Hit Me With Your Best Shot!!
Jun 20th, 2001, 07:43 AM
#1
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Hit Me With Your Best Shot!!
We leave in a couple of weeks for a month-long trip to Europe. Please "hit me with your best shot" (i.e., best piece of specific advice) for any of our destinations. We've already got hotel reservations so I don't need advice on that. I'm specifically looking for advice on places to eat, "must sees", and out-of-the way attractions. Thanks for your help in advance!! (Please -- no chastisements for trying to do too much -- some of these destinations are just stopovers to someplace else!) <BR> <BR>ENGLAND: Bath, Chipping Campden and London <BR>GERMANY: Trier, Rothenburg, Munich, Garmisch and Lindau <BR>ITALY: Vipiteno/Sterzing, Venice, Montecarlo (small Tuscany town just outside Lucca) and Milan
Jun 20th, 2001, 10:45 AM
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Laura: After you leave Trier, how are you getting to Rothenburg? It seems obvious, but I would suggest enjoying the Mosel and then the Rhine. (Rex's suggestion of Burg Eltz is, of course, above Moselkern on the Mosel. We enjoyed the Cochem castle, too, and Rhinefels above St. Goar on the Rhine.
Jun 20th, 2001, 11:41 AM
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Trier-guided walking tour of the city. Also, get out of town and enjoy the Mosel. It is fabulous and as I've often heard on this forum, "The Mosel is what you picture the Rhine to be." <BR>Rothenberg-The City Museum. It is much more interesting than the Kriminal Museum. <BR>Garmish-Go to the top of the Zugspitze if it is a clear day. Visit nearby Linderhof and the monestary in Ettal. <BR>London-the British Museum and the National Gallery. <BR>Chipping Camden-have a drink or lunch at the Lygon Arms hotel pub. Not fancy or great food but there was not another tourist in the place.
Jun 20th, 2001, 12:01 PM
#8
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Agree with other posters on Burg Eltz (although it's closer to Koblenz than Trier.) Here's another "out-of-the-way" attraction: if you're in Trier on a Sunday, drive (or bus) out to Irrel to the northwest and visit the WWII bunker recently made accessible by the local fire department. This was the largest (45 rooms) of the underground fortifications constructed by the Germans along the West Wall, and although the Allies ordered all of them destroyed (and this one was indeed dynamited near the surface) you can still get around virtually the entire structure, and there also a small number of artifacts that remain. It's only open on Sun and holidays from 2-5 pm.
Jun 20th, 2001, 03:10 PM
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Rothenburg: Do the Nightwatchman's tour that leaves from in front of Rathaus around 8pm. In English. You tip at end. Interesting way to learn about the city. <BR> <BR>Reichs Kutchenmeister Hotel is next to the St Jacob's church near the town square. We enjoy the hotel, but the restaurant is good (not expensive) as well as they have a smaller restaurant and wine stube in the front of the building. <BR> <BR>Kathe Woolfardts Christmas shop in Rothenburg is fun to see and we have found that prices are fair. If you see it there, buy it. Plus, they do a nice job of shipping to the US. <BR> <BR>Garmisch: Ettal Abbey and Linderhof worth a visit. Plus the Partnach Gorge is a pretty walk through the rushing waters. Zugspitz is fantastic on a clear day. Have a beer on top and enjoy the view. <BR> <BR>Venice: Max's is a shop with handcrafted items. You gotta get a drink in one of the restaurants facing St Marks but be prepared for the expense. You are paying for the music and location also. Gondola ride, once, is a must. <BR> <BR>You will be busy. Have fun!
