kam

Hello all, we think we may be in Frankfurt in early October next year on business. Have traveled quite a bit in the area before: Rhine River,Rudesheim, Rothenburg, Romantic Road, Munich, Alps, Austria, Berlin etc. Does anyone have an off the beaten track suggestion for about 5 days. We are history buffs and wine lovers. How is the Mosel wine area? THanks.

Greg

Kam, <BR> <BR>The Mosel Valley is great! I would suggest doing it by boat (KD Line for eg.) You can start in Koblenz and go all the way down to Mainz. Along the you can stop and see the castles, as well as the small, quiant towns. The Berg Eltz is probably the most famous. That's by a small town called Moselkern. It is way back (about 3 miles by foot) in the woods, but it is well worth the walk. Start early. Trier is also an interesting place. Several Roman ruins. <BR> <BR>In the Rhine valley there are also several castles, I did enjoy going to Rhinefels in St. Goar. It is a ruin with miles of tunnels, bring your flashlight. <BR> <BR>That would be my suggestions. Have fun. <BR> <BR>Greg <BR>

wes fowler

Here’s a novel idea or two. These itineraries are based on Gottingen, a town about 280kms northeast of Frankfurt. (The distance is about the same as from Frankfurt to Schongau on the Romantic Road in Upper Bavaria.) It seems as though many prospective travelers to Germany think primarily of Bavaria and its Romantic Road or the Rhine and Mosel Valleys as the only appealing and scenic spots of interest in Germany. The area immediately surrounding Gottingen is laced with scenic roads, medieval houses, fairy tale villages and the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (the Fairytale Route) and the fairy tales to accompany them, wooden churches reminiscent of Scandanavia, Egyptian antiquities (!?!) , imposing castles both Renaissance and Baroque in style and evidence of the reign of Charlemagne. Gottingen itself has an incongruous feature, the university founded in 1737 by the Elector Georg August of Hannover who, just coincidentally, happened to be King George II of England. All are unencumbered with the hordes of tourists more commonly found in Bavaria. <BR> <BR>To thoroughly explore and enjoy the delights of the portions of the Lander Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen and Niedersachsen that lie about Gottingen, one should plan on traveling by auto and devoting a week's time to capture the essence of the area. <BR> <BR>Where to begin? What to see? Begin in Gottingen and visit the Town Hall, its Ratskeller, guardroom and most impressive, the Rathaus Halle. Where is it? Immediately behind the statue of Ganseliesl, the Goose Girl. Wander from the Market Place to 25 Rote Strasse and you'll find the oldest house in Lower Saxony, dating to 1276. <BR> <BR>Johannisstrasse, Burgstrasse and Barfusserstrasse all have unaltered houses that date to the early 1500s. Many of these half-timbered houses have ornate decorated facades. The Junkernschanke Inn at the corner of Judenstrasse and Barfusserstrasse, not far from the Town Hall, has medallion heads of saints and sinners, including portraits of the original 16th century owners, mounted on the walls. <BR> <BR>In the Municipal and University library northwest of the town hall you'll find a huge collection of manuscripts including a Gutenburg bible from 1455. <BR> <BR>More to follow. <BR> <BR>

wes fowler

Here's an interesting and scenic itinerary that encompasses a good part of the upper Harz Mountain area. Take Rte 27 north east from Gottingen to Herzberg and visit its castle. Unique in that it's wood framed and it's the ancestral home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. (Built in 1510, it was the home of Ernst August, the founder of the English-Hannoverian dynasties.) Continue from Herzberg on Rte 243 to Osterode and pick up Rte 241 the German Holiday Road (Deutsche Ferienstrasse) to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Detour about halfway to Bad Grund on Rte 242 to visit the Iberger caves. Return to Rte 242 and Clausthal which has an interesting wooden church dating to the early 1600s. Take Rte 241 to Goslar, a former Imperial city with some magnificent buildings. The arcaded, ornate Rathaus houses a stunning Council chamber dating to the mid 1400s. Opposite the Rathaus a chiming clock provides four scenes of the town's mining history at 9AM, noon, 3PM and 6PM. Just north of the Marktplatz a smaller square, Schunhof, is completely surrounded by half-timbered arcaded houses. The Kaiserfalz, the Imperial palace is southwest of Marktplatz. It's a 12th century palace, immense when one considers its age. Adjacent to it the Palatine Church contains the tomb and effigy of Heinrich III, its first occupant. <BR> <BR>Continue on Rte 241 to Bad Harzburg, a town devoted to spa cures, diets and beauty treatments (one of the interests you expressed) and take Rte 4 south to the Romerkalle waterfall in the Okertal valley. Continue on to Braunlage and Rte 27. Take Rte 27 west to Bad Lauterberg, yet another spa town where you can pick up a cable car to the top of Wurmberg (Worm Mountain) for some stunning views of the Harz mountains and forests. Rte 27 will take you back to Gottingen. <BR> <BR>Still more to come. <BR> <BR>

