Camera Girl

Hi, <BR>I'm planning a trip from Sept 20-Oct 10 in Germany. 3 days in Koln, 5 days in Munchen (for Oktoberfest) and the remainder are "up in the air." I would welcome suggestions from the experienced. <BR><BR>I'm considering going to Vienna, is it doable from Munchen by car? Are you allowed to drive rental cars across the border, and if so, what kind of hassle is it going to be? <BR><BR>What is the most cost effective way to rent a car? Internet? phone? travel service? I've had great success using Priceline.com for renting cars and hotel rooms in the USA, and plan on using it along the way....<BR><BR>How about driving to Nurnberg? <BR><BR>For the German train pass, how would you make reservations? By phone? by internet?<BR><BR>Is it relatively easy to get onto the internet in Germany? Can I walk into a public library and get on to do my business/travel planning?<BR><BR>Danke...

lbb

I don't know how "experienced" I am and of course, as with any travel, it is a matter of opinion but I loved Baccharach. It is a small town on the Rhine. A castle stands at the top of a hill overlooking the quaint little town. There is a wonderful winery that does tastings. There is not a lot to do but it makes a great base for day trips to Trier and Cologne . Trier is wonderful. It is full of Roman ruins and has a charming little marketplatz. I also love Rothenburg Ober tauber. It is surrounded by a medival wall and had a wonderful christmas shop and torture museum. I have never traveled by car in Germany but Salzburg is a very short trip from Munchen by train. I don't know about Vienna. I also loved Salzburg. You have the Mozart history and sites from sound of Music. Dachau touches the heart and reminds you how blessed we are. Loved Munchen and all of the beer. Have a wonderful time.

scrappy

You will love Munchen! Make sure you have some cash tho' cause it is EXPENSIVE! As is Koln! The shopping is quite nice. Make sure you get the travel card(for free admissions and transport) from the tourist info shop- it is really worth it and the transport system in Munich will take you everywhere fast! There are so many places you could go. Check out the German tourism site for ideas, so many places are within driving distance...hard to narrow it down, I agree with Rothenburg od Tauber, Wuerzburg is nice, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Oberammergau, the Zugspitze...run with it...the trains are quite expensive (except for the weekend passes) so if you are renting a car, stick with that- the autobahns are faster anyways (unless you hit a stau-eek!) Good luck - tschuess!!

Dick Yeager

To answer some of your questions; Yes, you can drive rental cars across the border. There may be limits on the old "Eastern Germany", but nothing you are contemplatintg.<BR><BR>You do not say how you are arriving in Germany, but the consensus on this board seems to be using Auto Europe. Just punch in autoeurope.com.<BR><BR>You can drive to Nurnerg. For the trains in Germany try bahn.de.<BR><BR>Camera Girl, it is pretty obvious you have not taken advantage of the research facilities available on Fodors, Frommers, and the internet. Do some research and come back with more specific questions. You will receive lots of help.<BR><BR>Dick

Russ

I'd suggest you get in on the festivities at one of the Rhine wine/fireworks celebrations; 9/21 in St. Goar, 9/28 and 10/5 in Boppard, both river towns south of Cologne below Koblenz.<BR><BR>www.rhein.feuerwerk-info.de , click on English option<BR><BR>(You don't need boat tickets to enjoy your time there.)

Mark

I am leaving JFK on the 19th of September. I'll be arriving in Frankfurt the morning of the 20th.\<BR><BR>I am taking a group of 12 friends along with me. Most of them are first timers to germany and Austria. <BR><BR>I'll be in Germany and Austria from the 20th until the 3rd of October. A few of my group will be staying after the 3rd of October and returning on the 8th from Baden Baden.<BR><BR>Let me know what you are in to seeing or doing and I'd be happy to give you some input. <BR><BR>I think I know quite a biot about Europe, especially Germany. This is my 30th trip over. E-mail me at [email protected] and I'll be happy to share some thougts with you.

BTilke

I spend a lot of time in Franconia (the Nuremberg area) and think it's a great place to visit. I usually stay in a little hotel in the village of Kalchreuth, about 20 minutes from Nuremberg. It's a cute village and the hotel is 700 years old--but completely renovated inside, everything completely up to date. And it only costs about $45 a night. <BR>I think Nuremberg is an under-rated city--it's quite attractive, lots of historic sites (mostly rebuilt after WW II, of course), and some very good restaurants and shopping. A lot of people overlook it in their rush to get to Bamberg, etc. A shame.

Ralf

If you plan to drive across a border, you MUST have a sticker. I know this for Switzerland the hard way when we went from Freiberg to Basel. We got lost, drove back and forth between Basel and France and Germnay, before stopped by a border guard who chastized us for not having a sticker to allow us to drive in Switzerland. I hear you can buy them in spots in Germany like the psotal office, but have one. We got fined 30 euros by Mr Guard. And the swiss do not usually take the euro..they use the franc, so be prepared there also. Long as you have the stickers, you are OK. What got us was we went through the border areas 3 times, the first the guard waved us through, the second and thrid had no one...same area, three seperate situations. I guess the 4th time, the guy was done with lunch. <BR>And have some good maps too.

ingrid

You need a sticker to drive on HIGHWAYS in Switzerland, and you can buy it at the border or in a German post office. For Austria, you also need a sticker, which you buy when crossing the border.