In Germany, which is your favorite area in the south and why?
 

I am trying to narrow down where we will go in September. Once again faced with so much to see, so little time!! I want to see it all. So, looking for feedback from those that have experienced Germany.

The areas that we are interested in are: Bavaria, the Black Forest, the Romantic Road area, the Mosel Valley and the Rhine Valley. Every time I think I have crossed off an area, I read something that intrigues me or I google images and wonder how I could not go there!

If you have been to any/all of these areas, could you tell me what you liked about them?

If you've been to more than one, could you rank them?

Been to all those areas, southern Bavaria is best. Why? Because it's home.

I've been to all of them and couldn't choose. Just pick an area go and know that you may have to return. Oh drat!

I particularly liked the Rhine/Mosel area but my favorite city was Munich (I could live there). I spent a month touring southern Germany. I could send you my trip report if you'd care to read it (from 1996). For me it was a perfect trip and you could pare it down. I did have a car the whole time. [email protected]

We've been to Germany 6 times in the last 10 yrs as well as time spent there when we lived in Austria years ago.

We've visited the Rhine River area three times and the Mosel River area twice.

We've visited the Bodensee three times staying once each in Meersburg, Lindau and Uberlingen.

We've stayed in the Black Forest twice -- once in Gengenbach and then in Staufen.

On the Romantic Road, we've been to Rothenburg numerous times, even if just for a couple of hours, as well as Dinkelsbuehl, Feuchtwangen and Noerdlingen.

And years ago, we visited Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberamergau, and Ludwig's Castles. More recently, we've been to Berchtesgaden and Mittenwald.

We've also visited Bad Wimpfen, Schwaebisch Hall, Tuebingen, Wurzburg, Bamberg, and Iphofen as well as numerous other small towns and villages.

Could I pick a favorite? Absolutely not. That's why we just keep going back.

Have been to all those areas - but without knowing your interests and how much time you have it's hard to make any recos.

....with our 2 young children....Meersburg

Hi,

We've also been to Germany 6 times in the last 10 years! I think we're being followed :)

We've stayed once on the Mosel by Cochem (in Valwig)
We've stayed in both Mittenwald and Fuessen twice
We've stayed in Garmisch once
We've stayed in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
We've stayed in Ramsau (by Berchtesgaden) 3 times

29 nights so far.

Then there's the visits to Munich, Oberammergau, Andechs, Ludwig's castles, Ettal, Bad Tolz, Bad Reichenhall, Dinkelsbuehl, Trier, Bernkastel, Zell, Beilstein, St. Goar, Bacharach, etc. etc.

Pick a favorite... that's tough, but I'd have to say Ramsau. After that, it's a toss up. They're all great places that we'd like to see again and again.

Paul








1) Berchtesgaden area. Beautiful scenery and close to so many terrific places such as Salzburg, Zell am See, Hallstatt, etc.

1a) Mittenwald area. Mittenwald is in my opinion, the quintessential Bavarian village. Again, there's many great places to visit nearby based in Mittenwald.

1b)

Wow, I screwed that up! I attempted to rank them and gave up, but then forgot to delete it.

The main danger is believing that you have to see it all. If you try to cover too much ground, you will get lots of nice pictures but will have trouble absorbing what you see.

I like the towns of Franconia (northern Bavaria) and villages of the Rhine/Mosel valleys best. We enjoy the feel of history in both areas. We can not get that feeling in the USA. We find train travel more to our liking as we visit these areas in recent years. (We were in the military and lived in Germany for 6 years traveling usually by car.)

If you had never seen the Alps, that might be a first choice for the scenery. You may want to rent a car in the Alps. While stationed in Germany, we visited the areas of Füssen & Garmisch frequently and it was quite beautiful.

Regards, Gary

Okay, Betty - It's not a contest. We know you get out a lot.

My favourite is Franken. The rolling hills and the ease (proximity) with which you can visit a large number of fantastic towns and cities; Nurnberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, Dinkelsbuhl, Wurzburg, etc..

Aramis, what's your problem?

Did you help the OP with their question, or just point out how many places you had been?

If you want me to get into it more, I can.

I really like Muenchen. Great food, great beer, easy transportation. You will have a good time. :-)

luvlimoncello,
You haven't mentioned how many days you have and how many persons of what age and interests.
These are important when one decides

I suggest, stretch your time.
Just the feeling, that I have so little time, is not very good.

