silver52900

Hi! My fiance and I have been planning this for about a week now. We will be spending our honeymoon in Germany and would like some help and opinions on the itinerary we have come up with. Nothing is set in stone other than our plane tickets. The plane tickets we bought arrive in Berlin on March 31, 2009 and depart from Frankfurt on April 12, 2009.
Here it goes:
3/31-We will arrive in Berlin at 8:00 AM and plan on going to the hotel where hopefully we can take a eat some lunch and take a shower before heading out for limited sightseeing just to get a feel of city and relax. Maybe even take a few busses. Also, we want to visit my fiance's grandmother's grave that day (which he still needs to find the location of).
4/1- Berlin Zoo all day. Maybe Ku'Damm at night. (We're not big drinkers we just want to go and check it out and enjoy some nightlife, we will also keep the Sony Center in mind)
4/2- This day is mainly going to be the historical sights of Berlin, mainly WWII. We want to see Topography of Terror, Brandenberg Gate, a piece of the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, maybe even the T.V. Tower. We also want to see the Reichstag, Museum for Murdered Jews, you get the idea. In the evening we want to pick up our rental car. Go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep.
4/3- Leave Berlin, stop at Potsdam to see Sans Souci and then heading to Bamberg. We hear that Bamberg is an amazing town to see and would like to see what it is all about. Then arrive at Nurnberg in the evening for the night. Nurnberg seemed interesting but we feel we don't have enough time to explore because we don't want to rush through anything.
4/4- Wake up in Nurnberg and maybe drive around the town for about an hour before heading to Dachau. We want to visit Dachau for the day and then arrive in Munich that evening.
Our next 3 days are reserved for Munich as a hub. We know that 1 day is going to be solely focused on Munich and sightseeing including, Deutsches Museum, Marienplatz, etc. Another day we want to go and visit Garmisch and the Zugspitze. (Which we hear has a convenient train ride from Munich, opinions???)
On our final day at Munich we want to drive down and visit the famous castles and Oberammergau.
This takes care of 4/5, 4/6, and 4/7.
4/8- Wake up in Munich and heat towards Rothenburg ob de Tauber stopping at Augsburg for a few hours and heading up the Romantic Road to Rothenburg arriving that evening.
4/9- Spend the whole day in Rothenburg seeing the sights. We haven't really researched Rothenburg but we heard it is a really neat town.
4/10- Wake up in Rothenburg and travel to Frankfurt visiting Heidelberg along the way. We want to see the Castle and have heard they have a cool 3-hour Neckar River Cruise that shows us a few castles and seems very relaxing. Any suggestions on which company to use?
4/11- Wake up in Frankfurt. We have allowed ourselves a free day here. This is also my fiance's Birthday! I know he lived in a town called Kastellaun that is 2 hours away. I thought it would be neat to go and vistit it being that he hasn't been there since 1985. (Military)
4/12- Wake up early in Frankfurt, return rental car at airport and come home.
Any suggestions on excursions or sights that we could see in any of these towns would be greatly appreciated. Also, any restaurants that you all can recommend would be awesome. We haven't even begun to look at eateries. We are definitely trying to have an experience, so please give your opinions. My fiance is 30 and I am 25, we're young and enjoy life. We just don't incorporate alcohol. We're really looking forward to our Honeymoon and would love to read all of your suggestions, ideas, and tips. Thanks a bunch!

j_999_9

As for Rothenburg, there are very interesting walking tours of the city that are well worth your time and money.

The tours gather in the main square (below the famous clock). For more info, go into the tourist office that's housed in the clock building and ask where and when to pick up the next tour.

And under no circumstances should you let anyone convince you that schneeballen is worth eating,

yk

Just focusing on the following 2 days:

<< 4/3- Leave Berlin, stop at Potsdam to see Sans Souci and then heading to Bamberg. We hear that Bamberg is an amazing town to see and would like to see what it is all about. Then arrive at Nurnberg in the evening for the night. Nurnberg seemed interesting but we feel we don't have enough time to explore because we don't want to rush through anything.

