Eastern Germany for 2 weeks - advice on tentative itinerary
Sep 23rd, 2005, 05:01 AM
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Eastern Germany for 2 weeks - advice on tentative itinerary
My husband and I are planning 2 weeks in Eastern Germany in December. I have spent a lot of time reading past threads, and am just starting to plan our itinerary - would really appreciate some input from the Fodorites!
Some background on us - we are mid 30's and mid 40's; we lived in Frankfurt for about a year, and got to travel in Germany quite a bit, but our trip was unexpectedly cut short, and we regret never making it to Eastern Germany (other than Berlin). We are "homesick" for Germany, so decided to return for a few weeks, and concentrate on the Saxony/Saxony-Anhalt area. We enjoy the hustle and bustle of cities, and visiting museums, little shops, etc., but also really love Germany's small towns, and the charming, off-the-beaten-track little villages where we can just wander and explore the side streets. Of course we are looking forward to visiting the Christmas Markets again. We are also addicted to flea markets/antique markets/trodel markts, and search them out wherever we go, so we would love any advice on those. Due to a knee injury, we're not interested in skiing, hiking, etc.
We will be arriving in Berlin, renting a car for the trip, and departing from Frankfurt. We'd prefer to find a few towns with budget hotels that we can use as sort of our home-base for further travels; don't want to pack and unpack every night, but we also don't want to spend every day driving (particularly not with the high gas prices). Also, using a town as home base gives us the chance to wing it a little bit, and stop if we see something interesting along the way. It also lets us work around the fact that some of the Christmas markets are only open on the weekends, plus the closed shops on Sundays, and the closed museums on Mondays.
So anyway, here are my initial thoughts:
Thurs. Dec. 1 Arrive Berlin, drive to Dresden
Fri/Sat. Dec. 2-3 - Dresden. (Flea market Saturday by the river - does anyone know if it is a year-round market?)
Sun. Dec. 4 - More of Dresden, or visit Gorlitz; drive to Chemnitz as new home base.
Mon-Wed. Dec. 5-7 - Staying in Chemnitz, visit Freiberg, Seiffen, Annaberg-Buchholz, Schneeberg.
Th/Fri Dec. 8-9 - Drive Chemnitz to Leipzig, spend 1 1/2 days in Leipzig.
Sat-Mon Dec. 10-12 - Drive to Quedlinburg as base. Visit Wernigerode, Goslar. (Has anyone been to Braunlage? We are not skiiers, but read that it has toboggans and horse-drawn sleigh rides, which could be fun).
Tue/Wed Dec. 13-14 - Drive from Quedlinburg to Erfurt, stopping at Weimar on the way. Stay at Erfurt Tues and Wed night.
Th/Sa Dec. 15-17 - Drive from Erfurt to Frankfurt, stopping at Eisenach on the way. Spend 2 days in Frankfurt before departing on Dec. 18.
We would welcome any thoughts - places we should add or subtract, different routes, or using different cities as home bases. Have not begun to look at hotels yet; want to decide on the plan first. Also, we've driven all over Germany south of Koln, but not much north of there. Have read that there is construction on a lot of the roads in Eastern Germany, and of course we'll be there in December, with potential for snow and ice. Any advice regarding our driving plans is appreciated as well. Thanks for your help!
Some background on us - we are mid 30's and mid 40's; we lived in Frankfurt for about a year, and got to travel in Germany quite a bit, but our trip was unexpectedly cut short, and we regret never making it to Eastern Germany (other than Berlin). We are "homesick" for Germany, so decided to return for a few weeks, and concentrate on the Saxony/Saxony-Anhalt area. We enjoy the hustle and bustle of cities, and visiting museums, little shops, etc., but also really love Germany's small towns, and the charming, off-the-beaten-track little villages where we can just wander and explore the side streets. Of course we are looking forward to visiting the Christmas Markets again. We are also addicted to flea markets/antique markets/trodel markts, and search them out wherever we go, so we would love any advice on those. Due to a knee injury, we're not interested in skiing, hiking, etc.
We will be arriving in Berlin, renting a car for the trip, and departing from Frankfurt. We'd prefer to find a few towns with budget hotels that we can use as sort of our home-base for further travels; don't want to pack and unpack every night, but we also don't want to spend every day driving (particularly not with the high gas prices). Also, using a town as home base gives us the chance to wing it a little bit, and stop if we see something interesting along the way. It also lets us work around the fact that some of the Christmas markets are only open on the weekends, plus the closed shops on Sundays, and the closed museums on Mondays.
