krisan26

My husband, 2 twenty something daughters and I are going to Europe in May (14-25). We have Sat, Sun, Mon and Tues to "play/sight see" before the conference in Bad Soden Germany(near Frankfurt), then we need to stay put but we are free again Sat morning and need to fly home on Mon. Any suggestions on where to fly in to and out of. I have always wanted to see Italy(Florence and Tuscany especially). Should we fly into Florence get a car and drive to Tuscany and then to Frankfurt then see Munich and Fly home? Or am I biting off too much? The only reservations we have so far are the hotel in Bad Soden for Wed, Thurs and Fri. We are open to all suggestions

Michael

I would RT using Frankfurt and try to figure out what to see in Germany. Assuming that your are hopping across the Atlantic, jet-lag will be a problem the first day or so. The distances are greater than one would expect--somehow driving 250 km. in Europe is the equivalent of 250 mi. in the States in terms of time--the autostrada and the autobahn may be the exception, but they look the same as the American superhighways. No need to go to Europe to zip through on them.

adrienne

That's a bit too much. It's almost 9 hours driving from Florence to Frankfurt without stopping so more than a full day of driving.

How about flying to Florence and staying 4 nights with day trips to perhaps Siena, Lucca, Pisa which are easily accessible from Florence by public transport (bus to Siena; train to Pisa or Lucca). No need to rent a car.

Then fly to Frankfurt for your conference.

Woyzeck

I think it's too much. Certainly all the driving would waste too much of your time and wouldn't be very interesting. Factoring the jet lag you'll experience in the first day or two, I don't think you'd really be getting a whole lot out of the little time.

If you've always wanted to see Florence or Tuscany, you should give it the time it deserves. I'd try to stay closer to where the conference is and pick a few sites in the region. A trip to Munich sounds perfectly doable and a good idea.

krisan26

Thanks for the info. We are now going to stay in the Germany area. We are going to RT to Frankfurt. Now should we take a train to Munich and then rent a car and tour for Sun, Mon, Tue then we need to be back in Bad Soden(Frankfurt) for Wed noon. We are free to travel again on Sat. Should we try to see Berlin? then back to Frankfurt to fly out around noon on Mon?

quokka

Explore the region at Frankfurt's doorstep. This includes: the Rhine gorge, the Mosel valley, the less known but pretty Lahn valley, the old university town of Marburg, Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Aschaffenburg, Würzburg, Büdingen and Gelnhausen if you are into more romantic small towns, the rebuilt Roman military camp at Sababurg, newarby Hessenpark open-air museum, the Rheingau with Eberbach monastery where "The Name of the Rose" was filmed and wine villages like Eltville, Kiedrich, and Rüdesheim if you don't mind touristy places... and dozens of other interesting places within a circle of one hour travel time from Frankfurt.

krisan26

Thank you quokaa. While my husband is in the conference my 21 and 25 year old daughters will do some the areas you mention. Do you think that we should try and do munich before the conference(4 days) and then try Berlin after the conference(2 days)

joannyc

I wouldn't go all the way to Berlin. Too many beautiful places near Frankfurt. Not even sure that I'd go to Munich with the amount of time you have available.

Woyzeck

I agree. Berlin is too far and 2 days is not enough time, especially when you factor in travel time.

Munich is a little more realistic, but I don't see why you wouldn't consider quokka's and joannyc's advice to stick around Frankfurt. There's a lot to do. Do some activities on the Rhine.

hausfrau

I also agree with quokka. Too many people seem to go to Germany just to visit Munich and Berlin. If you insist on seeing Munich, then do so - it's a marvelous city, but take a couple days to explore the Rhine and/or Mosel valleys. I lived in Germany for 2.5 years and the Mosel Valley is hands-down my favorite part of the country. If you like beautiful scenery, charming villages, vineyards, and castles, you will not regret it!

