littlenewme

Hello! Looking for everyone's opinion on this one!! We are leaving Florence on the evening of August 17th or morning of 18th and would like do experience what we can of Germany in 1 week ending in Frankfurt at least by the morning of the 25th (our flight leaves at 9:00am). We are trying to see what best Germany has to offer so all itinerary's are welcome! Thanks!!

bettyk

Please tell us what your interests are for this trip? Do you want big cities or small or a combination? How will you be traveling from Florence -- air, car or train? Are you young and want night life or older and want scenery?

The more we know about your likes and expectations, the easier it will be to help you.

bilboburgler

Well I love the route up through the black forest, Pfalz, Rhine, Mosel, Rhine.

Good wine, nice towns, good breweries great walking. Not great architecture but if important always go to Wurtzburg in Franconia.

littlenewme

A little more background...there are 4 of us all under 30 looking for a mix of big city-architecture, beer gardens, castles. We are up in the air about transportation ie rental car, bus, train, etc. Whatever suites the itinerary best. We saw a day cruise on the Rhine River leaving from Cologne to Mainz that looked a little interesting.

kfusto

Germany is a very large country with much to offer. Your mode of transport will help us to make helpful suggestions. As for "whatever suits the itinerary best" I suggest that the 4 or you and determine the kind of experiences you are looking for. The itinerary you choose will help determine a suggested mode of transport.

To ask someone else to recommend the best Germany has to offer without the 4 of you doing enough research to determine the basics. Seems like you have some basics to figure out on your own IMO before asking for advice.

bilboburgler

The rhine is a good trip, IMO the mosel is prettier and joins the rhine. The Burg Katz is close to the confluence so may be of interest. Are you into fluffy cherubs of dark satanic granite castles?

Russ

"there are 4 of us all under 30 looking for a mix of big city-architecture, beer gardens, castles. We are up in the air about transportation ie rental car, bus, train, etc. Whatever suites the itinerary best. We saw a day cruise on the Rhine River leaving from Cologne to Mainz that looked a little interesting."

The Rhine/Mosel region is a good choice for your interests. Go to Ryanair's website. 4 tickets Florence/Pisa to Frankfurt Hahn can be had for 146 Euros total for evening of 8/17. The 16:35 flight gets in at 18:05. Catch the 19:00 bus to Trier to begin your stay. Trier has some great Roman stuff and a nice town square with outdoor cafes and lots of beer and wine.

I would proceed by train or car to the wine village of Cochem for a couple of days where you can check out 800+-year-old Burg Eltz Castle - which has the best tour of any castle in the region - and the in-town castle, Reichsburg, which also offers an excellent falconry show. Check out the chairlift ride and take a boat cruise up to the village of Beilstain. Cochem's medieval, cobblestoned, half-timbered old town is full of cafes and restaurants. There are several wineries where you can taste - of course wine is king but beer is still queen. You can rent bikes and follow the riverside bike paths in this area as well.

Then head over to the Rhine for a couple of days. St. Goar is a good place to stay - very scenic, w/3 castles visible from town. Marksburg Castle (good tour) is nearby to the north - get there by cruise boat or by ferry + train. A daytrip to Bacharach (wine village) and another to Cologne (for that big-city architecture) would be in order.

For your last night, stay in Mainz - just 20 minutes from the airport by train or S-bahn. It's a nice city for walking around with an incredible Romanesque Dom, good shopping, and a museum or two.

Your travels from Trier on can be done by four on a single train daypass known as the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket - under 30 Euros per day lets you travel freely on the regional trains. You could do this itinerary by car too, but I wouldn't really see the point.

Russ

Burg Katz mentioned above by bilboburger is actually in St. Goarshausen - you'll see it by looking across the river from ST. Goar - but it's in private hands and cannot be toured to my knowledge.

Info on Burg Eltz:

www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html

www.burg-eltz.de

bilboburgler

yep Ross is right

catherinehaas

IMO, having traveled through southern Germany last year, I would take the train from Florence to Munich. I would spend a night or two in Munich. I would then rent a car and head to Fussen and see Neuschwanstein Castle. From here there are a couple of choices depending on what you want to see. The Black Forest region on the border of France is beautiful. Other option is Stuttgart, Heidelberg (my favorite) area. Something that should not be missed is Cologne. The cathedral is spectacular, especially at night. A week is a short time to see a great deal, so you need to narrow it down a bit. You could spend a few days in Munich and a few days in Frankfurt and catch your plane. Or do you want to spend one night in different regions.