wes fowler

Here's an interesting and scenic itinerary that encompasses a good part of the upper Harz Mountain area. Take Rte 27 north east from Gottingen to Herzberg and visit its castle. Unique in that it's wood framed and it's the ancestral home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. (Built in 1510, it was the home of Ernst August, the founder of the English-Hannoverian dynasties.) Continue from Herzberg on Rte 243 to Osterode and pick up Rte 241 the German Holiday Road (Deutsche Ferienstrasse) to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Detour about halfway to Bad Grund on Rte 242 to visit the Iberger caves. Return to Rte 242 and Clausthal which has an interesting wooden church dating to the early 1600s. Take Rte 241 to Goslar, a former Imperial city with some magnificent buildings. The arcaded, ornate Rathaus houses a stunning Council chamber dating to the mid 1400s. Opposite the Rathaus a chiming clock provides four scenes of the town's mining history at 9AM, noon, 3PM and 6PM. Just north of the Marktplatz a smaller square, Schunhof, is completely surrounded by half-timbered arcaded houses. The Kaiserfalz, the Imperial palace is southwest of Marktplatz. It's a 12th century palace, immense when one considers its age. Adjacent to it the Palatine Church contains the tomb and effigy of Heinrich III, its first occupant. <BR> <BR>Continue on Rte 241 to Bad Harzburg, a town devoted to spa cures, diets and beauty treatments (one of the interests you expressed) and take Rte 4 south to the Romerkalle waterfall in the Okertal valley. Continue on to Braunlage and Rte 27. Take Rte 27 west to Bad Lauterberg, yet another spa town where you can pick up a cable car to the top of Wurmberg (Worm Mountain) for some stunning views of the Harz mountains and forests. Rte 27 will take you back to Gottingen. <BR> <BR>Still more to come. <BR> <BR>

wes fowler

Sorry, Kam, for the duplication above. So where are we?This itinerary among other things will get you to the stomping grounds of some of Germany's more legendary and mythical personages. It'll also expose you to the artistry of ancient Egypt, contemporary Africa and German porcelain! Can't be more eclectic no matter how hard I might try. <BR> <BR>From Gottingen, take Rte 3 north through Northeim to Einbeck. At one time in the Middle Ages, Einbeck was home to over 700 breweries. Talk about "home brew"; seems like all the townspeople did. The Marktplatz is surrounded by wooden houses, two of which are particularly interesting. The town pharmacy (Rats-Apotheke) and the Brodhaus opposite, both dating from the 16th century, give evidence of their use by brewers. Dormers on both building open to attics where hops, barley and malt were stored to dry before brewing. In the plaza you'll find a statue of Til Eulenspiegel, the local brewery worker, prankster and trouble maker of legend who was the subject of Richard Strauss' tone poem of the same name. <BR> <BR>For one of the most stunningly original building facades, continue from Einbeck to Alfeld on the banks of the river Leine to view the Alte Lateinschule. The school and its façade date to 1610. The exterior is laced with what appear to be porcelain replicas of gods, goddesses and various human virtues. Quite stunning and, unlike so many half-timbered and wooden buildings in these Saxony villages, made of brick. <BR> <BR> <BR>Continue from Alfeld to Hildesheim, a town severely damaged in World War II but lovingly restored. There is a marked pedestrian trail, the Rosenroute, that will take you past most of the major sites in town. On the square Am Steine in the southwestern section of town you'll find the Roemer-Pelizaeus museum which houses the largest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts in Germany outside of Berlin. In the western suburb of Hildesheim-Sorsum you'll find the Afrika Manyatta museum devoted to African folk crafts, many of which are available for purchase in the museum's gift shop. <BR> <BR>From Hildesheim drive west on Rte 1 to Hameln, the legendary town of the Pied Piper. The Rat Catcher's Home (Rattenfangerhaus) like many of the fine houses in Hameln are in a style different than you've encountered up to now. The design is Weser Renaissance with a preponderance of pinnacled gables and ornate scrollwork. Most date from the early part of the 17th century and are very much in evidence around the town square and adjacent streets and alleys. <BR> <BR>Take Rte 83 south, on the bank of the Weser River to Bodenwerder. Here, the ornate town hall is the former mansion of Baron Munchhausen, a real person renowned in legend as the world's greatest storyteller and liar. Continue south to Hoxter, cross the river and look for directional signs to Furstenberg, the porcelain factory and museum housed in a palace dating from 1747. <BR> <BR>Backtrack and continue south on the banks of the Weser to the village of Munden where the Weser is formed by the convergence of the Werra and Fulda rivers. Munden lies in a basin surrounded by the two rivers and lovely hills. It's a charming village in an equally charming setting. From Munden you can return to Gottingen via Rte 3. <BR> <BR>I don't know how long you plan to stay in the area of Gottingen, but if you've got additional time, I'd suggest a drive on the Deutsche Marchenstrasse (Germany Fairytale Route) to Hofgeismar, a walled village and on to Kassel with its stunning collection of Rembrandts and prehistoric antiquities housed in Schloss Wilhelmshohe, a building that has been home at one time or another to Jerome Napoleon, Napoleon III and Kaiser Wilhelm II. <BR> <BR> <BR>

