Hello:

My wife and I will be arriving at FRA Sat Nov. 7 by noon. Not the best time of year, but it's business. We don't have to be in Kiel until Monday afternoon, so two days to go North by way of Cologne.
What suggestions do you have for destinations in the Rhine area?
By car or train?
I've checked with Gemutlickkeit for car rental info.
I was thinking of driving up the Rhine and staying overnight in Wiesbaden, Koblenz, or Bonn. How about a nice castle-hotel?
And, a Website for figuring mileage in Germany?
Thanks for your kind assistance.

chris

Lubeck is a very nice town just south of Kiel -- If you can fit it in, it's definitely worth a day's visit. Have lunch at Schiffergesellschaft, a rustic restaurant, owned by the Lübeck Seafarer's. It's one of the oldest and most popular places in town.

Well, Wiesbaden is only 20 minutes from the airport so you won't be covering too much ground if you choose to stay there the first night. It takes about 1 and a half to 2 hours to get to Koln from Frankfurt (depending on how fast you drive). I haven't driven up in northern Germany so I can't offer you any advise in that way but to me it seems that Koln is a little out of the way. That said, the cathedral is worth it, beautiful! www.mapquest.com is good for mileage. Sorry I can't offer any suggestion for places to see up north - have a good trip and dress warm - it is REALLY COLD here lately!!!

If I were you, I'd make it one day in Cologne. Take a look at the cathedral, do some sightseeing in the city- the usual stuff. I am not that familiar with Cologne, but probably Kascha from this forum might be able to provide some info.
I would then drive to the North- Hamburg is about 4 to 5 hours away- following basically the A1 Autobahn.
Luebeck, as Budman suggested is another 45 minutes from Hamburg, but is is not exactly right South of Kiel but rather East/ SoutEast. There is no direct Autobahn connection between the two cities, so you would have to factor in about 1.5 hours to get from Luebeck to Kiel.
Whereas Luebeck is a medieval city, with a small Old Townn, Hamburg is definitely Northern Germany's capital (second largest city in Germany). It is about 110 km from Kiel, but direct access via Autobahn A 7, which means travel time of approx. 45 minutes.
It depends on your preferences, which you would like to do- a charming experience in Luebeck, or some elegant city life in Hamburg.
Kiel itself was destroyed heavily during WW II as it was a major marine base. It gets some flair from the seaside during summers but is not too pretty during winters in my opinion and without wanting to rain on anybody's parade.
I don't think a trip to Northern Germany would be complete without seeing Hamburg. So if you decide on going to Luebeck on your trip North, I would suggest that you plan for at least a day trip to Hamburg from Kiel, if you can manage.
Try to make it on a cruise of the port, which is quite entertaining. There is gorgeous upscale shopping in downtown in various shopping arcades around the Alster lake. In the evening there are numerous theatres and some extremely good and worthwhile restaurants waiting to please you.
I will be happy to go into further detail and helping to work out an itinerary should you decide to pay Hamburg a visit.
There is also a thread in which I amongs others have given some advice on Luebeck:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

For more detailed advice on Luebeck and Hamburg, I would refer you to the following thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Some warning: When staying in Kiel, try to avoid having dinner at the Kieler Yacht Club Restaurant. Although the setting is nice, there is not much else to say in favor of that restaurant. I just had dinner there about a month ago and the food was of dubious quality at outrageous prices. Service was not up to the standard one can request at such prices either.
I would also point out that I do not think that I am a snobby sort of person- we went there when we arrived on a sailing boat and were just looking for some pleasant place to spend the evening. It just did not meet that requirement!

Finally, here is a link to some route planning site within Germany:

http://www.falk.de/routenplaner/cont...uickEntry=true

Again, I'd be happy to be of further assistance- just let me know of your plans!

Enjoy Germany
hsv

How about Baden Baden? We are there right now and the city is absolutely beautiful! The foliage is about at its peak and should still be ok in 2 weeks. We were supposed to stay outside Baden Baden in a hotel over looking the Rhine Valley, but, to make a long story short, it turned out to be terrible, mostly because it is completely deserted off season. So we are at the Hotel Quellenhof, which provides free Internet access to guests (www.hotel-quellenhof.com) and is a few steps from the big Caracalla spa (www.caracalla.de). A nice Schwimbad in a spa pool would be the perfect way to get over jet lag! The Quellenhof is very pleasant, but perhaps too modern. BB is full of more traditional hotels (although I think the best hotel in town is the new 5 star Dorint next to the casino, it has its own spa free for guests).
All the shops, cafes and restaurants were lively and we have had a great time walking through the streets and parks.

