Hubby and I decided to visit Germany in July with my Uncle. My Uncle has been to Germany many times so we will have an excellent guide, but I also prefer to do alot of individual research as I find it enhances my experience. We will concentrate on Bavaria and perhaps northern Austria as well. If you have found excellent web sites or guide books or sources of information that were valuable to you in trip planning, I would love to learn about them. Are there any German tourist bureaus that will send you information in the mail? All information is appreciated!
Thanks!

Fodors, of course, has good guide books, but I personally rely on Frommers books. I really like how they are written and carry them with me when I travel. I'm sure they have one specifically for Bavaria; if not, then certainly Germany.

This is the Germany Tourism Office from which you can request brochures:
German National Tourist Office
8484 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Telephone: +1 323 655 6085
Fax: +1 323 655 6086
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.visits-to-germany.com

Extensive and interesting website where you can find photos, travel videos, travelogues, information on where to stay, etc.
http://www.mytravelguide.com/countries/germany/

All Travel Germany -
http://www.alltravelgermany.com/

Many times, as you surf the web and find city-specific sites, you can request brochures online. (I haven't been in the Bavaria region, so don't have any to quote to you; we visited the Rhine area and I rec'd brochures from Boppard and Freiburg, for instance).

A wonderful book for sightseeing inspiration is the Eyewitness Guide series, which has one specifically for Bavaria. I don't use these for lodging/dining, but they are beautiful books and cover a lot of history, sights, small towns, loads of photos and 'floor plans'.
Eyewitness Travel Guide to Munich & the Bavarian Alps
www.amazon.com
ISBN: 0789497344 (Dec 2003- advance order $17.50)
ISBN: 0789483289 (June 1, 2002 used/like-new copy $15.77 ) - also on www.half.com for $13.00

phieagle,

As reagrds guidebooks, Lonely Planet publishes a particularly good and helpful book on Bavaria. I dereived much enjoyment and information from it during a trip to Basvaria and northern Austria last summer.

Rick Steves' book on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is also quite useful, particularly for a first-time visitor to Germany/Austria.

Lastly, make a point of purchasing Fodor's fifth edition of its colorful, instructive "Exploring Germany". It's a fun read; you'll refer to it over and over again during your Bavarian holiday.

Best of luck.

Take a look at what Bavaria Ben has to offer. Bensbauernhof.com

The website below is a good one for Bavaria; click the English option. Look under "traffic" (a weak translation) for transportation information.

www.btl.de

Individual towns and regional tourist offices will usually send you free brochures if you e-mail or call them.

I spent a month in October 1996 just touring southern Germany and a bit of Austria. If you would like my trip report I'd be happy to send it to you. Just e-mail me at [email protected]. It's such a gorgeous country with so many cute towns. Definitely write to the German Tourist Bureau for info - maps, booklets, etc. I always do that before traveling anywhere. Just plug Germany into Google or whatever and you will get lots of places to visit.

There are tons of travel info to be had for the asking. Many towns and cities in Germany have a good website with a name like www.cityname.de

And to raise general awareness, the info on the German National Tourist office - - along with hundreds of other countries can be found at the "hyper-website" www.towd.com - - Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory.

Best wishes,

Rex

Southern Geramny is a very nice place with many beautiful sites and things to do. We did this route in 2001 and the kids enjoyed it.
One impt website for you to read is that of Bavaria Ben as suggested by auntgraps. We used a lot of info from the site and Ben himself is helpful if you need more help.

You can read about our trip report on Germany @ www.kvictor.us

Wow! I thought I might get one or two suggestions, but you guys are amazing! I think one of the most enjoyable parts to a trip is planning it. Thanks again for all of your great suggestions to get me going. I am absolutely sure I will have more specific questions later.
Thanks again. If anything else comes to mind, I'm all ears!