We will be going to Belgium next Memorial Day for a family event at Margraten cemetary. Prior, we are planning on spending 11 days traveling around Germany and France. Here is my current plan. Please let me know your thoughts re. timing. Our goals are to see great scenery and pretty towns, check out some castles, drink wine, hike, and relax.

Day 1 - Arrive into Frankfurt. Pick up car. Drive to Traben-Trarbach
Days 2, 3 - Based out of Traben-Trarbach - see Rhine Valley, Moselle Valley. Boat cruises, biking
Day 4 - Drive to Freiburg area (Staufen)
Day 5, 6 - play around the Black Forest
Day 7 - Drive to Colmar area
Day 8 - 9 - Visit area between Colmar and Strasbourg
Day 10 - 11 - Nancy (I understand there is great Art Nouveau architecture there)
Day 12 - drive to Maastricht / Margraten

Thank you.

Margraten is in the Netherlands.

makes sense to me, great Jugendstil in T&T

We are looking at both Jugenstil in T&T and the Hotel Haus Lipmann in Beilstein. Both look great. And yes, Margraten is in the Netherlands, you are right. From there we are spending a week in Belgium and Netherlands (Delft, Amsterdam, etc.)

Nancy doesn't just have some good art nouveau architecture, it was one of the main centers of the Art Nouveau movement (School of Nancy, led by Emile Galle). They also have a museum dedicated to the Ecole de Nancy.

http://en.nancy-tourisme.fr/discover...-nancy-museum/

https://www.google.com/search?q=plac...=1600&bih=1075

and Nancy's Place Stanislas is one of the finest public squares in all of Europe - Nancy was a total surpise to me - funny not more people talk about what is one of France's most sweetest cities architecturally.

Hotel Haus Lipmann is fantastic. You will have breakfast in the Knight's dining room. During some sort of conflict (I don't remember the particulars) the knights from the castle stayed at the Haus Lippman and had their meals in the big dining room.

If you have a top room in the back be sure to open your windows on the weekend evenings so you can enjoy the local karaoke bar that sits below in the square.

Also, stroll up the lane behind the hotel as you walk to the castle, and grab a gelato from the kindly gelato man located on the right side, up the lane, as you leave the hotel.

If the town across the river is having their street fair you can hop on the 'ferry' and cross the river. We found all sorts of goodies there. The glass engraver is fascinating to watch. We bought dozens of engraved glasses for family....they were only a couple bucks each and you watch as he engraves them...fun memories. Have a great time. We fell in love with this area of Germany.

Thank you everyone. Here is our final itinerary:

Days 1-4 - Hotel Haus Lippman in Beilstein
Days 5-7 - Die Krone in Staufen
Days 8-9 - Appartments Les Loges du Capucin in Kaysersberg
Days 10-11 - L Hotel Particulier in Nancy
Days 12-15 - B&B Au Lion d'Or, Maastricht, Netherlands
Days 16-17 - Botaniek Hotel, Bruges
Days 18-19 - Berger B&B, Hague, Delft
Days 20-23 - The Eelhouse B&B, Amsterdam

I am excited to see Nancy! Thank you for the recommendations. (My husband is an ice cream / gelato addict. He will be happy to know about the man in Beilstein)

Looks lovely! Really lovely itinerary!