We have to be in Berlin for business for a couple of days. Then we head back to Frankfurt to fly home. We have a very nice business associate who will be giving us a tour from Frankfurt to Berlin. On the way back we have only two full days (from Tuesday late afternoon/early evening) till our flight leaves Friday at noon. We can't decide whether we should rent a car and drive or take a train and head further south to get a better feel for the country. Any suggestions?

So how much of Berlin will you actually see? Sometimes people go to a city on business and never get to see the city they're in. Berlin is a great city. Also you might consider Dresden for your extra two days -- close by and easy to take a train to, then a train to Frankfurt. My next choice would be Munich for the two days. It hardly seems worth it to me to get a car for such a short time -- I'd stick with one of the cities mentioned.

Germany is a great country to get around via train. I'd say pick a destination or area, and don't worry about renting and returning the car.

I think Munich is a lot to bite off in just 2 days, especially considering the distances you'll need to travel to get there. If you're done with Berlin, I'd suggest taking the train back to the Frankfurt area and spending a couple of nights in the Rhine Gorge just northwest of there, one of the latest additions to UNESCO's list of world heritage sites and a place you could almost absorb with a couple of nights there. Boppard, St. Goar, and Bacharach are all scenic, well-located towns that will provide a real contrast with brash Berlin. Tour Marksburg Castle, take a river cruise, take a hike, drink some wine... and it's over (you don't need a car for this stuff.) And you're just a "Steinwurf" away from Frankfurt airport for your Friday flight.

I suggest to visit Dresden. Magnificent Baroque sights, museums and beautifully located to both sides of the Elbe river with green hills in the north. You should tour the city on Wed and make a daytrip to the gorgeous countryside southeast of Dresden, called Saxon Switzerland, on Tue. Nice for recovering and hiking, bizarre sandstone rock formations and beautiful forests. You can easily get there by train or paddle steamer from Dresden.

I agree with Russ - there is more to see in Germany than just the cities. I think the real charm of any country lies in the countryside and a short stay in the Rhine valley will give you a better "feel" for the country. If, however, you are a city person, then Munich, Dresden, Leipzig are all wonderful but a little of the track from Berlin to Frankfurt. Enjoy your trip! A car would be ideal(almost a necessity)for the Rhine area.

saalfeldk - another option would be to stop in the Harz Mountains. This area is just south of the main Autobahn heading west out of Berlin. Goslar and Quedlinburg are charming moderate sized medieval villages in a very picturesque countryside only about 3 hrs from Berlin and 3-1/2 from Frankfurt. Still another option to consider would be Franconia, visiting Bamburg, Weimar, Erfurt, or Eisenach. Though Munich is exciting and Bavaria is beautiful - 2 days with all the traveling will not do it justice. I think you will find these itinerarys just as enjoyable. Which ever itinerary you choose I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

Charlie B
Thanks for the info. On the way from Frankfurt we'll be stopping at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Erfurt, Weinmar, Naumburg, Leipzig, and Wittenberg. Once in Berlin, I'll have time to see a lot while my husbands in meetings. He will see a little. We would like to concentrate more on the country. The car is free and easy for us to get and return, if it makes more sense than the train. We were thinking of going to Rothenburg or Heidelberg on the way (round about) back to Frankfurt. We just want to be exposed to the beauty of the country.
Thanks,
saalfeldk

Here is an old post from the Late - Great Wes Fowler:
Here s a novel idea or two. These itineraries are based on Gottingen, a town about 280kms northeast of Frankfurt. (The distance is about the same as from Frankfurt to Schongau on the Romantic Road in Upper Bavaria.) It seems as though many prospective travelers to Germany think primarily of Bavaria and its Romantic Road or the Rhine and Mosel Valleys as the only appealing and scenic spots of interest in Germany. The area immediately surrounding Gottingen is laced with scenic roads, medieval houses, fairy tale villages and the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (the Fairytale Route) and the fairy tales to accompany them, wooden churches reminiscent of Scandanavia, Egyptian antiquities (!?!) , imposing castles both Renaissance and Baroque in style and evidence of the reign of Charlemagne. Gottingen itself has an incongruous feature, the university founded in 1737 by the Elector Georg August of Hannover who, just coincidentally, happened to be King George II of England. All are unencumbered with the hordes of tourists more commonly found in Bavaria.

To thoroughly explore and enjoy the delights of the portions of the Lander Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen and Niedersachsen that lie about Gottingen, one should plan on traveling by auto and devoting a week's time to capture the essence of the area.
Where to begin? What to see? Begin in Gottingen and visit the Town Hall, its Ratskeller, guardroom and most impressive, the Rathaus Halle. Where is it? Immediately behind the statue of Ganseliesl, the Goose Girl. Wander from the Market Place to 25 Rote Strasse and you'll find the oldest house in Lower Saxony, dating to 1276.

