I'll be attending the BookFair in Frankfurt this October. I'm attempting to carve out some time ahead of the fair to visit a new city / new cities for three nights: I'd fly overnight on Friday from New York, spend all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and by say 10-11 AM on Tuesday catch the train to Frankfurt. Oh and one of these nights would be my birthday, so I figured why not have a solo weekend away to add to the conference!

I've narrowed down to three candidates, that all have nonstop flights from NYC (and are all in the same price range in terms of flight), are within about 4 hours by train of Frankfurt, and are new to me (I recently visited Amsterdam and my second trip to Paris is in 3 weeks, so those were ruled out).

I'm now having trouble narrowing down between a long weekend in Berlin, Munich, or Belgium (some combination of Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp, and I would definitely want to stay at least one night in Bruges). Based on what I like to do, and your experiences, where would you advise me to go?

Here are my major interests for city breaks, and what my perceptions are from the research I've done so far:

-FOOD AND DRINK: sounds like Belgium is an easy winner in this category in terms of overall food quality. I like a range of food options, from street food to high end dining, although most of my meals are usually in causal restaurants or cafes. I know very little about the food of Germany, and more specifically the food of Berlin or Munich and Bavaria - it sounds very beer and sausage heavy, which does not send me anywhere. Berlin sounds like it would rank second here for availability of options, and some great Turkish/vegetarian choices. I'm not a big drinker, but I don't drink beer, only wine, so that element is lost to me in either case. I'm hoping in either case, German/French/Italian/Austrian/etc wine is on offer in restaurants instead of only beer.

-MUSEUMS AND HOMES/PALACES: I'm from New York, so I love the option of ducking into a great museum if the weather is poor, or it strikes my fancy. On my last trip to Paris, I visited Musee d'Orsay, de l'Orangerie and Marmottan, and loved the latter two especially for low crowds. In Amsterdam, I visited the Van Gogh Museum which I found overly crowded and poorly laid out, but loved the Rijksmuseum which was not crowded on my visit and was fascinated with the Old Master collections. Oddly though, I loved Versailles, but I did gardens first followed by interiors in the late afternoon, so again wasn't overwhelmed with other tourists. Bruges/Ghent/Antwerp don't seem to have a big must see museum or home/palace for my tastes, but those they have seem interesting enough that I would wander in if I passed by and felt inclined. Berlin sounds like it has a wealth of museums, and I'd certainly have to do more research to see which ones I may consider in my short time (although Pergamon sounds great to me). I'm intrigued by Munich's Alte Pinakothek, to see more Old Masters, as well as their Neue Pinakothek and Munich Residenz (and maybe the Glyptothek to shortlist)

-SCENERY AND/OR CITYSCAPE: I loved the architecture of Paris as much as the canals of Amsterdam as much as the wild countryside of Iceland. So here I think Munich or the Belgian cities are in the lead, Munich for its rebuilt old city and the potential to see the Bavarian Alps, Belgian cities for their architecture and canals. I can't get a read on Berlin, but thursdayd's trip report about all the construction seemed to put a damper on appreciating strolling around the city. Being able to do a canal tour or bike tour also has extra appeal in the Belgian cities.

-LIMITED TIME: It sounds as though Munich is probably most easily "seen" in 3 nights, because the city center is very compact. The Belgian cities are also well linked, although I would need to figure out where to put the other two nights besides one in Bruges. Berlin sounds like it is the hardest to get an initial feel for in only 3 nights, and the less compact nature and array of sights warrant more time.

-LIMITED LANGUAGE: My French is pretty good, though that won't help me in Belgium other than in Brussels where I'd change trains. I have no knowledge of Dutch or German, though I would make an effort to learn at least some pleasantries and important words beforehand. So I'll mostly be using pleasantries, Google translate, English and miming to get around, if that makes a difference.

Right now, based on all these factors, I would probably lean towards the Belgian cities, with Munich a close second. I feel like I may be missing something about Berlin, but maybe it just doesn't suit what I'm looking for at the moment.

Short version: 3 nights, looking for great food at a range of price points, art museums/historical palace and residences as an option, and some beautiful scenery (city, town or nature) to wander about in and take photos. Leaning towards Belgian cities (needing help with night combination) or Munich. What would you choose based on my interests?

Thanks, and sorry that was so long!

Oh, and the weekend option in Munich would be after Oktoberfest is over, so no worries on that front in terms of extra crowds / prices.

You, friend, do not need much advice. The force is strong in you. My two cents worth on your analysis;

>>>>FOOD AND DRINK:

I agree with you - Belgium probably wins. I get shaky thinking of the fries, chocolates and waffles. German food is not all sausages and beer, although I am certainly glad they are so well represented. Good wine and international restaurants are readily available. The Germans don't eat out exclusively on sausage kraut and schnitzel any more that Americans do exclusively on burgers, and pasta.

