12 day tour in Germany
 

Hi,

My wife and I are considering a 12 day tour of Germany, this AugustSeptember. Any suggestion, tips, experiences would be great! Thanks, Tim.

We did a similar trip this summer, with our 2 children. Our stops were Heidelberg (Hotel Zum Ritter), Freiburg and the Black Forest (Hotel Rappen), Munich (Hotel Torbraeu), Rothenburg (Reichs Kuechenmeister, and Berlin (Hotel am Boulevard). Berlin is out of the way, but so much is happening there now, you shouldn't miss it. The hotels were all very central and we were satisfied with all of them. The Hotel Zum Ritter and the Torbraeu were the priciest but worth it. Also, they all have nice breakfasts so you save on one meal a day and that helps. These are all small hotels, but you can book on your own by fax or have a travel agent do it.

We traveled on a German Rail Flexipass (the twin pass works for 2 adults traveling together) for 5 days. Most important money saving tip is to make your 1st class reservations in Germany at the first train station. This cost 3 DM for all the reservations for the entire trip versus the $10 per train per person charge you would pay if you booked in the US. With the 1st class passes, the ICE trains are also included without supplement.

If you don't know German and would like to get familiar with some of the signs you'll see, look for a Signposts book in the learning a foreign language section. These use photos of signs for everything from restrooms to road signs and are very practical!

Have a great trip.

Thanks for the info. Tim.

My wife and I had done a similar trip 9 in the last 8 years each trip was a total of 5 weeks, 2 of these weeks was for buisness. Do as much ahead of time as possible with understanding where you would like to go and what you would like to see. We started our trip by flying into Franfurt. From here we had rented a car and drove to a smaller town called Benshiem there we found a guest house and made arraingments for a overnight stay. Have a nice walk and enjoy doing nothing have a good dinner and a beer or a glass of wine. I would strongly recommend any one do this on ther first day. You will feel more refreshed the next day and ready for almost anything. Finding a place to stay is no problem look for any guest house and in most smaller towns you will have no problem. We had found that in the large cities it was harder to get a room or in the heavey tourist locations. When you go out for a meal and you see that the tables are full but you see that there are only 2 people sitting at a table for 4 just ask these people if you could sit there and they will have no problem with this (every body is a friend). I wish I could write some more but have to go. Send me a e:mail if you would like a specific question answered. Have fun.

In no specific order, consider seeing Munich, Neuschwanstein (sp?), Cologne, Romantic Rd (w/ Rothenberg), Black Forest area, Rhine cruise from Cologne to Koblenz, and Trier.

I'll second Mia's recommendation of the Zum Ritter in Heidelburg - it was great (as is Heidelburg itself) and also within an hour of Frankfurt Airpoirt from which we departed at the end of our trip. Worth the extra marks. In Munich we stayed at the Hotel Splendid, a few blocks' walk from the Marienplatz but quiet, with a good breakfast in a sunny courtyard. We also visited Bamburg (en route to Prague) and drove the Romantik Road from Oberammergau north to Rothenburg - a fairy-tale city with a Kodak moment at every turn. We also did the Alpenstrasse from Salzburg to Munich - very scenic. Tho' it's very touristy, don't neglect to spend an evening or two at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich - alot of fun - and people-watch on the Marienplatz. If you have time, cross the border to Salzburg - the churches alone are worth seeing, not to mention the open squares, Mozart's house, etc. We were unable to get to Cologne to see the cathedral but everyone says its magnificent - maybe next time.

I'll second Mia's recommendation of the Zum Ritter in Heidelburg - it was great (as is Heidelburg itself) and also within an hour of Frankfurt Airpoirt from which we departed at the end of our trip. Worth the extra marks. In Munich we stayed at the Hotel Splendid, a few blocks' walk from the Marienplatz but quiet, with a good breakfast in a sunny courtyard. We also visited Bamburg (en route to Prague) and drove the Romantik Road from Oberammergau north to Rothenburg - a fairy-tale city with a Kodak moment at every turn. We also did the Alpenstrasse from Salzburg to Munich - very scenic. Tho' it's very touristy, don't neglect to spend an evening or two at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich - alot of fun - and people-watch on the Marienplatz. If you have time, cross the border to Salzburg - the churches alone are worth seeing, not to mention the open squares, Mozart's house, etc. We were unable to get to Cologne to see the cathedral but everyone says its magnificent - maybe next time.

