First time to Germany
Nov 6th, 2008, 05:29 PM
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First time to Germany
My dh is going to Germany in March on buisness and I'm conisdering taking our boys and meeting him (boys will be 9yo and almost 15yo) to spend 9 or 10 days touring around.
He will be staying near Frankfurt (we think) for the 5 days he is there before we would arrive. I'm looking for suggestions on the best place to start looking for information about where to stay/what to do/March weather - we are from Canada so it's typically still very cold and snowy here in March. Also wondering the best way to get around and if taking a train to Paris for a few days would be a possibility or how far it is/how long it would take and or where else we should look at going.
He will be staying near Frankfurt (we think) for the 5 days he is there before we would arrive. I'm looking for suggestions on the best place to start looking for information about where to stay/what to do/March weather - we are from Canada so it's typically still very cold and snowy here in March. Also wondering the best way to get around and if taking a train to Paris for a few days would be a possibility or how far it is/how long it would take and or where else we should look at going.
Nov 6th, 2008, 07:01 PM
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You have about three choices:
o Go northwest down the Rhein to K&oml;ln
o Go south and see Bavaria, München, and maybe dip into Austria
o Go northeast to Berlin and environs
The first two are the most scenic, the last arguably the most historic (although history is knee-deep all over Germany). With 10 days to spend, you could probably get your fill of two of them - or one of them plus France. Is there any possibility of doing that last and flying home from Paris?
What kind of things do you like to do together? Museum hopping, castle exploring, amusement riding?
o Go northwest down the Rhein to K&oml;ln
o Go south and see Bavaria, München, and maybe dip into Austria
o Go northeast to Berlin and environs
The first two are the most scenic, the last arguably the most historic (although history is knee-deep all over Germany). With 10 days to spend, you could probably get your fill of two of them - or one of them plus France. Is there any possibility of doing that last and flying home from Paris?
What kind of things do you like to do together? Museum hopping, castle exploring, amusement riding?
Nov 7th, 2008, 02:43 AM
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Well not sure what we want to do really - amusement parks are not necessary - we would be wanting to see the museums and sights pretty much - I want to be able to keep the kids interested but I'm sure it won't be an issue as they are both really good travellers. don't mind travelling around to be able to do that - we can fly into/out of anywhere. Just starting to plan so nothing is set in stone yet. Interested in what the 'must see's' would be.
Nov 7th, 2008, 02:57 AM
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First trip to Germany sounds wonderful!
Soooo many posts on what to do in Germany here on fodors.
One of the best first time trips would be to head down to:
Rothenburg (wonderful old walled in town)
Munich (too much to see to list here, great museums)
Garmish ( wonderful Mountain town!, will still have snow in the mountains)
Ludwigs Castle ( the kids will love it!)
John
Soooo many posts on what to do in Germany here on fodors.
One of the best first time trips would be to head down to:
Rothenburg (wonderful old walled in town)
Munich (too much to see to list here, great museums)
Garmish ( wonderful Mountain town!, will still have snow in the mountains)
Ludwigs Castle ( the kids will love it!)
John
Nov 7th, 2008, 03:34 AM
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March can be sunny spring or rainy end of winter. You should plan for both.
Frankfurt is pretty much in the middle of Western Germany, so from travel distances, I wouldn’t necessarily go for Berlin or so. You’re by train in about an hour in Cologne, an hour to Heidelberg (and Speyer, very nice place), 90 minutes to the scenic places of the Rhine, little more than 2 hours to Strasbourg and about 3 hours to Munich. From Strasbourg to Paris it’s about 2 hours, from Cologne to Paris little more than 4. For planning train travel, best use the website of German rail: www.bahn.de
You could do something as a trip to Cologne and then going down the Rhine back to Frankfurt. Then maybe a day trip to Würzburg. Then work your way down via Heidelberg, Speyer, to Strasbourg from where you can take the train to Paris.
