Need suggestions on what to do and where to stay. We will be getting a rail pass or direct tickets for transportation and prefer hotels under 100 E a night (private bathroom).

We like to maybe base camp out of two cities total and do day trips from their. We are 30's for age, no kids, and health. Coming in on a Sunday and leaving on a Sunday from Frankfurt.

How cold will it be? What is open? Wine road or romantic road? Eating/drinking?

Feel free to suggest an iteniary for us!

THANKS!

I'll be surprised if a rail pass is a good bargain for you, but check out sample itineraries on www.railsaver.com to do the comparison easily.

Suggest an itinerary for you? Without knowing anything about what motivated you to think that you wanted to take a trip to Germany?

Shall I give you directions to places in France and a shopping list of wines I want you to pick up for me?

Germany (like Italy or France) is easily 5-10 countries rolled into one.

You might take a look at this thread - - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1307795 (plus another one that I cited there) for a "top 100 best ideas". I listed 18 of them myself. It would be difficult to string these favorites into four 1-week trips, let alone one.

Best wishes,

Rex

check out posts here re: Bamberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber (the latter which is on the Romantic Road). The trains go to both.

the train makes stops along the Rhine as well, you could do that the last couple of days of your trip so that you're close to Frankfurt.

Outside of Munich the zimmerfrei and bauernhof are much cheaper than hotels, check with TIs in the towns you choose.

from Munich you could make day trips to Salzburg, to the castles by bus (Neuschwanstein and HohenSchwangau) near Fussen.

Check out http://www.bensbauernhof.com for trip reports, lots of useful info, including suggested itineraries.

Hope that helps. Marge

Bamberg is a gem of a small city--very well preserved and not as artificial feeling as Rothenburg. I'm not saying Rothenburg isn't worthwhile, because it is truly beautiful, but it does seem more contrived than most towns.

If you like something larger, Nuernberg is a nice city with good rail connections.

Given the other postings, and your thought of having 2 cities as "bases" for day trips....maybe you should think of using Nurnberg for your first base, then Wuerzburg for your second.

Nberg will put you close to Bamburg, the Franconia region, Munich, Dachau, or even the southern part of the Romantic road...for day trips.

Then, Wuerzburg would put you near the Rhine and Mosel river valleys, Cologne, Rothenburg for day trips. Both Nberg and Wburg have good things to do in themselves as well.

Wburg to Ffurt for your flight out is only an hour or less.

Frankly, I would get a car and save all the time and efforts of train schedules, etc.