Hausfrau: Germany itinerary help!
 

Family/I will be in Schwabisch Gmund in late-July. We have five days to ourselves and are thinking one day in Schwabisch Gmund one day in Stuttgart and three in Mosel valley. Any good suggestions from experts like hausfrau or others that we can build a good trip on?

We like outdoors and would enjoy castles and medieval towns. Recommendations on festivities at that time of the year, hotels, retaurants are all welcome.

I think there are too many worthwhile things to see in that area. You don't need to spend time going to the Mosel.

A little south of Stuttgart is the town of Hechingen, where you will find Hohenzollernburg (www.preussen.de/de/heute/burg_hohenzollern.html), a castle built for Wilhelm, the first Kaiser of Germany.

The town of Nördlingen is a walled city and a short train trip from Schwäbisch Gmund. Very close to Nördlingen is another walled city, Dinkelsbühl, and the old castle at Harburg.

Just south of Stuttgart is the town of Herrenberg (www.herrenberg.de). It has ruins of the old city walls, as well as some old Fachwerk buildings around the town square. Herrenberg is also on the edge of a large nature preserve, the Schönbuch, that is popular for hiking.

Freudenstadt (www.freudenstadt.de) is not a castle or a walled city, but an interesting city nevertheless.

Hi jamiesmom, I love the Mosel but I think I agree with Larry that you could find plenty to occupy yourselves in Baden-Wuerttemberg for those three days. It would be a good 4-hour drive to get to and from the Mosel, whereas you could do any number of day trips to wonderful (and lesser-known) castles and towns within an hour's drive of Schwaebisch Gmuend.

With that said, IF you decide on the Mosel, I highly recommend Hotel Haus Lipmann in Beilstein (www.hotel-haus-lipmann.de/english/index.htm), and visits to Trier, Bernkastel-Keus, Cochem, and Burg Eltz, and a wine tasting or two!

Back to Baden-Wuerttemberg. In addition to Burg Hohenzollern (one of my favorite castles - the tour is only in German but you can buy an English booklet and follow along; there is a great restaurant there!) and the other places Larry mentions, here are a few more of my favorite day trip destinations:

- Bad Wimpfen, a beautiful medieval hilltop town overlooking the Neckar. Nearby are several atmospheric castles, including Burg Guttenberg and Burg Hornberg.

- Schloss Lichtenstein (no relation to the small country), (www.schloss-lichtenstein.de) which has a spectacular cliff-top setting and lots of hiking options. Again, I believe the tour here is only in German but it is not very long and the interior is interesting to see.

- Tuebingen, a lively college town with a fascinating medieval quarter and gorgeous setting along the Neckar River. If you don't want to base yourself in Schwaebisch Gmuend the whole time, this might be a good alternative. (Unfortunately I don't know anything about hotels in this area since I live here!)

- Bebenhausen monastery, close to Tuebingen - the audio tour here is a fascinating glimpse into the life of medieval monks and the monastery is beautifully preserved.
http://www.kloster-bebenhausen.de/en...me/268053.html

- The Residenzschloss in Ludwigsburg, the Versailles of Germany. The palace is gorgeous and has an excellent English tour. The gardens are also worth a stroll. There's a nice restaurant with outdoor seating in the main courtyard.

This is a great website for further info on castles in the region:
www.schloesser-magazin.de/en/

In Stuttgart, if anyone in your family is into cars, the new Mercedes museum is excellent, not to mention an architectural wonder.

Be sure to try Maultaschen (a Schwaebisch stuffed pasta) while you're here, along with kaesepaetzle and zwiebelrostbraten, of course. There's been several threads recently about restaurants in Stuttgart. A favorite for authentic Schwaebisch cuisine is Franziskaner (I THINK that's the name) just outside the Markthalle - there are several restaurants in the area that I believe are all pretty good. Another is the Alte Kanzlei on Schillerplatz - eat outside if you have good weather! There's a nice Biergarten in the middle of the Schlossgarten, and a whole string of restaurants on Calwer Passage, which is a more "old-fashioned" shopping street parallel to the Koenigstrasse.

I guess I'd better stop there...let me know if you want me to elaborate on any of the above!

hi there,
so many great ideas by hausfrau (like always). Here are my 2 pence. I would also scip the Mosel if You just wanna see a nice wine area plus valley. You can do this in the Neckar valley also, perhaps an a boat ride (http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/DEU/...ifffahrt.htm): Even I dont like Heidelberg, it is worth for a daytrip. Not so far from Stutgart and easy to reach by d-train are Bietigheim with nice medieval building, take a look into the Hornmoldhaus (spelling?), Besigheim and Ludwigsburg, a complete baroque center with a great castle and garden.
Naming restaurants I would disagree with hausfrau.
The markethall is a nice place to shop and look, but not for eating. Also the Alte Kanzlei is solala. The beergarden in the Schlossgarten is ok for sitting there and have a beer - the food is terrible restaurants arround Calwer Passage are mostly not worth to go to.
If You wanna have "Schwäbische Küche" in the city go to Stuttgarter Stäffle, Urbanstuben, Kochenbas or Maukennes at the Steigenberger. For sure You will need a reservation at those place.
Talking about festivals - there were so many small and origine. Best is to ask the tourist information when You are in town.
have fun
Gar

Larry and Hausfrau gave great advice.

