Non-Rhine route from Cologne south
 

Hello! In May I'll be travelling with my family from Munich to Prague, then west through Germany to the Rhine and up the valley to Cologne. For the reaminder of my trip (10 days), I'm on my own, with the only set things being that I want to spend 2 days in Chamonix and I am flying out of Zurich. Can someone suggest a good/fun/scenic route from Cologne to Chamonix? Since I'll just have driven up the Rhine valley, I'm hoping to see something else. Through France perhaps? Thanks in advance!

Linda, <BR>How about driving west to Aachen then south to Belgium's Ardennes for a couple of days then south through Luxembourg past Metz and into Nancy?Stay there for a couple of days and tour the highly scenic routes between Epinal and Colmar. Drive on to Chamonix to finish your trip.

During my '94 Eurail trek, we spent several days at Trier in the Mosel Valley. Gorgeous little city, dating back to Roman times. There is an old Roman gate, the Porta Nigra, several lovely cathedrals (or Doms as they call them in Germany), Constantine's basilica, the Gallo-Roman museum and the cathedral museum. There is a funny little train ride from the Porta Nigra around the town that passes most of the above, as well as the Roman amphitheatre and Marx's birthplace. <BR> <BR>As mentioned by another poster, Aachen is also well worth a visit. There is the huge restored Rathaus (town hall) and the Aachen cathedral and Schatzkammer (treasury).

Second Trier. It's a marvelous way to spend a day, or two even. And from Trier it's a very short drive to Luxembourg, well worth a stay in anybody's book. You could easily spend five days in that beautiful, minute country, using Luxembourg City as your "home port". A day or two in the Ardennes would fit well in your itinerary, or Strasburg, a wonderful city.

Thanks guys! I appreciate the great info!

Hello! Linda, would you mind offering some feedback upon your return? I'm gathering info to take my mom (Linda Lou, BTW) to Germany on a driving trip next year. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful vacation!

Cologne -&gt; Aachen -&gt; MONSCHAU -&gt; Trier -&gt; Luxembourg City -&gt; Onward ... <BR> <BR>Aachen is a must if you're interested in European history, since this was the capitol of Charlemagne's empire. The Dom was the coronation site for many later Holy Roman Emperors as well. <BR> <BR>Monschau is a small town in the (German) Eifel Mountains, very near the Belgian border: well-preserved slate-roofed houses in a small valley. No spectacular sights, but lots of atmosphere. While it relies mostly on tourism, I never hear it mentioned by other tourists, perhaps because it is so isolated. <BR> <BR>As mentioned above, Trier has an impressive collection of attractions for such a small town. <BR> <BR>I really enjoyed Luxembourg City. One of the most scenic Capitols in Europe (perhaps only exceeded by Edinburgh). Although most of the vast fortifications were destroyed several centuries ago, enough remain to give a good impression of how key this location was. Although I was there quite a few years ago, the old town had a very pleasant "small town" atmosphere, very pleasant for wandering. <BR> <BR>Dave