Germany Trip-2010
Nov 24th, 2009, 07:46 AM
#21
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katherine - great great tips - i'll have to add your site to the ones i regularly list for German train travel - i will also have to methodically mull thru all the info which at first glance seems very practical knowledge and tips only a local could provide.
And yup as i love to add when taking the train in Germany - Have a Gute Fahrt!
And yup as i love to add when taking the train in Germany - Have a Gute Fahrt!
Nov 24th, 2009, 08:59 AM
#22
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> Gute Fahrt!
Sitting on the floor in a crowded train in front of the toilets with those frequent breakdowns and train evacuations.
Such fun
. But now, you get money back. It's a 4 page questionnaire you have to fill out. You get a 25% refund for a one hour delay and 50% for 2 hours.
Get those forms before you board the train, you will need them and it reduces frustration.
Sitting on the floor in a crowded train in front of the toilets with those frequent breakdowns and train evacuations.
Such fun
. But now, you get money back. It's a 4 page questionnaire you have to fill out. You get a 25% refund for a one hour delay and 50% for 2 hours.Get those forms before you board the train, you will need them and it reduces frustration.
Nov 24th, 2009, 09:38 AM
#23
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My friend and I recently went to the travel agent and he suggested a river cruise along the Rhine. Has anyone ever done this or had experience with this type of thing? It seems to be reasonable and includes air, the cruise, all food and beverages along with several excursions for the trip for approx. $3,000. I thought it to be a pretty good deal.
Nov 24th, 2009, 12:13 PM
#24
seems high but money/time time/money. I did the cruise only and found it was best to chose a time when each town had a wine festival to enjoy the afternoon and also to investigate average age of guests. On ours the age was about 70.
Nov 24th, 2009, 01:30 PM
#25
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Regarding a river cruise: I am positive that I'd be bored out of my mind at the idea to creep along a river at an unfathomable slow speed stuffing my face on a buffet every 2 hours. This only appears to be bearable if a lot of beer, crisp Riesling and Gin Tonics would be served, but even then after a day it should be enough. There admittedly are supporters of this idea of travel, but personally I don't know any.
I think you should consult a guidebook and find out what you are interested in before you can expect any constructive advice here:
Germany is quite diverse culturally and regarding its landscapes and attractions. The North is very, very different from the South. Both differ from the West and the East is a whole different story again.
Dependent on what attracts your interest, one could only determine whether October actually still is a good time to go. While in October the South may still be attractive (thus far all the general advice you have received nonchalantly omits to point out differences), I'd argue that for anything you may be interested in in the North you'd be a lot better off going in September, if not August. The days get already pretty short in October in the more Northern regions and the climate may require you to bring different clothes than if you went more South.
I think you should consult a guidebook and find out what you are interested in before you can expect any constructive advice here:
Germany is quite diverse culturally and regarding its landscapes and attractions. The North is very, very different from the South. Both differ from the West and the East is a whole different story again.
Dependent on what attracts your interest, one could only determine whether October actually still is a good time to go. While in October the South may still be attractive (thus far all the general advice you have received nonchalantly omits to point out differences), I'd argue that for anything you may be interested in in the North you'd be a lot better off going in September, if not August. The days get already pretty short in October in the more Northern regions and the climate may require you to bring different clothes than if you went more South.
Nov 25th, 2009, 12:43 AM
#26
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I can't really comment on the river cruises since I've never done any. But I think that you should keep in mind that the weather in Germany at the end of September, beginning of October isn't stable. It can be a wonderful late summer or it can be raining. Sitting a whole rainy day in a river cruise ship wouldn't be that much fun in my opinion.
If you're interested in prices, you can look up hotel prices at www.hrs.de and rail travel at www.bahn.de For the rail travel you should keep in mind that there are many deals available. Personally I don't like pre-booking long-distance trains (the 29 or 39 Euro specials advertised) since you can't easily change trains anymore and they're often not available for the preferred dates. On the other hand, there are many Laender specials which allow you to use all trains with the exception of the high speed trains for very little money. As long as you don't go long distances, there's no reason not to use them.
The current exchange rate aren't very favourable for US tourists, but even with them the large cities are cheap in comparison to London and the smaller cities are a bargain. September/October is after-season in Germany so prices go down in touristic regions as the Rhine valley.
If you go for the large cities: most hotels exist by business travellers who stay there during the week. If you can go there on the weekends, you might get cheaper deals. And beware of trade fairs which make the prices go up by a factor of two or three.
A nice thing about travelling in Germany is that often interesting places are close to each other. So you can base yourself for some days at one place and easily make day trips around using cheap local trains. Then you can move base with the long distance trains. Cars are more sensible to access some rural places but I think if it's your first trip to Germany, you can find enough interesting places where the train drops you in the middle of it.
If you're interested in prices, you can look up hotel prices at www.hrs.de and rail travel at www.bahn.de For the rail travel you should keep in mind that there are many deals available. Personally I don't like pre-booking long-distance trains (the 29 or 39 Euro specials advertised) since you can't easily change trains anymore and they're often not available for the preferred dates. On the other hand, there are many Laender specials which allow you to use all trains with the exception of the high speed trains for very little money. As long as you don't go long distances, there's no reason not to use them.
The current exchange rate aren't very favourable for US tourists, but even with them the large cities are cheap in comparison to London and the smaller cities are a bargain. September/October is after-season in Germany so prices go down in touristic regions as the Rhine valley.
If you go for the large cities: most hotels exist by business travellers who stay there during the week. If you can go there on the weekends, you might get cheaper deals. And beware of trade fairs which make the prices go up by a factor of two or three.