4/4- Wake up in Nurnberg and maybe drive around the town for about an hour before heading to Dachau. We want to visit Dachau for the day and then arrive in Munich that evening. >>

I can't imagine you can do all that on 4/3. Sanssouci itself will take a whole day and Bamberg will take a day as well. Plus, what's the distance between the 2? It's pretty far IIRC.

If you stay within the old town of Nürnberg, there's no need to "drive around the town." It's compact enough to walk; plus the old center has lots of pedestrian-only streets. If you drive, you'll end up not seeing much of old Nürnberg.

IMO, you're trying to pack in too much in too short a time. Germany is a huge country. I have previously spent 1 week in Berlin, 1 week in Bavaria, 1 week in Munich/Salzburg, 1 week in Rhine Valley. You'll trying to see what I saw in 4 weeks within a 12-day period.

silver52900

YK,
Which one do you recommend more Bamberg or Sans Souci?

yk

<< Which one do you recommend more Bamberg or Sans Souci? >>

It's like comparing apples to ... not oranges, but more like bbq ribs.

They are different in so many levels. Impossible to recommend one over the other.

bettyk

Agree with yk. It is over 4 hrs just to drive from Berlin to Nurnberg. That's without any stops at all. If you detour to Bamberg, that will add about an hour to your drive, not counting the time you spend walking around.

Check a website like www.mappy.com for driving distances.

noe847

I agree with jk. That's an ambitious itinerary. Looking at the Berlin piece, I think you're giving the city short shrift. It is a huge city with lots to offer. In addition to the historic sites you've mentioned there are museums for every taste and art and culture to spare.

As for specifics, your 4/2 is far too crowded. There's no way you can see all those things, then pick up a rental car and call it an early night! You could move some to your first day - maybe - depending on the site of the grandmother's grave and how bad your jet lag is (assuming you're flying in long haul from the US). Also 4/1 seems a bit empty. I'm not sure the zoo will take you all day, but I've never visited it (I did see it on a German TV special in our hotel, however!) Maybe you could do the Reichstag that day (it's open until fairly late in the evening, and I think the lines are shorter then). IMO, it's the best thing for a visitor to do in Berlin.

noe847

I just saw your further question about Bamberg and Sans Souci. Bamberg will be somewhat the same flavor as Rothenburg. Sans Souci is a palace, and I think unlike the other things you will visit. Potsdam is worth at least a day, however, imo.

quokka

>Which one do you recommend more Bamberg or Sans Souci?

Do both if you can, but on two separate days please. Take the extra day you need from Frankfurt.
Stay overnight in Bamberg and rather skip Nürnberg.

>Bamberg will be somewhat the same flavor as Rothenburg.
Huh, sorry?

Jake1

Bamberg and Rothenburg are very different.

Rothenburg's old town is a tourist enclave for the mass tourist trade. Excellent photo opportunities, but everything is set up for tour groups.

Bamberg's Altstadt is a part of today's working city, not a walled-off, sanitized tourist sight.

While we got great photos in Rothenburg and we're glad we visited it, we enjoyed staying in Bamberg much, much more.

traveller1959

Here are my comments on your itinerary:

>>>3/31-We will arrive in Berlin at 8:00 AM and plan on going to the hotel where hopefully we can take a eat some lunch and take a shower before heading out for limited sightseeing just to get a feel of city and relax. Maybe even take a few busses. Also, we want to visit my fiance's grandmother's grave that day (which he still needs to find the location of).<<<

To get a first impression of Berlin, I recommend you take the public bus no. 100 which goes right through the historical district along Unter den Linden. Hop on and off whereever you want. Along the way you will see the Cathedral (Dom), museum island, Humboldt University, Opera, Gendarmenmarkt (hop off for a little detour), Pariser Platz, Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag.

4/1- Berlin Zoo all day. Maybe Ku'Damm at night. (We're not big drinkers we just want to go and check it out and enjoy some nightlife, we will also keep the Sony Center in mind)

The Zoo will occupy you for a half day. Spend the rest to see some of Berlin's world-class museums, especially the Pergamon museum. Or will the Helmut Newton Museum be an option for you? Spend the night strolling along Oranienburger Straße to Hackesche Höfe. THIS is the place to be in Berlin at night.

