Germany in 3 weeks
 

We are starting to plan a trip to Germany for late May/early June and looking for feedback/suggestions.
Initial plans are as follows:
- fly into Berlin - stay 3 nights;
- train to Dresden - 3 nights;
- train to Nuremberg - 2 nights;
- train to Munich - 3 nights;
- train to Stuttgart - 3 nights;
- train to Frankfurt - 3 nights;
- fly home.
Plan to purchase a German Rail Pass (2nd class twin) for at least 5 days ... need to figure out how many side trips we will take.

Should we be spending more time in some cities, less in others or even forego some cities?

Pretty much biased towards cities, huh?
Or do you plan to use them also as bases to explore the countryside, smaller towns and villages?
It may play a role in deciding how long you need to stay in one place.

You might think about visiting Freiburg instead of Stuttgart. Freiburg itself is a pretty, university town, and also within easy train distance of some beautiful sites in the Black Forest such as Titisee and Triberg. You could also spend a day in Colmar, France, from Freiburg as a base.

Pretty much city biased as a starter ... I'm not adverse to exploring smaller towns (did that last year while we stayed in Brussels)... need to do more research to figure out which smaller towns/villages are worth exploring.

How many days should be allotted to see some sights in the Black Forest area?

hi enroh,

first of all, the itinerary you give is only 17 nights - is that correct or do you have a bit more time than that, as your title says 3 weeks.

Secondly, i do feel that particularly that time of year, you may be missing a lot by restricting yourselves to cities. you could have a superb trip combining city and countryside - you can even do this on the train, but a car might be easier.

Two suggested itineraries:

Fly into Berlin, stay 4 nights. [possible day-trip to Potsdam one day].

Train to Dresden. Stay 4 nights. use buses, trains and boats [and possibly hire bikes] to explore Dresden and the surrounding area.

pick up car and drive south west, exploring the Erzgebirge and Bamburg ending up in Nuremburg. take at least 4 nights for this part of the trip.

then head for Garmish or Fussen, using that as a base for touring, [4 nights] before heading for Munich to finish your trip.

or from Berlin, head west to the Harz, then carry onto the Rhein and Mosel, spend a few days in the Black Forest, and end in Stuttgart or Munich.

you should look at doing "open jaw" flights if at all possible, into Berlin and out of ?

If someone were to ask if spending more than a third of one's 17 night trip to Germany in Stuttgart and Frankfurt was the best use of the time, I think that most seasoned Germany travelers would gently say "No". They each have their attractions, which may interest you enough to enjoy your time, but you don't seem to state any driving desire to see them. If you included them because they are big cities that make the route (into Berlin out of Frankfurt) work, there are probably some more interesting options.

You could extend your time in a couple places, and skip Stuttgart;

- fly into Berlin - stay 4 nights;
- train to Dresden - 3 nights;
- train to Nuremberg - 2 nights;
- train to Munich - 5 nights;
- train to Frankfurt - 3 nights;

Berlin is certainly worth at least one more night, especially considering a jet lagged first day. Spending extra days in Munich opens up the possibility of Salzburg (covered on your rail pass, I believe, but not expensive if not) and the Bavarian Alps - Garmisch, Fuessen, etc.. I would probably only allot 2 nights to Frankfurt, but I would be filling in some other smaller towns, which makes it easier to identify alternatives.

Speaking of alternatives, it's a long way from Dresden to Nuremberg and along the way are some other very interesting smaller cities; Erfurt, Weimar, and Bamberg, for example. They could chew up some extra days on your way south. Or stay In Salzburg, or Garmisch for a couple of days.

Freiburg, while technically not in the Black Forest, is a decent city base for reaching some of the southern and western parts of the area. It is a pretty long trip from Munich, though.

I would recommend that you look into some smaller cities/larger towns (seems to be your preference) - I bet a couple along your general route will really pop out at you as places you would like to see (Bamberg, Wurzburg, Quedlinburg, Goslar, Wernigerode, Erfurt, Weimar, Regensburg, Meersburg, Lindau - just to name a few :-)

We can help you figure how to fit those in, where to stay, and what to see if you think you want to go that route.

I have not booked my airline tickets as yet ... plan on flying on points and so will book over the next couple of weeks. For now I have 3 nights at the start of the trip in Amsterdam ... still second guessing that ... may change that and start in Berlin and spend those 3 nights somewhere in Germany or fly there or somewhere else at the end of the trip.

Some great suggestions above ... I will work on incorporating some of them.

By planning so much time in cities, you are missing some of
the beautiful countryside and smaller towns. I would head from
Munich down to the mountainous areas of Bavaria and skip
Stutgart and Frankfurt altogether. Go to the castles, drive to
Garmisch, take a train to Mittenwald, go to Obergammau etc.
I think you will find the trip more rewarding to mix city and
countryside.

Pat

Staying in cities and doing day trips to the countryside is a good idea IMO, especially if you're a fan of cities. You won't need a rail pass for these day trips as they are most likely within the same public transportation network as the city where you're staying or, if a little longer trips, in the same state so you can use the so called "Länder"-ticket.

Example: Dresden is in the VVO network which covers the National Park Saxon Switzerland also. That region is sort of a *must* day trip. See this website for an introduction:
http://www.nationalpark-saechsische-...?set_lang_id=2

Or for a day trip from Dresden to one of the small towns like Freiberg, Bautzen, Görlitz use the "Sachsen" ticket. 21 Euro for one person, 3 Euros more for every other person in the group travelling together (regional trains, from 9 am on on weekdays, weekends all day).

I.