France and Germany Trip
 

I am planning my next trip to Europe. I will be leaving on Friday, May 7th from Boston and possibly flying to Nice, France and flying back to Boston from Dusseldorf Airport.I will have 29 days minus 2 for travel or 27 days of sightseeing. I have streamlined my thoughts to two areas, Provence, France and the Southern area of Germany. I have gotten some previous info from a previous post a couple months ago but was still undecided. I want to see areas that provide the best scenery to take pictures. I don't know if I can rent a car or not. I have read the 2010 book on Provence and am a little worried concerning sleeping prices. I have always stayed in B&B's and paid around 70 euro for 1 person, single room. I have traveled this way for 8 years now but the prices I am reading are very high in Provence. I need advise on where to stay and what towns to most see in this part of France. I want to spend about a week in this area. The second part would be Germany. I also want to see places that have the most beautiful scenery. I have been to Neuenschwanstein but not surrounding area. I kinda hope I can use strictly rail and bus service in Germany. I'm not good in big cities and have seen so many museums throughout the parts of Europe I have so far traveled. I love Castles! I am open to any and all suggestions. Oh...I am a 65 year old, energetic fun loving woman, and I travel alone. Thanks to all that could give me some help with my trip planning

I think if you can rent a car then Provence is a great place to motor around -public transit there is more of a hassle - trying to get to remote sights like Pont du Gard, Les Baux, St Remy-Provence, etc. for Germany you can get anywhere practically by train- including Newschwanstein - well a bus the final two miles from the Fuessen train station. Germany has one of the very best public transport systems in the world - easy to use, etc. If traveling much around Germany then the German Railpass can be an asbolute bargain - especially if you just want to hop on any train anytime - these full fare fully flexible tickets can cost a lot and a few longer trips can make the pass pay off. (But if you want to peg yourself into a certain train and not be able to change, etc far in advance and are only taking a handful of trains then the discounted online fares at www.bahn.de - the Germany Railways web portal can be better - or if only in Bavaria then perhaps the Lander Card sold locally - lots of options. For tons of great info on German (and French) trains i always highlight these superb info-laden sites: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - on the latter download their free and IMO excellent European Planning & Rail Guide that has a detailed section for Germany and France with lots of itinerary tips, rail maps, etc. But Fodorites are IMO the best source of info - so keep posting and asking questions.

Check out some of Bavaria Ben's trip reports (www.bensbauernhof.com) for some inexpensive traveling in Germany. Ben's last two years seem quite relevant to your travel plans.

Personally I think you would miss a lot of Provence if you don't rent a car. There are so many tiny hill-top villages that would be very difficult to get to by public transport. And there is something magical about driving through the Provencal countryside and being able to stop and have a picnic lunch, take a photo, or whatever. I can understand that traveling solo makes it a little more difficult to navigate with a car, but with a GPS and a good map you would be fine, especially since you intend to avoid large cities. I have only rented a house in Provence and haven't been back in several years, so I can't comment on B&B prices, but your budget doesn't sound that unreasonable.

Likewise in Germany...if you want to see castles, some of the very best are not easily accessible by public transport. I lived in Stuttgart for 2.5 years and am a fellow castle-lover. One of my favorite castles of all time (and I have seen a lot of them...in France, Germany, and the UK) is Burg Hohenzollern in the Schwaebische Albe region, about an hour's drive south of Stuttgart. You might be able to get to it by bus, but it wouldn't be easy.

On the other hand, you could easily explore the Mosel/Rhine areas by train and boat. I know there are plenty of folks on this board who have done so. If you love spectacular scenery and castles, I can't imagine a more perfect destination for you! Both rivers are literally lined with castles, many of which are open for tours. This may be further north than you were considering, but in my opinion it is the most beautiful area of Germany. If you are interested in this area, there are plenty of us on this board who could give you advice on places to stay and sights to see.

Hi Ginafyr,

I moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Fall of 2008 and can verify that you can easily see this area by public transport. I don't have a car and can easily get to the mountains and lakes -- so long as I'm not in a hurry!

I think that GaP would be a nice location for you, with good bus and train connections to Füssen, Mittenwald, Oberammergau, Ettal, etc, and to München and Salzburg too. And it's a nice enough town with plenty to keep you happy with its restaurants and shops.

Wherever you stay in Germany, look into staying at a Ferienwohnung, or vacation apartment, as it will be cheaper than staying in a hotel. If you can rent for multiple weeks, you normally get a discount. You can start looking for apartments here in GaP at

www.gapa.de

If you don't already know it, the German rail site is at

www.bahn.de

to research all your trips.

Have fun!

s

A quick look at Gites de France indicates that you can have a two "ears of corn" B&B room in the Vaucluse (usually with en-suite bathroom) for 45 euros.

http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/bed_breakfasts