So anyway, here are my initial thoughts:
Thurs. Dec. 1 Arrive Berlin, drive to Dresden
Fri/Sat. Dec. 2-3 - Dresden. (Flea market Saturday by the river - does anyone know if it is a year-round market?)
Sun. Dec. 4 - More of Dresden, or visit Gorlitz; drive to Chemnitz as new home base.
Mon-Wed. Dec. 5-7 - Staying in Chemnitz, visit Freiberg, Seiffen, Annaberg-Buchholz, Schneeberg.
Th/Fri Dec. 8-9 - Drive Chemnitz to Leipzig, spend 1 1/2 days in Leipzig.
Sat-Mon Dec. 10-12 - Drive to Quedlinburg as base. Visit Wernigerode, Goslar. (Has anyone been to Braunlage? We are not skiiers, but read that it has toboggans and horse-drawn sleigh rides, which could be fun).
Tue/Wed Dec. 13-14 - Drive from Quedlinburg to Erfurt, stopping at Weimar on the way. Stay at Erfurt Tues and Wed night.
Th/Sa Dec. 15-17 - Drive from Erfurt to Frankfurt, stopping at Eisenach on the way. Spend 2 days in Frankfurt before departing on Dec. 18.
We would welcome any thoughts - places we should add or subtract, different routes, or using different cities as home bases. Have not begun to look at hotels yet; want to decide on the plan first. Also, we've driven all over Germany south of Koln, but not much north of there. Have read that there is construction on a lot of the roads in Eastern Germany, and of course we'll be there in December, with potential for snow and ice. Any advice regarding our driving plans is appreciated as well. Thanks for your help!
Sep 23rd, 2005, 08:16 AM
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It's possible we didn't give Chemnitz a fair shake, but I didn't see any place that I would want to call "home base" there. Perhaps someone else could shed more light on the subject.
I think Dresden is definitely worth some time. Also, we stayed in Goerlitz for a night last spring and enjoyed it very much. The Tuchmacher Hotel there was great. Other cities we stayed in and enjoyed were Meissen, Weimar and Bamberg. The market area in Meissen was small, but nice and there's a nice hotel on the burg overlooking the city.
I love Goslar, also. When we lived in Berlin during the eighties, that was the closest place in the west to get away to.
Have a great trip!
I think Dresden is definitely worth some time. Also, we stayed in Goerlitz for a night last spring and enjoyed it very much. The Tuchmacher Hotel there was great. Other cities we stayed in and enjoyed were Meissen, Weimar and Bamberg. The market area in Meissen was small, but nice and there's a nice hotel on the burg overlooking the city.
I love Goslar, also. When we lived in Berlin during the eighties, that was the closest place in the west to get away to.
Have a great trip!
Sep 23rd, 2005, 08:30 AM
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If you haven't spent much time in Marburg (an hour north of Frankfurt) you might consider adding that to your list. It's a university city with some nice cafes and bars. It has an impressive gothic cathedral and a cool Aldstadt.
I would recommend renting a car with snow tires in December, even though you probably won't need them.
I would recommend renting a car with snow tires in December, even though you probably won't need them.
Sep 23rd, 2005, 02:17 PM
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Hello copilot!
It seems to me you did a good job reading past threads and researching - and the result is a very good itinerary. You may have read on old threads that I live in Dresden. I am glad you plan to explore East Germany (and especially Saxony, of course
.
I second the previous poster's opinion on Chemnitz - I suggest you skip it (though it is not THAT bad). Annaberg-Buchholz is an excellent alternative for your stay. Freiberg is right on the way from Dresden to Annaberg, so I recommend you visit Freiberg on that driving day (although it deserves more time IMO). You can easily visit Kurort Seiffen and Schneeberg (and please add Schwarzenberg) from Annaberg.
I am not sure if Leipzig is really a "must" - I personally prefer the small towns and villages in the Erzgebirge mountains, especially at Christmas time. But I see you like cities, so there is a reason for visiting Leipzig.
Please skip Braunlage. It is not charming. You better get on the narrow-gauge steam railway in Wernigerode and go up to the Brocken mountain, from where you can do tobogganing/sledding down to the more charming village Schierke, where sleigh-rides are offered too (weather permitting). Btw, you can do a sleigh ride or tobogganing anywhere in the Erzgebirge mountains as well - snow given (especially Annaberg - Pöhlberg).
I think the Quedlinburg leg is a bit packed with places to see - you better delete Goslar from the list. Wernigerode, the steam train ride and Quedlinburg are more than enough.
Don't be concerned about road construction works in Eastern Germany. The work is almost completed, only minor roads can be in a poor condition - but no problem at all.
