Annika1

Hello All,

I am planning a trip to Germany for May 2009…a reward for finally completing my graduate studies! I have traveled a bit in Europe but am still pretty green especially in regards to modes of transportation. I am having a difficult time making a decision on destinations and transportation. After reading guidebooks and researching the trip online I still have tons of questions. I would like to plan cities and hotels prior to the trip but don’t want to go overboard on planning activities, museums etc. Our last trip to Italy was very rigid, jammed packed with appointments and it was exhausting!!
My husband and I are both in our early and mid thirties and are pretty mellow people. We are interested in history and would like to concentrate on historical sights, castles, and cathedrals. However, we also want to allow ourselves the freedom to relax and just enjoy the character and vibe of the places we visit.
The plane tickets are already bought, I got a good deal and felt like I better go ahead and make the purchase before prices went up. We will arrive in Berlin and depart in Frankfurt. We will have 15 days-here is a rough itinerary: Any insight and/or advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated!

Wednesday May 6: Arrive Berlin around 11:30
Get settled in and wander the city
Thursday May 7: Late afternoon train to Prague
I know there is a ton of wonderful things to do and see in Berlin but I would like to limit the amount of time we spend in large cities. Based on the reading I have done thus far, I think we will enjoy hanging out in Prague more than Berlin.
Friday May 8: Wander Prague (national holiday Liberation Day)
Will the holiday be a problem if we focus on walking the city seeing the sights versus museum type activities?
Saturday May 9: Possible day trip to Karlstejn Castle
Sunday May 10: Late afternoon train to Munich
Monday May 11: Wander Munich
Tuesday May 12: Day trip to Dachau, rent car leave Munich for Hohenschwanga
Wednesday May 13: Hohenshawanga Castles

Okay, the following is where I really need help:

Thursday May 14: Travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber?? Car or train
Friday May 15: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, possible day trip to Nuremberg?
Should we visit both Rothenburg and Nuremberg? Or add another day to the Mosul and Rhine Valley areas?
Saturday May 16: Car travel to Mosul Valley area, stay in small village ?
Where is a good quiet place to base ourselves for a few days?
Sunday May 17: Mosul Valley, Burg Eltz?
Monday May 18: Car travel to Rhine Valley area, staying in Bacharach or St Goar?
Where is a good quiet place to base ourselves for a few days?
Tuesday May 19: Rhine Valley?
Do we have enough time to get ourselves to the Frankfurt airport, return the rental car and check in?
Wednesday May 20: Depart base in Rhine valley area to Frankfurt for a 10:40 am flight

Russ

Overall, I think yours is a fairly relaxed and do-able itinerary.

"Thursday May 14: Travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber?? Car or train
Friday May 15: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, possible day trip to Nuremberg?
Should we visit both Rothenburg and Nuremberg?"

If you want the expense and trouble that comes with a car, rent in Munich for your trip to Hohenschwangau, keep it for a week and use it for the rest of your trip.

Nuremberg is worthwhile and I'd at least make a short stop in Würzburg to see the Residenz if you have time.

But I would probably do the entire Munich-FRA itin. by train. All your major destinations are served by train; for H'schwangau there's a 15-min. bus connection you can make from Füssen. This trip from Munich and the trips to Rothenburg, Nuremberg and Würzburg can be done on a Bayern Ticket (daypass, 27 Euros for 2-5 people.) Starting in Mainz, you can use a "Rheinland-Pfalz" ticket (like the Bayern ticket) for all your Rhine and Mosel destinations. A car does widen your choice of accommodations, but in May, you shouldn't have trouble with room availability near the train stations. Burg Eltz is more convenient with a car, but only necessary for those on a very tight schedule or for the elderly or infirmed who might not be able to handle the lovely 45-min walk from Moselkern station (see http://www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html )

"May 16: Car travel to Mosul Valley area, stay in small village ?
Where is a good quiet place to base ourselves for a few days?
Sunday May 17: Mosul Valley, Burg Eltz?
Monday May 18: Car travel to Rhine Valley area, staying in Bacharach or St Goar?
Where is a good quiet place to base ourselves for a few days?
Tuesday May 19: Rhine Valley?"
Do we have enough time to get ourselves to the Frankfurt airport, return the rental car and check in?
Wednesday May 20: Depart base in Rhine valley area to Frankfurt for a 10:40 am flight"

It might be easier to stay in just one town - all of these places are fairly close. Cochem would be my preference. It's very close to Burg Eltz and the train connections to Trier, Luxembourg, St. Goar and Bacharach are all very good. The nearby spa town of Bad Bertrich is a short drive or bus ride away. Cochem's docks send off riverboats to pretty Beilstein (1 hour each way) regularly throughout the day. Cochem itself is a lovely old cobblestoned, half-timbered town, great for strolling around, with many dining options and several small diversions, including its own castle, a mustard mill, and a chairlift ride to a lookout over town. I'd recommend 3 nights there; then spend a final night in Mainz, which is much closer to FRA (about 20-25 min on the S-Bahn, takes you to the heart of the airport) and would require less scurrying around on your day of departure.

