Six nights Munich to Frankfurt - is this too ambitious?
Sep 9th, 2007, 05:11 AM
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Six nights Munich to Frankfurt - is this too ambitious?
We have 6 nights in Germany following 9 nights in Italy. We are in our late forties and this is our 25th annniversary trip. We are flying home to U.S. out of Frankfurt on June 16, 2008. We will be arriving in Munich via night train from Florence on the 10th. This is a sketch of an itinerary that we would appreciate help with. First time travelers to Europe. Our budget is $200 per night/150 Euros, but are quite willing to spend less, if possible, who wouldn't. Don't want American like hotels.
June 10 - arrive Munich early morning 8ish and get train to Fussen. One night in Fussen, visit two castles if possible.
June 11 - train up Romantic Road area via Bayern ticket. Stop one night in ??, maybe Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, or Augsburg. Any recommendations? Will use bus to get there if necessary.
June 12 - bus/train to Rothenburg for one night. Yes, we are tourists and are going for the tourist sights. The Night Watchman's tour is of interest. Should we stay two nights here and drop the overnight in the first town? Any hotel recommendations?
June 13 - Train again to Heidelberg. Stay one night and see what we can. Any hotel recommendations? This is the stop I'm not sure about. Should we skip this one and stay longer in the Romantic Road area.
June 14-15 - Train to Rhine area for two nights. Not sure where to stay? Go north to stay in Boppard or St. Goar and take boat, etc. south to see the various towns? We need to be accessible to Frankfurt on morning of 16 for an 11:45 am flight. Should we stay in Mainz and take day trips north along the Rhine River to see the area? Again, any recommendations on where to stay and what to see?
Thank you so much for your help.
June 10 - arrive Munich early morning 8ish and get train to Fussen. One night in Fussen, visit two castles if possible.
June 11 - train up Romantic Road area via Bayern ticket. Stop one night in ??, maybe Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, or Augsburg. Any recommendations? Will use bus to get there if necessary.
June 12 - bus/train to Rothenburg for one night. Yes, we are tourists and are going for the tourist sights. The Night Watchman's tour is of interest. Should we stay two nights here and drop the overnight in the first town? Any hotel recommendations?
June 13 - Train again to Heidelberg. Stay one night and see what we can. Any hotel recommendations? This is the stop I'm not sure about. Should we skip this one and stay longer in the Romantic Road area.
June 14-15 - Train to Rhine area for two nights. Not sure where to stay? Go north to stay in Boppard or St. Goar and take boat, etc. south to see the various towns? We need to be accessible to Frankfurt on morning of 16 for an 11:45 am flight. Should we stay in Mainz and take day trips north along the Rhine River to see the area? Again, any recommendations on where to stay and what to see?
Thank you so much for your help.
Sep 9th, 2007, 05:24 AM
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Hi C,
Are your 9 nights in Italy going to be as hectic as your 6 in Germany?
Not even an overnight in Munich?
Check the train schedules at www.bahn.de for Munich/Fuessen to see what time you will arrive in F. You might not have time to see 2 castles.
We liked our stay at http://www.hotel-hechten.com/
in Fuessen. It's within your budget.
In Rothenburg, we very much liked our stay at www.haus-karin.de/engl.htm
Also see http://www.bensbauernhof.com/hauskar...enburgodt.html
Just to relax a little, you might want to stay 2 nights in Rothenburg.
Looking forward to your trip report.
Are your 9 nights in Italy going to be as hectic as your 6 in Germany?
Not even an overnight in Munich?
Check the train schedules at www.bahn.de for Munich/Fuessen to see what time you will arrive in F. You might not have time to see 2 castles.
We liked our stay at http://www.hotel-hechten.com/
in Fuessen. It's within your budget.
In Rothenburg, we very much liked our stay at www.haus-karin.de/engl.htm
Also see http://www.bensbauernhof.com/hauskar...enburgodt.html
Just to relax a little, you might want to stay 2 nights in Rothenburg.
Looking forward to your trip report.
Sep 9th, 2007, 06:30 AM
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I would skip Heidelberg and spend more time on the Romantic Road or even better at least one night in Munich before heading to Fuessen. Munich really is a very pleasant city with lots to do. (You have considered stopping in Augsburg one night and I would definitely recommend Munich over Augsburg)
Mainz is a good convenient place to stay overnight before your flight. It is connected to the airport by S-bahn and has a nice old city area, a beautiful cathedral and some other interesting sights.
I would stay the 2 nights in Rothenburg rather than stopping in Nordingen or Dinkelsbuhl.
Mainz is a good convenient place to stay overnight before your flight. It is connected to the airport by S-bahn and has a nice old city area, a beautiful cathedral and some other interesting sights.
I would stay the 2 nights in Rothenburg rather than stopping in Nordingen or Dinkelsbuhl.