In general I don't think a car is sufficient. Not for the cities (Dresden, Erfurt), not for day trips like Görlitz, Wernigerode.
So, here are the changes I suggest:
Dec 4 - definitely Görlitz, it is a must, stay another night in Dresden.
Dec 5 - drive to Annaberg-Buchholz as base, stop in Freiberg (4-5 hours)
Dec 6 - stay in Annaberg, visit Seiffen and maybe a castle, explore Annaberg in late afternoon/night
Dec 7 - visit Schwarzenberg and Schneeberg
Dec 8 - Drive to Leipzig?
Dec 9 - Leipzig?
no changes the other days, except what I wrote above about Goslar.
Bad luck with the flea market in Dresden - as far as I know the final one this year takes place Nov 26.
I highly recommend to book accommodation soon - Christmas time is peak season. If you're interested in going to concerts/opera/theatre or so at night, please make reservations soon. Right today I got the last two tickets for a Christmassy organ concert in the Frauenkirche on Dec 26. Other dates are already sold out (so e.g. the two concerts of the New York Philharmonic orchestra).
Please let me know if you need any information on what to see or do.
I am sure you'll have a great time.
Ingo
It seems to me you did a good job reading past threads and researching - and the result is a very good itinerary. You may have read on old threads that I live in Dresden. I am glad you plan to explore East Germany (and especially Saxony, of course
.I second the previous poster's opinion on Chemnitz - I suggest you skip it (though it is not THAT bad). Annaberg-Buchholz is an excellent alternative for your stay. Freiberg is right on the way from Dresden to Annaberg, so I recommend you visit Freiberg on that driving day (although it deserves more time IMO). You can easily visit Kurort Seiffen and Schneeberg (and please add Schwarzenberg) from Annaberg.
I am not sure if Leipzig is really a "must" - I personally prefer the small towns and villages in the Erzgebirge mountains, especially at Christmas time. But I see you like cities, so there is a reason for visiting Leipzig.
Please skip Braunlage. It is not charming. You better get on the narrow-gauge steam railway in Wernigerode and go up to the Brocken mountain, from where you can do tobogganing/sledding down to the more charming village Schierke, where sleigh-rides are offered too (weather permitting). Btw, you can do a sleigh ride or tobogganing anywhere in the Erzgebirge mountains as well - snow given (especially Annaberg - Pöhlberg).
I think the Quedlinburg leg is a bit packed with places to see - you better delete Goslar from the list. Wernigerode, the steam train ride and Quedlinburg are more than enough.
Don't be concerned about road construction works in Eastern Germany. The work is almost completed, only minor roads can be in a poor condition - but no problem at all.
In general I don't think a car is sufficient. Not for the cities (Dresden, Erfurt), not for day trips like Görlitz, Wernigerode.
So, here are the changes I suggest:
Dec 4 - definitely Görlitz, it is a must, stay another night in Dresden.
Dec 5 - drive to Annaberg-Buchholz as base, stop in Freiberg (4-5 hours)
Dec 6 - stay in Annaberg, visit Seiffen and maybe a castle, explore Annaberg in late afternoon/night
Dec 7 - visit Schwarzenberg and Schneeberg
Dec 8 - Drive to Leipzig?
Dec 9 - Leipzig?
no changes the other days, except what I wrote above about Goslar.
Bad luck with the flea market in Dresden - as far as I know the final one this year takes place Nov 26.
I highly recommend to book accommodation soon - Christmas time is peak season. If you're interested in going to concerts/opera/theatre or so at night, please make reservations soon. Right today I got the last two tickets for a Christmassy organ concert in the Frauenkirche on Dec 26. Other dates are already sold out (so e.g. the two concerts of the New York Philharmonic orchestra).
Please let me know if you need any information on what to see or do.
I am sure you'll have a great time.
Ingo
Sep 24th, 2005, 04:52 AM
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Ingo has given you excellent advice! I can quibble only with his opinion of Leipzig, but being from Dresden, I can understand his feelings. We were first in Dresden and Leipzig after the Leipzig Uprising, but before the wall came down. I did not want to particularly visit Leipzig, but our InTourist quide convinced me to spend at least a day. Wife and I both loved the city. Having suffered through college German, it was a thrill to experience Auerbach's Keller. Our guide also took us to Nickolai Church - the meeting point for the Leipzig uprising. It was quite emotional for her, and then for us, as her eyes filled with tears despite the growing smile on her face. Since then we have returned to both Dresden and Leipzig every 4 years and our love of both cities continues to grow!
