Hi Everyone:

I started reading these posts and instantly knew I had found the right place to ask about my upcoming trip. I will be spending the end of June and early July in mostly Germany (with one night in Reykjavik and two nights in Prague), and have a few questions that maybe some of you could answer for me. I'd really appreciate it. First, has anyone here ever stayed at the Hotel 16 in new town in Prague? I would love to hear about first hand experiences there. Also, I will be staying at the Gerberhaus in Rothenburg and the Olympic in Munich. I cannot find much information about Hotel Olympic, and not one picture. I am traveling with my dad and my uncle's, and they have stayed there previous, but I would like to get a non biased report about the Olympic. Also, will be staying at the Sorat Art'otel in Berlin for four nights, and was wondering in what fashion any of you would recommend a day trip to Spandau or Potsdam. We are also thinking of a day trip to Leipzig or possibly Dresden. Which is more worth it, or for that matter, are either? Dresden looks amazing to me, but, then again, I've just been looking at pictures. We will also be spending our first night in Reykjavik, and currently don't have any tours or activities planned. It is a Wednesday night, and we leave early Thursday morning to fly to Frankfurt. Any suggestions on what to do in Reykjavik? (Shopping attractions?!?!). Also, we have rented a big Mercedes to cruise down the Romantic Road from Frankfurt to Rothenburg, and eventually dropping the car off in Munich. Is there a town that we will be driving through on the Romantic Road(im sorry i can't list town names, i don't have my map with me at the moment) that rises above the rest, as far as a place to stop and rest and grab a coffee or a sweet or possibly buy luncheon items, or have lunch out?

Thank you in advance for any replies. I'm sure I will be posting and asking more soon. I am so excited to go, I've never been to Europe before!

Adam

Just be aware that the Mercedes you rent in Germany may not be the same as you would get in the states. We rented one from Brussels through Frankfurt (was the only full-size sedan with AC and auto that they had) and it turned out to be a C class that was distinctly underpowered (must be a different engine) and handled more like a sofa than a car. So take the Mercedes if it is the only choice - but don;t pay extra expecting a great "experience".

Welcome to Europe and especially Germany!

First - if you rented a big Mercedes you should not be concerned - it will be fine. I guess it will be an E-Class at least.

I am sorry I cannot comment on the hotels you mentioned. I believe to recall that the Sorat Art'otel in Berlin received good comments here.

I just jump in to let you know what I think of Leipzig vs. Dresden. I am a Dresden resident, so I might be biased , but I think Dresden is much more worth a visit than Leipzig. Sure, it depends on your interests. But if you like some spectacular Baroque architecture, palaces, maybe a short river cruise on a steamboat or even art collections (Do you?) you will be more satisfied in Dresden. IMO it deserves more than only one or two days (especially if you include a trip to the nearby castles/small towns or the rocky sandstone patches in the southeast called Saxon Switzerland).

Ingo

Nytraveler...we rented an E class, so it shouldn't be a problem at all. But, thanks for the heads-up! We almost rented a C class but ruled it out, it's too small for us.

Ingo...danke for replying, as well! Initially, when we first started planning our trip, we figured on spending a few nights in Dresden, as well. But, instead, we decided on spending a night in Reykjavik and an extra night in Berlin. I will definetely look into a day trip out to Dresden. I'm also looking forward to attempting to speak a little while in Deutschland. Ich habe ungefaehr die letzte drei Jahre Deutsch gelernt, und, mein Deutsch ist nicht gut, aber es geht (ich glaube). I love Baroque architecture, and art galleries as well. Thanks for the input, I will order some Dresden information online tonight.

Does anyone have any comments about The Olympic in Munich or Hotel 16 in Prague??

~Adam

Again, i'd love to know if anyone has stayed at the Hotel 16 in Prague

RE: MB rentals in Germany.
The C180K 6 sp Man trans was great in the Alps, on the Autobahn and at the gas pump. leased via Autoeurope.com months in advance.
Please realize you'll pay lots more for an automatic trans (150%-200%)in most of Europe.
M

Adam,

Dein Deutsch ist ja sehr gut. Ich bin beeindruckt!

Did you realise that you will pass through Dresden on your way from Berlin to Prague? It would be much more reasonable to break up the trip and spend a night there instead of doing a day trip from Berlin. Just my opinion.

Sorry that I cannot be of some help with hotels for Prague or Munich.

Ingo

Danke, Ingo.

Our train tickets from Prague to Berlin are direct, and even though I presumed in my head that we would at least pass Dresden, Im not sure whether or not we are stopping at all. At this point eventhing has been purchased and all hotels are confirmed, so I'm not thinking I could change some of that to fit in Dresden. In 19 days I will be in Iceland, so not much can be done now. I see your point, and it makes total sense. When we were intially laying out our itinerary, we were trying to accomodate my father, who unlike my uncle's and i, is a bit more reserved to trying new things. My Uncle's had both been to Rothenburg, Berlin, and Munich, and we are staying at the same places they had stayed at before. That provided my father with a tad bit of reassurance, i suppose. We figured, in the end, that between Prague and Reykjavik we had filled in enough in our schedule, and because of Icelandair's unmaleable flight time tables we couldn't get an ideal 14 days in europe and had to settle for 12. If we had excluded Rothenburg and had been able to fly into Munich like we had wanted, we would have spent two nights in Dresden and possibly three in Prague. In the end, though, it's always a good reason to go back!!!

MikeMo.....Yes I realized that while looking at prices. We have very specific places and times for pick up and drop off (Including a Saturday drop off at the Munich Hauptbahnhof). We had to go with Hertz, and booked it about a month ago. E Class, Manual, not auto (my uncle had a C class manual last time, and it was perfect for him). I think we ended up paying around 170 Euros a day, but we only have the car for 2 and a half days, and our hotel in Rothenburg is cheap, so the numbers washed. It's just worth it, when you figure in what train would have costed for 4 adults and this way we get to stop and see all the little cute towns along the Romantic Road.