A nice thing about travelling in Germany is that often interesting places are close to each other. So you can base yourself for some days at one place and easily make day trips around using cheap local trains. Then you can move base with the long distance trains. Cars are more sensible to access some rural places but I think if it's your first trip to Germany, you can find enough interesting places where the train drops you in the middle of it.
Nov 25th, 2009, 05:15 AM
#27
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We are taking a 5 night Christmas market cruise on Monday and spending six nights on land.
The ship is docked all day as well as two overnight stays. We have no desire to "stuff our faces at buffets every two hours" and actually the food and wine is not similar to mass market cruise line fare. And we will enjoy the local fare whenever we are in port.
We are active and intend to spend our time off the boat exploring the small towns and villages along the way.
The ship is docked all day as well as two overnight stays. We have no desire to "stuff our faces at buffets every two hours" and actually the food and wine is not similar to mass market cruise line fare. And we will enjoy the local fare whenever we are in port.
We are active and intend to spend our time off the boat exploring the small towns and villages along the way.
Nov 27th, 2009, 05:18 AM
#32
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"Regarding a river cruise: I am positive that I'd be bored out of my mind at the idea to creep along a river at an unfathomable slow speed stuffing my face on a buffet every 2 hours. This only appears to be bearable if a lot of beer, crisp Riesling..."
I think you've hit the mark on this one. The only thing I don't agree with is that the wine may not be as "crisp" as a Riesling could be, it'll be the worst around but even that's okay. I'd be willing to swim ashore in about an hour
I think you've hit the mark on this one. The only thing I don't agree with is that the wine may not be as "crisp" as a Riesling could be, it'll be the worst around but even that's okay. I'd be willing to swim ashore in about an hour
Nov 27th, 2009, 09:52 AM
#33
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September is a great time to be in Germany. It's my first choice for the area because the wine harvest comes in and it's festival season.
Oktoberfest is the biggest, most famous, and most touristy but certainly not the only fest. I went to the Bonnfest a number of years ago and had a great time. Unlike Munich, the Bonnfest goes all night (Oktoberfest closes at 10:30 each night).
Things seem to turn cold sometime (roughly the middle) of October. I was in Koln with very nice weather in early October. We then traveled to the Rhine/Munich/Neuschwanstein in mid October and the weather turned brutually (unseasonably) cold. We stopped at a department store in Munich and bought ski caps, scarves and gloves and were fine.
Oktoberfest is the biggest, most famous, and most touristy but certainly not the only fest. I went to the Bonnfest a number of years ago and had a great time. Unlike Munich, the Bonnfest goes all night (Oktoberfest closes at 10:30 each night).
Things seem to turn cold sometime (roughly the middle) of October. I was in Koln with very nice weather in early October. We then traveled to the Rhine/Munich/Neuschwanstein in mid October and the weather turned brutually (unseasonably) cold. We stopped at a department store in Munich and bought ski caps, scarves and gloves and were fine.
Nov 30th, 2009, 06:55 AM
#34
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Yup i have been to Oktoberfests in many German towns other than Munich - most are actually in September - Munich's Oktoberfest i guess was moved to September for better weather. But Stuttgart's Oktoberfest (or whatever they call it) was in its own way as festive as Munich's to me.
I have never got sick gulping Gluhwein, for the record and i've gulped a lot of it.
I have never got sick gulping Gluhwein, for the record and i've gulped a lot of it.
Dec 1st, 2009, 04:09 AM
#37
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Hi Krystle 0819: I go to Bavaria almost every year. This past summer, in June it was freezing and I was mad at myself that I had taken mostly capris. It did warm up and get hot over the 4th of July weekend for the "Schlossfest" So pack at least one jeans and one capris. I always take a rain jacket. I have taken the train by myself from this little town called Neuberg on the
Danube. I had to change trains in Inglestott to Munich and took the night train to Zagreb, I always found someone on the train that speaks English and is very helpful, Another time I took the train to Budapest. I had no trouble and I don't speak German.
As the others have said, everyone is very helpful. When I was in Germany, I got my tickets from a local travel agent. This summer I am flying into Paris and then plan to take the train to Germany. I follow PalenQue's advice and contact Byron at BudgetEuropeTravel.com. He is very helpful. In past years, I obtained the RailPass from him. I don't have experience with the RailPass in Germany but plan to try it this year. I went to RailEurope but there were
so many options online that I will use Byron, Germany is a beautiful country. Have fun!
Danube. I had to change trains in Inglestott to Munich and took the night train to Zagreb, I always found someone on the train that speaks English and is very helpful, Another time I took the train to Budapest. I had no trouble and I don't speak German.
As the others have said, everyone is very helpful. When I was in Germany, I got my tickets from a local travel agent. This summer I am flying into Paris and then plan to take the train to Germany. I follow PalenQue's advice and contact Byron at BudgetEuropeTravel.com. He is very helpful. In past years, I obtained the RailPass from him. I don't have experience with the RailPass in Germany but plan to try it this year. I went to RailEurope but there were
so many options online that I will use Byron, Germany is a beautiful country. Have fun!
Dec 1st, 2009, 10:13 AM
#38
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My friend and I just visited a travel agent this past weekend again and were told that the average age of a river cruise passenger is about 65 years old. My friend and I are 28 and 29 respectively. So, I think the river cruise option might be a little too "slow" for us. It seemed like a great deal, but a las I will have to keep searching. Has anyone seen any good deals on vacation packages for Germany?
Dec 2nd, 2009, 08:11 AM
#39
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www.germany-tourism.de - The German National Tourist Office web site often highlights vacation packages to Germany IME
Dec 2nd, 2009, 10:45 AM
#40
Hi; Both of these sites are 'wholesalers' and deal with many of the major tour companies. Usually 10% off. Richard www.afordabletours.com or www.cheapertravel.com
