Taniakamp

While visiting London, I am thinking of going to Germany also. If my research is correct, Brussels would be the stop and then on to Frankfurt. I would like to know what the best way is to get to the following areas, if they are accessible to one another:
The Black Forest (I'd like to see as much of this as possible and am not sure how to navigate around the area or exactly how large it is)
I don't think I would want to cross over into Switzerland.
The Romantic Road (is the whole road worth seeing and what is the best way to view it if you do not have a rental car?)
Neuschwanstein Castle
Trier
Brandenburg Gate
Dresden (may be out of the way, not sure)

Any other suggestions would be welcome. I love castles, landscapes, history, some museums etc... I don't want to waste money on tours if I don't have to but I am not sure if I can navigate around these areas. I am not looking for wineries or anything of that nature.

I have seen tours advertised on the romantic road but they are not clear if they take you there and back. It actually would be easier if they didn't take us back because we could continue traveling in that area, I am not sure what to do with luggage if I can bring it on these types of tours. Renting a car could be tricky as we never drove on the other side of the road.

I am not sure how many days I would stay here but I am trying to get an idea of how many days I would need to see the things I mentioned, or what could be cut out for a realistic itinerary. I don't mind traveling from place to place every few days as long as it is in reasonable distance.

traveller1959

>>>Brussels would be the stop and then on to Frankfurt<<<

What does this mean? How are you travelling - by train or by plane? If you will arrive somehow in Brussel it does not make sense to proceed to Frankfurt. From Brussel, you are almost in Germany, so, depending on your itinerary, you may start your trip in Brussel.

Secondly, your wishlist covers at least half of German territory. If you really want to do this you need three to four weeks. If you have less time you have alternatives which are equally good but optimized.

I understand you want to see castles, landscapes, history, some museums and picturesque historic towns. You will find these attractions in any part of Germany, so you should select destinations according to a smart itinerary.

My suggestion is that you tell us
- how you travel from London, so we know where your starting point is,
- how many days you want to spend in Germany.

With these information, we can suggest an itinerary for you.

adrienne

<< While visiting London, I am thinking of going to Germany also. >>

You make Germany sound like a small town stop after London; something of an aside. It's a big country.

<< Brussels would be the stop and then on to Frankfurt >>

I think I'm about as confused as traveler is with your questions. I'm sure there are non stop flights from London to Frankfurt.

<< I don't think I would want to cross over into Switzerland. >>

Is there some problem with Switzerland that you don't want to cross over the border? This is a weird statement.

I would skip Berlin if the only thing you want to see is the Brandenburg Gate.

<< I have seen tours advertised on the romantic road but they are not clear if they take you there and back >>

If you read the tour information they always tell you where they end. If they return to the origin point you don't have to return. You can get off at any time.

<< I am not sure what to do with luggage if I can bring it on these types of tours >>

You don't say what tours or types of tours you're considering. On multi-day tours your luggage goes into the luggage hold on the bus and it's given to you at your hotel.

<< I don't mind traveling from place to place every few days as long as it is in reasonable distance >>

You need to state what is a reasonable distance to you since reasonable distance is subjective.

Taniakamp

Hi there,

I have never considered traveling to Germany before until my husband said he wanted to go there recently. I am just looking into traveling there for the first time, so I really do not know much about it at all. That is why I am not sure if it is something that could be done while visiting London or if it is not realistic to include in the same trip. I have found several interesting things that I would like to see but am having trouble navigating looking on a map to see where everything is and how easy it is to get from one place to another.

I meant by train from London, stopping in Brussels (unless there is a similar fare to go direct) After searching the internet, would going to Cologne be better?
I would stay about a week in Germany, as I would not mind spending 2 or 3 days in one part and then traveling by train a few hours to another area. I would travel further if I could sleep overnight. The traveling time is flexible depending on if I was awake or asleep, unless there was great scenery along the train ride, this could ease a longer trip.
I wrote this originally because I see a lot of forums where people say "you are spending more time traveling than visiting or relaxing" so I wanted to make it clear that I am ok with packing/unpacking/checking in/checking out several times. I would not want to spend an entire day of daylight traveling from one place to another unless you think it is worth it, but 1/2 day traveling would be fine.

