driving from Amsterdam to Frankfurt
 

I was planning on taking 4 days to get from Amsterdam to Frankfurt via car rental (as part of a longer trip). I was hoping to get suggestions as to places we can stop either for a day trip or overnight that is not necessarily touristy. We were thinking Cologne or Bonn...husband and I are wine/beer lovers and have an interest in nature. Thanks!

You might look into Koblenz - it has the advantage of allowing you to tour the Mosel and the Rhine. You should be able to find info on hiking and/or biking along the rivers.

First stop: Willemstad (a few miles SW of Dordrecht, charming boating town with lots of history, definitely not mainstream touristy).

Second stop: Tournai. If you have time, make the short drive to Lille.

Third stop: Köln (Cologne). They are awfully proud of the various brands of the local beer collectively known as Kölsches - tell somebody you liked it and you have made a friend for life. A great city with great people!

Fourth stop: Frankfurt. If you meant to get there on day 5, head east to marvellous Marburg for the night.

If you like beer, you have to go to the Wildeman beer bar in Amsterdam. (www.indewildeman.nl) In addition to about 30 Belgium / Netherlands taps - they have a wide range of bottle beers. Last time I was there, they had some pretty obscure beers from Bamberg, Germany (best beer town in the world!) I asked the owner how he got those - they did a road trip and he brought back beer to sell in the pub.

In Cologne, you need to visit the various Kolsch Breweries.