50th Birthday Trip
 

My mom and I were looking to plan a 50th Birthday trip for my dad to Germany. He was born in Munich, so we obviously woud love to take him back there and explore. Any ideas on other places to see? As for hotels, we like to stay in upscale, nice, clean places.

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Hi Mschau - It's really best if you start with a guidebook - to get some ideas yourself.

How can we plan a trip to suite you? We need some input from you first. That's probably why you got no answers when you first posted.

When you have an outline itinerary, come back and we may be able to help ...

Steve

For me the easiest guide book with which to begin planning a trip is the Michelin Green Guide. It has a handy map in the front with major tourist sights rated (not to be taken as gospel). The Eyewitness Travel Guides are loaded with illustrations which might peak your interests. Fodor, Lonely Planet and Frommers are better for me when I already have a destination in mind. Rick Steves guides are more limited but more detailed on specific locations, and I like them for hotel recommendations. You might well find any, several of these guides in your local library.

Also a couple on-line resources:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti.../germ_menu.htm

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/

Again Rick Steves' site is more limited in the places it addresses. The trips on Ben's site are often car oriented.

Within a day's train or car ride of Munich you have the Alps, Royal Castles of Bavaria, Salzburg, the medieval cities of Franken, the Black Forest, Regensburg and Passau, and much more than I could mention, all worth a vacation stop.

Regards, Gary

Thanks so much. I'll start looking.

When I first start planning a trip to a new location I don't know about, I get guidebooks from the library. Just put in a request for anything they have on Germany. That way you can check out a pile of books and do your initial research for free.

The internet is a great resource, but I find it overwhelming to do research there until you have things narrowed down a bit.