Gary_Mc

Although Munich and southern Germany are very nice, my favorite area is just east of Frankfurt and is called Franconia (Franken). I best like Würzburg, Bamberg and Rothenburg in this area.

We re-visited the Rhine/Mosel valleys last year and it was wonderful.

As you are flying into Frankfurt, I would look around there rather than losing your limited precious time traveling around the country.

Regards, Gary

Pegontheroad

I agree with Gary. There's so much to see in the area around Frankfurt. I like the smaller cities such as Würzburg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, etc. Get a car and see something of the Mosel valley, especially the wonderful castle Burg Eltz--or the Residenz in Würzburg, the charm of Rothenburg.

Munich and Berlin are interesting, but to my way of thinking, they don't hold a candle to some of the smaller cities.

quokka

Focusing on nothing but nbig cities is a common - apologies for calling a spade a spade - mistake among visitors from overseas. Have you ever seen photos of what all larger and also many smaller cities looked like at the end of World War II? There is not much authentic historical architecture in them - a number of rebuilt monuments, otherwise post-war concrete boxes. To find that old-town flair you may imagine when thinking of old Germany (think cobblestone and half-timbered houses) you have to visit smaller places - I'd again like to point you to Marburg. Very few smaller cities have escaped destruction, among them Bamberg and Regensburg and also Heidelberg. Regensburg is one of the rare places where you find a notable amount of real medieval buildings.
If you absolutely feel you want to get away from the Frankfurt region despite the amount of places to see and things to do there, spending those four days in Franconia would be an excellent option without too much travel time.

bettyk

quokka and others are right. The big cities in Germany are much like big cities everywhere else. The prettiest parts of
Germany are outside the big cities in the countryside, along the rivers and lakes and mountains.

The area around Frankfurt is ripe with gorgeous scenery, quaint towns and good food/wine/beer.

Listen to the good advice you have received.

krisan26

The advise everyone has given me is wonderful. I still think Munich is in our plans. So far we have decided on- Arrive in Frankfurt on Sat late morning, pick up car and drive to Rothenburg. We will overnight there and see some more in that area-It sounds very interesting for all of us. Then on to Munich overnight there for Sun and Mon, Tues make our way back towards Frankfurt/Bad Soden- possibly stop ??Freiburg?? suggestions???? Then it's Bad Soden for Wed, Thurs and Fri. The girls and I will Day Trip on those days(but we need to be back to the conference by 5:30 each day- to mingle and have dinner).Possibly Wurzburg, Heidelberg. Sat and Sun I still haven't decided on. Should we try and see Trier and some of the Mosel area? The more research I do the more time I wish I had. I want to make sure the 20 year olds have fun too.

Woyzeck

Munich will be fine - your kids will enjoy it. Check out the BMW museum and Olympic Stadium if they are looking for something a little different.

As for Wurzburg, Heidelberg, Trier, Mosel, etc, I think you are still trying to squeeze to much in. You need to relax about the trip and let some of these things go, rather than trying to check boxes off. The more you rush around from place to place, the less you and your kids will get out of it. You have to save some things for your next trip, right?

Hang out in Munich a bit - there's lots to do there. No need to try to toss a few more ingredients into the already crowded stew.

krisan26

My husband has been hinting at seeing one of the car museums. He didn't even mention BMW. That is now on my list. The Germans make great machines! Maybe we will do 3 relaxing days in Munich but what would you suggest for our short day trips around Frankfurt? One day for Frankfurt itself(I've been there before) then?????

joannyc

Rhine river towns and cruise

hausfrau

The Audi museum is also near Munich (in Ingolstadt) and is excellent, so your husband needs to decide which is his favorite German manufacturer.

Wuerzburg makes a nice day trip from Frankfurt and the old town has been beautifully restored. The fortress is quite impressive.

gordon60

If you like the mountains then you could drive down to Garmisch and go up the Zugspitze, through Partnachklamm gorge, and see Newschwanstein. Its a very pretty area with lots to do.