here's the story. i took a trip with some friends last sept/oct to munich, salzburg, rogthenburg, fussen, luzern and garmische. great trip. the most beautiful parts of the planet i have ever seen. now my fiance and i are taking our honeymoon in germany/switzerland and i wanted her to experience the beauty that i did all the while not retracing too many of my footsteps. we are flying into frankfurt and and as of now are driving to koln (2nites) trier(2nites), heidelburg(2nites), basel (2 nites), shaffhausen(1nite) show her neuschwanstein on the way to munich (2nites). we are in our very early 30's. i really to share with her the culture (wine, castles, shopping and just the over all IT i experinenced on my trip). i do want to experience the rhine (wine and castles). heidleburg i've had many people say i can't pass because of culture and overall beauty.shaffhauser because i have a love for IWC watches and would love to see the shop and munich....well because i love munich. we truly have very broad interests and i would greatly appreciate some input on this. if you've had a trip in that area what would you recommend. thanks ...really appreciate

oh another quick note. please understand that she wanted an island honeymoon and i won this battle...so i gotta make it work. if my plan stinks please...please give me one that you think might work. we fly into frankfurt on the 11th of june and fly out of munich on the 22nd of june. please ...please...oh..i bought plane tickets already.............please

one last thing( promise) ...the only true hesitation i have so far is canceling trier and spending 2 nights in rudesheim. any thougts as well. i know i should pay anyone that reads this far let alone responds. hey...thanks a ton.

She wanted an island honeymoon? I gotta tell you....I'm with her for a honeymoon, even though I love Europe. At the risk of giving unsolicited marital advice, I'd go wherever she wants.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

Margy

Check my reply to your other thread.

Rudesheim is a horrible place - trains whizz through all night every 5 or 10 minutes. One of my worst memories.

Sorry Zob - your plan does stink a bit. All I read throughout your message is I, I, I (I live watches, I love Munich, I, I, I). Ok, you might want to share your beautiful memories with her - but if her tastes are so different, then perhaps the honeymoon is not the time to do it.

Also after the wedding etc. you will be tired and you won't want to be tramping around the country. If indeed you have booked the flight, my advice to you would be to curtail the trip to 2 places so you can rest - and pick a very (and I mean VERY) good hotel in each place so you AND SHE can relax and be pampered a bit.

Hi Z,

>i took a trip with some friends... great trip. the most beautiful parts of the planet i have ever seen. <

In which case, I suggest that rather than planning a "2nd best" visit (and I don't think that the places you have chosen are that good) you take your new bride to those beautiful places and act as her guide.

I should expect that they are worth seeing again.

Happy honeymoon.

It's your honeymoon. Too much moving around from place to place.

Why not spend your first night in Heidelberg to get over the jet lag.

Then drive to Alsace and spend 3-4 nights with one day trip to Basel. there are a lot of nice little villages and a great area to explore.

Then head to the Berchtesgaden/Salzburg area for another 3-4 days, and spending your last day or so in Munich.

Z;

The places you have been are indeed gorgeous - Salzburg is my favourite small city in Europe, Rothenburg at night is magical, Fussen and Garmisch have the Alps as a background.

However, the places you are planning to take her don't have that same level of charm and you may be disappointed that they are not matching your memories and expectations.

Koln is okay, but it is a big industrial city. Without the cathedral you would have to want to see the cultural offerings to make it a memorable visit.

Trier has the Roman ruins and is nice, Heidelberg, beyond the castle is fair, a but basel is not going to light anyone's fire.

I don't think that i would call any of your sites romantic, with the possible exception of Heidelberg.

I suggest you vist the German national Tourist site cometogermany.com, I believe and take a look at some of their charming small town suggestions, or a castle, or fairy tale route. You will find some places you have never heard of that are likely to match your impressions already gained.; Meersburg, for example, is near to your prosposedend point in Basel.

If you have to stay in the area suggested for the Shaffhausen visit, do the Mosel river and stay in several small villages that intrigue you. The Mosel is what the Rhine should be - idyllic and scenic. The Rhine has been my only disappointing visit to Germany (7 trips). It's a b double tracked bargeway.

I agree with lawchick. Your plan doesn't sound like a good compromise.

Why don't you choose some beautiful places with lakes so you guys can still hang out by the water? Germany, Austria Switzerland all have the culture and feel you're looking for in so many places.

And again I agree. Don't do so many 2 nighters, pick two bases, three at the most ( with lakes!) to explore from, and relax.

I agree that Heidelburg would be a good one night stop to get over jetlag, Another option would be the Bodensee, you could drive there easily from Frankfurt.

Check out www.romantikhotels.com

Good luck!

You have come to the right place for advice. Whether or not you heed the advice might make all the difference in the world as to whether your new bride will ever trust you again. Several responses have told you that your original plan just won't get it - and it won't. If I wanted a honeymoon to remember and was commited to flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich - here is what I might do.