A boat trip on the Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz(sp?) is a requirement. It takes about 4-5 hours and travels through some of the most scenic areas of Germany - castles galore. If you are travelling via train, the KD lines accept Eurail passes.

Berlin is an interesting city. Ever changing since the fall of the wall but well worth a visit. Make sure you get into the former eastern bloc sector and visit the Checkpoint Charlie museum

Have a great trip.

Larry

I spent the month of August in Berlin last summer and it was a blast. Everywhere you look there is construction. Try to get there. There are a ton of museums and historical things. Brandenburger Tor, Die Mauer (The Wall, Whats left of it), The Pergemon Museum, and many others.

An interesting way to visit is to use the Youth Hostels. They are not youth exclusive. Some can be spartan in accomidations, but are generally clean and inexpensive.

There is a giant park there called the Tiergarten and next to it is the Reichstag. They are shoring it up right now and should be quite amazing when they finish.

If you do go to Berlin you'll notice on a lot of the old buildings that the walls are poch marked with bullet holes. Very cool reminder of scarier days.

In Berlin, check out the Red Box. There you can learn all about the changes that are happening in Berlin.

If I can answer any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Ray

My husband and I are stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany and have lived here for 4 years. There's so much to say, but I've become accustomed to so many things that it's hard to recall. My favorite place was Rudesheim along the Rhein River. Whether driving or cruising (Check out the USO for Rhein A Flame tours) it's a great starting point to go north for an hour or so to see the many, many castles and vineyards along the river. The Rhein A Flame cruises are spectacular. 4-5 times a year in July and August hundreds of ships and boats sail down the river while various castles are "set a blaze" with lights and fireworks. Rothenberg, Fusen (Neushwanstein Catle), the Romantic Road, Worms, and the many wine valleys are my favorites. Couple of tips: Germans don't use ice for drinks, period, so expect most of your beverages to be luke warm; when asking for just one, don't use your index finger, use your thumb; "Einfart" is not a really big town, it means "Exit"; Don't drink the water, it won't make you sick necessarily, but it tastes awful and has strange floaty things in it. Germans don't even drink it. If you plan on driving, beware of small towns, the roads are extremely narrow and you could get stuck facing an oncoming car with no way out. The autobahn will take some getting used to. Despite what you may think, it is not always speed limitless, be careful of slowed areas and sudden "staus" major traffic jams that you could get stuck in for hours at a time because of the minimal amount of exits on the autobahn. There is much, much more I could add, so if you would like more info, feel free to email me. Although I'll be on vacation myself for part of August, I'll gladly provide you with my phone number if you need help during your stay. Good Luck and have fun!

If you like New York or Chicago, you'll like Berlin and might want to consider making it the focus of your visit. I took a train from Belgium across Germany to Berlin last July and on to Vienna. I made a long stop at Aachen to see the cathedral and town and a short one at Cologne to look at the cathedral and change trains, then spent six days in Berlin. It was a nice way of getting an introduction to German, and Berlin is a great bustling, sophisticated place that's changing fast. We stayed at the Gendarme Garni, which we found on the Fodors web page. Great place, wonderful location, and under $100/day. We got a corner room -- which are big 2-room suites. If you try it, ask about the corner room on the 3rd floor -- seemed the best frunished..

We do Germany often. Good reference book for places to stay is Karen Browns book for good German B and Bs. Always right on. We do not do the large towns any more. Enjoy the smaller areas. Rent a car. Driving is easy and you can explore. Trains are a hassle and limit you, plus you have to lug bags around and be subject to schedules. Fly to Frankfurt, drive to Heidelberg. Good place to stay is Zur Backmulde. Very clean, very close to popular area and probably less than the Ritter. The Reichs Kuchenmeister in Rothenburg is also a good recommendation. We have stayed there 3 or 4 times. Go to Bavaria...Garmisch, Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden area. Also check out Salzburg...easy day trip from Berchtesgaden. Prepare for some rain. If u want any other ideas Email me. I can give you our entire itinerary for a trip we took with first time friends to Germany last summer. Have a great time. Do not worry too much about German language....English spoken many places. Garmisch hotel: Hilleprandt. Berchtesgaden: Watzmann.