Cologne - Rhine - Rothenburg Help -Itinerary tweeking
 

Hello

I need assitance with the Germany leg of my 53 day First Europe holiday!!

I will be coming from 3 days in Amsterdam on a thursday night in May arriving at 21:12 on ICE. I plan on staying the night in Cologne (however also the option of staying in Amsterdam and arriving on the Friday morning at 9.43am - which would you do???).

I would then like to hire a car and head towards the Rhine region and stay a night (or 2) (which town would you reccomend considering that I will have a car) before heading off to Rothenberg (2 nights) via heidelberg.

Is this reasonable?

Hi; Need a little more information. How long in Germany? Where are you going after Germany? To start, I would consider going to Cochem on the Mosel from Cologne.

If you're not spending another night on the Rhine and just want a cursory visit, try this: drive south along the east bank to attractive Linz for a look at this attractive cobblestoned, half-timbered village. Then head south to Braubach and tour Marksburg Castle: www.marksburg.de . If you have time for more, drive south and cross over on one of the ferries (the one opposite Boppard, or the one in St. Goarshausen) to visit one or more of the villages there - Boppard, St. Goar, and Bacharach are probably your best targets for short visits.

Your trip is doable as the distances are not too great.

The town of Assmannhausen has a hotel on the Rhine called the KRONE. You could stay there and walk to the shore of the Rhine and take a short cruise on the boats that would end up back at your hotel. This is a fun way to see the towns of the Rhine and get off where you want to. Driving by car is also fun and easy.

Rothenburg is another good stop. Stay inside the walls of the city. We like the MARKUSTURM HOTEL or the REICHS KUCHENMEISTER. Be sure to do the nightwatchman's tour that leaves at 8pm from the town square. The big tourist shop here is Kathe Wohlfardt's. We have traveled quite a lot in Germany and have found this shop to be fair priced and good service. If you see something you like there you will probably not beat the price by very much anywhere else.

You may want to make Heidelberg your last stop. We usually fly into and out of Frankfurt. We like to stay in Heidelberg on the last night and then drive from there to the airport on day of departure. Allow time to visit the castle. It is about 1 hour or less from Heidelberg to Frankfurt airport and beats staying at the airport on your last night.

I would recommend Cochem, on the Mosel, which most think infinitely more lovely than the lovely Rhine and a base from which you can hop to the nearby Rhine gorge - you do not need a car in the Rhine and trains parallel each side of the Rhine and the K-d boats ply the best part of the Rhine (Rudesheim to Koblenz - just a few-hour float - trains also go to fairly-tale Cochem from Koblenz - Burg Eltz one of Germany's top castles is nestled high above the Mosel near Cochem (also reachable by train - Moselkern). Burg Eltz along with Marksburg, mentioned by Russ, are about the only two intact medieval castles in the Rhine and Mosel valleys as most others were knocked down in war, including a flock by Napoleon's marauding armies, and subsequently rebuilt.

If traveling much in Germany by train strongly consider the German Railpass - especially if traveling between regions - and there actually is a great deal now thru Dec 10 i think that if you buy a 3-day German railpass you get two extra days free - making it a really good bargain IMO - use it to go to the border of your next country - Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, France or Switzerland.

If traveling largely on trains for 53 days then consider some kind of railpass IMO - check out these great sources for lots of great info on European trains and passes - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com

Hi

Further information to my first post: Travelling in May 2011

I require a car as I am visiting relatives in Dosoledo (Italy) which is on the Italy/Austria border and I was going to drive there from Fussen via Innsbruck as it is only 3 hours away. I would then bring the car back to Germany via Salzburg to Munich (3 hours) and then head off to Prague.

I have allocated roughly 9 days in Germany and I am trying to work out how to do my itineray - and this leg of my trip is a bit of a mess at the moment!! So your assitance is greatly appreciated.

I want to see:
Mosel and/or Rhine area (2days)
Heidelberg (just for a walk around for a few hours) on the way to Rothenburg (1)
Bamberg/Wurzburg (2)
Fussen (1)
Italy/ Salzburg
Munich (2 days)

I then need to try to get to Prague my next destination -is it easier to get there from another place then Munich?
Should I pick up the car in Clogne?

Thank you all so much!!!! It is so hard to organise 53 days from scrach!!! I have spent the past 3 months researching on these sites and now need I need to tidy up the itinerary!

I then need to try to get to Prague my next destination -is it easier to get there from another place then Munich?>

Yes = the fastes train route I believe goes via Nurnberg and is actually a bus link from Nurnberg to Prague - Bamberg is close to Nurnberg so a Bamberg by train to Nurnberg then bus from the train station to Prague would be nice. Try to nab discounted online tickets at www.bahn.de.

For example if you leave from Bamberg it will take you just under 5 hours to get to Prague, via a change to the bus at Nurnberg - and there are departures about every two hours throughout the day. (If you go the whole way by train it takes about 6.5 hours). And about scouring bahn.de for discounted and limited in supply often fares - the random date I checked shows full fare - always available even on a walk up basis of 58 euro but if book in advance and nab one of the so-called SPAR fares (at least used to be called that) it is only 29 euor - both fares include the mandatory reservation for the Nurnberg to Prague bus. so it pays to act in advance, if flexibility is not key to you.

Be sure to drop the car in the same country where you rented it to avoid very costly drop-off fees.
Absolute see the interior of the Cologne cathedral before you take off from there.

"AbsoluteLY"

Yes indeedy - the Cologne Cathedral - don't miss it - and it's a short drive from Cologne to the Rhine/Mosel area.