Sep 9th, 2007, 08:36 AM
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I like train travel, but with limited time you can save a lot of time by renting a car. You mention a lot of small towns and planning your schedule around the trains schedule, walking to and from the stations, waiting for trains, etc. will just take a lot of your valuable time. In 6 days time of busy travel, I bet you could pick up 1/2 to a full day of extra time by driving. It will also be a simple matter of dropping the car off at the airport.
If you were traveling from large city center to large city center, I'd suggest the train.
One day and night in Rothenburg is enough. Boppard or St. Goar are both nice for an overnight. In these areas, 150 Euro will be plenty. There are lots of nice small family run hotels for much less. They are also more accessible by car.
I get a little bored with Heidelberg, I'd spend a little time on the Mosel or in Trier instead.
If you were traveling from large city center to large city center, I'd suggest the train.
One day and night in Rothenburg is enough. Boppard or St. Goar are both nice for an overnight. In these areas, 150 Euro will be plenty. There are lots of nice small family run hotels for much less. They are also more accessible by car.
I get a little bored with Heidelberg, I'd spend a little time on the Mosel or in Trier instead.
Sep 9th, 2007, 11:00 AM
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You are squeezing in a lot.
Your hunch on skipping Heidelberg is a good one.
6/10: If you're in Munich at 8 am, drop bags and move on to Füssen, but just for the day; these castles are not centuries old - they're late 19th century knock-offs, splendiferous but not terribly important. Spend a few hours, enjoy the views, and return for a nice evening in Munich.
6/11: The Romantic road is oversold as a destination - pleasant enough but so is all of Bavaria. Train doesn't go everywhere. Augsburg is nice but not exceptional. Route yourselves for a stop in Noerdlingen and move on to the gem of the RR, Rothenburg - it really is spectacular even if touristy. There's probably no need for a second overnight stop on the RR.
6/12 - 13: You'll get to the Rhine via Würzburg; maybe make a stop there to see the Residenz (quite the palace!) and have lunch, then proceed.
St. Goar is perhaps the most scenically located of the Rhine villages - you can see 3 castles from town - and best if you want to cross the river to see towns over there - there's a passenger ferry to St. Goarshausen on the other side, which has a train station too. Go this way to get a tour of Marksburg Castle in Braubach (800 years old, never destroyed - www.marksburg.de) St. Goar also has its own castle ruins - Rheinfels - which you can tour. Boppard is very nice and easy to visit from St. Goar. Take a river cruise to Boppard or Braubach from St, Goar if you like.
6/14: To replace your Heidelberg day I suggest you tour the also very romantic Mosel River, in the Rhine's backyard; Cochem is easy to reach and may be the most scenic town on both the Rhine and Mosel; gorgeous old town center, castle tour and falconry show on castle grounds, river cruise from here upstream to Beilstein and back, lots of nice eateries.
Nearby Burg Eltz is a time-consuming outing you might do on the following day; there's also the spa town of Bad Bertrich if you're interested in that sort of thing (bus).
6/15: Stay overnight in Mainz as previously suggested; I often stay at the Mainz Ibis, near the old town and a block from the Mainz Roemisches Theater train station, which gets you to FRA in 20 minutes time for about 3.50 each. The main station also has hotels nearby but is a longer walk from the old town, the cathedral, the river and the city park.
Alternatively, if you have no interest in seeing the Mosel or have done so before, spend the extra day in Munich.
The Schloss-Hotel Villa Rheinfels in St. Goar is high on a cliff - not convenient for town - but a good splurge - or if you don't stay there, perhaps shuttle up there for a meal.
Enjoy your trip!
Your hunch on skipping Heidelberg is a good one.
6/10: If you're in Munich at 8 am, drop bags and move on to Füssen, but just for the day; these castles are not centuries old - they're late 19th century knock-offs, splendiferous but not terribly important. Spend a few hours, enjoy the views, and return for a nice evening in Munich.
6/11: The Romantic road is oversold as a destination - pleasant enough but so is all of Bavaria. Train doesn't go everywhere. Augsburg is nice but not exceptional. Route yourselves for a stop in Noerdlingen and move on to the gem of the RR, Rothenburg - it really is spectacular even if touristy. There's probably no need for a second overnight stop on the RR.
6/12 - 13: You'll get to the Rhine via Würzburg; maybe make a stop there to see the Residenz (quite the palace!) and have lunch, then proceed.
St. Goar is perhaps the most scenically located of the Rhine villages - you can see 3 castles from town - and best if you want to cross the river to see towns over there - there's a passenger ferry to St. Goarshausen on the other side, which has a train station too. Go this way to get a tour of Marksburg Castle in Braubach (800 years old, never destroyed - www.marksburg.de) St. Goar also has its own castle ruins - Rheinfels - which you can tour. Boppard is very nice and easy to visit from St. Goar. Take a river cruise to Boppard or Braubach from St, Goar if you like.