PalenQ

For all that travel by train be sure to investigate the German Railpass - esp if you are under 26 and can get the bargain German Rail Youthpass. To get a feel for German trains i always refer two good sites: www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - two sites with tons of objective content on German trains - more than just the usual railpass prices and an add to cart button - on the latter download their free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Germany with rail maps, etc. www.bahn.de, the official German Rail web site is terrific for schedules - even giving platform numbers your train will be on. It also gives prices to show why a wide-ranging trip like yours, esp if you are under 26, a railpass could be a good bargain IMO

crckwc1

I would advise not planning to drive to the airport for a morning flight. We did this a few years ago. What should have been less than an hour drive, turned into a gridlocked motorway stall of 3 hours due to a traffic accident (not ours, t.g.) This was before the 2-3 hour check-in time requirement and the heightened security checks, so we made it, barely. Today, we would have missed the flight. I'd plan to take the S-Bahn to the airport.

Annika1

Thank you all so much for the suggestions and advice; you’ve given me a lot to think about! I agree that taking the train in lieu of renting a car would be a better and cheaper option but my husband has his heart set on driving in Germany. Any thoughts on the rail and drive pass?

bilboburgler

Just a thought, the central part of Berlin in very large. Think the panhandle park in San Fransisco as the central park

Jake1

Both driving and train travel have advantages and disadvantages--it just depends on what you want to do on your trip.

I would drop the overnight in Rothenburg and add a day to the Mosel.

bettyk

I would not drop Rothenburg. It is very unique in that all of its medievel buildings are still original and intact. I also believe it's better to overnight in Rothenburg because the day trippers leave in the afternoon and it's less crowded. The Nightwatchman's tour is highly recommended.

PalenQ

And yes there is a German Rail n Drive Pass and it's well priced

think it starts at 3 days of train and two of car and you can add on at time of purchase only more train and car days

but personally for first time German traveler i'd skip the car - and you are also solo and cars can be incredibly lonely and insulated from Germans and the trains are so so good and will take you virtually everywhere

plus with the German Youth Railpass that's such a bargain a car - even rail n drive would cost you hundreds of bucks more, given $8-9/gal of gas and exorbitant parking fees many places.

silver52900

Im also planning a trip to Germany, and my itinerary looks very similar to yours. My fiance also wants to do all the driving as well.

My fear in taking the train is lugging all my luggage around, Im sure were going to take three suitcases. We've never been to Germany and plan on bringing as much back as we can, without mailing it. I also wonder how comfortable the trains are in Europe, living Texas we've never been on a train either.

Thank you for any advise you might have for planning, I also have a thread, that ill be adding a response to as well.

Thanks again and good luck.

bettyk

We also live in Texas. My husband loves driving in Germany. It really isn't difficult as the signage is good. We recently bought a GPS that has European maps loaded in it and it made a world of difference on our trip to Germany and Austria last Sept.

But even with a good road map and some driving instructions from your hotels, you won't get lost too often! LOL.

We like the flexibility of having a car and, like you, don't have to worry about hauling our luggage on and off trains.

kkukura

I traveled for almost three weeks last summer in Germany and Austria with three teenagers. We each carried our own luggage (roll-ons and backpacks) on to trains, up and down stairways, etc. We rented a car for only three days in the Fuessen/Reutte area. I enjoyed the trains because I could relax and enjoy the scenery and not worry about how to get from one place to another all the time. By the way, I am from Houston, Tx.

gradyghost

Hello Ann:

Your itinerary omits the best city of all in Germany. After a few mandatory days in Berlin, get on a train to Dresden and spend the rest of your stay there and in its environs. Then hop a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt and head home. You won't regret it. Plug in Dresden in the search window on this board and read the reviews; pay particular attention to Ingo when he weighs in as I'm sure he will. Gradyghost

PalenQ

Ditto about Dresden and its area - one of the most fascinating cities in Germany - the Florence on the Elbe is flourishing once again after a long slumber from war damage and East German neglect.

And Saxon Switzerland just south of Dresden and accessible by S-Bahn trains or boat is one of the most overlooked natural beauty sights in Europe by Americans i think - it should be mentioned with the likes of the Mosel Valley and Rhine Gorge - its red sandstone cliffs are topped by old castles and bastions and along the Elbe river are cute towns like Bad Schonau (sp/)

quokka

Top the thread on Friday because Ingo is away on a business trip for a couple of days.

dfr4848

The OP says she and her husband are in their early-mid 30s, so Youthpass won't work for them (and she won't be traveling alone). But agree it would be worth it to look into the German Railpass.

Cars give you some flexibility, but they can be a pain in larger towns - where you don't need them. We've been to Europe many times and have never had a problem getting literally anywhere we wanted to go on trains, buses, etc. It's really just a personal preference. And German public transportation is very reliable.

Overall, your itinerary looks very doable. I also think its worth it to include Dresden if at all possible. Would be easy to do from Berlin on your way to Prague. We did that 2 yrs ago. Dresden is very manageable and is beautiful mix of old and new. The restoration of the old buildings has been carried out extremely well and it's a delightful city.

I like Berlin as much as Prague, so I wouldn't short change your stay in Berlin. They are very different cities and I really enjoy the distinctions. Central Prague is easier to visit on foot, but getting around Berlin is very easy on S or U Bahn.

I also like the idea of basing in Cochem for all the reasons given.

And yes, spend the last night in Mainz or similar if you have an early flight from FRA. Minimize the possibilities of unforeseen delays.

PalenQ

German railpasses have a Twin Pass if you put two names on one pass - about 20% cheaper than individual passes

One person can ride without the other but with one pass you cannot obviously take separate trains - couples rarely would, hopefully