Germany in Nov 2003
 

My wife and I are going to Germany (the Rhineland region) during the week of Thanksgiving to vist Christmas Markets and see other tourist sites. Would you rent a car or take trains? How do you find the cheapest(for either)? How late do the trains run? If we were to set up a home base and travel from there what town would you suggest? What time of day do the Christmas Markets open? (only evening?) Are all the Christmas Market stalls open during the first or second day the market opens? I know it is a lot of questions but if you could help I would be grateful. If somebody is looking for info on the the Christmas Markets I called the German National Tourist Board and they sent a Christmas Market magazine with a lot of info including dates for 2003. The number is (212) 661-7200 Thanks JR

We have been to Germany many times and always rent a car. The driving conditions are very good and we enjoy the flexibility that a car gives us to explore small areas without being tied to a train schedule.<BR><BR>There will be Christmas markets all over Germany when you are there. They usually start on a Friday near our Thanksgiving, depending on how that hits. If you have the German book, you should have the correct schedules. Most market stalls are open on opening day and stay open. I cannot remember seeing any closed.<BR><BR>The best Christmas markets in my opinion are in Nuremberg, Munich, and the small towns of Bavaria. Rothenburg also has a nice small one that is great just because of the location. <BR><BR>You do not mention a town you want to stay in or where you want to go, so a recommendation is tough. I would start at Rothenberg, see it, and then drive to Nuremberg for the day to visit that and return to Rothenberg. Easy drive and even Ansbach will have a small market to visit on the way. From there you can head down the Romantic Road to Garmisch.<BR><BR>Hope this helps some. Great time to see Germany. Drink the Gluwein!

I love German trains. You can almost set your clock by them. In my experience they are generally punctual. They run at all hours. And using a train / bus combination I've been able to get wherever I wanted to go, although I'll be the first to admit that for some of the smaller towns in Bavaria it was downright inconvenient not having a car. <BR><BR>I second the suggestion of starting in Rothenburg. It's a pretty great walled city and the atmosphere around Christmas I imagine is spectacular. Munich is also a good suggestion. Then head south to Fussen and Garmisch on the romantic road. Take in Berlin if you can. The Rhine cities also have good Christmas markets. I think Cologne has 4 different ones.

Koblenz generally makes a good off-season base for exploring the Rhineland; it has its own Christmas market as well. It is geographically central to the most visited part of the Rhine - roughly the same distance to Cologne and to Mainz - and allows for a direct shot to the Mosel as well. It's also just a bit north of Braubach, where you can visit Marksburg Castle - the only castle open for tours at that time of year. This area is fabulously served by train, and Koblenz is a major hub for the region. Between the larger towns (Koblenz, Mainz, Cologne, Bonn, Trier, all of which have Christmas markets, I believe) trains run quite late. Make sure you check on the dates for each market before setting out - I think they're pretty uncommon before the last weekend in November.

Hello, <BR>in the Rhineland and area I´d suggest the christmas market in Aachen (close to the Belgian border). Aachen is well known for their Lebkuchen and Printen. <BR>Cologne has even several christmas markets throughout the city. <BR>You may want to choose the markets you visit by the town/ location. These days the goods offered on the markets tend to be the same all over the country. <BR>(And of course I love the Heidelberg christmas market - cause when you look up standing on parts of the market you´ll have a view of the castle.)