Lily

I have been offered a home exchange in Cologne for 3 weeks next summer. Actually I was hoping for Paris or Provence but this offer has come up. I have never been to Germany and I know we could travel from Cologne to Amsterdam and Belgium easily. Any feedback or advice? Much appreciated as always. Thanks, Lily

Wayne

From Cologne you can also travel with little difficulty along the Rhine and Mosel rivers. You can get to the hilly part of Holland (yes, they have hills) rather easily, probably only a one hour drive. And of course there are a hundred really interesting villages in every direction that you could visit. Some of my favorites within a 2-3 hour drive are Valkenberg and Maastricht in Holland, and in Germany the following: Cochem and Bernkastel on the Mosel, St. Goar and Rudesheim. In Belgium, Leuven and Zootleuw. Bigger interesting cities are Koblenz, Dusseldorf, Aachen, and Liege. I think you'd find it very interesting.

Jen

Paris and Provence are really tough for finding home exchanges. Cologne sounds nice!

Lily

Thanks Wayne and Jen. You're right it is more difficult to get a home exchange in Paris or Provence. Cologne is certainly sounding better by the minute. Thanks for your feedback.

Grasshopper

Lily, Where did you find your exchange. I swear I saw a website on here that was www.home-exchange.com but now I can't find it.

Lily

I use HomeLink.com. You must pay a fee to join but I've had good luck with them in the past.