Johannisstrasse, Burgstrasse and Barfusserstrasse all have unaltered houses that date to the early 1500s. Many of these half-timbered houses have ornate decorated facades. The Junkernschanke Inn at the corner of Judenstrasse and Barfusserstrasse, not far from the Town Hall, has medallion heads of saints and sinners, including portraits of the original 16th century owners, mounted on the walls.

In the Municipal and University library northwest of the town hall you'll find a huge collection of manuscripts including a Gutenburg bible from 1455.

Here's an interesting and scenic itinerary that encompasses a good part of the upper Harz Mountain area. Take Rte 27 north east from Gottingen to Herzberg and visit its castle. Unique in that it's wood framed it's the ancestral home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. (Built in 1510, it was the home of Ernst August, the founder of the English-Hannoverian dynasties.) Continue from Herzberg on Rte 243 to Osterode and pick up Rte 241 the German Holiday Road (Deutsche Ferienstrasse) to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Detour about halfway to Bad Grund on Rte 242 to visit the Iberger caves. Return to Rte 242 and Clausthal which has an interesting wooden church dating to the early 1600s. Take Rte 241 to Goslar, a former Imperial city with some magnificent buildings. The arcaded, ornate Rathaus houses a stunning Council chamber dating to the mid 1400s. Opposite the Rathaus a chiming clock provides four scenes of the town's mining history at 9AM, noon, 3PM and 6PM. Just north of the Marktplatz a smaller square, Schunhof, is completely surrounded by half-timbered arcaded houses. The Kaiserfalz, the Imperial palace is southwest of Marktplatz. It's a 12th century palace, immense when one considers its age. Adjacent to it the Palatine Church contains the tomb and effigy of Heinrich III, its first occupant.

Continue on Rte 241 to Bad Harzburg, a town devoted to spa cures, diets and beauty treatments (one of the interests you expressed) and take Rte 4 south to the Romerkalle waterfall in the Okertal valley. Continue on to Braunlage and Rte 27. Take Rte 27 west to Bad Lauterberg, yet another spa town where you can pick up a cable car to the top of Wurmberg (Worm Mountain) for some stunning views of the Harz mountains and forests. Rte 27 will take you back to Gottingen.
This itinerary among other things will get you to the stomping grounds of some of Germany's more legendary and mythical personages. It'll also expose you to the artistry of ancient Egypt, contemporary Africa and German porcelain! Can't be more eclectic no matter how hard I might try.

From Gottingen, take Rte 3 north through Northeim to Einbeck. At one time in the Middle Ages, Einbeck was home to over 700 breweries. Talk about "home brew"; seems like all the townspeople did. The Marktplatz is surrounded by wooden houses, two of which are particularly interesting. The town pharmacy (Rats-Apotheke) and the Brodhaus opposite, both dating from the 16th century, give evidence of their use by brewers. Dormers on both building open to attics where hops, barley and malt were stored to dry before brewing. In the plaza you'll find a statue of Til Eulenspiegel, the local brewery worker, prankster and trouble maker of legend who was the subject of Richard Strauss' tone poem of the same name.

For one of the most stunningly original building facades, continue from Einbeck to Alfeld on the banks of the river Leine to view the Alte Lateinschule. The school and its fagade date to 1610. The exterior is laced with what appear to be porcelain replicas of gods, goddesses and various human virtues. Quite stunning and, unlike so many half-timbered and wooden buildings in these Saxony villages, made of brick.


Continue from Alfeld to Hildesheim, a town severely damaged in World War II but lovingly restored. There is a marked pedestrian trail, the Rosenroute, that will take you past most of the major sites in town. On the square Am Steine in the southwestern section of town you'll find the Roemer-Pelizaeus museum which houses the largest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts in Germany outside of Berlin. In the western suburb of Hildesheim-Sorsum you'll find the Afrika Manyatta museum devoted to African folk crafts, many of which are available for purchase in the museum's gift shop.

From Hildesheim drive west on Rte 1 to Hameln, the legendary town of the Pied Piper. The Rat Catcher's Home (Rattenfangerhaus) like many of the fine houses in Hameln are in a style different than you've encountered up to now. The design is Weser Renaissance with a preponderance of pinnacled gables and ornate scrollwork. Most date from the early part of the 17th century and are very much in evidence around the town square and adjacent streets and alleys.

Take Rte 83 south, on the bank of the Weser River to Bodenwerder. Here, the ornate town hall is the former mansion of Baron Munchhausen, a real person renowned in legend as the world's greatest storyteller and liar. Continue south to Hoxter, cross the river and look for directional signs to Furstenberg, the porcelain factory and museum housed in a palace dating from 1747.

