Germany trip suggestions
 

Hi! My BF and I are planning a trip to Germany in August. We're thinking about going for 2 weeks (although it may have to be shortened to 10 days if he can't get off from work). I've read the messages posted here on Fodors, have looked up the itineraries on tour packages, and bought the Fodor's book on Germany to look for interesting sites.

I've been making lists of those things/places that I'd like to see (with his input, of course) and am marking them on a map of Germany. So far, the majority of the sites seem to be in the south (Baden-Baden, Black Forest, Rothenburg, Romantic Road, Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Dachau, Berchtesgaden). We'll arrive and depart from Frankfurt. There are also a couple of cities in the north that I'd like to visit (Berlin and Hameln) and I'd like to visit Salzburg, Austria since it's so close to Berchtesgaden.

My questions:
Is it possible to visit all of these places in 2 weeks? Or would it be too rushed?

How long would you recommend for each area?

Are there any other places/cities you would recommend that maybe I just haven't read about yet?

Are there any "things to see" or do that you would recommend?

My BF also mentioned including Belgium and the Netherlands. Is this crazy?

What about adding Prague instead - from Salzburg to Prague to Dresden and on up to Berlin?

If we added Prague, would it cut down our time in Germany by too much? It seems like one really needs to spend a few days in Prague to enjoy it.

We don't want to do the 10 countries in 10 days kind of trip, but we're just not sure what's "doable".

Thanks!

btw, we definitely will visit some museums, but we're really not avid museum people. In other words, we don't have to allot a great deal of time for museums.

Personally, I would keep to the south and forget Hameln and Berlin, Prague, etc. Whether your plan is do-able or not seems to me to depend on what type(s) of traveler(s) you are. If it were me, I'd say that those cities are definitely do-able, but then I like to spend just two or three days in one city.

My recommendation for another town--since you're going to be in the south, I would go to Meersburg, which is on the Bodensee/Lake Constance. That's a charming little town not much visited by Americans, though quite popular with Germans. There's a lovely bike trail you can ride to the next town and also a boat you can take to the "flower island" of Mainau. Really a pleasant area. We stayed at the Gasthof zum Bären and had a charming and inexpensive room with an oriel window.

Another wonderful little village is Staufen, in the Black Forest. A couple of the hotels there have historical/literary scenes painted on them. One hotel supposedly has the room from which the devil came to take Faust to hell. There isn't a lot to do in Staufen, but it would be a nice stop while you're in the Black Forest.

I second Meersburg (or nearby Lindau) on the Bodensee.
I was less charmed by the black forest, more so by the romantic road.
Forget Beneluz countries. Save Prague for a future visit when you've time.

We had a 2-week trip a couple of summers ago that worked out very nicely. We arrived in Frankfurt and took a train to Bamberg. We stayed 3 nights in Bamberg (with a daytrip to Coburg) at the Hotel Brudermuehle on the Regnitz River in the middle of the Altstadt. Then took a train to Munich. 3 nights in Munich. It's a wonderful city for sightseeing.

From Munich we rented a car and drove to the village of Hohenschwangau where Ludwig's Neuschwanstein castle is located (and his family's Hohenschwangau castle, too). The drive was very pleasant from Munich--we stopped in Oberammergau and a couple of other places that looked interesting along the way, as well as Ludwig's Linderhof palace. We stopped for lunch along the Plansee (lake) in northern Austria.

We stayed 2 nights in Hohenschwangau (Romantic Pension Albrecht), then drove north on the Romantic Road to the Rothenburg area, stopping at the Wieskirche, Nordlingen, and Dinkelsbuhl along the way. We stayed in a castle hotel a few kms. east of Rothenburg for 2 nights (Burg Colmberg).

From Rothenburg we drove to the tiny hamlet of Beilstein on the Mosel River. We had planned to stop at 2 or 3 places on the way that day (e.g., Schwaebisch Hall, Bad Wimpfen, Heidelberg) depending on how we felt and the progress we were making. But it was so hot (hit 100 F. that day) that we just drove straight to Beilstein, enjoying the A/C car.

Spent 3 nights at Hotel Haus Lipmann directly on the Mosel--a wonderful hotel with an excellent restaurant.

Spent our last night in Germany near Frankfurt airport.

The mixture of train and car travel worked perfectly--a car would have been a negative in both Bamberg and Munich, but was perfect for visiting small towns and rural areas after Munich.

