourg better?

LOL, MaitaiTom.

RufusTFirefly

The drive is easily doable in 2-3/4 to 3-3/4 hours depending on your route and driving style.

You would have an interesting drive along the Mosel coming in from Trier.

Another route (much of which we drove two years ago) that might be a bit quicker would be: A35>A65>A61>E42>B421>L98>K42. This comes into Beilstein over the hills to the south. It was an interesting drive over back roads from the E42 portion on--you don't see a lot of other tourists on those curvy little roads towards the end.

The last part you could go L202>L200>K42 instead of L98>K42. We drove the part from about Mannheim north.

We used the Michelin Germany, Benelux, Austria, Switzerland, and Czech Republic Tourist and Motoring Atlas--it worked well for us.

susanna

After doing alot of research on hotels in Strasbourg, we have decided to stay at this one in September:
Hotel du Dragon: http://www.dragon.fr/
It's in an old building, but very modern inside, get's good reviews everywhere...let me know if you stay there and how you liked it.

HappyCheesehead

Wonderful directions Rufus - I will print them and highlight on the Michelin Germany road map I just brought home from Borders. It has the eastern edge of France too, so it works out well for this trip.

Susanna - thanks for the tip! I have emailed Hotel Du Drageon (at least I hope I have, their website reservation form does not appear to be working) and will wait to hear from them. My bad luck, one of the congresses/govt orgs is meeting during the week of my stay

susanna

Here are the websites for other hotels that I looked at in Strasbourg, they all had good reviews:
http://www.hotel-rohan.com/E/e_visite.html

http://www.hotel-europe.com/index.html

If there are no rooms in Strausbourg and you are without a car and using public transportation, as we are too, my second choice would be Colmar...hope you find something:

Here is also a direct email to Dragon:
[email protected]

HappyCheesehead

Hi Susanna:

I have had no response from Du Dragon, I will try that direct email addy - Thanks so much for your help with this.

We will have a car, and will have been in Colmar the previous weekend. If Strasbourg is too booked up I will have to find some other town to O/N in on the way from Ettlingen to Beilstein.