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suggestions for a 10-12 day itenerary for germany

suggestions for a 10-12 day itenerary for germany

Old Jan 28th, 2014, 03:18 PM
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suggestions for a 10-12 day itenerary for germany

We are planning a 10 trip to Germany this summer. Friends have suggest the following cities as not to be missed Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Fussen for the castles.
Is this doable in ten days?
How many days should be allocated to each city?
Which city should we fly into and out of?
Are there other cities you would either add or replace for those on the list?
What would be the most expedient mode of travel between cities, car or train?

We like a little of everything when we tour; some art museums and history museum, walking tours, parks and always good food and drinks. We are a group of five ranging one 70 year old, two 50+ and two 20+ all in good shape and not afraid of walking, hiking or climbing so mobility is not a problem.

Thank for any insight and suggestions
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Old Jan 28th, 2014, 03:58 PM
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Hello stlouisblues, I think if you are pressed for time you can do the castles directly from Munich. I would allot more time to Berlin (4 days / 3.5 days) and Munich (3 days) and maybe 2 days (1.5) for Hamburg and 1 day for Füssen or the castles, probably not both. I am not a big Neuschwanstein fan myself so I will leave this contentious point up to other Fodorites to resolve. Nice to see the addition of Hamburg - not many people get to see it and it makes an interesting counterpoint to Munich and Berlin (all totally different cultures from each other).

Normally I would say train (and maybe train between Hamburg and Berlin would be best as they aren't far apart), but you will be pressed for time with this schedule. Berlin to Munich might be best as a flight.

For restaurants in Hamburg, a poster called hsv used to give restaurant and hotel tips, so if you do a search on his screen name you might get some good ideas.

You could fly into Hamburg and make your way south (via Berlin). It depends a little on what kinds of airfares you can get from airports near you.

Lavandula
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Old Jan 28th, 2014, 05:54 PM
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"Friends have suggest the following cities as not to be missed Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Fussen for the castles."

Your friends didn't tell you these "castles" near Füssen aren't really castles? They're all late 19th-century palaces.

Munich, Berlin, Hamburg: All interesting big cities but you don't have time in 10 days for all the travel and all the sightseeing you have in mind. Most people spend 4 days in Berlin alone.

If you want to see some of old-world Germany you will need to check out some smaller German towns that were not important enough to be obliterated by Allied bombing attacks. Maybe have a look at some of the towns along the Half-timbered House Road (a network of routes around the country.)

http://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/uk/cont.php3

Another good option would be the Middle Rhine Valley south of Cologne, now a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can check out some real castles and some old-world villages as well. Linz am Rhein, Oberwesel, and Bacharach are some outstanding towns; visit Marksburg Castle and Rheinfels Castle there:

Linz: http://www.rheinhoehenlauf.de/images/vg_ahc0240.gif
Bacharach: http://holidays.syl.com/img/13188/7.jpg
Oberwesel: http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...wesel_a_01.jpg

Castles: http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...php?id=288&L=3

I would consider maybe 6 nights in Berlin and Hamburg Plus 4 nights seeing some smaller places like these.
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Old Jan 29th, 2014, 11:35 AM
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Thank you both for the advice.

I have a lot to lool into now.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 12:37 AM
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If you have "Wanderlust" then visit Thuringia, the green heart of Germany. There is good for good food, lots of hiking trails, Culture (Weimar) Goethe and Schiller. But even short routes to Dresden Leipzig. Driving you can take the train or by car (motorway prima +85 miles7hour) .
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 06:12 AM
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Hi StLouisBlues. Kansas City here. Just be aware that if you plan to drive to many of your destinations, that Germany in the summertime has the same orange barrels and related delays as you find on I-70 or I-55.

We have been to Germany several times, plus I lived there as a child. We love the landscape of southern Germany (Baveria) as it begins to merge with the Alps. Salzburg Austria is not too far from Munich or Fussen.

I cannot provide information on Berlin as I have never been there. I enjoy the medieval locations and much of the photos and videos I have seen of Berlin look modern due to the bombings of prior wars.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 06:17 AM
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By the way, if folks in your party are Sound of Music fans, Bob's Sound of Music tour in Salzburg is a fun experience as they take you to the various locations where some of the key scenes were filmed. Search it on tripadvisor to see that it is highly rated.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 07:58 AM
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If you want to try smaller towns and cities and use a combo of trains and cars I did two nights each in the following: Marburg, Goslar, Wernigerode, Quedlinburg, Erfurt and Wurzburg.

Each location will give you the mix of what you're looking for and because of their size you can see a lot of the key attractions in a short period of time. The Wartburg Castle near Eisenach (close to Erfurt) is fantastic.

A big draw for me as well was the limited travel time to reach each town since I don't like spending a lot of time getting to my next destination.

If you're really into hiking, the Harz Mountains offers a lot of options.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 09:15 AM
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One town I really enjoy is Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Spending a night, taking the night watchman tour, going up in the walls at night, visting the torture museum, and learning the story depicted by the town square clock are all very memorable.

I lived in Germany as a child and took a field trip there when I was in 3rd grade. I remembered the town so well that when my wife and returned to Germany for our 15th wedding anniversary, we made sure to spend several nights there.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber

http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read...rg?extras=true
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Old Feb 2nd, 2014, 10:38 AM
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>>>>>>>Your friends didn't tell you these "castles" near Füssen aren't really castles? They're all
late 19th-century palaces.

Maybe their friends did tell them or maybe they already knew or maybe knowing now they still want to go.

Perhaps they don't want to exclude things because you think them not worthy.
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