The highlights for us were Bamberg (never bombed in the war so the Altstadt is authentic and beautiful), the Mosel River, and the drive from Munich to Hohenschwangau. But the entire trip was enjoyable in spite of the heat.

I'll assume that you are planning to rent a car. That will make things a lot more accessable in some parts of the country, especially the alps. Go to Gemut.com and get Bob Bestor to get you a car. Save some money by NOT picking it up at an airport or train station. Germany puts a 21% tax on rent cars from those locations.

I will assume 14 days with two days used up flying, so a total of 12 days. Here is how I would put it together. Try to fly into Munich and take the S-bahn from the airport to a hotel near Marienplatz in the middle of town, or near the train station. We like the Drei Lowen hotel near the Haupt Bahnhof. Spend two nights in Munich and on the next morning pick up your car and drive to Salzburg with a stop at Herren Chiemsee (Ludwig's copy of Versailles). Spend two nights in Salzburg and take the Sound of Music tour while you are there so you get a little taste of the Saltzkammergut when they take you out to Mondsee to see the SOM wedding chruch. For hotels we like the Goldenen Ente or the Weisses Kreuz in the altstadt.

When you leave S'burg go to Bertchtesgaden and spend a few hours then go on to Oberammergau for your fifth night. Schloss Linderhof in close by. The next day drive to Fussen by the back roads that go by the Wiess Kirche.

Spend night six in Fussen and see the castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) that day or the next morning. This may sound like a lot but Fussen is really only 70-80 miles from Salzburg as a crow flies. It is further by mountain road but certainly doable.

After you see the castles head for the Black Forest, probably Freiburg. On the way you could route yourself by the Bodensee to see Meersburg and Mainau Island (the garden Island in the middle of the lake). After a night in the Black forest you could go on to Baden Baden. By now you should be about night 8.

Cut across to Heidelburg for a quick look and then on to Rothenburg for a day and a night.

By this time it about time for you to head for Frankfurt to drop the car at the airport and to sleep all the way home.

This is probably a lot more one and two night stops than a lot of people on this board would recommend but I like to see as much as I can while I am over there and I always promise myself that I will come back to the places I like to spend more time. Enjoy your planning and enjoy your trip. You should have a wonderful time.

>Germany puts a 21% tax on rent cars from those locations.

Germany does no such thing. It's the car rental companies who found an easy way to make extra money. Since everybody does it, you might think it's a tax and this is very convenient for them.

My husband and I are also planning a 2 week trip to Germany next summer. We have 12 days in Germany, not including air travel.

When we first started planning we wrestled with the shear number of places to see in Germany and the neighboring countries - how to decide, how to prioritize?

We have settled on 3 basic areas for our trip: Munich, the Bavarian Alps, and Nuremberg. We originally considered going to Amsterdam, the Rhine River valley, Berlin, and some other places. Ultimately we have decided to spend more time in fewer places for a more relaxing trip and to experience more of the places we see.

So we are planning on spending 5 nights in Munich, taking a couple side trips while we are there - most likely to Dachau, Freising, and a lake that I can't think of the name of right now. I think we have 4 nights in Nuremberg - to see the town itself and take a side trip probably one day to a neighboring town or two. And then I think another 4 nights in the Bavarian Alps - do a little hiking, check out the Ludwig castles, take a tram to the top of one of the peaks, check out a few towns.

For us, this seems like the most logical way to do it - stick to southern Germany and base ourselves in a few different places to explore from there.

ttt planning for future trip. thanks

I also agree with Meersburg on the Bodensee. We stayed 2 nights in the "3Stuben" hotel-was exceptional. The Fort,the waterfront,the ferry to Konstanz... all wonderful experiences.

Thank you everyone for your quick, thoughtful and helpful responses. Thank you, especially, for the suggestions of places to stay. I will definitely look into these places.

After I posted my message, reality sunk in and I realized that in order to spend adequate time in any given area, we'd probably have to eliminate Berlin and Hameln (from this trip). I guess I was hoping to have everyone tell me that my original list of 'places I would like to see' would be do-able within a 2-week period, simply because I really wanted to visit all those cities. Your answers confirmed my suspicion that Berlin and Hameln will have to wait for another time, as will Prague, Belgium and the Netherlands. But, believe it or not, my BF sprang Switzerland on me tonight as somewhere he DEFINITELY wants to either add or change to as our trip destination. I’m all jazzed about going to Germany now (his original choice), so I’m hoping to simply add some time in Switzerland to the Germany itinerary. I’m hoping that this will be fairly easy to do since we will be staying primarily in the south of Germany now anyway.