The only website I found online with a bus tour did not state if the price included binging you back up, it stated you could take as much time as you like and had prices based on the number of stops. It listed a departure time at 8am but it did not list times at each stop. (If I stay longer at one stop, how long do I have until the bus comes back)
If we don't go back up to our hotel, but get off at the last stop- and continue our journey in that area... we would need to have our luggage and I was not sure if that was an option on bus tours in this area.
I was wondering if anyone had done a tour like this, what company they used, and if they recommended it. When I looked further into the website, it turned into German and I could not see a link to change back to English. The English page did not state these things I am asking here.

I wrote that I didn't think I wanted to cross into Switzerland not to be weird, but because I was not sure if I wanted to add in another country. I am not sure if it requires customs and if so, what is the process? I have never been to Europe. I also was not sure if I went into Switzerland if it would then be so far to get back to London by train.

Taniakamp

I may be willing to stay a few extra days, depending on what could be seen by train. The days are not set in store but the max would be 9 days, 8 would be more realistic.

adrienne

You haven't give a link to the tour. If you had, folks here could look at it and perhaps help you with your tour questions.

Check train times/schedules at:

bahn.de

Check driving times at:

mappy.com
viamichelin.com

Germany has a wonderful public transporation system. It's inexpensive (IMHO) and very easy to use. They have wonderful people in the town Tourist Office who will give you detailed information on traveling from place to place.

I would fly from London to whatever Germany city you want to visit/start with. There are inexpensive intra European flights.

In a week you can see part of Germany but not the whole thing. Decide what interests you most. If it's Berlin then you can combine Berlin with Dresden and Potsdam.

Or you could see Bavaria in a week - Romantic Road, Munich, etc.

I believe Switzerland is now part of the Schnengen countries so there would not be any passport check when crossing the border. Even if Switzerland is not part of Schnengen you would only have to show your passport. It's not a big deal. Years ago when crossing European borders someone walked through the train, looked at passports, asked if there was anything to declare and went on his way. It took all of 30 seconds. There would be no visible customs check. Customs is for goods brought into a country. Immigration is to check your passport/identify card.

In looking at a map it doesn't seem as though you'd have to cross the Swiss border. You might need to cross the Czech or French borders, depending on your itinerary. Again, no big deal.

Kstate90

We just returned from 11 days in Germany. You want to concentrate your trip to a smaller area. There is alot to see. We stayed in Malmsheim which is a small village west of Stuttgart with the family of our exchange student we hosted 3 years ago. We also went to Munich and Salzburg. To be truthful we could have spent our entire time around Stuttgart and the black forest. All of Germany is Beautiful. You just have to narrow it down or you will waste alot of your time traveling and not really seeing anything. We enjoyed the small villages as much as the large cities. They all have history it may not be in an american tour book but it is there to be seen. You can spen 2-3 days in the black forest easily. Unless you have 3-4 weeks for your vacation I would not try and add it on to your London trip. Good Luck.

bigtyke

Take a look at some of the trip reports on Bavaria Ben's site - www.bensbauernhof.com for some ideas

Huggy

Hr

november_moon

I agree with focusing on a smaller portion of Germany. Leave out Berlin and Dresden for sure, since they are the farthest away. Focus on the south and the west.

www.dbahn.de is great for train schedules. You can see what the connections look like between places, how long the journeys take, etc. Depending on where you ultimately decide to go, a train to Frankfurt or Munich might make sense, or you might want to fly.

The Romantic Road is really about the towns you visit along the way, not the route itself. So research the towns and pick one or two - go by train or bus. Keep in mind that it is called Romanitic Road, not because it is a Romantic place, but becuase it was the Roman road through that part of Germany.

traveller1959

If you have one week you should focus on one region. Of course, you fly from London into any German city. Here are a few options:

- You fly into Düsseldorf or Köln. See the spectacular cathedral, Roman ruins, world-class art museums and the chocolate museum in Köln. Wander on the traces of your forefathers in Neanderthal. Enjoy elegant Düsseldorf. Visit the cathedral where Charlemagne was crowned in 800 A.D. in Aachen. Walk through Monschau, the most beautiful historic town in Germany. Would be a good program for one week.

- Or you fly into München. Visit the city with its grand buildings, museums and beergardens. See the Ludwig castles in front of spectacular mountain scenery. Visit the historic towns at the Romantic Road (it is a regular highway, it is called "romantic" because it connects romantic historical towns).

- Or you fly into Berlin. Explore this vibrant city with historic buildings, museums, art, music, entertainment. Visit Potsdam castle and gardens. Take the train to Dresden and see this jewel of a baroque city.