Advice on Germany
 

I would like to visit Berlin for three or four days and from there travel to a picturesque, historic part of the country to stay for a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks

There are picturesque places all over the country. There are historic places all over the country. Your question is a bit broad. What are you interests, are you planning on just staying in that one spot relaxing, or do you want to do day trips, and so on. Often the term picturesque doesn't go that well together with historic, since tons of big time history is seldom made in small, pretty villages. You also need to clarify what you mean by historic. Ancient history, Celts and Romans, middle ages, emperors, WW1 or WW2, or modern?

I love Germany. Mainhattengirl asks good questions. Your answers to those questions will help.

>>to stay for a couple of weeks<<

What do you want to do during the couple of weeks? Writing a book? Sightseeing? Hiking?

One of the most picturesque, historic parts of Germany is the Harz. Wernigerode and Quedlinburg are unbelievably beautiful. The Harz is also good for hiking; you can ride a scenic steam engine train up to the top of the mountain etc.

Another option would be the Rhine/Mosel/Ahr region with quaint old towns, wineries AND some attractive cities in daytrip distance: Trier, Köln, Aachen, Bonn, Düsseldorf...

A third option is Franken. Also very beautiful villages, many of them walled, with wineries and beautiful churches. Iphofen would be a good choice if you opt for a nice 4-star hotel with excellent cuisine.

Well, I was thinking of starting in Berlin and after that, taking a train in the direction of Strasbourg, where I am going to do a house exchange. I would like to stay in one spot between these two cities for a week and do day trips from there. I'd prefer a smaller town, not a large one. I am interested in medaeval history, castles, art galleries, museums and opportunities to walk in the outdoors.
Regards
Lesley Fehr

Hi V,

Have you looked up Germany under "Destinations"?

((I))

Hi if you like to get impressions of Germany with many pictures, here is a a website with cities, national parks, world heritages and many things more:

http://www.germanplaces.com/

My favorites of Germany are Potsdam (30min away from Berlin)

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/potsdam.html

Erfurt:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/erfurt.html

Wartburg Castle:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/...rg-castle.html

Heidelberg:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/heidelberg.html

Neuschwanstein Castle:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/...in-castle.html

and Rothenburg:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/...er-tauber.html

Have fun ...

You might consider Bacharach or some other location on the middle Rhein.

Do a search on this forum for "Bacharach"

You can also check out my travel reports that talk about Bacharach.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-england.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...travelogue.cfm

Jack

Bamberg is a wonderful small city with a very nice Altstadt. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Very historic--both an emporer and a pope are buried there. Split by the Regnitz River and the Main-Donau Kanal, which adds to the interest. Has the requisite castle, some interesting museums, and is famous as a beer brewing center.

The Altstadt is not an artificially maintained tourist enclave, but a working part of today's city. Gets enough tourists to have a good tourism infrastructure, but not mobbed by bus tour groups like Rothenburg o.d. Tauber.

I had a look at where the train from Berlin to Strasbourg stops on the Deutsche Bahn website (http://www.bahn.co.uk/ for reference) and a lot of the places are actually very interesting, so maybe worth checking that out.

The one that stood out for me, however, was definitely Göttingen - the old university town has such a rich hostory and culture that I think it will be just what you are looking for. The official website http://www.goettingen.de/index.php?lang=en gives a lot of information and a great overview of the town.

Instead of trying to find a hotel, you could stay in a guest house or a B&B - this link may be helpful http://www.bedandbreakfast-directory...own=Goettingen

Alternatively you could rent accommodation; try http://www.casamundo.co.uk/germany/ for a good selection in Germany.

Thank you everyone for your assistance. The house exchange is confirmed and now I have lots of information to base my decisions on. I really appreciate it.
vanessagillian

totally agree with traveller1959. the harz area has everything to accommodate all your interests. ancient towns, castles and fortresses, folk stuff, a large national park with wilderness areas... in that area you may also find the birthplace of martin luther in eisleben (if that is of interest to you).