Frankfurt is pretty much in the middle of Western Germany, so from travel distances, I wouldn’t necessarily go for Berlin or so. You’re by train in about an hour in Cologne, an hour to Heidelberg (and Speyer, very nice place), 90 minutes to the scenic places of the Rhine, little more than 2 hours to Strasbourg and about 3 hours to Munich. From Strasbourg to Paris it’s about 2 hours, from Cologne to Paris little more than 4. For planning train travel, best use the website of German rail: www.bahn.de
You could do something as a trip to Cologne and then going down the Rhine back to Frankfurt. Then maybe a day trip to Würzburg. Then work your way down via Heidelberg, Speyer, to Strasbourg from where you can take the train to Paris.
Nov 7th, 2008, 03:51 AM
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There is a wealth of information right here on the Fodor's web site. You can do a search of just Germany threads using the search engine at the top of the page.
Here is a link for my trip report to Germany last year -
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35116484
Also, here is a link to take you right to the query page of the bahn.de website -
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
If I had more time, I would post more info, but I have to get ready for work now...
Have a nice day.
Robyn
>-
Here is a link for my trip report to Germany last year -
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35116484
Also, here is a link to take you right to the query page of the bahn.de website -
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
If I had more time, I would post more info, but I have to get ready for work now...
Have a nice day.
Robyn
>-
Nov 7th, 2008, 05:59 AM
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go to bavaria ben's website - www.bensbauernhof.com and read the latest trip report. It is by grandparents who took their two grandsons (about your boys ages). It will give you lots o good ideas.
Nov 7th, 2008, 09:35 AM
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First I will confess that I am a nut for the Southern part of Germany. If it was my trip with 9 and 15 yo boys I would head for Munich.
The boys will love the Deuthches Museum. If you get an early spring the Englisher Garten could be beautiful. You can side-trip from there to the Ludwig Castles, Salzburg and charming villages in the Alps (Oberammergau, Mittenwald).
My parents took us on a long trip when I was about that age and they made my brother and sister and I look up information on the different destinations so we sort of took ownership of the trip.
The boys will love the Deuthches Museum. If you get an early spring the Englisher Garten could be beautiful. You can side-trip from there to the Ludwig Castles, Salzburg and charming villages in the Alps (Oberammergau, Mittenwald).
My parents took us on a long trip when I was about that age and they made my brother and sister and I look up information on the different destinations so we sort of took ownership of the trip.
Nov 7th, 2008, 05:08 PM
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Wow - lots of great suggestions for reading so far!!
We have taken many trips with the boys - mostly caribbean destinations and Disney but we always have them pick one section to research so they can take some ownership for the trip and appreciate how much planning is put into a vacation.
We have taken many trips with the boys - mostly caribbean destinations and Disney but we always have them pick one section to research so they can take some ownership for the trip and appreciate how much planning is put into a vacation.
Nov 7th, 2008, 05:11 PM
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and another question (or 2) - are we going to have a difficult time not being able to speak german? I will invest in a german/english dictionary but we don't really have alot of time between now and March to learn much.
Also my 9yo has allergies to nuts/coconut severe enough that he needs to carry 2 epi pens with him at all times - is this going to be difficult to manage there? Not sure how allergy aware they are in Germany.
Also my 9yo has allergies to nuts/coconut severe enough that he needs to carry 2 epi pens with him at all times - is this going to be difficult to manage there? Not sure how allergy aware they are in Germany.
Nov 8th, 2008, 02:33 AM
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1) You'll get by. Many Germans speak very good English. If the shop person doesn't, there will be a customer around for sure who does.
2) ... "how allergy-aware they are in Germany"? They will be aware if you tell them.
Best, make little cards with a short description of your son's condition and a list of the known no-no's in English and German that can be handed to waiters, bakers, etc. We native speakers here will happily assist with the German translation if you post the English text.
2) ... "how allergy-aware they are in Germany"? They will be aware if you tell them.
Best, make little cards with a short description of your son's condition and a list of the known no-no's in English and German that can be handed to waiters, bakers, etc. We native speakers here will happily assist with the German translation if you post the English text.
Nov 8th, 2008, 03:23 AM
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>allergy aware they are in Germany
Seems everybody over here is allergic to something, at least if you ask my doctor.. All this cleaning, scrubbing and "Sagrotan infested" places over here don't leave children any chance to develop a healthy immune system.