kam

Wes, thanks a lot! I saved your comments and need to find a good map to go with them. It makes Frankfurt seem a more exciting destination. We were rather lukewarm. The alternative site seems to be Monte Carlo and we don't like that at all, but would travel a bit in southern France or perhaps the Piedmonte.

wes fowler

Kay, <BR>Michelin Map No. 417 covers the area.

Russ

I'd like to secod Wes' suggestions for the tourist-neglected but very special area of northern Germany. Hildesheim is a great suggestion - don't miss the Romanesque Michaeliskirche (a Unesco World Heritage site) and the very special old town there. On your way to Hameln, stop in Nordstemmen to visit the Marienburg Castle - not that old, but very unique and with an interesting history, perched above the town on a nearby hillside. <BR> <BR>West of Hameln a few miles, you'll also find Rinteln, another of the heavily half-timbered towns in the region. Just north of there in Bückeburg is a castle by the same name - wondeful tour of the interior that you won't forget. <BR> <BR>The Mosel is terrific too. Greg mentions Burg Eltz - a must-see - and Reichsburg Castle in Cochem is also very worthwhile, as is Cochem itself. This region is your best bet for indulging your wine interests! Here's a webpage with a few of the sights there: <BR> <BR>http://www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/mos...ightsengl.html

xxx

You have received wonderful suggestions here. This is just another vote for Trier and the Mosel.

kam

You guys are terrific. I'm actually getting excited about going to Frankfurt!

Ann

Kam, I'd vote for the Mosel, too, but if you have five days, you may want to check out Eisenach (and its Wartburg) or Dresden, both cities in the old east which are being restored and are wonderful. I've written a lot about both, so in order not to tie up the forum, you can do a search or email me and I'll send you info. Another thought is the area around Bayreuth, where all the crystal factories are, and which includes Staffelstein, home to my favorite of all German churches: Vierzehnheiligen. Or the very picturesque (French) Alsatian pottery villages just below Trifels, which is home to the castle where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned, and where the Maginot Line runs. You just need to pick a place....

steve

I have enjoyed the area between Frankfurt and Heidelberg - lots of quaint villages in the mountains east of the main road.. Also like the Neckar river east of Heidelberg to Bad WImpfen and the area just NE of Bad Wimpfen is nice

Miriam

Hi Kam, <BR> <BR>I think you got lots of good advice here. If you need some tips regarding Frankfurt itself (hotels, Airport,shopping etc.) drop me a line. I work downtown and live in small city 45km away which would make a great stop on your way north( if you decide to visit Hameln etc.) It`s called Gelnhausen. Small, walled, medieval town with ruins of Emperor Barbarossa`s castle and no tourists... <BR> <BR>Kind regards <BR>Miriam

ingrid

Have you been to Aachen and the Eifel? very pretty and combinable with Trier and Mosel?