Dale

Please advise of this, and the best method of transportation to get there; also cost

jim

I believe trier, although Heidelberg is GREAT

dr

I believe it is Trier

jahoulih

Aachen is probably closest in terms of travel time--3:16 by train. One-way fare for 2d class is 66.60 Euros. Getting to Trier by train takes over 5 hours.

Dale

Is it 3hours or 5hours by train, to Achen? Thanks!

Dale

Jahoulih, Is Aachen a quaint German town? Thanks! Do we buy rail ticket in Europe or USA? Dale

jahoulih

3:16 to Aachen, about 5:15 to Trier.

jahoulih

I guess you could call Aachen quaint. It's the site of the church where Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800. You can wait till you get to Europe to buy tickets.

Dale

Jahoulin, Is Aachen a quaint German town? I heard Trier looks more Roman. Rail tickets can they be purchased in Paris or should be purchased in USA? THANKS!

Gar

hi there,<BR>I think Aachen is more "quaint" than Trier. Depends on whether You are after the Romans or not. Both are listet in the UNESCO heritage of mankind, so You wont be disappointed. Tickets You will get easyly in PAris.<BR>have fun<BR>Gar

Gaia

I have a different suggestion - if you have never been there - why don't you visit Strassbourg, it is in France but not French at all and beautiful. Near the border in Germany, the only town which is original is Heidelberg, all the others were destroyed and rebuilt after WW2.

Dale

Gaua, Thanks that is a great suggestion, how travel by rail? How much? Can I buy ticket in Paris? What is on the German side of Strassburg? How far is it from Paris?

evo2

Paris - Strasbourg is 4 hrs by train and 400 km distance. Yes, buy a ticket in Paris or on-line (37 euro). <BR><BR>www.sncf.fr for French Railways and they have an English language site<BR>www.mapblast.com for driving instructions<BR><BR>The Black Forest is just over the Rhine from Strasbourg and Baden Baden is a very pleasant spa town.<BR><BR>However, what is your definition of a quaint German town? Are you looking for a fairytale village with castles? In which case, Aachen and Trier may disappoint, altough they may satisfy as stunning historical cities. Aachen has one of the finest cathedrals in Europe, which will take your breath away and Trier has some excellent Roman remains plus the birthplace of Karl Marx!<BR><BR>Any of the German Rhine or Mosel towns would satisfy quaintness.<BR>

Dale

Thanks so much, I am looking for a quaint true German town

Russ

Dale: Aachen is much more a city than a quaint town, and Trier isn't far behind. If you can make it to the Mosel region, do. "Bernkastel" is a synonym for "quaint" in my lexikon. If you can't get that far, try Saarburg, just north of Saarbr&uuml;cken, the major border town with France in the area. It has a cool waterfall that plunges through town. You can see photos of both at the following site: <BR><BR>http://www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/mos...ightsengl.html

Dale

Russ, Thank you so much! I saw the pics, do you know how far Saarburg is from Paris? Which rail to take and the cost? Saarburg looks like what I am looking for, not Trier(looks Roman).

Joe

I did a day trip to Aachen a few years while attending a conference in Liege. I agree with one of the posters who said that it, like most German cities on the western border, were pretty much destroyed during WW II. But the cathedral and its treasury were worth the trip for me, even though I assume the building was mostly a reconstruction. When I was there the only way to see Charlemange's throne was to join a German-language tour. I don't have a clue what they were saying, but I was bowled over by the sense of history.

Lois Gan

Joe, Thank you for your information. Lois

jahoulih

Lois and Dale (I had a feeling you two were together), how much time are you planning for the German leg of your trip? If it's a day trip from Paris, then Aachen is probably your best (maybe your only) possibility. If it's overnight, then my recommendation would be the night train to Munich, a night in Munich, then the night train to Venice, but there are lots of possiblities.

Russ

Dale: To get prices, I checked both the German train site (www.bahn.de) and the French (www.sncf.fr) which show a fare of 18 Euro for two tickets Saarbr&uuml;cken to Saarburg, and between 63 and 79 Euro (depends on the train) for 2 tickets Paris to Forbach (the French border station just across from Saarbr&uuml;cken.) You'll have to pay a few pennies more for the ride between Forbach and Saarbr&uuml;cken, so the whole trip should be under 100 Euro for two, and of course you can buy individual tickets for the entire journey in Paris. The whole trip is 5 hours. There's an 8:54 departure from Paris.<BR><BR>Saarburg has a town website at www.saarburg.de where you can check out a few more photos (see "postcards" too.)<BR>There isn't a lot to do in Saarburg, but it is an attractive place for a half-day's visit and an outdoor meal on the town square, not a bad place to overnight and head out from the next day to the Mosel if you have time.