lovetotravel2

We are in Vienna right now, heading to Salzburg next and then thinking of Franconia after that. Can you recommend a good town to base ourselves for 3 nights? We are on a Eurailpass, want to be right in the center of town, and willing to splurge as it is our 30th anniversary. Is Regensburg a good base- I realize it is the southern part. Someone recommended the Achat hotel there. Thanks!

PalenQ

Nürnberg and Bamberg are easy day trips from Regensburg, IMO a very underrated city - said to have the biggest grouping of historical buildings of any Germany city and one of the rare not totally decimated in war.

Yes a great base and just outside of town is some famous German memorial site that i cannot remember the name of but Uber famous in Germany.

Bamberg is one of the finest German towns i've seen

Nurnberg is sweet too and if into Third Reich relics it has the most intact largest groupings of such on its southern fringe - the Nazi parade grounds where Hitler often was filmed reviewing the troops - his podium in the stadium front still there as are the vast parade grounds themselves.

Gary_Mc

Regensburg is wonderful town but not in Franconia. If you decide to go there, Landshut would make a nice day trip. Our pictures from Landshut:

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Christm...39777148_voQmX

In Franconia our favorite town is Würzburg with a castle and an Archbishop's residence. Bamberg, Rothenburg and Nürnberg can all be visited easily by train from Würzburg.

Regards, Gary

lovetotravel2

Wow, Gary, we were JUST looking at Wurzburg. Is there a hotel you recommend?
This is our first trip to Germany. Husband is really turned off by the "Disneyland" touristy
reports about Rothenburg ob der Tauber but I am wondering if we should spend one night there. We are trying to spend 2-3 nights each place. Thank you!!!
After Franconia we are thinking of Rhineland area for 3 nights- can you recommend a good town when using the train? Thanks!

PalenQ

Husband is really turned off by the "Disneyland" touristy>

then do not step foot in Rothenburg - one of Europe's most touristed cities for its size (but to me still a wonderful place to see and stay as after late afternoon all the tour buses have departed for cheaper places to put up their groups and the city can be really romantic.

I did love Wurzburg a whole lot! And if a few hours on the train don't bother you Regensburg could be a nice day trip from Wurzburg as could Nurnberg and Rothenburg and Bamberg to boot.

lovetotravel2

Thank you. Maybe one night Rothenburg(see it after tourists depart) and 2 nights Wurzburg. Sounding like a possible plan!!

Dukey1

Nurnberg would get my vote since there is more to see and do there than in the other towns; those are easy to get to FROM Nurnberg by rail but to each their own.

wanderfrau

To me it depends on what kind of place you want to be in in the evening/at night. The train will get you where you want to go to sight see during the during the day. Do you want a small, sleepy village where you hang out in the gasthaus or a more lively city with more going on? Right now it starts getting dark around 730pm.

As for Rothenburg, it feels touristy to me day and night and I wouldn't go through the hassle to stay one night. And, I know, many Fodorites will disagree. My favorite part was the Christmas ornament museum since I enjoy seeing antique ornaments. But, it depends on why you're going and what you want to see. For a lovely walled city in the same area, I'd suggest Dinklesbuehl.

Gary_Mc

Hotels in Würzburg: Hotel St. Josef is medium priced and well located. Good breakfast and nice folks.

http://www.hotel-st-josef.de/

Rhineland: We stayed in St. Goar, Bacharach and Mainz. All were nice. We preferred St Goar as it is right on the river. We stayed at the Hotel am Markt and enjoyed it for the views of the river from its dinning room:

http://www.hotel-am-markt-sankt-goar.de/

Rothenburg and tourism. This time of year it is busy. For us it is still worth a visit. It is a very attractive walled city. Just get away from the town square and the crowds thin out.

Regards, Gary

Gary_Mc

I just notice your question about using the train. We have made our trips by train. Würzburg is a good train hub. St. Goar and Bacharach are serviced hourly in each direction by train. Nürnberg, Regensburg, and Bamberg are all well serviced by trains. Rothenburg is on a branch line and takes a connection to reach, but it was still easy enough. Love train travel in Germany.

Regards, Gary

PalenQ

If going to the Rhine Gorge area then your railpass is fully valid on K-D boats that ply this 'gorgeous' stretch of river year round now - just flash your pass when boarding (last time i went - no need to go to ticket window unless changed).

www.k-d.com

Aramis

Almost everyone is giving you replies about what their favourite is and ignoring the fact that you want a base to use by train.

Neither Wurzburg, nor Regensburg are central to the major sights of Franconia, so I don't think they make great bases - lovely as they are (you will see my point in a minute).

Bamberg is about 40 minutes from Nurnberg by train, and Regensburg and Wurzburg are about 60 minutes - all with no change of trains.

Rothenburg is about 2 hours with a train change and bus - a little harder to do. There may be a better connection - maybe just a bus? Regardless, Rothenburg would make a horrendous base for seeing anything else by train. It does, however merit an overnight stay. I would not characterize it as touristy at night, or in the early morning - you can walk outside the walls, all alone, and down many streets that are quiet.

My suggestion would be Nurnberg for two nights, visiting either, or both of, Wurzburg and Regensburg, and then spending the third night in Rothenburg. You could arrive later in the day - spending some extra time in Nurnberg, than stay overnight and enjoy Rothenburg at its best before moving on sometime the next day.

Russ

Nuremberg is the best larger city for a train hub in Franconia. You could daytrip to Regensburg from there too. If you want a small, unassuming but adorable town, look into Neustadt an der Aisch, which is on the "Bierstrasse" or Beer road - lots of Breweries in the area - near Bad Windsheim (open air farm life museum) and relatively convenient to the other mentioned destinations (but requires a bit more time for Bamberg.)

Russ

Oops - here's the Beer Road link:

http://t3-kundenserver.de.dedi661.yo...dex.php?id=322

Open air museum link: http://www.stripes.com/military-life...useum-1.102354

tomboy

Excellent base if you were driving would be Gossweinstein, but I doubt if its size warrant a railroad. We enjoyed the square, the restaurants, the pension, and the surrounding area. Somewhat like northern Colorado in its feeling.

LittleA

Is Germany the most underrated and overlooked country for travel in Europe? I just love the place, in all seasons. Especially great for train travel.

Aramis

Germany as northern Colorado - interesting.

lovetotravel2

Thank you everyone for your help! We have been touring all day today, bus/boat to Melk Abbey and Wachau Valley. So, after reading all your helpful advice we are thinking maybe just do three nights Nuremberg and day trips from there. I think we are going to skip Rothenberg this trip. Still a priority to see Bamburg, Wurzburg, and Regensburg. As far as what we are looking for in a town: pretty downtown area with restaurants that stay open late. Looking at the Sheraton as a possibility. Thanks so much for you help.

november_moon

When we were in that area, we used Nuremburg as our base and it worked out really well. The old city is next to the train station, so that is really convinient for day trips, and there is quite a bit going on in the evenings for when you return from your day trips. Next year we are going back and going to base ourselves in Bamberg - we didn't make it there last time and are really interested to see that city. We will probably also see Wurzburg.

lovetotravel2

november_moon, good info about Nuremburg. Were there any highlights that you saw while taking day trips from there?