Which two cities for first visit to Germany?
 

My wife and I are planning to go to Germany this summer and need some suggestions. We are thinking of restricting this trip to just two cities. This will be our first time there and hopefully we will return sometime. We would like this to be enjoyable without a lot of running from place to place. The time span could be from six or seven days to somewhat longer.<BR><BR>One possibility would be a packaged tour. In China we discovered that these are not as bad as I had once thought. They do allow some free time and are pretty good at letting you see all of the highlights that should not be missed. They also take the worries out of all of the little and not so little hassles of traveling in a strange country. They have their downside however.<BR><BR>Another option would be some sort of river cruise between two cities with extra days at each end to explore things on our own.<BR><BR>The third option would be to fly into one city, spend a few days there and than take a train to another city and spend a few days there before flying back home to Chicago.<BR><BR>The question would be which two cities should we pick? Munich sounds interesting although it doesn’t appear that it is close to a major river. The nearby (?) mountains would be a bonus<BR><BR>We can go any time from late June to late August. Would any area be too hot at this time? The two cities would have to be reasonably close to each other unless we flew from one to another but I would rather take a train or a boat. If we take a river cruise they would both have to be near the river of course. <BR>

In some ways Germany is a microcosm of all of Europe - - and thus the question "where in Germany?" is not so different from "where in Europe?"<BR><BR>It boils down to why you think you want to go to Germany at all. What does it mean to you? Castles? Shopping? Fast cars? Beer and sausages? the Black Forest? the Rhine river? the countless connections to 20th century history? or 13th century? to the Roman empire? the Alps?<BR><BR>You can find all of these - - and never spend any time in a "city" of Germany.<BR><BR>The German National Tourist Office once told me they send out more literature about Munich, 2:1 than any other destination in Germany - - so you will be in good company.<BR><BR>You need some big picture-filled, coffee-table sized books and find out what makes YOU salivate.<BR><BR>and take a look at this thread:<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=1307795<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex Bickers<BR>Westerville, Ohio<BR>

topping, for Wayne...<BR>

We'd recommend flying straight into Munich, taking in the local sites for a day or two, then going up by train to Ulm. You're then given the chance to travel down the Danube to Ingolstadt, or even further down to Austria and Hungary, which are great treasures.

Without knowing your particular interests, it's difficult to offer an objective, meaningful opinion. You might consider the following comments.<BR><BR>Germany has far more to offer than its magnificent cities. Any trip, even a first trip, should make time to explore some of Germany's medieval towns and quaint villages.<BR><BR>You might consider flying into Frankfurt for a day or two; one to tour the dynamic modern city, one to take a train to Rudesheim (only an hour away) and then a round trip train or boat ride to Koblenz, riding through the most scenic section of the Rhine valley.<BR><BR>Following your stay in Frankfurt, train to Wurzburg, a magnificent city on the banks of the Main river. Plan on a two day stay. You'll find a majestic medieval fortress looming over the Main and a magnificent Baroque palace with lovely gardens. The city is surrounded by vinyards. The train ride from Frankfurt is under two hours.<BR><BR>Devote one day and an hour on a train to travel to Rothenburg, an old imperial walled city. Return to Wurzburg after your day's adventure.<BR><BR>More to come; this is getting a bit lengthy. <BR>

I'm going to suggest Berlin. Not necessarily what comes to mind when people think of Germany, but it's undoubtedly one of the coolest places I've ever visited. History (remote and recent) all over the place, great public transport, great museums and opera, nice public gardens. <BR><BR>No tour guide needed. When I was last there I spend my first day warding off jet lag with a walking (and public transit) tour designed for anglophones (same people that do a walking tour of London, with a name that sounds like it). I can hunt down the name of the hotel (nice, reasonable) if you're interested.

