Tony

Hello All, <BR> <BR>My wife and I will be visiting Amsterdam for the Milllennium and we found its cheaper to fly into Dullseldorf. We will have 3 days there and we were wondering if a surrounding town would be a better experience? We would like to stay in a quite, green,friendly area. Also if there are any castles there?We will be traveling by car. <BR>Thanks all <BR>Tony <BR>

wes fowler

Tony, <BR>I don't think you'll find much that's quiet and green in Dusseldorf. It's a banking, financial and industrial center for Rhineland-Westphalia. If you want serenity and castles, head south to Koblenz, then tour from there to Bingen on the west bank of the Rhine. You'll get castles, scenic river views and with luck a "Lorelie" or two. Koblenz is less than 2 hours south of Dusseldorf by autobahn. The Rhine Valley tour Koblenz to Bingen adds another 40 miles or so, though with stops at castles and overlooks, you could spend the entire day traveling those last 40 miles.

Al

First, Tony, get out your map. The area around Dusseldorf is quite flat and remains that way all the way down the Rhine, into the Netherlands, and on to Amsterdam (which is NOT on the Rhine). For scenery, I recommend that you drive in the other direction, southward, past Cologne (Koln) toward Koblenz, where the Moselle (Mosel) joins the Rhine. There you will find scenery, villages, castles galore. The Rhine Gorge lies between Koblenz and Mainz, which makes a very nice day trip for you. Highways run along either bank of the river. One of my favorite places lies upstream from Koblenz, a small village called Assmannshausen. Nearby Rudesheim, I am afraid, is a whoopee town, lined with shops and beer bars. Take the chairlift (seilbahn) in Rudesheim up to the top of the mountain and walk through the forest, past the Jagdschloss Niederwald (a charming forest hotel and a marvelous place to stay), and down to Asssmannshausen. Someone once told me that Dusseldorf owes its modern appearance to the "B-17 Urban Renewal and Wrecking Company," a tribute to our men of the 8th Air Force who used to bomb Dusseldorf and nearby Ruhr cities with great regularity during World War II.

Vickie

I agree, Assmanhausen is a wonderful town! Ruined castle across the river, barges meandering along, with other boat traffic. You'll remember it, and your drive along the Rhine/Moselle for years.

Lee

Tony: Wes and Al are absolutely correct and offer THE best advice that you could ask for. <BR> <BR>At the very least, visit nearby Cologne on the Rhine River. With three days, I would follow their advice and stay in Assmanshausen on the Middle Rhine. It's close to everything: The Lorelei, Boppard, Bacharach, Rudesheim, Mainz, Koblenz, etc. and has the greatest concentration of castles anywhere in Germany with around 25 of them between Koblenz and Mainz/Wiesbaden. You can ferry across in various places and it couldn't be easier. <BR> <BR>In Assmanshausen, we stayed right on the river at the Hotel Cafe' Post hosted by the very gracious Mr. & Mrs. Hotger. The hotel was very clean, comfortable and economical. If money is no object, the Hotel Krone just down the street is THE place along the river. You can find them on the web (the Cafe' Post) at SMTP: [email protected]. We booked online and stayed there last May. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Elizabeth

Hi - Al or Lee do you have the actual website addresses of any the hotels? I did a general search for the Hotel Cafe' Post, and was unable to pull it up.

wes fowler

Elizabeth! <BR>We've got to stop meeting vicariously like this; (people will talk!) For hotels in Assmannshausen check <BR>www.assmannshausen.mittelrhein.net <BR>For the Hotel-Cafe Post, check <BR>www.rhein-hotel-ruedesheim.com.de/