Forget to add, Baden Baden is about 70 miles from FRA aiport, a straight shot on the Autobahn. Also easy to reach by frequent train service.

Thanks for the tips everyone:

Baden/Baden is the wrong direction.
Lubeck is of interest, but I'm leaning toward going to Schwerin to see the castle, if we get time.
Kiel is our destination for work.
I know it's to be dreary and cold, but we may tour some of the Baltic coast area, too.

HSV - do you live in Hamburg?
Do you know of the Maritim Hotel in Kiel? And, good spots in Hamburg?
Of course, I want to go there.
Our return flight leaves Hamburg Sat am., so we may stay there one night.
But, I think my wife would like to see some of the countryside in the Rhineland.
Other posts have talked about the Mosel.
I don't know what we can do in the brief time we have. I'm brushing up on my German. So, still mulling over the choices.
Thanks again.

Chris,

yes, living in Hamburg and loving to do so (to further astonsih BTilke here;-)).

I know the Maritim Hotel in Kiel- have been to Kiel during this summer a couple of times, as several sailing trips I took originated there.
The Maritim is still rated as one of the best hotels in town, I have not been there, though, this year. From what I recall, it is a bit dated- looks like it was originally built sometime during the seventies. There are quite a couple of private appartements in the building, which is quite common for the hotels of the Maritim chain.
It overlooks the Kieler Foerde sound, but is not exactly city center, but rather remote in an area called Belvedere.
I guess you are going to be alright there, though it won't be an experience to remember, I suppose...

What sort of hotel are you looking for in Hamburg- does it have to be close to the airport or would city center do? I might have to add that the airport is just some 20 minutes by taxi from downtown provided traffic is clear (which it should be on a Saturday morning).
It depends on your budget- there are quite a couple of very nice possibilities if you are willing to spend the cash.
The Grand Dame of Hotels would be the Kempinski Hotel Atlantic. A classic Grand Hotel overlooking the Alster Lake in downtown.
www.kempinski.com
The No.1 Hotel is the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, which has been around for about 100 years, but which has been meticulously updated throughout the years. It is today managed by Raffles Hotels. It is a bit smaller than the Atlantic and even more conservative. It is in a supreme location downtown also overlooking the Alster (but the inner of the two lakes).
Then there is a pretty nice Marriott in a great location downtown.
Also, a Park Hyatt close to Central Station might draw your attention.
If you are more into design oriented Hotels, there is the Side Hotel Hamburg close to the Opera (www.side-hamburg.de), the Dorint am Alten Wall (www.dorint.de) or the brand new Le Royal Meridien, which might feature attractive room rates (www.lemeridien.com). The latter are both downtown, too.
Also the Hamburg Renaissance might be worth a look at- it is in downtown bordering one of the main shopping arcades and is quite intimate.

If you intend to stay near the airport,
there is a Dorint (www.dorint.de) or the Airport Hotel, which appears to be probably nicer and even more convenient than the Dorint (www.airporthh.com).


For restaurants, you might want to give me some indication of what your preferences might be.

For seafood, I would suggest the Fischereihafen Restaurant, which is a formal classic, very renowned but maybe a bit stiff. Spotless service.
Alternatively there is the restaurant Fischmarkt which is in Ditmar- Koel- Str. (which is important to mention as it is not on Fish Market as its name might suggest). Excellent seafood with good catches of the Day in a Mediterranean, quite pleasant setting. Friendly service.

For Gourmet quality the options are vast:
The highest ranked one currently is Jacobs Restaurant in Hotel Louis C. Jacob overlooking the Elbe River in the posh suburb of Blankenese (another option to stay BTW). French cuisine and a renowned Sommelier with great but pricey wine collection.
An old time classic is Landhaus Scherrer, in the same direction with refined regional cuisine at high level and prices dito. No view, though.
Newly restored the Suellberg Restaurant also in that direction really gets going. Two options there: A Bistro and a Gourmet section both featuring good food and splendid views of the River and the passing Ocean vessels.
Many others also do not fail to please.

For upscale cuisine in a bit more relaxed setting, my favorite place is Stockers on Max- Brauer- Allee in Altona district. Austrian cuisine, Austrian wines and friendly and attentive service. Great desserts- perfect place to feel good.

I will happily suggest more, if you indicate some preference!

Wishing you happy planning and hoping to hear from you (you might e-mail me under [email protected])
hsv

P.S.: It seems that the links to former posts here on Fodors do not work (which I referred you to in my first post here).

