Black Forest to Cologne driving trip plan
 

Hi again Fodorites,

Well our week in the Black Forest (near Staufen in Breisag) is coming to an end so on Tuesday we head north to Cologne. We are driving and travelling with 4 children. I'm looking for some recommendations on stops along the way.

We plan to leave by 9am and arrive in Cologne between 8-8:30pm. It looks to be just over 4 hours. So far we've really enjoyed our stops in towns that are not too big, easily accessible and the kids particularly like a nearby park or river. Originally I was thinking we might stop in Heidelberg for lunch and then Bonn for dinner. But I'm reconsidering since these are both fairly large places.

On a quick internet search I discovered The town of Heppenheim on the Baden Wine route that I thought may be suitable, but thought I'd ask the experts.

Many thanks in advance,

Aussiecj

Baden-Baden is nice -spiffy thermal spa and if you can get there early enough (by noon I think) you can take a tour of the grandiose old casino where in the 1800s the whos who of Europe gathered to wager.

a nice easy town to navigate -lots of nice and inexpensive restaurants IME.

Your family would enjoy the elaborate play facility in Bingen, adjacent to the Rhine River:

http://www.bingen.de/en/tourism-cult...ure-playground

Bingen has a long river promenade as well.

The Rhine Gorge is a superb suggestion from Fuss - you have to get off the more direct autobahn route and take a fairly fast road along the western flank of the Rhine -been to Bingen many times and it is nice and easy stop for the riverside play area -bring a picnic! Very scenic part of Rhine.

If you want to visit a great castle - Marksburg on this stretch of Rhine would be it -drive on roads on the east side of the Rhine Gorge - the only authentic non-rebuilt intact medieval castle on the whole stretch - kids could like that:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mark...w=1920&bih=950

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Bingen looks fantastic for the kids. If we don't stop there on our way to Cologne, we will definitely fit it in during our days at Bernkastel-Kues.

I'm going to somewhat play it by ear depending on how the kids are coping tomorrow- but I've got a few options for stops. Spent a gorgeous day at Badenweiler today and feeling almost too relaxed to get the packing done to get us off early.

Loving this beautiful country & wishing we had more days to spend here!

Oh and Marksburg also sounds great. Will definitely try to get there too.

Baden Baden is probably a bit too soon to stop unless we get off super early. Since we made it to Badenweiler we prob won't stop at the spa but a wander through the town for morning tea stop could work if we leave at the right time.

Thanks again!

Have you considered staying in Cochem - a picture postcard town that is better situated for touring the Rhine and things like Burg Eltz -one of Germany's most famous castles near it?

I've stayed for years on bike trips I led up the Mosel and Cochem would be my favorite but Bernkastel is neat too - just significantly farther from the Rhine.

Hi Palenq,

I did look at staying in Cochem, but couldn't find accommodation for our big family that was in my budget for the dates I needed. That was my initial preference. Too many pieces of the puzzle to balance this time. We will definitely be back to Germany in the future- maybe without the children - so much to see and explore!

Any other thoughts please let me know- the local insight is so valuable!

Cheers
Aussiecj

Heppenheim is a perfectly fine choice with lots of half-timbered houses and a very beautiful market square. If you want to show the kids a large castle ruin a bit further is Schloß Auerbach near Bensheim.
For the second stop, the most scenic location on your direct route is doubtlessly Limburg with its large cathedral atop the Laahn river.

Cheers
Aussiecj>

Bernkastel is really nice and I guess if you take the autobahn it is not that far from Cochem or the Rhine (you can also take routes to the Rhine avoiding Koblenz by going up and over the hills I think to the Rhine-I did by bike once.

http://www.hotel-haus-lipmann.com/

This family-run hotel in a fairly small village lies between B-K and Cochem - at one of the prettiest parts of the Mosel. People here rave about it - small village may be better for kids I think than a city (as long as there is a swimming pool - all villages and towns seem to have Mosel-side kids play areas.

Well just a thought. I'm not down on Bernkastel but for location (and views of Mosel from the towns is not nearly as awesome as Cochem or Beilstein IMO).

I agree with Lubitsch about stopping in Limburg an der Lahn. If you are stopping in Heppenheim (which I haven't visited) it would be logical to take the A3 (which I do know) right to Cologne; that would be most direct. Limburg is very pretty and worth a stop. On the same road just before Limburg is Idstein and that also has a very well-preserved Altstadt (old part of the city). It is on the German Fachwerkstrasse (Half-Timbered House Road, a route selected for its scenic towns).

The A3 is a very busy road - like all Autobahns not much to see on the way, so you will be leaving the road whenever you stop at a town.

Lavandula