With my map of Germany in hand, I have been looking for the location of all the cities/towns mentioned. Since almost everyone mentioned Meersburg, we will definitely try to include it in our plans.

I have another question now – many people mentioned renting a car. I had assumed that we would try to take the train whenever possible and just rent a car for specific excursions (for example, Munich to Berchtesgarden to Salzburg and back). Would it be better for us to plan to rent a car for most (or all) of our trip instead? Would this save time because of being able to go from one area directly to the next? Or would the train be faster…well, because it’s a train? I’ve heard that the train system in Germany is very efficient and economical. Also, if we rented a car just for specific distances (not round trip), would this be very costly?

Thanks everyone for your advice!

Hi j-

Sounds like a wonderful trip you're thinking of. My mom and I spent 8 nights in Germany (and Amsterdam - definitely save Benelux for another trip) in May of this year.

We had a Benelux/Germany RailPass - five days of travel in First Class for $242 each. The German train system is excellent and VERY easy and convenient to get around with. The Pass made it easy for us to hop on and off and even get lost without it impacting us financially.

Go to www.railpass.com and look for the place where you can find if it would be cheaper for you to use a Pass. Many more experienced travelers here suggest that point to point tickets may be cheaper - they may be, but I did like the convenience of the Pass.

We stayed one or two days in four different places. For us, it was too much travel, not enough enjoyment (although Germany has very, beautiful countryside and is lovely to watch from the train window). But you're probably much younger than we are, so go for it!

mom

I was once stationed in Landstuhl, Germany and would take long weekends to Switzerland so it is quite doable, especially from the Black Forest. It is about 100 miles by car or 2 hours (~80 euro for 2) by train from Freiburg (Breisgau) HBF to Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

The German train system (De Bahh) has a site where you can check train schedules but does not always have a price when you cross borders:

http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

We are planning a spring trip to Germany this year and will use the train system. I lived and drove in Europe for 6 years. I think that you could do either, though driving into any significant sized European city can be trying. Combining rail with an occasional car might lead to a more pleasureable experience. You would need specifics to determine what is more economical.

In Switzerland, I really liked the capital (Bern or Berne), Luzern See (Lake Lucerne) and the area south of Thun See. Bern would be best done w/o a car but Luzern and the Mountains might be easier to see in a car. One problem with a car is remembering to get out of one for walks, etc.

Good luck and good times,

Gary

We found driving in Germany to be a treat. We picked up our rental car in Cologne and drove from there to stops at St. Goar on the Rhine, Beilstein on the Mosel, Baden-Baden, Meersburg, Garmisch-Partenkirken, Regensburg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, and back to Cologne. While you aren't going to want to drive within the cities generally, we didn't have much trouble reaching our hotels. The nice thing is the freedom it gives you to start and stop when you want, rather than follow someone else's timetable, and not have to do much lugging of your luggage.

We didn't find it terribly expensive to rent a car in Germany. Check www.autoeurope.com and nova rental cars.

Germany is just such a beautiful country! Not only is the countryside wonderful, but the buildings are charming and refreshing to the spirit.

I wish I could go back, but I have to see the rest of the world first before I can double back, and it's a big planet!

Hi jlaughs,

I would like to second the proposals to visit Lake Constance.

First, if you arrive at Frankfurt / Main FRA, it might be possible to fly from there to Friedrichshafen FDH. If you prefer to go by rail, you would go via Mannheim, Stuttgart, Ulm to Friedrichshafen Stadt.

Consider to choose a town or village at Lake Constance as your hub to stay and to start daily excursions from. There are passenger ship (sized for 500 to 1.500 passengers) lines connecting the seaside villages and towns by a schedule. There are also bus lines and railways connecting the lakeside and the hinterland, but to go by ship is much more fun.

Lake Constance or Bodensee is one of the nicest landscapes of Germany, of a mild climate so that it is possible (and done) to grow wine there. Hagnau and Meersburg are known for their wine.

As it is a quite popular destination in Germany - Stuttgart people use it for their weekends - Lake Constance seems to be not that known outside. This means for you, you are off the beaten track, but you are in a region which serves tourists for over a hundred years.

