pg

We are a couple in late 20's planning our first trip to Netherlands/ Germany. Primarily we are interested in seeing Amsterdam and Southern Germany.<BR><BR>April 19: Arrive Amsterdam at 6.30 am. Rent a car and drive to Heidelberg. See the castle (Schloss). Overnight in Heidelberg<BR>April 20: Drive (4 hrs) to Fussen. Checkout Neuschwanstein. Overnight in Fussen<BR>April 21: Morning see Hohenschwangau castle and afternoon see Linderhoff . In the evening drive (1.5 hrs) to Dacau. Overnight in Dacau<BR>April 22: See the Dacau camp in the morning-noon. Drive (2 hrs) to Augsburg. Check out Fuggerei. Overnight in Augsburg<BR>April 23: Drive (1.5 hrs) to Rothenburg in the morning. See Rathaus and Kriminal Museum. Overnight in Rothneburg. <BR>April 24: See St.Jakobskirche in Rothenburg. Drive (1 hr) to Wurzberg. See Residenz. Overnight in Wurzburg<BR>April 25: Drive Wurzburg to Lisee (5 hrs) via Leiden Drive through the tulip fields and spend the rest of the afternoon at Kuekenhoff gardens. Overnight in Amsterdam.<BR>April 26: Return rental car (1 week rental). Train to Gouda. Check out Red Lion Windmill, Waag Cheese Exhibition, and Adrie Moerings Pottery/ Pipemaker. Train back to hotel. <BR>April 27: Visit AnneFrankhaus, Van Gogh Museum, Canal Tour/ Explore Amsterdam <BR>April 28: Train early morning from Downtown to Schipol. Flight back to America.<BR><BR>This is a fairly fast paced itinery, but our intention is to get an essence of the 2 countries. Please let me know if you think we may be better off not visiting something above in favor of something not included in our itinery which may be far more impressive.<BR><BR>Thank you Fodorites to help me plan yet again.

Patrick

Wow, it makes me dizzy just to imagine this. Yes it is doable, and as you say it is whirlwind to say the least. I'm not sure how much you'll remember. The part that bothers me the most is the 5 hour drive or longer after the transAtlantic flight (I'm assuming) to get to Heidelberg. You couldn't get me to do that on a bet!!! I'm assuming you are prebooking all hotels. Otherwise I don't see a couple hours built into each day to seek out a place to stay.

pg

Thanks for your response and I agree with you Patrick that the first day is going to be the most difficult. But I am planning on booking all hotels if I get a &quot;YES&quot; from fellow Fodorites.

jahoulih

Why not stay in Amsterdam on April 19, see the sights you have scheduled for April 27, and shift everything else to one day later? That way you won't have to do the drive to Heidelberg right after the transatlantic flight.

pg

I have made some reservations already. That may be a good idea and worth a try to get the reservations shifted by a day.

Russ

I understand you're in your 20's and have boundless energy, but you might be underestimating the rigor you are demanding of yourselves by attempting so much with so little time. <BR>Navigating unfamiliar territory in another language with absolute deadlines is stressful. You need to allow some time to use the WC, to eat, and to get lost here and there. You'll be sharing these well-worn roads with lots of others who have their eyes on the same destinations. Plan on traffic. Last March I was in a 10-mile-long Dutch parking lot for about 3 hours until the reports were written and the wreckage cleared. Stuff happens.<BR><BR>I would not lay out the $ and time to spend this many hours in a car when I could do the same at home.<BR><BR>You say that your &quot;intention is to get an essence of the 2 countries&quot;. Two points.<BR><BR>First, you need to see a little more in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is worthwhile, but extreme. I haven't seen Gouda, but it sounds great. I'd suggest visiting some smaller towns just north of A'dam as well on at least one more day there: Volendam and Marken are quick to get to - a little touristy now, but they'll give you a glimpse of life in centuries past in this sea-bound country. Zaanse Schans is well-touristed too, but it is a pretty wonderful way to spend an afternoon - the craftspeople, the windmills, the farm animals are all great.<BR><BR>Secondly, you can get a much more authentic taste of Germany by avoiding the long drive to southern Bavaria. Ludwig's castles are visually spectacular but they really don't show you much about life in Germany. W&uuml;rzburg's Residenz is great, and not as far to travel to, but with your time frame, I'd head to the Mosel and Rhine Rivers, hundreds of miles closer, and check out some real castles there, like Burg Eltz and Marksburg. If you want to see a palace, check out Schloss Neuwied, on the Rhine north of Koblenz, built in the early 1700's to in Versailles style. Monschau, not far from Aachen, is a wonderful, nearly unchanged old weavers town of stone, half-timbers, cobblestones and slate roofs. Trier on the Mosel is Germany's oldest city, with some cool Roman ruins and a lively town plaza. The smaller Rhine and Mosel towns are charming villages set among vineyards and castles - Bacharach, Boppard, Oberwesel, and St. Goar on the Rhine, Bernkastel, Traben-Trarbach and Cochem on the Mosel among them. There are no Alps here, of course, but the Eifel mountains are very pretty and the river scenery is spectacular. There's enough to see and do in this region, nearly adjacent to the Netherlands, to keep you busy for a couple of weeks.<BR><BR>I would definitely take the train if you still plan to do southern Bavaria, which will allow you to cover lots of ground and take you to the heart of the action in your intended destinations (and will allow you and your gorgeous partner to swig some good wine and to get in some good necking while checking out the asphalt-free scenery along the way.) This is a vacation, right?<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

jheim

Hello pg,<BR><BR>As a mid 50's couple, my wife and I would not hesitate to do your trip. As others have said - the arrival day is a bit much, and replacing Southern Bavaria with the Rhine Valley could save a bunch of driving. <BR><BR>Given you will stick to your schedule, three things are worth considering:<BR><BR>1. You do not want a car in Amsterdam - turn it in a day early or stay on the outskirts of Amsterdam on the 6th night.<BR><BR>2. Sandwich in Weiss Church between Ludwigs Castles - it is on the way.<BR><BR>3. Dachau is a suburb of Munich, you may want to consider spending the evening and hoteling in the city center to get a flavor of Munich. Check out the times for the presentations in your native language at Dachau and get there in time to take in the earliest presentation.<BR><BR>A side note - in Amsterdam you may want to consider the Jolly Carlton hotel - it is centrally located for what you want to see.<BR><BR>Have a great trip.

jonesie

FYI, we are planning a similar trip for the first week of April. You might want to consider the whole rail and drive option. We are spending the first day in Amsterdam, and then taking the train to Munich, and driving our way back.<BR>Just a thought.

pg

Thanks a bunch to all for sharing their insight. There are good points that I can easily incorporate from each of yours' views.<BR>Using jahoulih's/Patrick's suggestion, I have moved my entire Amsterdam itinery before Germany itinery.<BR>Following Russ' suggestion - I am going to lighten my trip by taking Augsburg out - to give me a chance to make unscheduled stopover(s).<BR>From our prior 3 trips to Europe our preference for car over train is because it gives more flexibility (though a flat tire put us on the spot on the outskirts of Toledo, Spain), is generally cheaper (important for us), we can pack the car with fruits/ salads which saves time for lunch stopovers (after a heavy breakfast, and later early dinner).<BR>I want you guys to know how much I appreciate your suggestions, and this is the 4th trip I would be making totally based on Fodorites' suggestions.<BR>

patg

You might want to save Keukenhof for your last day before flying out. Seeing it in late April should be closer to the peak of beauty. And it is an easy train ride to Schiphol from Leiden (where you catch the Keukenhof bus.)