jhgreen

Hi Everyone-
My sister and I are considering a road trip through Germany in mid February. We are very aware that this time is not ideal, but it is the only time we have to travel together, and we have traveled to Europe in the past during the winter and have actually enjoyed ourselves.

We enjoy renting a car and driving around, but weren't sure if the weather would allow us to do so safely. Hopefully you can help us decide if we should rent a car or travel by train? Also if anyone has any suggestions about where to visit, that would be great!

We have been looking through some tourbooks and are interested in the Romantic Road, Munich and Berlin? We will have 8 days total on the ground in Germany and do not mind a fast paced vacation.

Any suggestions would be very greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Joanna and Kara

Larryincolorado

Thoroughly investigate public transportation (trains and buses), and only if you can't see a lot of what you want to see should you consider renting a car. I've spent 12 weeks (6 trips) traveling in Germany this century, and I have never needed a car. Before every trip except the first one, I figured out where I wanted to go and found public transportation to it. Then I looked at the cost of a reasonably sized car and discovered that, even without adequate insurance coverage, it would cost me hundreds of dollars more per week.

As for the Romantic Road, last October I made a trip on the Road. I spent all or part of five days traveling less than three hours (ave) per day, the rest of the time visiting towns along the way. I came to a number of conclusions. One, the Road itself is not worth driving. It's a narrow, winding country road with truck and farm traffic. It will take you at least five hour even if you never stop to see anything. Two, the best part of the Road is the towns you can see. Except for a few towns (Würzburg, Rothenburg, Füssen, and maybe Nördlingen), nothing is a "must see". There are some other interesting places on the Road (Landsberg, Donauörth, Dinkelsbühl), but, unless you have the time and patience to do it the way I did, they're not worth it.

A few years ago, I spent two weeks in So. Germany right after Christmas. It was very cold and snowy, got light late and dark early. I was very glad I didn't have to find my way around on dark icy roads. The trains were great.

Larryincolorado

For some tips on using public transportation in Germany economically, see my website at www.germantravel-info.com.

iwannagonow

So Larry,

Are you saying she should or shouldn't use a car??

Gary_Mc

We also much prefer rail travel, especially in cities like Munich and Berlin where the train can bring you to the heart of the city with no worry about directions or parking.

You do not have to make an either/or choice. You could use trains between towns and then rent a car for part of the time to explore the countryside.

None of us know what the weather will be in February. While in the Army I lived in the area of the Romantic Road for about 3 years. Snow &/or ice may indeed be possible. It might also be rainy and mild. Although it is a bit cheaper to rent a car before you leave the states, I might be tempted on a February trip to make that decision after I am there and know what the weather will be.

The previous two years we have revisited Germany and are going back this December. It is trains for us. While we are in Germany, why not travel with Germans rather than in a rented car?

Regards, Gary

gruezi

jhgreen,

You will really love Munich and Berlin.

I've driven part of the Romantic Road but it was summer. It was absolutely gorgeous. But, again, it was summer.

I am a train person. You can pack a little cheese, some bread, some wine and chocolate for a nice train picnic and you and your sister can have a wonderful, relaxed, worry-free visit while you head from place to place.

Do stop to see Neuschwanstein from Munich - there are buses and trains I believe. You can see 2 castles there. There are some wonderful food halls in Munich where you can pick up your picnic.

Also, Germany is quite a large country. It's a big trip from Munich to Berlin...a very long drive I imagine.

enjoy your trip and your time with your sister.

gruezi

jhgreen

Thank you all so much! It sounds like the train is the way to go. Do you think we should split the trip up between Munich and Berlin and then take side trips by train from there? Or just stick to one or the other and take the train around the south for example? Where would your top side trips be?
We really appreciate the suggestions!

gruezi

jhg -

There is enough in Berlin and surrounds to keep you busy for at least a week. I went for 4 days and it was a rush.

Munich would be nice with 3 days and perhaps a day trip or two.

How long do you have in total?

Hopefully someone can help with how long between these 2 cities. It may make sense to fly. Berlin is quite north and Munich quite south.

gruezi

gruezi

jhg,

Just noticed you have only 8 days.

I did a very long report on a WWII Holocaust trip with my daughters this summer. It includes our time in Berlin.

You can search here for the report and scroll down to the Berlin portion. Use WWII and Holocaust and gruezi.

I also recently spent 2 weeks in Munich at a language class. I loved Munich and Berlin but I wonder if maybe it's a lot to try to do. If I had to choose, I would say go for Berlin.

gruezi

Gary_Mc

I have almost no experience with Berlin. It would be easy for us to spend 8 days not far from Munich.

Day trips versus overnight stops are a matter of personal preference. We prefer to travel to a place and overnight - more packing and less backtracking. Others prefer day trips.

Places a few hours from Munich by train include: Regensburg, Augsburg, Füssen (Neuschwanstein)and Salzburg. The list goes on from there. We liked the small Bavaria town of Freising for local color and it is only about 30-40 minutes from Munich.

German Trains:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Regards, Gary

LSky

Our first trip to Germany was down the Romantic Road in March. Because I was unsure of the weather I waited until just before the trip to get the car. Since it was March I got a good deal.

We had just missed a big snowstorm but the roads were drivable. Some things will be closed but it's a beautiful area. It'll be easy to find lodging and there will be few tourists. Spend a couple of days in Munich at the end. The Romantic Road is really like eating a fine meal in a Parisian restaurant, it's worth slowing down and savoring it.

Write to the tourist boad now and get some information. They sent me a very informative package.

We just returned from Berlin. You'll hear people say it's a beautiful city, I wouldn't agree.
It's vibrant and absolutely alive. There's some awesome new architecture and it takes days just to get your fill of the energy.

Anyone could find plenty to do there but if you need to add another city how about Dresden? Although my favorite part of Dresden was the hiking around it, many people love the city itself.

Personally, I wouldn't split my time between Munich and Berlin but I always plan to return to Germany so I'm not in a rush to see it all in a short time.

What are your interests? Do you visit museums? Like new or old architecture? etc...

nytraveler

I would definitely do a road trip. Days will be short that time of year and opening hours may be limited. You will want the flexibility to travel as you need - and not be waiting for trains or making connections.

While snow is certainly possible (I assume you know how to drive in it) main road are cleared very quickly - so barring some freak storm that would cause all sorts of other problems too - road travel should be fine.

Cowboy1968

IMO, it would be better to forget the Romantic Road and focus on Berlin and Munich plus environs.
You can fly between Berlin and Munich for little money. Car/train needs 5-6 hrs. Not much fun, and gas is expensive.

From Munich you can reach a multitude of great day trip destinations by train: Salzburg, Neuschwanstein, Garmisch/Mittenwald, and so on.

Weatherwise, it will be hard to predict. The last 2 years there was (literally) only a handful of days in Munich with snow.
Instead of mild (i.e. cold and rainy) winter weather in lower elevations (like along the Romantic Road), there is a better chance to catch some real winter weather in the front range of the Alps, south of Munich. Plus you will also escape the foggy mild winter weather which at those higher elevations.

I'd save (the road trip) of the Romantic Road for mid April to early October.

jhgreen

thanks so much everyone...
I think we have settled on staying in Munich and Berlin (flying from one to the other) and taking the train on a few day trips. any suggestions? I think we would definitely like to go to Salzburg, but thats pretty much the only definite so far.
thanks!
Joanna and Kara