6/14: To replace your Heidelberg day I suggest you tour the also very romantic Mosel River, in the Rhine's backyard; Cochem is easy to reach and may be the most scenic town on both the Rhine and Mosel; gorgeous old town center, castle tour and falconry show on castle grounds, river cruise from here upstream to Beilstein and back, lots of nice eateries.
Nearby Burg Eltz is a time-consuming outing you might do on the following day; there's also the spa town of Bad Bertrich if you're interested in that sort of thing (bus).
6/15: Stay overnight in Mainz as previously suggested; I often stay at the Mainz Ibis, near the old town and a block from the Mainz Roemisches Theater train station, which gets you to FRA in 20 minutes time for about 3.50 each. The main station also has hotels nearby but is a longer walk from the old town, the cathedral, the river and the city park.
Alternatively, if you have no interest in seeing the Mosel or have done so before, spend the extra day in Munich.
The Schloss-Hotel Villa Rheinfels in St. Goar is high on a cliff - not convenient for town - but a good splurge - or if you don't stay there, perhaps shuttle up there for a meal.
Enjoy your trip!
Sep 9th, 2007, 02:00 PM
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Thank you all for your suggestions, we will definately take them under consideration. Never having been there, we are only going by what the books say and it's difficult to know what to see.
The Mosel area has picqued our interest and maybe Fussen is not such a good idea. We will also look at Munich for an overnight.
As far as the car, I heard somewhere that driving is not as scenic, but it probably depends on where you are driving. If we just drove from Munich north through the RR and dropped the car upon arrival to the Rhine area near Frankfurt, would local trains work to see and stay in that area as well as the Mosel area?
The Mosel area has picqued our interest and maybe Fussen is not such a good idea. We will also look at Munich for an overnight.
As far as the car, I heard somewhere that driving is not as scenic, but it probably depends on where you are driving. If we just drove from Munich north through the RR and dropped the car upon arrival to the Rhine area near Frankfurt, would local trains work to see and stay in that area as well as the Mosel area?
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Sep 9th, 2007, 02:20 PM
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I too would highly suggest a car for your itinerary. I'm certainly not against train travel, but I think you will shave valuable time off and get to see more if you drove. Driving in Germany is incredibly easy and quite scenic where you will be, so I'm surprised that you heard that. Driving through Bavaria is nothing short of spectacular, and driving the RR is quite nice as well. I haven't yet been to the Mosel so I can't comment on that.
Good luck and happy planing!
Tracy
Good luck and happy planing!
Tracy
Sep 9th, 2007, 04:07 PM
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"If we just drove from Munich north through the RR and dropped the car upon arrival to the Rhine area near Frankfurt, would local trains work to see and stay in that area as well as the Mosel area?"
You can rent a car and drive the RR - it is a road of course! But I don't see any particular advantages for a car unless there are specific towns you wish to see that aren't on a rail line. The RR route, IMO, isn't any more scenic or special than the other roads or the rail lines that pass through the area and is often a bit more congested. The Munich-R'burg train trip is 2.5-3 hours by train, 3 hours by car, a good bit slower if you route via Noerdlingen - almost 5 hours. Figure about 35 Euros just for gas for that stretch. But the train via Noerdlingen to R'burg is also around 5 hours. It's perhaps a wash, really, but you also have to figure in the work involved in driving and picking up / parking /navigating / dropping the car vs the logistics of following a train itinerary and swtiching trains at this station and that. It may just boil down to whether you like to drive while you're on vacation.
A car in the Rhine/Mosel region would allow you to get to Burg Eltz more easily if you plan to go there and you're pressed for time. Walking from Moselkern train station is fun but time consuming:
www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html
Otherwise, I'd say trains will cover you in the Rhine/Mosel just fine for a 2-4 day visit. Pick up a pocket timetable for the region in Koblenz at a DB info counter so you can plan as you sightsee.
You can rent a car and drive the RR - it is a road of course! But I don't see any particular advantages for a car unless there are specific towns you wish to see that aren't on a rail line. The RR route, IMO, isn't any more scenic or special than the other roads or the rail lines that pass through the area and is often a bit more congested. The Munich-R'burg train trip is 2.5-3 hours by train, 3 hours by car, a good bit slower if you route via Noerdlingen - almost 5 hours. Figure about 35 Euros just for gas for that stretch. But the train via Noerdlingen to R'burg is also around 5 hours. It's perhaps a wash, really, but you also have to figure in the work involved in driving and picking up / parking /navigating / dropping the car vs the logistics of following a train itinerary and swtiching trains at this station and that. It may just boil down to whether you like to drive while you're on vacation.
A car in the Rhine/Mosel region would allow you to get to Burg Eltz more easily if you plan to go there and you're pressed for time. Walking from Moselkern train station is fun but time consuming:
www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html
Otherwise, I'd say trains will cover you in the Rhine/Mosel just fine for a 2-4 day visit. Pick up a pocket timetable for the region in Koblenz at a DB info counter so you can plan as you sightsee.