4/2- This day is mainly going to be the historical sights of Berlin, mainly WWII. We want to see Topography of Terror, Brandenberg Gate, a piece of the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, maybe even the T.V. Tower. We also want to see the Reichstag, Museum for Murdered Jews, you get the idea. In the evening we want to pick up our rental car. Go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep.
4/3- Leave Berlin, stop at Potsdam to see Sans Souci and then heading to Bamberg. We hear that Bamberg is an amazing town to see and would like to see what it is all about. Then arrive at Nurnberg in the evening for the night. Nurnberg seemed interesting but we feel we don't have enough time to explore because we don't want to rush through anything.

Consider taking the S-Bahn to Potsdam and picking up the rental car there. The pro: saving money and no hassle with traffic in Berlin. The con: taking baggage on the S-Bahn.

Nürnberg: It may be nice strolling through old town at night. You may visit the castle/museums next morning.

4/4- Wake up in Nurnberg and maybe drive around the town for about an hour before heading to Dachau. We want to visit Dachau for the day and then arrive in Munich that evening.

Plenty of time for this day.

Our next 3 days are reserved for Munich as a hub. We know that 1 day is going to be solely focused on Munich and sightseeing including, Deutsches Museum, Marienplatz, etc. Another day we want to go and visit Garmisch and the Zugspitze. (Which we hear has a convenient train ride from Munich, opinions???)

If you have a rental car, you should drive through the countryside. Many things to see there: Wieskirche, Linderhof, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein...

On our final day at Munich we want to drive down and visit the famous castles and Oberammergau.
This takes care of 4/5, 4/6, and 4/7.
4/8- Wake up in Munich and heat towards Rothenburg ob de Tauber stopping at Augsburg for a few hours and heading up the Romantic Road to Rothenburg arriving that evening.

Forget the Romantic Road, take the Autobahn instead. But do stop for sightseeing in Neresheim (abbey), Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl. These towns are equally quaint as Rothenburg but not as crowded. I am not sure about Augsburg. In Rothenburg, join the Nightwatchman's tour.

4/9- Spend the whole day in Rothenburg seeing the sights. We haven't really researched Rothenburg but we heard it is a really neat town.

Half a day would be enough for Rothenburg. Think about driving to Würzburg. The Palace is really spectacular. Other options include wine villages in Franken (e.g. Iphofen).

4/10- Wake up in Rothenburg and travel to Frankfurt visiting Heidelberg along the way. We want to see the Castle and have heard they have a cool 3-hour Neckar River Cruise that shows us a few castles and seems very relaxing. Any suggestions on which company to use?
4/11- Wake up in Frankfurt. We have allowed ourselves a free day here. This is also my fiance's Birthday! I know he lived in a town called Kastellaun that is 2 hours away. I thought it would be neat to go and vistit it being that he hasn't been there since 1985. (Military)

My relatives used to live in Kastellaun. It is in the Rhein-Mosel-triangle, so think about staying overnight in one of the picturesque villages at the Rhein.

4/12- Wake up early in Frankfurt, return rental car at airport and come home.

Russ

I can't help but think that your honeymoom is overly focused on big cities and a rigid sightseeing itinerary. It actually sounds a little more like something retired people do by tourbus. And it's too rushed.

Since Berlin and Frankfurt are set in stone, I'd drop Munich and surroundings. The spring weather will be more enjoyable to the north. You can probably keep Rothenburg and maybe Bamberg, but then head west. Kastellaun is in one of the more interesting, scenic, and traditional areas of Germany - the Hunsrück. Spend a few days there and visit the Rhine and Mosel river region as well - very romantic places not far from FRA. Stay in a castle?? -

http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/cast...ine/index.html

Other travel ideas in this area:

http://www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/mos...ightsengl.html

www.burg-eltz.de

www.k-d.com

www.bruecke-remagen.de

Mimar

You need to allow some time for recovering from jet lag, not to speak of the rigors of a wedding. Just expect not to be able to do so much the first couple of days.

silver52900

Thanks so much for the good ideas. Keep 'em comin!