>>>>MUSEUMS AND HOMES/PALACES:

Berlin is the absolute winner here, with Belgium a distant third. Brugge and Ghent have some museums, of course, but they are small.

>>>>SCENERY AND/OR CITYSCAPE:

Belgium would win here. Berlin is fascinating but not beautiful, nor is Munich (except for the Alpine region south but you won't have much tome to try and experience that). They have their sights, with Berlin exhibiting some fabulous modern architecture, but nothing compared to the cityscape of Brugge if it is traditional old Europe ambiance you are seeking.

>>>>LIMITED TIME:

I agree - Munich would be the easiest destination from Frankfurt, with Berlin second and Brugge/Ghent (BG) third. The connections required for BG and the additional travel time might be a concern over your three day window.

>>>>LIMITED LANGUAGE:

Not an issue for any of the locations. English is widely and happily spoken, especially if you learn the pleasantries and take the time to use them. Learn how to ask if you may speak in English in Flemish and German and you will receive smiling responses of "of course", "certainly" and "yes" depending on the underlying mood of the person you are approaching.


>>>>Right now, based on all these factors, I would probably lean towards the Belgian >>>>cities, with Munich a close second. I feel like I may be missing something about >>>>Berlin, but maybe it just doesn't suit what I'm looking for at the moment.

Unless the cold war and the history of 20th century Europe being on display in front of you appeals to you, or unless you are interested in the unique and free Berlin lifestyle, the Berlin might rate a 3rd place for you.


>>>>Short version: 3 nights, looking for great food at a range of price points, art >>>>museums/historical palace and residences as an option, and some beautiful >>>>scenery (city, town or nature) to wander about in and take photos. Leaning >>>>towards Belgian cities (needing help with night combination) or Munich. What >>>>would you choose based on my interests?

It depends on whether you want a smaller city experience or a metropolis experience. If you think small city would be better as a counterpoint to Frankfurt, then BG makes sense over Munich, or Berlin, given the food and cityscape wins that you have granted it.

Personally, I would spend all 3 nights in Brugge (3 visits 10 nights spent) and take a day trip to Ghent. I don't know if you would have the time or interest in a second trip to Antwerp.
I have also been to Munich and Berlin more than 4 times each - you can probably tell that I think they all have merits.

>>>>Thanks, and sorry that was so long!

The more info you give the easier it is to provide useful feedback.

While I agree about belgium for food - IMHO it has by far the best food in europe (from Michelin star places to casual cafes it is just excellently done) - I would pick Berlin.

You have only 3 days and coming off a flight from NY trekking from city to city in belgium - even though the distances are short - will break up the 3 days too much.

Berlin is a fascinating city, has a plethora of great museums (do NOT miss the Pergamon) and a host of other things to see and do, as well as a very active nightlife suitable for all. the differences between east and west are still visible and make the city even more interesting.

I think German food can best be described as hearty and portions are not small. But there are plenty of places with very good food that don;t require spending a fortune. And, of course, wine is always an option - often interesting ones you won;t see at home.

I like to tailor my choices of destination to the time I have, so personally, I would take Berlin off the table for this trip -- IMO, it deserves more time than you can give it.

Beyond that, you've got lots of good info about the pros and cons of Munich and Bruges +; no bad calls that I see!

Aramis, thanks so much for the kind words and going through my lengthy post in detail. kja and nytraveler, thank you for your perspectives and feedback as well!

I'm going to look into some hotel and B&B prices during my weekend, and see if pricing tips anything one way or another.

And I do think I will go with my gut and not choose Berlin for this trip: it's still eluding me in terms of interest and agree that length of visit would be tough.

So a coin flip between Bruges+ and Munich, and as Aramis says, do I want city + city, or small + city since I am in Frankfurt immediately after. A little more research and I will make a decision.

Thank you again!!

Munich would be my pick. The food is wonderful, I could live on the salads alone but you have such a huge choice to pick from now. We went last trip during spargel season and ate off the special spargel menu.

Nymphenburg Palace and other museums on a Sunday or head to the Alps for a day trip.

Just to update, I decided to go with Bruges+ mainly because the airfare ended up significantly cheaper than going to Munich - I'm flying into Brussels and out of Frankfurt for $888, nonstop from NYC on United/Lufthansa. And though I am not paying for my ticket, coming in under budget for this work trip is good for my department as a whole.

Will definitely stay 2 nights in Bruges. Thinking about using my final night to stay in Brussels, since my train to Frankfurt is earlier in the morning on Tuesday. Hoping to work in some time in Ghent, just a matter of figuring out when.

I will post a trip report once I've visited (still finishing my Iceland report now, and have a trip to Paris ahead of that).

Thanks again everyone for the advice!