Backtrack and continue south on the banks of the Weser to the village of Munden where the Weser is formed by the convergence of the Werra and Fulda rivers. Munden lies in a basin surrounded by the two rivers and lovely hills. It's a charming village in an equally charming setting. From Munden you can return to Gottingen via Rte 3.
I don't know how long you plan to stay in the area of Gottingen, but if you've got additional time, I'd suggest a drive on the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (Germany Fairytale Route) to Hofgeismar, a walled village and on to Kassel with its stunning collection of Rembrandts and prehistoric antiquities housed in Schloss Wilhelmshohe, a building that has been home at one time or another to Jerome Napoleon, Napoleon III and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
I would add that Quedlinburg and Werrnigerode are also not to be missed if you have time (turn right at Braunlage instead of proceeding directly to Bad Harzburg). It is worth repeating that all this mountain region was completely untouched by the ravages of the war and you are seeing the genuine 1000 year old article in many cases.

The Frankfurt airport is located southwest of the city, as is the town of Assmannshausen on the banks of the Rhine. The drive from the airport to Assmannshausen is under 40 miles the bulk of which is via autobahn; the drive time is only 50 minutes or so. To allay your husband's concerns, take a look at the website:
www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa
Click on the "Online guide" in the left hand frame. In the columns now appearing on your screen, you can see pictographs of European road signs, by clicking on "Germany" see rules of the road and common German phrases seen on signage, i.e. "Eingang" - entrance; "Ausfahrt" - exit, etc.

For a reasonably priced hotel in Assmannshausen, go to
www.assmannshausen.mittelrhein.net and click on the photo for the Hotel Cafe-Post. Double rooms with bath are between $65 and $85 dollars. The hotel is family owned, riverside with sloping hillsides to the rear. Assmannshausen is far less touristy than Rudesheim.

Here s an itinerary that encompasses part of the Mosel Valley and part
of the Rhine Valley that may be of interest to you. It encompasses slightly less than 150 miles.
Assuming you may be staying in or near Assmannshausen, drive south on
Route 42 to the ferry to Bingen on the western shore of the Rhine. In
Bingen take Rte A61 about 11 miles to Rheinbollen where you ll pick up
Rte 50 to Bernkastel. Bernkastel has a lovely town square surrounded
by timber-framed houses and an interesting wine museum. Continue north
on Rte B53 on the banks of the Mosel River to Traven-Trarbach and drive
up to the ruins of the fortress Grevenburg where you ll get a superb
view of the Mosel Valley and the town below. Continue on to Cochem,
where you ll be deep in the heart of wine country. Pick up Rte B49/B416
to Moselkern and Burg Eltz, one of Germany s truly spectacular river
fortresses. It s a steep drive and you have to walk the last few meters
or take the shuttle bus. The guided tour is well worthwhile. Backtrack
to Moselkern and turn left on B416 to Koblenz. Koblenz was flattened in
WW II and has been restored. Look for the signs for the Felsenfestung
Ehrenbreitstein, (the Rock Fortress), accessible by chair lift. The
largest fortress in Europe offers impressive views of the city below and
two mountain ranges, the Eifel and the Hunsruck.

Take Rte B9 south from Koblenz to Boppard. You re now alongside the
Rhine. Boppard has the reamins of Roman fortifications walls some 20
off feet high and in the Alte Burg (Old Castle) there s an interesting
museum devoted to the region s folkways.

St. Goar is about 9 miles south of Boppard on Rte B9. There s an
interesting church the Stiftskirche. Its interest comes about due to
the diversity of its architectural style with a Romanesque crypt and
architectural embellishments from the 15th, 16th and 17th century. St.
Goar, too, has a castle fortress, the 13th century Burg Rheinfels.

Bingen, 20 miles south of St Goar on B9 has yet another fortress that
dates back to Roman times. It s the Burg Klopp. On the ferry back to
Assmannshausen, you might notice a tower on an island in the Rhine. It s
the Mauseturm (Mice Tower) and dates back to the early 1200s.

saalfeldk - your itinerary to Berlin sounds ideal! How I envy you! If you have the chance try to add Dresden to your itinerary (Leipzig to Dresden to Wittenbach to Berlin). Dresden is not what we think of as a typical German city with quaint town square with half-timbered, gabled houses, but a truly spectacular Baroque city. I am not a tour guide, but I think your idea of Rothenburg and Heidelburg is great considering your time constraints. They are not my favorites and I would prefer the Gottingen and the Harz, but I am in the minority - so have fun, I'm sure you will enjoy your trip.

We will leave Berlin 9:00am Wednesday. Are considering driving to Gottengin or Goslar. Which do you recommend and why? May then drive to Rothenburg and spend the night. Then will drive and see the Rhein on Thursday before ending up in Frankfurt. We leave the next day at noon for home. We are used to getting a lot into a short time. What's your opinion? What the biggest difference between Goslar and Gottengin? What the biggest difference between either of these and Rothenburg? We're looking for a quaint town with some shopping. If we decided to spend the last night in a castle along the Rhein instead of Frankfurt, which one is the best and still where we'll feel comfortable getting to the airport the next morning without getting lost?
Thanks again everyone,
Kathy

Kathy - what a wonderful itinerary you have planned. As to Gottinngen vs. Goslar I would probably choose Gottingen with perhaps a stop in Goslar for lunch.