We're thinking about adding a full day in Bamberg. Leaving Berlin on 4/3, visiting Potsdam and arriving late in Bamberg. Then spending the whole next day there. Waking up on 4/5 in Bamberg, visiting Dachau on way to Munich. That gives us 3 more days in Munich for city sightseeing one day, Zugspitze another, and Castles another, with possibility of spending the night near fussen or Oberammergau. Any thoughts??

This is where its getting hazy for us. We're thinking of skipping Rothenburg, maybe going from Munich to Heidelberg, spending the night, maybe more siteseeing there. We like the Mosel ideas and Kastellaun really sounds fun now that Ive heard a little more about it.

IDK!!

Basically we have three more full days when leaving Munich the morning of 4/9, but have to end up in Frankfurt on 4/12 to return car and fly out at 11am (4/12 is a Sunday).

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

Russ

"We're thinking of skipping Rothenburg,"

So much of Germany was destroyed in WW II that this rare example of a medieval walled town - R'burg - really shouldn't be missed. It's annoyingly full of tourists in summer, but April is a great time to visit. And it doesn't take that long.

"That gives us 3 more days in Munich for city sightseeing one day, Zugspitze another, and Castles another, with possibility of spending the night near fussen or Oberammergau. Any thoughts??"

The Füssen area castles are interesting in some ways but touring them is time consuming and not necessarily imperative. We're pretty easy to please as travelers - but the Neuschwanstein tour - the one that tourists flock there for - really was a disappointment. Our barely intelligible guide herded us through quickly, but we didn't really miss that much history; Neuschwanstein was built only 140 years ago and was hardly lived in or served any important purpose. By contrast, the Rhine/Mosel castles and many others around the country are 800-1000 years old and were central to European history and the human experience.

If Munich is a must for you, your trip becomes a good bit more hectic, but it might be best to just plan on a couple of days in Munich itself and save the castle-touring for the end of your trip.

"...maybe going from Munich to Heidelberg, spending the night, maybe more siteseeing there."

Heidelberg is okay but not exceptional as German cities go. Overall the scenery along the Neckar is pretty but not as dramatic as along the Rhine and Mosel. If you'll be in the Kastellaun/Rhine/Mosel region anyway, you can probably shave this area from your itinerary if time is short.

Jake1

Neuschwanstein actually has a lot more interesting history surrounding it than do some castles hundreds of years older; e.g., Burg Eltz which is a must visit, wonderful old castle, but not much ever happened there.

In fact, we've visited so many old castles in Europe that we found Neuschwanstein very interesting just because it is so unique and "new"--especially considering its history and the story of Ludwig and his fevered fascination with Germanic mythology and Wagnerian interpretations of that mythology.

In addition, though not all of the rooms in the castle were finished, those that were are well worth seeing; again, very different from your typical European castle hundreds of years older.

Of course, different strokes for different folks.

But it is a shame that the tours only allow you about 35 minutes inside.

Russ

I suppose I'd agree that N'stein could worth touring if you're interested in Ludwig.

bettyk

I agree with Russ that you should definitely see Rothenburg. There is a reason that so many people visit. It won't be as crowded in April but if you overnight there you really get to see what the town is like after all the tour buses leave.

Delaine

I just spent two weeks in Germany last September. Your itinerary sounds good, but I have a few suggestions.

In Berlin, I would visit one or more of the fabulous museums on the Museum Island (e.g. the Pergamon Museum) instead of spending the entired day at the zoo.

Also, if possible, I would spend more time in Heidelberg and less time in Frankfurt. Frankfurt has a very small historical center, and I found Heidelberg much more interesting.

Finally, you will really have to be careful about time if you want to visit Oberammergau and Ludwig's Castles, especially more than one, all in the same day.

You should really enjoy Rothenburg. It is charming!

Delaine

Another thought: You could visit Hohenschwangau Castle, which is very close (minutes) to Neuschwanstein. Hohenschwangau was Ludgwig's boyhood home, and it actually has more character than Neuschwanstein (and probably fewer visitors). You can also take the shuttle from the stop in the village at the base of both castles to the Marienbrucke, the bridge from which many of the famous views of Neuschwanstein are taken. That way you get a good taste of both castles in a shorter amount of time.