I just want to add that you might want to visit Schwabisch Alb. It's a delightful little town within an easy drive from Schwabisch Gmund. I know this b/c I made the mistake of going to Schwabisch Gmund first. It’s not far from the Schloss Lichtenstein either.

Like Hausfrau said, the tours are in German and you can only go in with a tour but don’t let that deter you, I speak little German, and it was still well worth the visit. That whole area is spectacular.

Gar, no offense, but I listed atmospheric, outdoorsy restaurants that aren't the kind of place where you need a reservation, because from the sound of it jamiesmom is going to be in Stuttgart for a day trip with her family. Honestly, you can get a satisfying meal at any of the places I listed (except I can't speak for the Biergarten in Schlossgarten because I haven't actually eaten there). I've been to "finer" restaurants in Stuttgart but they are either quite pricey, not in the city center, or are more difficult to find.

L84SKY, do you mean Schwaebisch Hall? Schwaebisch Alb refers to a whole region.

I agree with Gar about checking with the local tourist office for events, or look at the town websites before you go. I did note that the annual Schlossfestspiele in Ludwigsburg runs from June to mid-September, with a whole series of concerts, theater, and exhibitions at the palace.

Thanks guys for many ideas. I can now build a trip around it.

Thank you, hausfrau, Of course I meant Schwabish Hall!
Geez, no one should let me near a computer until I've finished my coffee and breakfast.

L84SKY,

Shall I go ahead and call mom to tell her that I have finally located my long lost sister? :) Just trying to be funny.

Hausfrau's repertoire of travel-Europe-know-how is pretty impressive.

comfyshoes, I got a chuckle .
BTW, if your anything like our other sister; yeah, I'll be happy to watch your little dog.

Hello L84SKY, I am afraid I am not a woman so I can't be your sister but I could be your brother. And I really don't believe in anything little so don't have a "little" dog but a big one ;)

Okay I really need to tell mom that you blushed when I said that when I merely meant my 80 pound lab retriever!

Have a great day :)

L84SKY, no harm done. I'm sure most of us need our morning coffee before we could tell the difference between Alb and Hall. (BTW, I love it when people are funny AND nice to each other on Fodor's. :-))

jamiesmom, feel free to post back if you have any further questions. I hope I've made it clear that I love Stuttgart and environs and would love to help in any way I can. Happy planning!

Thanks Hausfrau. I will be back if I have more questions. I love it too when people are funny and L84 and comfy are.

What a sweet thing to say Jamiesmom. Thanks. Even if you decide to throw your plans out the window at some point and take an interesting road that area is so beautiful you're bound to have a great trip.

Comfy, I've never met a lab that wasn't a really good dog. My other brother used to raise them.

L84, You mean "our" other brother, no?:)

Generally agree about labs although one of my neighbors bought one (nice people but they have never had a dog before) and that poor dog badly needs training because last I saw he was taking their flower pots apart! What is even more funny that that lab gets all disciplined and quiet around me but totally out of control with the owner. Yes, I have suggested he gets professional trainer's help.

Okay no more lab talk on jamiesmom's thread otherwise she may change her mind :)

hausfrau, can you recommend restaurants in or near Bad Wimpfen, Tuebingen and Ludwigsburg? I plan to stay three nights in Schwabisch Gmund and rest in Tuebingen. I need a quaint hotel in Tuebingen too.

Oh drats, you've stumped me! I have been to each of those towns several times, but not for a meal - because they are so close to Stuttgart, we've just gone for a couple hours or an afternoon. I may have an opportunity to check out some places when my mom comes to visit in June, so I will try to remember to post about anything I find!

I remember seeing several cozy-looking restaurants while wandering around Bad Wimpfen. Frankly I don't think you could go wrong in any of those towns just finding a place that looks interesting (most post their menus outside) and walking in.

Someone else has a thread going right now who is planning to stay in Tuebingen; I am pretty sure they're staying at the Hotel Hospiz. Also I found the Hotel am Schloss in Fodor's which sounds quite nice. Both are rated $-$$ so should be quite reasonable.

Stumped a fodor expert and veteran?:) No problems. Your detailed post is full of great ideas. I can get the other information elsewhere. Please post if you get to these towns after your mom comes in June.

jamiesmom, if you're still out there, here's a great restaurant in Tuebingen, very close to the Rathaus and main market square:

Weinstube Forelle
http://www.weinstubeforelle.de

We had a wonderful lunch there with my mom today. It is very traditional Swabian food - they have several "sampler" plates (very reasonable portions and prices), but you need to be a bit adventurous with meats in order to enjoy them! The menu includes a wide variety of dishes, an extensive wine list and several local beers. We didn't try the trout but since "Forelle" means "trout" and the place is decorated with old fishing gear, I imagine that would be quite good too.

I agree with those who have recommended visiting Bad Wimpfen.
Speyer is an old imperial city with a beautiful Romanesque cathedral. There is also a wine museum. The Deutsche Weinstrasse to the west is also interesting. the Rheinland-Pfalz area produces about a third of the German wine output.