11 Jun - arrive Frankfurt - drive to Mosel (somewhere around Cochem)
12 Jun - explore Mosel (Burg Eltz - Bernkastel-Kues - Traben-Trarbach - Zell)
13 Jun - drive via Rhine (Boppard to Bacharach) then autobahn to Rothenburg o.d.T.
14 Jun - drive Romantic Road to Dinkelsbühl for lunch - then autobahn to Berchtesgaden
15 Jun - halfday trip to Salzburg - rest of day explore Berchtesgaden - Ramsau - Maria Gern
16 Jun - drive via Innsbruck and Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Füssen area
17 Jun - Füssen area (Neuschwanstein - Hohenschwangau - Linderhof - Oberammergau)
18 Jun - drive to Schaffhausen (only because you insist) - via southern shore of Bodensee and Stein am Rhein
19 Jun - drive to Starnbergsee area (Tutzing is a nice honeymoon type village in the summer) - via northern shore of Bodensee and Meersburg
20 Jun - drive to Munich (turn in car rental) - spend next two days exploring Munich
21 Jun - Munich
22 Jun - depart Munich

As far as locations, sightseeing opportunities and romantic vistas - this itinerary would almost guarantee you a grateful Frau who would never forget the wonderful honeymoon you planned. She might still want an island vacation but the German honeymoon she will always remember with a smile. You still have five months to research places to stay and the finer details of what to see and do in each area. Köln and Trier are OK but not honeymoon material. Heidelberg could be if you would consider skipping Schaffhausen. Just plug in Heidelberg for two days prior to Rothenburg o.d.T. and eliminate the Bodensee drive. Now there might be a few Fodorites here who won't agree with my honeymoon but I think most would. I hope (for your bride's sake) that you decide to take some of our advice. Good luck... And if you need assistance with the finer details - post your questions right here... Ben
(www.bensbauernhof.com)

*Well I guess I should have checked your other recent postings on this forum. Apparently you are dead set on Rüdesheim, Heidelberg and other places. Oh well - once you have your itinerary figured out - throw it back on the board and maybe someone can still save your honeymoon. It's not too late...

Its sort of like you took a trip to the rockies, and then to re-capture it with your girl, you are going to the midwest... parts are very nice, but this will not be as dramatically scenic as your last trip.

How about this:
Fly to Munich, then Alps, then Italian Lakes, then...VENICE!!!

Forgot. Check out

http://www.relaischateaux.com

This is a beautiful Lake, complete with cruises ( she might feel like she's on an island!)

http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/des...97/leman/2262/

I think your plan seems pretty good overall and would make for a great honeymoon. Many people suggest going to an island or relaxing after a wedding, but I personally am not the type. I'm not a "beach" person and could think of nothing more boring than sitting on a beach for days on end! But different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I also spend time in many of the areas you did last year and we found the mountains to be extremely beautiful and relaxing. I would suggest slowing down a bit, though. After all, it is your honeymoon!

Good luck and congratuations on your upcoming wedding!

Tracy

why not make it a German island honeymoon and simply go to Sylt. Off the beaten tourist track of Americans, upscale as the Hamptons, yet down-to-earth in various ways and simply beautiful. Lots of charming small upscale hotels, too. But they do fill up quickly.

HSV has a point, Sylt is very much a honeymoon place...my German cousin went there on her honeymoon (she and her husband liked it so much, they bought a house there). We liked it too, even though we're coming up on our 20th anniversary.
Anyway, this is one of the nicest hotels in Sylt:
http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fiche...he_hotel.shtml
From the This Is Travel site:
Friesian Islands
Why? The German equivalent of the Hamptons in New York State. The largest island, Sylt, has a blindingly white sand beach that stretches for 40km. The main village has five Michelin-starred restaurants. Further information: www.sylt-az.de
Where to stay: The Dorint Sol'Ring Hof is Sylt's most luxurious hotel, in a stunning dune location. Prices for two people in a double room are from 300€ per night, including breakfast.Tel: 0049 4651 93830 www.dorint.de/sylt-rantum. Fly direct to Hamburg then transfer to Altona station for train to Sylt. Train tickets can be booked in advance on 0049 1805 996633 www.bahn.de and cost less than 30€.

Whatever you decide, your itinerary is much too busy. Your focus should be on your new wife. Rushing from place to place trying to cram in the sights YOU like doesn't sound romantic. Pick two or three bases (at most).

I toured the Mosel and Rhine river valleys with my husband a few years ago, and we much preferred the Mosel to the Rhine. The Mosel river valley is less built-up, smaller scale and less industrial (and consequently was less damaged in WWII). It was lovely. It would be great for a bike tour for part of the trip.

Stuart Pigott's Wine Guide, Touring in Wine Country: The Mosel and Rheingau is a useful book to plan a holiday, with very detailed information about wineries, plus information about restaurants and hotels.

I definitely agree with the advice to spend more time in fewer locations so that you have the relaxation your fiance is probably looking for. I also like the idea of German or Swiss resort towns on the water.

Hi Zobtraffic,
I agree with lots of the postings that you are trying to pack too much in. I also think you need to get a good map and work out how many hours it will take you to drive all those kilometres you are planning, allowing for finding your way into towns/ cities, finding parking, and just navigating generally, or you will have to drive the Autobahns to make the time up and won't see anything. Back roads are slower, remember! I have travelled a lot in Germany and know the areas you say you want to visit and am a total fan of them, but if it were me putting together the itinerary, my advice would be to parcel your trip off into smaller areas and ask yourself what you couldn't live without (can you go back with her again in future?).
The area around Rudesheim (the Rheingau) is interesting and if you are travelling in September / October there are lots of little taverns open for you to enjoy the wine, but Rudesheim itself is a tourist trap. The Mosel is prettier than the Rhein, no question, but Trier and Köln are no way more interesting than Heidelberg, which is great for sightseeing and still doesn't feel too touristy. If you wanted to do the Mosel and Trier, do Luxemburg City as well. They are also good in September / October for the wine routes, but if you drink you will need to linger a little longer to drive responsibly. Or pick a southern route, take in Heidelberg, the Romantic Road and Neuschwanstein and do the mountain areas like Garmisch. Make sure your wife likes driving on mountain roads, though! I wish you both a lovely honeymoon!