There are small but medieval towns as Meersburg and to a lesser degree also Lindau and Überlingen or Konstanz (Constance) and St. Gallen (St. Gall in Switzerland). There are mountains, a smaller one, Pfänder outside Bregenz and a big one, Säntis in Switzerland accessible by funiculaire. From the German side, you have an impressive alpine panorama.

At Lake Constance or Bodensee you have the chance, to see a nice spot of Germany, enjoy comfort offered for guests, to see typical, sometimes magnificent landscapes and buildings (Birnau church as an example). And if you just like to relax, you can do easyly on the lakeside promenades or corsos, where you find cafes, ice cream parlors and restaurants or just a bench to sit down and enjoy the lake.

jl--car/train. It depends on how your itinerary shakes out. As I described in our itinerary above, we used trains for the first part as we were visiting 2 cities where a car wouldn't be of much use. From then on we found car travel to be best as we were visiting smaller towns and wanted to make a number of stops along the way.

Jlaughs, What do you want to see in Switzerland. Lucern is a great town and the cog trian up one side of Mt. Pilatus and the cable car down the other side is a great experience.

Thanks again for all the great feedback. I'm going to have to spend some time looking at the train routes, schedules and fares and compare the cost to renting a car.

I realize that traffic in major cities can be a "pain", but I think my BF will be fine with that. Are there any problems with parking (availability and cost) in the major cities?

AisleSeat - I'm not really sure what we'd want to do in Switzerland. I've been doing my major research on Germany with a little reading about Prague, Belgium and the Netherlands since those were all considerations. I haven't read a thing about Switzerland yet since my BF just dropped that on me last night. Okay, funny as this may sound, the only thing he mentioned he'd like to do is shoot a machine gun. He used to be a firearms dealer years ago.

Thanks again for all the help.

We have planned a visit to Munich this spring. While checking hotels, I found many charge 12-15 Euro per night for parking - but those tend to be in the center of the city. You can find a hotel on the outskirts of Munich that has free parking, then take the U-Bahn into the Marienplatz or other sites. Just be sure to check with the hotel about parking cost and access to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn. We will stay at the Hotel Uhland which has free parking and good prices (off-Oktoberfest times). Many hotels have websites with the info. Uhland is at www.hotel-uhland.de

I wonder if it would be cost effective to turn in a rental car when we get to Munich and rent again when we leave. We'll probably stay there for a few days (about 3 days) and can take day tours to Dachau and Neuschwanstein. We can take the local buses to get around Munich if where we want to go is further than walking distance. Does this seem like a reasonable idea if we don't think we'll actually need a car while we're in Munich? Or would it be better to keep the car and drive ourselves to the various locations we want to go?

jlaughs, You won't need a car in Munich... matter of fact you won want one. Traffic is a bear and parking is impossible. However, if you happen to stay at the Uhland hotel they let you park behind the building free. "Shoot a machine gun?" That's a new one. I'm tempted to make a politically incorrect joke about France. Never-mind that.

What other "major cities" do you plan to visit besides Munich.

I know you planned to arrive and depart from Frankfurt. I suggest you check into flying in to other cities to save time and probably money. As a matter of fact you could check out "open jaw" tickets where you fly into one place and out of another.

Hi AisleSeat. Yes, I debated posting what my BF wants to do in Switzerland, but I figured that was the only way I might get some good information. I checked on airfare to different cities (Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, even Paris), but Frankfurt was the cheapest by far. I don't believe we'll have much choice about open jaw since we'll both be using FF miles (different programs) for our tickets. It may be tricky enough just coordinating both our tickets for the same flights.

The itinerary is no where near being complete, but I'm hoping that we can land in Frankfurt and head to Baden-Baden (with maybe a quick stop in Heidelberg). We'll spend a day in the Black Forest before heading to Switzerland (maybe 2 days). From there, we'll go to Munich (trying to see if I can fit Meersburg in somewhere, but it's not looking good). While in Munich, we'll take day trips to Dachau and to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. Leaving Munich, we'll head to Berchtesgarden (Eagle's Nest & Salt Mines) and then go to Salzburg. We'll hopefuly spend at least a couple of days in Salzburg (gotta take the 'Sound of Music' tour since I saw the movie 7 times when it first came out and I know every song by heart!). From there, we'll start making our way back towards Frankfurt. I haven't figured out whether we want to go towards Nuremberg (with an overnight stay in Rothenberg) which means we'd miss the Romantic Road sites or whether we should cut across further south and take the rest of the Romantic Road north. Once we're back in Frankfurt, I'm hoping that we have at least one day that we can take a Rhine River excursion (Mainz or Bingen to Koblenz) with a train back to Frankfurt before heading home.

