Tour Company -Starting to plan our first trip to Germany
 

Can anyone recommend a good Germany tour company- not very high end, but very competent. Someone recommended INSIGHTS to us. ? We were thinking of late May for 12 days or so.

Is it too frantic to do all the major cities in 12 days, 6 hotels? Are we better off with a 2 hotel trip?

Thank you!
Mrs. G

Which of the many cities are "all the major cities" to you?
Changing location and accommodation every second day is likely to become tedious. One day for a big city is not much.

Besides - focusing on nothing but large cities is a common - forgive my blunt German honesty - mistake among first-time visitors. About all cities and many towns were smashed to ashes and rubble in World War II and rebuilt in post-war style with a handful of rebuilt monuments. Few larger cities were spared. If you have this dream picture of old Germany with half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets yadda yadda in your mind - this exists, but hardly in large cities. To find this you better visit smaller towns.

Pick two or three bases and set out for day trips without luggage from there - much easier than packing, dragging your luggage to a new place, checking into a new hotel and unpacking again every second day.

You don't need a travel agency to plan such a trip. It can be done individually at less cost. All it takes is booking the flight in and out, booking hotels, and some insight in the train system. Fodors posters here can provide help with all these.
First you have to decide where in Germany you plan to go. Any part of this country has enough to see and do to easily fill your 12 days.

www.affordabletours.com

Good personal experience with Globus 40% D/C on site above

They run a German Highlights Tour that is excellent.

travelzoo.com also runs sales on cheaper tours...

Many complaints on Gate 1 not so much on Insight

Globus more upscale $2K or so escorted in the past for

2 weeks for me super nice hotels and guide do that.

Happy Trails!

Besides - focusing on nothing but large cities is a common - forgive my blunt German honesty - mistake among first-time visitors. >>

quokka - you're not being blunt - it's just common sense.

mrsgo - I agree with quokka that you should be fine organising your own tour. We have driven round Germany on a number of occasions with and without pre-arranged accommodations, and it's a doddle. in May you would have no problems finding rooms in small Gaststaette or B&Bs. Driving is easy and roads are generally well-maintained and well-signposted.

alternatively there is a terrific rail service.

what is it about Germany that appeals to you? beautiful scenery? - the area around Munich might oblige. vineyard-clad valleys and hills - what about a river cruise or tour of the Rhine and Moselle? Hiking from quaint village to quaint village - consider the Harz or the Black Forest.

I would suggest picking an area that appeals and then basing your trip around it - flying into somewhere like Berlin or Munich would give you a few days in a city, then the chance to go out and enjoy the surrounding countryside and towns.

but don't try to fit it all in - there's just too much to see in one or even half a dozen visits.

I don't think you'll get very many favorable opinions about guided tour companies on this board since most people are fairly independent travelers. Germany IS super easy to travel in and I personally wouldn't consider a multi-day guided tour, but they are a good choice for some people. It just depends on what you are looking for.

But I definitely agree - less is more with travel - fewer destinations, more time in each place. With 12 days, I would choose a maximum of 4 destinations, probably 2-3 with day trips to see a couple more places.

I did the 12-day Highlights of Germany tour with Globus Tours and enjoyed it. It is a good way to sample Germany for a first time visitor to Germany covering the major cities and also a few smaller ones including a mini Rhine curise. Trip report in my Blog below but sorry, it is only partially completed but it gives an idea of the tour.

Ronald
http://germanyholiday.blogspot.com/