From Wurzburg, train to Munich for two to three days. The ride is from two and a half to three hours. While Munich, like Frankfurt, is a bustling modern city, its old town has a wealth of fascinating attractions from its Marienplatz and Asam church to its beer halls and Viktualienmarkt, a mouth-watering outdoor market. It has two immense palaces, as well: the Residenz and Nymphenburg. All are accessible by public transportation.<BR><BR>Munich is the gateway to Upper Bavaria.<BR>Devote a day and an hour and a half train ride to visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen where you can take a marvel of engineering to the top of Germany's highest mountain the Zugspitze.<BR><BR>There are tour buses that can take you from Munich to Ludwig's flamboyant castle in Fussen, or his lovelier more subdued Linderhof, as well as the village of Oberammergau and the stunning Baroque treasure Weiskirche in Steingaden. <BR><BR>If you'd like to see what type of scenery you'll encounter, take a look at:<BR><BR>www.romanticroad.com/pfafsigh.htm and scroll down.<BR><BR>You see these wherever you travel in Upper Bavaria. They dominate the southern horizon. They're at: www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/view.html and scroll left to right.<BR><BR>You could fly home from Munich or train back to Frankfurt for departure. It's a ride of slightly under four hours.

Munich and Berlin would be a good pair. They are quite different and both very interesting. There might be an overnight train between them.

Cologne (Koln). You can take the boat down the Rhine. Stop at little villages along the way. There are some wonderful castles also. It's beautiful in spring time and you may even be in the neighborhood during local wine festivals.

Hi Wayne,<BR>Just to add some more confusion here's my recommendation...<BR>If you are flying from the US - you can get some direct flights into Berlin from the major hubs. I would spend a few days there, then catch the train to Dresden for a few days. Depending on if you get bored with these 2 locations, you could make use of the train network in Germany or else go into other parts of europe (ie Prague from Dresden). All these train journeys mostly take place on very fast trains and only take a few (3?) hours.<BR>If you are stuck on the idea of river travel - Dresden and Hamburg are on the Elbe river and are very diverse cities bound to keep you occupied for a few days. Good luck.

Agree with Munich and Berlin. Munich because of all the German stereotype that goes with it (Oompah bands, lederhosen, beer and sausages), and Berlin, because of the history, the sights and the nightlife.

Hamburg is great....<BR>Lovely citycentre around the Binnenalster. Amazing town-hall. Wonderful areas with 19th century architecture... (Eppendorf/Rotherbaum/Winterhude Fantastic shopping ....(all of Germanys well known department stores, exclusive shops as well as designer shops).<BR>Relaxing atmosphere on the river Elbe in Blankenese (Sullberg)....<BR>I loved it.....

How about flying into Berlin - seeing the sights in the area, then flying to Dusseldorf and taking a boat ride down the Rhein (for as short or as long time as you choose) then you can explore the areas near Frankfurt and fly out of there.

I, too, recommend Berlin and Munich for the reasons stated by others. Also, good daytrips from each are possible. Berlin: Dresden (2-hour train ride), into Poland, north to Baltic Sea, west to nice villages. <BR>Munich: Bertchsgaden (Hitler's Eagle's Nest), Romantic Road, Black Forest<BR>Of course, you will miss Heidelberg, Tuebengen, Koln, Koblenz, Hamelin, Leipsiz, etc.

Wayne,<BR>as far as wether is concerned, it shouldn't be an issue. Yes, it can be hot, but even a "heat wave" won't be more than high 80's, and I found that it usually cools off very nicely at night.<BR>BTW, I agree with Berlin as a wonderful destination.

Munich is a great base for Germany. It is an easy drive to Fussen, and many charming towns, or you could go on to Austria. You are gonna love it!

to the kopf, er... top...<BR>

No brainer...Munich and Munich again. <BR><BR>From Munich you can daytrip to Ludwig's castles, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Salzburg, the Romantic Strasse etc<BR><BR>Also, Bavaria is the place for good old laid back Southern living in Europe. They call it gemeitlich (sp) and it means something like "yo dude let's party and enjoy life"<BR><BR>There's a reason for that, I mean after all where else can you see a cop at the victualenmarkt drinking beer and eating a brat for lunch?

Follow Wes's advice & you can't be wrong. We followed his ideas for our trip in Oct & enjoyed it. www.vgpma.com/travel/