Whew!!

What was I ever thinking when I was pondering whether we could fit Berlin, Hameln, Prague, Belgium or the Netherlands in two weeks?!? I'm hoping that I can even fit everything from above into two weeks without it becoming the 'amazing race' trip.

I agree with Aisleseat, if you are interested in the castles. We are and loved everyone of them. When in munich be sure and do a day walk to all the churches. You cannot tell they are churches from the outside. We met a local at the beer garden who offered a walking tour --for tips only and well worth it. It is easy to skip around and see a lot in Europe. You can see a lot either by rental car or train. We always plan a basic itinerary and then go with the wind and the train schedules so to speak. I would definitely take in Dachau, its an important piece of history, heartbreaking, but a place every person should see.
Its very easy to get around, be flexible when you get there. You'll have a great time.

Yes i think you have planned a bit too much. If you try to rush all the sights you will be more worried about getting to the next place and not the one you are visiting. I can attest to this because last year i did the same thing. 16 day trip to Germany and 6 of them in Berlin so i spent 2 in Leipzig,1 in Dresden, 2 along the Rhine but no time to relax :-( 1 in Hamburg and the other 4 days going between Lueneburg, Hameln, Eisenach, Weimar and Jena and while it was fun i wish i had some more time to explore especially with Weimar and Hamburg. For next spring i learned a lesson and will stay a week in the Rhine river valley to discover the beautiful castles along the river and a few days in Koeln to see the Koeln Cathedraland a few days in Vienna and a couple of days in Innsbruck. You could probaly make a couple of trips, one for Bavaria and Austria and maybe a second trip to the river Rhine, Hamburg and Berlin and a third trip for Belgium and Netherlands, just a thought. If you do make it to Berlin a great sidetrip is Potsdam and spend an afternoon at the Sanssouci park to see the palaces from Frederick the Great.

Europa: I would like to confirm your opinion of my trip. You said that you think it's too rushed, but then you mentioned taking a 2nd trip for Berlin and Hameln and a 3rd trip for Belgium and the Netherlands. Did you realize that those were part of my original trip ideas, but have since been eliminated? Do you still think that my trip, as I described it, is too rushed. The rough draft of our itinerary looks like 1 night in Baden-Baden, 1 night in Freiburg (just 1 hour away, but I thought maybe less expensive and would allow us to spend a day in the Black Forest), 2 nights in Bern, 3 nights in Munich, 2 nights in Salzburg, 1 night in Rothenburg and 1-2 nights in Frankfurt. I'm debating about skipping the one night in Freiburg (and entire day in Black Forest) for a night in Meersburg or Linden. Opinions?

I'd also like to ask -- I've read (can't remember where anymore) that people who are used to beautiful mountains and forests may not be as impressed with the scenery in Germany. My BF and I each grew up going to the High Sierras (Mammoth Lake, Yosemite, etc.) every year for vacation and have been to Zion, Bryce (UT) and the Grand Canyon (AZ). Would we be underwhelmed by the Black Forest? This is why I'm thinking maybe we could spend less time here.

Thanks again for all the helpful comments! Your feedback has helped to really start forming this itinerary instead of everything being just a 'wish list' still.

Oh! I forgot to ask another question. If we decide to cut across to drive the Romantic Road, would this even be a good idea? For some reason, I have the idea that driving from the plains to the mountains would be impressive, but would it seem the same in reverse?

Thanks!

jlaughs, The romantic road is mostly picturesque in the South when you get into the alps. What makes it romatic are the charming little towns like Dinkelsbuhl. If you are going that way and the romantic road is on the way, use it. Otherwise on a whirlwind trip you will get from place to place quicker by using the autobahn.

Hi AisleSeat. Sorry. Again, I guess I wasn't very clear. Or maybe I just don't really know what I'm talking about. :-)

I'm assuming that the 'Road' would be just as "romantic" whichever way you're going because you hit all the same little towns, but I wondered whether it would be just as picturesque and impressive going from, say, Fussen to Wurzburg as it would be going from Wurzburg to Fussen. One way you would be going into the Alps and the other you would be coming out. Would that make a difference?

