Eastern France & Germany
 

Has anyone done a 2-week travel in eastern France and Germany ? Would appreciate some ideas regarding itinerary / highlights. Looking at a self drive holiday.

Hi Jan,

It depends on what your interests are. Your possibilities are many: Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne (?), Rhine, Mosel, Black Forest, Romantic Road including Castle Country (Neuschwanstein/Linderhof).

Have you been to any of these places before? You can't do all that in 2 weeks. But I guess your options could start there.

For 2 weeks, slow-med paced, I think I would start in Alsace (Basel airport would be the closest) and make my way into the black forest part of Germany via Strassbourg and then into the romantic road and castle country. Closest airports would be Munich or Zurich.

-- Nanda.

Thanks! I like to Romantic Road and Black Forest suggestions.
Do you know if it would be easy to drive around? ... particularly if we cannot read/speak German. Would also like to visit the small German villages. Would there be any language difficulty?

Well I speak only a little german and while in Staufen (small quaint german town outside of Freiburg), everyone kept reverting to English since I probably have a bad accent in speaking german. And that's a small town mainly frequented by german tourists.

Both these areas - Black Forest and Romantic Rd are highly touristy. You only have to see the bus-loads going shopping for cuckoo clocks in Triberg to know. ;)

I'd definitely take a dictionary or phrase book. It can perhaps be not so easy when you venture into the out-of-the way places where the real locals live.

If you have the time, Alsace might be a nice addition. Esp. if you like wine. ;) It's just across the border/river and the drive across into quaint Colmar or Strasbourg from Freiburg, is only about an hr maybe two. From Strasbourg, you can do a little of the northern end wine route.

The reason I think you should add. Alsace is that it gives a nice french feel and it's wonderful to just experience the two distinct cultures in the one trip. Makes the contrast interesting.

Rick Steves has guides on the Romantic Rd and Black Forest regions. I don't think his suggestions are that bad and do use his restaurant and hotel recommendations.

We drove through much of Bavaria and up to the Mosel river in June of 2002. Driving is not difficult, though it helps to have a navigator who can not only read maps but can also help interpret directional and traffic signs.

No major problems with language in tourist areas (though it is NOT true that every German speaks English to any helpful degree), but in very small places not normally visited by foreigners we did end up resorting to my high school/college German, my wife's drawing skills, and pointing.

In many museums, castles, etc., explanations of exhibits are only in German--my admittedly limited German really helped here. Sometimes they will have brochures in English, but they don't give nearly the same amount of information as that posted with exhibits.

It was no big deal, though your lunch might turn out to be not exactly what you thought you ordered.

I will add that I was pleasantly suprised to see how much of my 30 year old school German came back to me as the trip progressed.

Hello Jan2,

I guess, you'll do fine even without speaking German.

As far as I know, the AAA will give you some information on driving in Germany (and France) - including, I hope, translations of those road signs with text on them.
For example:
UMLEITUNG (German: detour)
EINBAHNSTRASSE (one-way-street)
Plus, get informed about speed regulations in both countries...

One more: In contrast to the US neither France nor Germany add north, south etc. to the names of the highways but instead write the names of the next big cities on signs. So you'll have to get oriented before you get on. ;-)

Have fun planning!

I have this suggestion:

A visit to a marvel of 20th Century architecture, NOTRE DAME DU HAUT, by the famous Swiss/French architect, LE CORBUSIER, located in southern Alsace (the Vosges) near Belfort at RONCHAMP.

You'll find it off GOOGLE under "RONCHAMP"; should you make it there, it'll be a memorable experience!

It's easy driving. Autobahn is saner than American expressway driving.
Re the signs: If 3 towns are listed, the bottom town is the next exit, the top town is the farthest away.

Strasbourg is great. Make sure you see the Catherdral in late afternoon sun. The stone looks rose colored. The city is beautiful at night, as there are lots of canals and people just out strolling. We LOVED the Mosel River valley. Stayed in Cochem. White wine country. Check dates of their wine harvest festivals, as that is when it will be crowded. If you do the Mosel, go see Burg Eltz (castle). Have visited and driven Germany, and then just returned from working near Rothenberg for 6 months. Never had a problem with not speaking German. The driving will come natural to you. No toll roads in Germany (I am fairly sure), but some toll expressways in France. Good luck

Hi all,

Thanks for all your help and suggestions!

Cheers!

Hi Jan,
My Boyfriend and I did a 2 week drive thru southern France and Germany last year in Sept/Oct. He is German so no problem with getting around Germany but..... I speak very little and was very stressed out driving through the small towns interpreting the signs. His French is a bit rusty so we were both a bit lost there.

The signs will NOT be translated to English in either France or Germany. I would buy a book and get familiar with common road signs. Also, in small towns in France, you need to be able to navigate the round-about. More confusing than it seems if you don't know where you are going before you get to the round-about because you are driving so fast and don't get to stop and wonder which way to go.
Your co-pilot needs to be on top of the map-reading.

In the small German towns there are no such thing as a 4-way stop (they think these are a STUPID invention) Instead, the intersections are all a 4-way or 3-way yeild and there will be a sign telling who has the right of way.....but you have to be familiar with how it works. The person who has the right of way will not even slow down so be careful. You've never seen anything like it in the U.S. Check out AAA suggestions.

Also, driving on the AutoBahn does not mean that you can drive like an American, only faster. I am an aggressive driver here but our rental car could not compete with the Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes whizzing by us. If you are not ACTIVELY passing, for goodness sake, get back over to the right. Germans do NOT understand the American concept of hogging the left lane and just getting back over to the right when you "feel like it". It's an annoying habit here. It will kill you there.

Most younger Germans (30's or younger) had English in school and would rather speak English than interpret your horrible attempt to speak German. (That accent is DIFFICULT). Unless they work with tourists, most older people (including my boyfriend's parents!) speak NO English. You'll have to point to the translation book phrases. The Germans are friendly and tolerant of your attempt at the language. I couldn't tell if the local French could speak English. They don't like to admit it. The French who worked in the hotels spoke excellent English. (They had no sense of humor though and gave us lots of withering looks.)
The menus will not be in English either.....again, bring the phrase book.

We flew to Monaco and then drive thru France and over to Nurnberg.
I would not stay in Monaco again. Very, very touristy and expensive. (We had a meeting there so we were forced....)
In France, Aix-en-Provence, Avignone, and Dijon were gorgeous. Very French and quaint towns. Wine tasting in Beaune was worth 2 whole days of the trip. Beautiful.
I agree with visiting Basel. Freiburg is lovely also and any of the cities along the Rhine are great places to see. Strassbourg, Heidelberg, etc.
2 weeks is a great time frame. We were not rushed at all.

Good Luck.