Have got the travel itch again, and no travel companion. Can do moderate German, have never visited the Harz region before. Travelling by train in either May or September.
Not to be missed: Goslar, Wernigerode....others? Don't want complicated travel, ie: train to train to bus, etc nor big towns, but afraid area towns may be too similar (Fachwerkstaedter) and don't want to become bored either. Suggestions?
Have ALREADY visited Black forest/Rhine Valley areas extensively and do not wish go more north, so please skip these area suggestions!
Also for accomodations in each (not a big spender, like hotel-garnis or Ferienwohnungen if multiple daytrips the best stress-free travel mode).

The Harz mountain region is known for its wonderful walking ("wandern&quot culture. I love Goslar as a base, but if you are a hiker, you might enjoy the following hotel in Clausthall-Zellerfeld: http://www.pixhaier-muehle.de/

I have not been for over 20 years, but it was a memorable modest hotel in a lovely setting, with very good food!

Another nice town is Quedlinburg.
But most are Fachwerkstädte, so you might find them similar. Since the Harz region is not really huge, the "style" is somewhat comparable.
Train travel often means narrow gauge steam trains which run on regular schedules in the Eastern part of the Harz.
Getting to the Harz region will require some more efforts than going from Frankfurt airport to the Rhine valley, though. Nearest airports are Berlin, Leipzig, and Hanover.

Wernigerode is probably the most spectacular town in the Harz.

Quedlinburg is also very quaint, and quieter.

Both towns are accessible by rail. Both towns have very nice hotels.

www.wernigerode-tourismus.de
http://www.quedlinburg.de/
http://www.schaetze-der-welt.de/denkmal.php?id=99 (with video)

Here's another good hotel in Goslar that we liked. http://www.kaiserworth.de/

Kaiserworth hotel is a landmark building in Goslar, it is supposed to be the oldest secular building in Germany. I believe it was originally built almost a thousand years ago. We like the convenient location right in front of the main downtown square. Beautiful building exterior & interior with a grand staircase however it has no elevator.

As Cowboy & traveller have laready recommended, I think Quedlinburg is an absolute must see; it is designated as a UNESCO world heritage place. We like the hilly setting with narrow curving roads leading up to the cathedral at the very top. The Fachwerkhaeuser look more poetic than those in Wernigerode.

I have been in the process of planning a trip to the Harz for several years now. (I plan a lot of trips long before I take them, collect URL to towns, lists of accommodation, transportation options, etc.) I think when I do, I will stay somewhere closer to the inside of the park, such as Braunlage. I don't know for sure, but considering it is fairly unknown to American, you might find yourself needing that "moderate" German.

As I recall, Braunlage didn't have too much going on. It was the site of the Winter Olympics, I believe, in the 30s (?) But you've given me the incentive to research it a bit more myself!

Sorry - Braunlage was under consideration for the 1936 Winter Olympics, but Garmisch-Partenkirchen won out.

For someone who's depending on public transport, I'd definitely pick a base that has got train connections in more than one direction. Since Braunlage can only be reached by bus, it would be rather inconvenient.

I'd suggest Wernigerode as a base, as it's connected to badn Harzburg/Goslar, Halberstadt, and Quedlinburg on DB routes and is the Northern end of the Harzquerbahn, the narrow-gauge railway across the Harz to Nordhausen and up the Brocken (which is a trip I absolutely recommend on a fine day). To me Wernigerode is the prettiest town around the Harz.
Contact the tourist information office in Wernigerode for accommodation. They've got a lot of nice and inexpensive private apartments and give excellent recommendations that suit your particular needs. Here's the link: http://www.wernigerode-tourismus.de/uk_home.html, don't hesitate to phone them directly.

My family stayed in Braunlage a few years ago at the wonderful Romantik Hotel zur Tanne. A lovely young family runs it and we had a great time. Braunlage is a nice little town, but the hotel and the hiking were the draws for us.

We loved visiting Quedlinburg for the day, and I would love to spend more time there. The town is special because the architecture is wonderful and it hasn't been too spiffed up yet. There is very much the sense that it was part of eastern Germany, and there is a cool artistic atmosphere.

Romantik hotels are always a good bet.

In Quedlinburg, there are two of them. I have stayed in the Romantik Hotel am Brühl and can recommend it. In any case, take the nightwatchman's tour! At night, the atmosphere is special.

www.romantikhotels.de

Ooops... That should have been, of course, "Bad Harzburg"... *blushes*

I loved reading this! It gave me the itch, too, to spend some time in places in Germany that I haven't visited, esp. Quedlinburg.

I've seen Goslar on maps but haven't visited it yet. One of my "bucket" destinations is the Spreewald, which isn't too far from Goslar.

Peg, "not too far" is always relative. Spreewald is not really close to Goslar, not a destination someone would recommend to combine with the Harz mountains/Goslar. But it is doable.

Definitely second (third?) the recommendation of Wernigerode as a base town.

Yes, all the architecture in the area is quite similar. Fachwerk (timber framed) houses everywhere! But they tend to be different, too. Just have a closer look at the details! And the Romanesque/Gothic churches built of stone should be enough of a contrast.

I.

Ingo, You're right about distances being relative. I live in eastern Washington, near the border with Idaho. We sometimes go to Seattle for the weekend. It's about 650 kilometers. Beautiful freeway all the way, though.

Also the scenery is great, ranging from the channel scablands, which were scoured out by humungous floods during the ice age, to wheat fields and farms to the dramatic Cascade Mountain Range. But I digress...

Actually, I don't think that I'd use Goslar as a base. I was thinking that Goslar, Quedlinburg, and the Spreewald are all in the same general area, an area I have not visited, as I usually stay in Suddeutschland.

I see that the journey to the Spreewald would be quite indirect, and that I'd be using secondary roads. I'd like to stay in Lübbenau, I think, so that I could visit the Spreewald early in the day.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I too, was thinking either Wernigerode or Quedlinburg as my home base (does one beat the other for frequency of rail connections?)
Daytrips to Goslar, a hike up Goetheweg to Brocken are musts.
Has anyone been to Meissen, esp the Porzellanfabrik? Worth the trip?
Is Hameln "worth it?" for another daytrip?
How about best airport to fly into?
My only choice right now looks like Frankfurt with a 5 hour trip to my homebase upon arrival!

I'd say with the things you want to see Wernigerode is the best choice. It is closer to Goslar and also to Mt. Brocken than Quedlinburg.

Meissen is very far from the Harz and almost not doable as a day trip. Yes, I think it is worth to see, but from Wernigerode ... I have doubts.

On the other hand, you could research for flying into Dresden airport (should not be much more expensive than Frankfurt, and there are frequent flights from F. to D.)and stay one night in Meissen. Only a few miles distance and the train connections are excellent. The next day you could take the train to Wernigerode. And if you decide to stick to regional trains, not high-speed trains, it would only cost 29 Euro for a group of up to five people (Sachsen-Ticket).

Ingo

In the German word <Wernigerode>, where is the break between syllables? Is it < Wer ni ge ro de?? I see there is also a town called <Harzgerode>, so I assume <-gerode> means something? Thanks for your help!

ion1122, your syllables are perfect.

Names of towns and villages ending in -rode derive from the verb "roden" and indicate that a forest had to be cleared to gain space for the settlement. You'll find a lot more places with such names in those parts of the world (like Braunschweig's suburb "Melverode" where I grew up).

Vielen Dank, quokka!