We spent about 2 weeks last summer in Germany, Austria, Italy (lake Como) A'dam and Switzerland. It was a wirlwind but we saw all we wanted to see.
From Germany, we went to Interlaken, which might be an option for you since your BF wants to do Switzerland. Very easy driving...

TXgal, WOW! I'd love to hear your itinerary. I don't think I'd try to squeeze in quite as much as you did, but I'm very happy to hear that it was possible.

I actually posted another message under 'Switzerland' asking for suggestions for 2 nights / 2-ish days from Germany. Interlaken was mentioned (after a quick stop and look around in Bern) and I'm looking into it.

Thanks!

We traveled Germany via Frankfurt-Koln-Muenster-Hamburg-Berlin-Munich. My favorite spot was the Neuschwenstein castle, while my husband loved the Checkpoint Charlie museum in Berlin. I suspect, though, his biggest thrill was going 90 mph on the autobahn--legally(or is it?)!

We did day trips to Saltzburg (Mozart's home) and Switzerland (Lake Lugano) so it's workable-but you will have to give up one day for each. We took the train which worked out very well.

Regarding how many sights to see, it seemed best to me to keep a flexible schedule with lots of options. If we were staying in a place that struck the right chord in us, we would just extend our stay.

On the other side if some well known tourist site turned out for whatever reason (lousy room, wrong weather, crowds,etc.) to be a bore, we would bailout sooner.

I never enjoyed traveling with a fixed list of things that I had to see. Better to dawdle where the spirit of the moment struck us.

Regards, Gary

offlady - That's so funny about your husband. Driving on the Autobahn is the same reason why my BF first suggested Germany. But, I don't think going 90 mph is going to excite him too much since he (and everyone else) drives at least that fast between LA & Vegas.

Gary - we absolutely want to be somewhat flexible, but I'd hate to come back and wish that I'd seen something if I'd only known about it. Plus, if we have an itinerary (that we know is not necessarily set in stone), we can see where we might be able to make changes to accommodate spontaneous urges. But, regarding being flexible, I was curious how to handle hotel reservations and tour reservations. I understand that some tours are very popular and that you should make reservations in advance. That, obviously would affect our ability to be too spontaneous. And, what about hotels? Would it be crazy to arrive at destinations without hotel reservations? I've had fairly local trips (San Diego and Santa Maria, for example) where we wasted a lot of time looking for a room because we hadn't made reservations in advance. I've also had times where I wasn't even able to stay at my destination because I couldn't find a room (Carson City, NV). This makes me a little nervous to travel without reservations.

>drives at least that fast between LA & Vegas.
I don't know... I've tried it, but it seemed like people were scared. Fast, but once you are behind in the left lane my idea is GO GO GO, they don't... Maybe its the police they're scared of. What happens if you get cought? Do I need to worry the next time? ;-), or is it just the car that doesn't go any faster?

logos, I guess you've just had the bad luck of getting behind those darn law abiding citizens who observe the speed limit. :-)

My BF and I used to go to Vegas about 2-3 times a year (haven't gone for over a year now) and, except when we've hit traffic, we've always "flown" on the I-15. Sometimes it's been surprising to look down at the speedometer and see just how fast you're going, but 90 mph is pretty standard.

If you get caught? You get a ticket.

Sounds great! In Germany, we have this "more than 30km/h (20miles/h) above the speed limit, you loose your license for a least one month" policy. Do I need to worry about this in Nevada/California?

logos, is that true for foreign licenses as well? What do they do if a foreigner is going over 30 km/h over the speed limit? I can't imagine they would take away a foreign license, but, ohhhh...I would be SO upset if my BF lost his license there and I had to drive the whole time! <grrrr>

I honestly don't know what happens to a foreigner with a moving violation here.

I undersatand that speeding tickets in Switzerland are EXTREME... like a year's salary for the extrememly fast. If you are in a porsche coming off of German autobahns it might be wise to switch to trains when you hit Switzerland. One thing that makes me think I am driving faster than I am is that the speedometer is in Kilometers and I think I am going 130 MPH when it is 130 KPH or about 80 MPH.

A year's salary?!? OUCH! That could put a serious crimp in our travel plans! Like being able to afford to get home! :-)

I'm quite sure the law's the same for everybody on german roads. I know "a few" people who experienced this procedure. 30km/h sound like being a lot, but its enough to go 81 kph on a 50 kph road. The fine isn't the main problem, one month without license is a punishment heard to bear for many.

hard