Germany has so much to offer, that so many people here have been visiting again and again for so many years.

You can pick up two areas, primarily to get the essence and vaiety of experiences.

Germany has well defined routes. Pick any two and divide your time.
In that order..
1. Alpine route
2. Romantic strasse
3. Burg strasse
4. Wine strasse
5. Historical route
6. Rhine valley
7. 3rd Reich trail

Mix it with Big, Medium size cities and typical quaint villages. This will give you a large spectrum.

We stayed for a week in a verrry small village "Deidesheim" near Neutadton winestrasse> We will cherish it for our lifetime.
Also interesting...
Rhine cruise/ Train alongside; coupled with some hikes..
Heidelburg is magical..
Liked Berlin..
Romantic strasse is probably the best of them all..

Wish list

Dresden
Lubeck
Berchtesgaden, Ramsau, Koningsee, Mitten wald
Fussen, Garmisch, Lindau...

Planning to Visit the Bavarian Alps in May 2010...

And keep returning like everyone.. gagin.. and again...and...

To uncomplicate..
My 1st 2 choices are..

1. Bavarin Alps
2. Romantic strasse.. coupled with Munich

Beg, Borrow or steal... But stretch your vacation...
and keep in mind that
Germany will keep calling you for the rest of your life..
you will also be one of us... who are hopelessly in love with the country.

All the best and have a great trip.

Hi bettyk, we're tied! :)

luvlimoncello... Paragkash raises good questions. More info will help people assist you better.

Thanks all for your thoughtfull responses.

I guess if you are answering in order to help us, I will give you a little information about us. There are 4 adults going, we will have 2 weeks and we will rent a car. The four of us have traveled to Italy and France in the past. We enjoy small, quaint towns with a sense of history and especially beautiful scenery. We are more interested in towns rather than cities. We do plan on visiting Munich and most likely Salzburg. We are more of a group to skim a town with maybe a half day or so, rather than delve into a city with visiting museums and numerous churches etc. But we also understand we need more time in the cities. My two favorite areas so far that I have visitied would be Tuscany and Dordogne.

Hope this helps! Thanks again, I'm taking careful notes!

If do not wish to go to Oktoberfest, you should avoid Munich from Sep 18- Oct 3 this year, or pay a premium for hotel rooms which sell out quickly.

From the regions you mentioned, all are good destinations in September.
Bavaria as a whole is a bit too large to compare it with a more narrowly defined region like the Mosel Valley.
You got lots of ideas above already. As a rule of thumb, Bavaria is the nicest where it ends. While that is obviously just a bit of nonsense, you should also not stop at political boundaries. Southern and SE Bavaria and Tirol mix well, so does SW Bavaria (Lake Constance) with Vorarlberg (Austria) and Switzerland. NE Bavaria has the border with the Czech Republic/ Bohemia, and you wish to explore both sides of the border there as well.
Travelwise, Munich will be your gateway to Southern and Eastern Bavaria, while Frankfurt (or Nuremberg for which you usually have to connect) is an option for Franconia and NE Bavaria (and when flights to Munich get expensive and booked out during Oktoberfest).

The Romantic Road goes mostly through a less than spectacular countryside with the different towns and villages being the highlights. Most start in Frankfurt, catch the RR near Würzburg and go to Munich (or vv).

The Mosel gets less tourism than the Rhine valley, as is probably more for people who do not wish to share the sights with 10 busloads of tourists each, but only with 5 :-)
In both valleys the vast majority of tourism focuses on the towns along the river. The hinterland gets much less tourist.
Frankfurt airport offers best access to both river valleys.

The Black Forest is again a pretty huge area with not only one or two highlights, but an overall scenic region with many villages and towns worth visiting. Hiking is also easy and almost a must to actually see something other than just the view through the windshield. Another plus would be the proximity to Alsace.
Accessibility (with non-stop flights) is mostly done through Frankfurt (bit away), Stuttgart (not many flights to the US), or Zurich. Or connect to Strasbourg via Paris. But renting a car in Switzerland or France is more expensive than in Germany so you should put that into calculation, too.

Salzburg is Beautiful.. My most favorite city..