Jun 20th, 2001, 06:35 PM
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I hope you'll not be in a hurry to reach Venice from Sterzing. As much as I love Verona (a 4-5 hour visit to which certainly many would recommend) I'd advise you to explore the Dolomites instead. Having a car, it would be a pitty to waste the opportunity to drive through what certainly must rate among the most beautiful terrains on earth. <BR> <BR>Take Autostrada A22, exit in Chiusa, and take S242 over Ponte Gardena into the valley. Your first stop may be Ortisei (woodcarving, 18C church, museum, cable car up the Siusi Alpes). Continuing on S242 you'll pass Sta. Cristina Valgardena, Selva di Val Gardena (fine wooden object, pewterware and enamels on sale; church), over Passo di Selva (2213m, finest view in all the Dolomites, an extensive panorama covering the 3 massifs: Sasso Lungo, Sella and Marmolada). Shortly before Canazei you'll hit S48. Take it to the east over Passo Pordoi (at 2239m the highest in the Dolomites, huge blocks of rock), past Arabba, Pieve di Livinallongo, over Passo di Falzarego (2105, wild and desolated, fine views of the Marmolada glacier, cable car) and Pocol, before arriving in Cortina where you may have lunch. <BR> <BR>Leave Cortina taking S51 into the upper Piave valley and Cadore district (big manufacturer of sun glasses) with its villages (San Vito, Borca, Vodo, Venas, Valle, Rivalgo, Ospitalle). A few minutes after Longarone you may take the Autostrada A27 past Mogliano Veneto, into A4 and Venice. <BR> <BR>The total time you should spend in the car is a shade over 4 hours (just one hour more than through Verona on the Autostrada all the way). <BR> <BR>You'll love Vipiteno. It's a very neat and fun little town. The main sights are the 15C Palazzo Comunale, the tall Torre di Città and the old mansions wih battlements around it, the Casa dell'Ordine Teutonico (2 museums) and the 15C Palazzo Jochelsthurn, with its mining museum. <BR> <BR>There are quite a few sights nearby but you'll hardly have time to visit any (the Abbey in Novacella, the pleasant city of Bresanone/Brixen San Michele tower, Cathedral, etc), Castel Velturno, etc. <BR> <BR>The best restaurant in Cortina is the Tivoli (via Lacedel, tel. 0436866400). Quite a splurge but bearable for lunch. <BR> <BR>In Vipiteno, you may try the Kleine Flamme (Città Nuova 31, tel. 0472766065). If you don't mind driving a little bit, the Zur Rose in Appiano (tel. 0471662249) and the Pichler in Rio de Pusteria (tel. 0472849458) have quite better cuisines. Call to hear if they're open (quite a few restaurants in the area may be closed for vacations until mid July). <BR> <BR>Paulo
Jun 21st, 2001, 05:54 AM
#11
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Paolo: Thank you so much for the information on Vipiteno and an alternate route to Venice. We are staying in Vipiteno based solely on a BEAUTIFUL picture we saw of it on the internet. I have been unable to unearth much information on it (even had a difficult time finding a hotel). After reading your tips, I am more excited than ever to see Vipiteno and the Dolomites. Your suggestions on what to do and see there are invaluable -- and I am sure we will take your advice on the route to Venice. Thank you again!!
Jun 21st, 2001, 11:11 AM
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The Roman Baths in Trier!! Also agree with Berg Eltz and travelling down the Mosel to Rothenburg. As for Lindau. I used to live on the Bodnesee, and I think Konstanz is 10 times the town that Lindau is. I know that everyone wants to go to Lindau, but it has become very touristy, and frankly I wasn't impressed with it. Konstanz has beautiful painted houses/shops. The Munster is faboulous (esp the stained glass window). There are wonderful places to eat and sleep around the area. Insel Mainu is right there - which is the only place in Germany where tropical plants grow outside. Even the Bahnhof (train station) is a work of art. Plus, as it is a university town (which has to be seen to be believed - very modern, think Picasso), it is full of young people and not many tourists. Meersburg is right across the lake with an interesting old castle (from the outside). Supposidly it is the oldest in Europe, built in 629 AD.
Jun 22nd, 2001, 10:03 AM
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Trier is one of my favorite cities. The first time I went, I stopped first thing at the Tourist Information Office and got a copy of their self-guided walking tour. It takes you to most, if not all, of the sights and has excellent information. Wonderful, and free. During the tour is when I fell in love with the city--of course, a stop in a great wine bar didn't hurt my impression! 
Jun 22nd, 2001, 12:33 PM
#17
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That sounds like a great trip! The museum of the relocated Silver works on Sheep Street is interesting. When in the Cotswolds I bicycled around there, and Upper and Lower Slaughter are especially picturesque. There is so much in London, but I highly recommend taking time out from sightseeing to enjoy the Parks; St, Jame's and Regent's were my favorites. Venice is full of treasures of course, but when I was there I lost my wallet and was forced to discover the many free things to do, and I think sitting on the Grand Canal (try to find an empty taxi dock)during the day and listening to the piano music from the cafes in Piazza San Marco at night was just as beautiful and much more restful than most palace and museum visits. Have a great trip!
Jun 22nd, 2001, 12:41 PM
#18
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Dear Tuscany Bound: We have never been to Montecarlo. We picked it because it seemed to be very centrally located in Tuscany for short day trips (it is very close to Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Viareggio and fairly close to Sienna and San Gimignano). We will be staying for 5 nights at a bed and breakfast called Casa Satti (which we found on the internet). After we made reservations, we found several glowing reviews of Casa Satti on this forum. We hope it lives up to its reviews! <BR> <BR>Dear everybody else: Thanks for the great advice! Keep it coming ... we don't leave for 3 weeks!
Jun 24th, 2001, 08:10 PM
#19
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We spent a week in Chipping Campden a couple of years ago and loved it - it was close to lots of interesting places. Don't know if you're staying there or just 'stopping off' but Badgers Tea Shoppe is a delightful place for lunch - or tea! Gambretti's is a very good Italian restaurant and we had a couple of good meals at Lygon Arm pub. It's a very charming Cotswold village!
