whre to cut or add time ?

Old Feb 16th, 2016, 09:55 AM
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whre to cut or add time ?

Whe are not still decided if we should book 2 or 3 nights in Dresden (which would mean we have to cut a night somewhere else). For now we have :

(arrival from Yul-Zurich-TXL flight)Berlin 5 nights

Dresden 2 nights

Nuremberg (+ daytrip) 4 nights

Salzburg 2 nights

Munich (+ daytrip to Garmisch) 4 nights

Rhine+ Moselle (Cochem, Trier, Bacharach,Cologne) 6 nights

Luxembourg 1 night (flight back home)

We have a hard time figuring where to add or cut time . Thanks for your help !
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 01:42 PM
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Maybe 3 nights Dresden and 3 Munich.
There is also a possibility to visit vineyards close to Dresden. Did it once and ate at the vinery - quite nice.
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Old Feb 16th, 2016, 01:54 PM
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6 seems a bit much for the Mosel and Rhine - I've been there a zillion times and think you could take off there and or Nurnberg and add to Dresden - not for Dresden itself but to do a day trip in Saxon Switzerland, along the river just south of Dresden - trains go there and boats as well - a great day out:

https://www.google.com/search?q=saxo...w=1920&bih=955

take a cable car up to say the Basteii or other cliff top fort/castle. As good or better as another day on the Rhine or Mosel. Trier could be a stop en route by train or car to Luxembourg the day before your flight.

Are you driving or taking trains - trains can reach all those places sans problem but if wanting to drive in rural areas cars are best. If doing the train check out the German Twin Railpass for sure with that much travel great info sites: www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com.

If car beware drop-off charges extraordinaire if renting in one country and returning in another - again the day before you could drive along the very pretty Mosel via Bernkastel - a real cutey to Trier, dump the car and head to Luxembourg. Luxembourg itself is a gorgeous city but has little to see or do besides the deep gorge bisecting it.
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 12:37 PM
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As part of your Berlin days are you at least going out to Potsdam and Sans Soucci - practically part of Berlin but takes most of a day.

4.5 days right in Berlin could be one day that could be cut perhaps as there are so many other neat places on your trip.

Salzburg - a eat day trip from there goes to the Sound of Music Country by postal bus and boat from Salzburg - to the Autstrian Lakes District and its fairy-tale looks:

https://www.google.com/search?q=aust...w=1920&bih=955
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Old Feb 17th, 2016, 01:45 PM
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I know you have been planning hard for some time and got good advice.

Your itinerary is good and gives you opportunity to explore some regions more deeply than the average tourist. So, leave it as it is.
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Old Feb 24th, 2016, 09:54 AM
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For now our trip is:
Berlin: 5 nights
Dresden: 3 nights
Nuremberg: 3 nights (day trip to Bamberg or Wurzburg and Rothenburg)
Salzburg: 3 nights
Munich: 4 night
Cochem (or another base): 5 nights
Luxembourg: 1 night

What do you think about that ?
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Old Feb 24th, 2016, 01:18 PM
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Pretty sweet! You will love Cochem! IMO no place on the Rhine can rival it for dreaminess and solitude - the Rhine gorge is the narrowest part of the river for miles around and two busy road and two busy rail lines run along each bank - be sure if staying there to find a place that is not full of train noise day and night.

5 nights if going to Cologne (an idea I think is neat) and you may want to stop in Bonn on the way back - Bonn is neat and has Mozart's House (is it his or another maestro?) if into that.
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 04:25 PM
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I haven't visited that thread fo some time now, and thanks to all of you once again !

It looks we have to add a night in Nuremberg (too much daytrip to do for 3 nights) so it means we have to cut a night in Cochem (or any other base town we choose to stay in that region) and it also means we wont make it to Cologne on that trip. Too much travel just for taking a picture of the dom I guess.

PalenQ, i've cross an older message you've send (and by the way you seems to be very knowledgeable of Germany !). That message put question marks in my mind:

''Trier has lots to see and do but overall in looks, etc is just a so-so (which means for Germany nice enough) city''

What I read from that is that Germany in general is not that nice and that something so-so anywhere in the world would be nice in Germany. Now I begin to have second though about our choice of destination !

While i'm here, do you think 4 nights in Rhine+mosellewould be enough (Cochem, Trier, Burg eltz or Marksburg, Cruise on the rhine)? We keep one night at the end for Luxembourg because our flight is leaving from there.
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 06:00 PM
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Don't have second thoughts. I love the history, beauty, food and drink of Germany. The area around Cochem is beautiful and you won't regret it. I am a huge sucker for walled cities. Nuremberg and Rothenburg are two of my favorites, Where are you staying in Cochem? Parking was a bit weird there. We had to park in a lot far from our hotel.
Glad you are going to Garmisch.
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Old Feb 28th, 2016, 08:38 AM
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Garmisch is not sure yet, it will depend of the weather. It's hard not to have second toughts when someone who seems to know a lot about Germany like PalenQ have "badbad words" against the country.
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Old Feb 28th, 2016, 10:46 AM
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''Trier has lots to see and do but overall in looks, etc is just a so-so (which means for Germany nice enough) city''>

Those were not intended to be 'bad' words - may not have written clearly - Trier is a so-so city for Germany which means it is nice as a city but not old-world because of war damage, etc.

Do not rethink your German aspirations - I love the country and places like Berlin I think are as interesting as any city in Europe - I just meant that Trier as a city is not its calling card - it's its Roman ruins - German cities due to war damage may not look ancient but they are all very nice - very nice.

You both misunderstood my wording there. I've biked around Germany many times and why would I do that if I did not like Germany.

Do not judge me on one misinterpretation of poor word choice perhaps.