Seems everybody over here is allergic to something, at least if you ask my doctor.
. All this cleaning, scrubbing and "Sagrotan infested" places over here don't leave children any chance to develop a healthy immune system.
Nov 8th, 2008, 08:28 AM
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10 days... if you want to see some highlights in different areas, that's a good amount of time.
Rough plan for general interst travel:
4-5 days in Berlin
2-3 days in the Rhine/Mosel area (base in Koblenz?, see Trier, Marksburg Castle in Braubach, Bacharach, Cologne.)
2-3 days in northern Bavaria (Rothenburg, Würzburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg all great options.
This gives you a good mix of modern and old-world Germany.
Munich is good too but I'd opt for Berlin as a big-city option over Munich.
Rough plan for general interst travel:
4-5 days in Berlin
2-3 days in the Rhine/Mosel area (base in Koblenz?, see Trier, Marksburg Castle in Braubach, Bacharach, Cologne.)
2-3 days in northern Bavaria (Rothenburg, Würzburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg all great options.
This gives you a good mix of modern and old-world Germany.
Munich is good too but I'd opt for Berlin as a big-city option over Munich.
Nov 8th, 2008, 09:17 AM
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I always get a couple of guidebooks to help prepare for a trip.
Fodors guidebooks have lovely pictures that give you an idea of what various places look like. I usually read the Fodors during the planning stage and then buy both a Frommers and a Rick Steves.
Frommers has much more information that Rick Steves, but Steves is compact and is easy to read and to pack along.
Have fun! Germany is probably my favorite country for traveling.
Fodors guidebooks have lovely pictures that give you an idea of what various places look like. I usually read the Fodors during the planning stage and then buy both a Frommers and a Rick Steves.
Frommers has much more information that Rick Steves, but Steves is compact and is easy to read and to pack along.
Have fun! Germany is probably my favorite country for traveling.
Nov 8th, 2008, 02:32 PM
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If you are boys are into cars, the Porsche and Mercedes museums in Stuttgart as well as the new BMW museum in Munich may interest them. These museums are more like theme parks than old-fashioned exhibitions.
From Frankfurt to Paris you can take the TGV/ICE. For rail connections: www.bahn.de
Weatherwise you may get enough sunshine to eat outside in a terrace cafe, or enough snow to ski. Depends on area and luck, but in general it should be milder and less chance of snow than in Canada.
If you buy packaged or processed food, the German equivalent of "May contain traces of nuts" is "Kann Spuren von Nüssen enthalten".
From Frankfurt to Paris you can take the TGV/ICE. For rail connections: www.bahn.de
Weatherwise you may get enough sunshine to eat outside in a terrace cafe, or enough snow to ski. Depends on area and luck, but in general it should be milder and less chance of snow than in Canada.
If you buy packaged or processed food, the German equivalent of "May contain traces of nuts" is "Kann Spuren von Nüssen enthalten".
Nov 9th, 2008, 06:09 AM
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Cologne. Much to see in and around. A few things you might want to research:
*Cologne WelcomeCard (transit pass and discounts)
*Kölner Dom (cathedral)
*German-Roman Museum
*Chocolate Museum
*Drachenfelsbahn at Königswinter
*Schwebebahn at Wuppertal (suspended railway 40 min north)
*Seilbahn Cologne
*Bridge at Remagen (a cheap train ride south)
*Lots of Beethoven in Bonn
*Best Sauerbraten in Cologne: Gilden Brauhaus
*Best Schweinekotelett in Bonn: Bönnsch
*Best Kölsch: Gaffel
*Cologne WelcomeCard (transit pass and discounts)
*Kölner Dom (cathedral)
*German-Roman Museum
*Chocolate Museum
*Drachenfelsbahn at Königswinter
*Schwebebahn at Wuppertal (suspended railway 40 min north)
*Seilbahn Cologne
*Bridge at Remagen (a cheap train ride south)
*Lots of Beethoven in Bonn
*Best Sauerbraten in Cologne: Gilden Brauhaus
*Best Schweinekotelett in Bonn: Bönnsch
*Best Kölsch: Gaffel