Do a text search on Hamburg and click on the one called "germany and north" which is somewhere around No. 15!

Regards
hsv

You can go to viamichelin online for driving directions and maps.

chonan3 - looks like you and hsv have made a connection and some great recommendations.

I only mentioned Lubeck because it was close to Kiel and we did a day trip there on a cruise ship stop at Hamburg. It made an impression on us as does some of the other great towns and villages in Germany. Now, with the short time, you have to pick & chose. Whatever you chose, you will have a wonderful trip.

Budman,

you are certainly right about Luebeck. It is a great town to see- and I definitely second your recommendation going there if there is enough time.
In fact rather than travelling all the way to Schwerin, I would go to Luebeck- which really is spectacular as the Old Town has been so immaculately preserved.

Next time you are around let's have a beer on this!
hsv

thanks again everyone:

wonderful recommendations HSV.
I will email you particulars of our trip.
Right now I'm freaking out at the prospect of all of the driving I will have to do.
Waiting to finalize the details with Gemut about the auto.
From what I've read - traffic and no parking.
From Frankfurt we hope to drive toward Koblenz, and stay Sat. nite somewhere around there, maybe even down the Mosel. Sun - up to Koln and then on to Munster for the eve.
Mon. have to drive to Kiel first thing.
Spend the week there - going to Hamburg Fri afternoon to spend the eve. and then to the airport Sat. am.
thanks again.

Sorry about the geographic mix up; for some reason I had it in my head that Baden-Baden was northwest of Frankfurt instead of southwest.
Muenster has a very attractive old town. A shame you'll be a couple of weeks too early for the Christmas market--it has a really good one. We went there last year and found some great handcrafted items.
As you walk down the main arcaded street in Muenster's old town, you may want to stop in the Kiepenkerl bar/restaurant. It's a popular place. If you go to http://www.muenster.de/stadt/panorama/pan/kiepen.htm you can see a panorama view from the restaurant, with a moving map guide underneath. You can also pick from several other photos and moving panorama photos plus maps of Muenster.
IF you have time (but it looks like you don't), it's worth it get off the autobahn and drive along highway 58 towards Luedinghausen on your way to Muenster. That part of Muensterland has several "water castles", pretty castles surrounded by moats. You can then drive up along the Dortmund Ems canal to Muenster.
It's too bad you don't have more time--I'd recommend staying overnight in Muensterland. It's a very pretty part of Germany. We spent about 5 months in German from Nov 02 to late March 03. living about an hour south of Muenster and greatly enjoyed poking around the area.
FYI, it's been pretty chilly the last few days. Looks like we've gone straight from summer to winter! BaBa was very sunny, but freezing cold. I heard another cold front may be blowing in--hopefully you won't run into any early snow/sleet storms with all that driving.
Everyone I've talked to in Germany and Belgium thinks that this winter will be a severe one...probably because the ridiculously long hot summer and the sudden cold snap has made people wonder if this is simply a year for temperature extremes the whole year through.

If you are looking for a castle-hotel and cost is not too important, you might try the Schlosshotel Kronberg in the Taunus mountains outside of Frankfurt. It is a wonderful and elegant hotel and would make a great place to recover from jet lag before hitting the autobahn the next day.

Vielen dank zu alle:

is that right?
BTilke - we're tentatively trying to arrange it so that we stay around Munster Sunday night.
I've found out about the Moat Castles from some travel info.
Yes, that area does look nice though I know the weather is getting bad.
Laverendrye: I just found out about Schoenburg in Oberwesel, on the Rhine.
I emailed them but they are booked for Sat night. Now I'm trying to figure out some alternative.
Schlosshotel Kronberg might be of interest, but it's not on the water.
It looks more like a palace, but nice, of course.
Monday morning we have to drive to Kiel, so don't want to be too far away.

Thanks again to everyone for the generous information.
We'll soon be on our way.

Hey BTilke:

Could you recommend a place to stay around Munster?
Is that the same as "Munsterland".
Tentatively planning, after arriving Sat, to drive around the Rhineland/Mosel area Sat/some Sun am.
Then up to Koln Sun
then to Munster to see a bit and spend the eve.
Then drive to Kiel Mon. am.
How's that?

thanks ever so much again.

Hi Chonan,
Sorry, I don't have a hotel recommendation in Muenster...we were living only an hour away, so we didn't have to worry about hotels. But I've emailed some of our German relatives to see if they have any suggestions...however, if you decide to stay overnight in the Bremen area, we can recommend a very nice hotel in Lilienthal, a small, very pretty town just outside Bremen.