That said Trier to me is a fascinating place because of its Roman ruins - I've been there on business dozens of times and always liked it - just not the dreamy old-world looks and feeling of say Italy.
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Old Feb 28th, 2016, 01:49 PM
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I wasn't judging you PalenQ, maybe that the way it looks but that wasn't my intention ! English is not my first language so maybe sometime i don't totally catch what people means.

Yopu made yourself vey clear, and thanks for that explanation. When we book our trip I knew that Germny was heavily bombed during WWII but i'.ve also thought that I can found that old world feeling in many places. Maybe I was wrong and that why i'm a bit disappointed about my travel choice.

Don't get me wrong we will still probably have a good time...will see...
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 08:49 AM
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Germny was heavily bombed during WWII but i'.ve also thought that I can found that old world feeling in many places.>

There are lots of towns that exude that - not the larger cities much but places like Heidleberg, Wurzburg, Regensberg, Rothenburg, the Rhine and Mosel towns, Marburg and on and on and though modern Germany's biggest cities are just very very pleasant places.

Keep Germany in your itinerary - again one of my favorite places and the reason I have spend so so much time there thru the ages.
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 12:01 PM
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''Trier has lots to see and do but overall in looks, etc is just a so-so" as German towns go - this is what I should have said and then but Trier is also one of the more fascinating cities in Germany - claiming to be the oldest city in Germany (I believe - continuous city) it has stellar Roman ruins - like the mammoth intact Roman Porta Negra - a k a Gateway to the Eastern Part of the Holy Roman Empire - Trier being the capital of the Western Part I believe

Besides the huge stone block gate there is a Roman arena and a former Roman temple converted long long ago to a Christian basilica and Trier has some other ancient churches and buildings as well as the Karl Marx House where the economist lived in as a child I believe and is now a study center and museum to him.

Now the town suffered huge war damage but has been rebuilt in a neat harmony - lots of pastel building fronts and a vast pedestrian area in its town center. Trier is on the Mosel but you'd never know that from the town itself - the river here is more like a huge drain than anything of beauty or interest - that starts just a few miles down the Mosel when it enters the impressive gorge-like valley.

If staying in Cochem I'd take a day trip to Trier by train and spend the day there but two days would be for most one day too much.

Keep Trier in your plans IMO! One of the more unique and interesting cities in Germany if not the oldest looking (but oddly the oldest!)

Cheers
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Old Mar 2nd, 2016, 10:50 AM
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Thanks Palenq !


Like i've said in another post , we're having a hard time figuring how many nights stay in each of our destinations. For some 4 nights in Mosel+Rhine is enough for others it isn't (i guess it's something predictable).

One thing for sure is that adding a night in that last part of our trip would mean to cut somewhere else. Also, can ayone show us what would be the best base for that part of our trip ? Since we are with our two kids we don't want to change lodging every day.

Maybe we could ditch the trip to Luxembourg but since our flight goes from there it would be a pity to not go there in our opinion.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2016, 12:21 PM
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Cochem is a great fairy-tale looking place to base for Trier - to go to Luxembourg - nearby Burg Eltz and the Rhine too if just going there one day - and even Cologne - Cochem is about 35 minutes by train from Koblenz, on a main line to Cologne.

Luxembourg is a physically gorgeous city - divided by a deep gorge but it has few 'must' sights (thank God!) so a few hours there the day before your flight may be enough - as I said on the other thread you could easily stop in Trier for a few hours or so en route to Luxembourg. Trier's train station has luggage lockers.

Cochem is a great place for families - lots of kids playgrounds - mini-golf, etc and lots of families there.

Keep Luxembourg in for at least a few relaxing hours the day before your flight - its Grand Place or Place Royal or whatever they call it is full of outdoor cafes - in nice weather get the kids a hot chocolate and a final beer or wine in Europe for the adults.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2016, 04:51 AM
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How much time do i need in Trier to have a ok look at the city ? I've read that its a large place that take many hours to appreciated. If you say that 4-5 hours can be enough a stop on the way to Luxembourg could be an option.

We also have to take in consideration that our kids wont walk for 4 or 5 hours at a fast pace.

I'm on the fence with my lodging reservations, we still debating if we should keep the five nights in Berlin.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2016, 10:42 AM
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Trier is not a large city and the main sights are clustered together in the city center - 4-5 hours should be enough even at a slow pace with strategic stops for snacks.

4 nights would be sufficient IMO for what most want to see in Berlin - kids will enjoy riding the elevated S-Bahns thru the heart of the city with main sights easily reached from its stations.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2016, 11:25 AM
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thanks !

I have to make a quick decisions, we,ve read many people saying that 5 nights in Berlin is not enough, that 5 is perfect and that 5 is too much. Of course that depends of what we want to see and do.

We plan on:
- Riding bus 110 and 201 (not sure about the numbers, but buses that circle around the city)
- see topography des terreurs (myself without kids)
- Go to the zoo
- see remains of the wall
- Go in the Reichstag domme
- See ddr museum (and maybe or one 2 more museums)
- Enjoy playgrounds that wil will found in our daily walks
- Get over jetlag
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 05:05 PM
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If we could do Trier + Luxembourg the same day it would have been perfect but it's seems to be too much for that amount of time.

If we could have time for Cologne it would be perfect by i Guess we have to forget that !

Heres the planing

July 30: leave Munich at 9:00, arrival in Cochem at 15:00. Get the appartement, walk a bit in the town
July 31: Cochem (leisure park ? Burg eltz castle ? )
August 1: Boat ride Bingen to Koblenz (can we combine that day with a trip to Cologne)
august 2 : Trier
August 3: Train to Luxembourg and sleep there
august 4: fly back home
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