My wife and I are flying to Frankfurt in late April and looking to spend about 5 weeks in Germany. We will base ourselves in Würzburg for a week planning to visit Rothenburg, Bamberg and Nürnberg. We wish to use rail for travel although we are more than happy to avoid big cities. We are considering visiting Berlin and staying out in the suburbs which we have done previously and enjoyed the public transport.
We would welcome suggestions of another base or two in other areas of Germany or even a nearby country. We have previously spent time in Heidelberg and Verona and loved both.

There are numerous other places you could include in a five-week visit: Cologne, the Black Forest, Southern Bavaria. To include nearby countries you could visit Vienna, Prague, or somewhere in Switzerland.

Hi Ballarat,

I just spent a month in an apartment in the tiny, lovely village of Mittenwald in Bavaria and loved it. I didn't have a car.

Mittenwald has a pedestrian center lined with shops & cafes; its buildings are covered in frescoes, and it has an 18th Century church in the middle of town, I spent a lot of time hiking the mountains around the village, or hiking to the neighboring village of Kruen. I also spent a few day-trips in Innsbruck, about an hour south, and a few day-trips in Garmisch, about 30 minutes north.

Info at www.mittenwald.de

Have fun!

s

Northern Germany: Hameln (Pied Piperville) is a really attractive base towm with good train connections. From there, head east to see Goslar and Hildesheim, west for Rinteln (terrific Weserrennaisance buildings) and Bueckeburg Palace in Bueckeburg, or north to Hannover and Celle, with its hundreds of half-timbered buildings. Hameln is located on the "Maerchenstrasse" or "Fairy Tale Road"; you may wish to visit several other nearby villages too. Here's a map from the Fairy tale road website (see home page for English.) http://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse....ten/karte.html

On the Mosel River, scenic Cochem makes a terrific base too. Good train connections - you can daytrip to Luxembourg, Trier, Bernkastel, Burg Eltz Castle, and the Rhine Valley quite easily from there.

Late April it the best time for "Tuliptime" in The Netherlands.
About 20 miles soutwest of Amsterdam is Lisse, where you will find the most beautiful tulips, hyacinths etc in full bloom. Also in the vicinity eindless fields full of those flowers.
Check:http://www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html

With 5 weeks, I wouldn't want to miss the Schwarzwald. Considering your interests (if they don't lean towards hiking) basing yourself in Strasbourg could also be an option - easy access to the Alsatian wine route.

Hi B,

Consider Dresden and/or Prague.

I highly recommend Cochem on the Mosel. Spent some time there with 2 other couples in July and we all loved it! Hotel lohspeicher was incredible and a highlight of our trip. Very reasonable with a to-die-for 5-course meal included if you choose full board.

You said that you plan to base yourself in Würzburg for an entire week. I think you would enjoy splitting up the week and spending a couple of those nights in Bamberg. Würzburg is wonderful, but Bamberg is so romantic and adorable that it definitely is worth spending a couple of nights in the old town as a change of scene. It's also closer to Nürnberg.

As another place to see, Regensburg, which is vaguely near Nürnberg, is supposed to be amazing.

I would suggest at least a week in Bavaria. You could base yourself near Berchtesgaden and explore Salzburg, the Salzkammergut, and the Berchtesgadenland region, or you could base yourself somewhere around Fussen/Garmisch Partenkirchen and use this as a base for exploring the castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, etc.) and quaint villages (Mittenwald, Oberammergau, etc).

Tracy

Many thanks all. We are still considering and perhaps will not make final itinerary until we are in Deutschland. All of interest. We are not hikers at 70+. Cochem and the Mosel sound good as well as the Rhein.
Good travels.
John and Jo

OK. We will make a base in Cochem and we definitely want to see Burg Eltz Castle. Does anyone know if we will be able to get a bus from Cochem or elsewhere to the car park at Eltz Castle. Regarding Pension Alberts as mentioned on these posts re Cochem cannot find the Pension on the net as yet. Any other accommodation recommendations for accommodation in Cochem?

"We will base ourselves in Würzburg for a week planning to visit Rothenburg, Bamberg and Nürnberg. We wish to use rail for travel although we are more than happy to avoid big cities."

Würzburg is actually pretty big - a pleasant city, but less to commend it than Nürnberg and Bamberg, really, which are substantially more historic and have better ambiance - Würzburg was pretty well flattened in WW II while the others fared better. So I think Felly has made a good suggestion - either break up your week there, or maybe spend it all in Nürnberg and daytrip from there, which, as Felly points out, also gives you access to Regensburg.

Mosel Base - good choice. I'd suggest staying in Cochem's old town. Try Haus Hilken if you want a simple, inexpensive B&B, the Lohspeicher mentioned by badames if you want an inn, or the Alte Thorschenke, an old stand-by with a good reputation, for something a bit more upscale. At any of these places, you're right in the heart of things. I'm not sure what "Pension Alberts" is in Cochem - where'd you hear about that?

Sorry Russ, Pension Albert was mentioned by Valtor on another post "Berlin to Munich to Frankfurt" I will get some more information on the accommodation you mention. If Valtor is "listening" they may know how to contact Pension Alberts.
I hear what you say about Wurzburg. We have visited Nürnburg previously and will almost certainly visit there again.
Thanks for your generous help.
John and Jo