Anna

We spent most of May in Germany on the last of many visits there. My husband is still talking of how much he misses being there and would like to go again. I told him there are still many places we have not seen yet in Germany and he wanted me to name him a bunch of interesting places/towns we haven't been to (I told him "well-seasoned" travelers to Germany are always mentioning places we still haven't seen). I told him a half dozen that I could think of but he'd like to hear about more....and so I am asking here for people who really know Germany well to post what are your favorite places/towns in Germany (like your top 10 favorites)? And why did you like these places/towns so?

John

Anne: <BR> <BR>You start first....where were YOU in Germany? We will pick it up from there! <BR>JOHN

Al

The island of Mainau; Ottobeuren; the Belchen; Freiburg; Ulm; Munich; Wurzburg; the walk from Assmannshausen to the Niederwald Denkmal; Bernkastel.

Anne

i agree that Insel Mainau is an awsome place to visit. I have never seen30 ft roses before! <BR>we loved Meersburg on the Bodensee. It is small and quite manageable to navigate. I love the half timbered houses nd fabulous restaurants. It is the cleanest town I have ever been to. <BR>The people were the nicest of all of the places we stayed in Germany. Also, the antique stores are great!!! <BR>The dollar being strong now helps. <BR>Cochem in the Moselle valley was a treat! The vinyards across the river are so pretty. <BR>My advise to someone traveling to Germay <BR>is to definity rent a car. We drove through many little hamlets in Schwarzwald ( Black Forest) We had no route picked - just drove - we ended up in some of the most scenic villages and country side that i ever saw. <BR>I hope to go back again too!!!!!!

Rex

There was a previous thread, "best things to do in germany" <BR> <BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/crossro...messagesframe& <BR> <BR>on which ther were a lot of answers to this question (though no one proposed a "limit" of their top TEN places. <BR> <BR>My own posting, from that thread: <BR> <BR>I have essentially never found a part of Germany that I didn't like. And it is absolutely my favorite country for renting a car, and driving from one destination to another. <BR> <BR>Here are some of my personal favorites, in alphabetical order: <BR> <BR>Aachen <BR>Baden-Baden, including the Casino <BR>Berlin, all of it <BR>Burg Eltz <BR>Cologne Cathedral <BR>Dachau <BR>Landshut <BR>Lubeck <BR>Neuschwanstein <BR>Oberkirch <BR>Parkhotel Wasserburg-Anholt <BR>Porsche factory tour, Stuttgart <BR>Rothenburg ob der Tauber <BR>Schloss Linderhof <BR>Schloss Neuweier (near Baden-Baden) <BR>Schwarzwald Hochstrasse <BR>Ulm <BR>Weimar <BR> <BR>Remember, this list contains MY personal favorites. No two people's lists will be the same. I have omitted Frankfurt, Heidelberg, St. Goar, Assmannhausen (never been to any of them), Munich (been there plenty, like other places better), Hamburg (I know a great hotel there, but not that exciting a city), Hameln, Bremen and Lindau (not in the same league with the favorites listed above). <BR> <BR>You need one or more comprehensive guidebooks, and read them cover to cover. You will know what excites you when you read about it and/or see it in pictures. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Anna

John asks where we have been in Germany. <BR>I will try and recall every place where we have stayed at least a few nights (in some places we have stayed up to a month). From what I call recall from all our trips (and looking now at a map); <BR>Berlin, Hamburg, Osnsbruck, Hannover, <BR>Braunschweig, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Nurnberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Bad Windsheim, Rothenburg, Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, Simolzheim, Jungholtshausen, Munich, Bad Reichenhall, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Ismaning, Lindau, Singen, Geisingen, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Trier, Assmanshausen, St Goar, Beilstein, Bernkastel-Kues & Schwabisch Hall. I know there are some more smaller towns/ villages we have stayed in, but right now I can't recall all the names.

Anna

Just noticed the question was really where we were (not stayed overnight) so I will add other places we visited during our trips but didn't stay in overnight; <BR>Bad Wimpfen, Erlangen, Bacharach, Boppard, Rudesheim, Zell, Cochem, Trauben-Trarbach, Uberlingen, Friedrichshafen, Mittenwald, Chiemsee, Wolfratshausen, Titisee, Tuttlingen, Freudenstadt, Dachau, Altdorf, Braunsbach, Tubingen, Neckarsteinach, <BR>Simmolzheim, Schluchsee, Meersburg, Wasserburg, Birnau, Potsdam, Spreewald, <BR>Sachsenhausen, Belgern, Torgau, Meissen, Moritzburg, Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, Zugspitze, Branneburg, Frauenisnsel, Ramsau, Berchtesgarten and Koningsee.

Sabine

Nobody mentioned the Northsea islands. Sylt or Helgoland are very nice. <BR>And the best tip you've got, is to rent a car and just travel around. You have already seen many of the most favourite places, so it might be interesting to see the smaller villages. Accomodation you'll find everywhere.

howdy

Yes --do go to Baden-Baden-we weren't going to and changed our plans and it was my sons favorite.It has everything-- river prominade park,world class spa experience to die for, castle ruins on the hill,roman ruins,classy 17-18 century buildings right smack at the beginning of the Black Forest!!You dont have to be rich!!!

Russ

Wow, you've already seen a ton of places. Let me put a big asterisk next to Rex's suggestions of Lübeck, Ulm, and Burg Eltz; I'm a lot warmer to Hameln than Rex is however, not just because of the charm of Hameln itself, but also because of its potential as a base for exploring the local area, which is full of other very interesting daytrip destinations, including the half-timbered houses (in Weserrennaisance style) of Rinteln, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Hildesheim, Marienburg Castle in Nordstemmen and Bückeburg Castle in the town of the same name north of Rinteln, fairy-tale Goslar, Hanover, and north of Hanover, Celle. <BR> <BR>Also, if you find yourself in the Rhine/Mosel region again, I think a bit more exploration will prove rewarding. Burg Eltz, of course, but the other nearby river valleys are also hiding some real treasures. My visit this summer included the Ahr River valley, which heads roughly west from the Rhine near Remagen (stop and see the WWII museum at the site of the old bridge there!) and the picturesque towns of Ahrweiler and Altenahr, where few international tourists tread, but where you'll find a variety of sights and things to do, from Roman settlements to ruined castles to river rafting. I also spent a little time on the Nahe, which empties into the Rhine at Bingen, in Idar-Oberstein and Bad Münster am Stein, with delightful results. The Lahn River between Koblenz and Marburg is also a treat, and the Saar, near Trier, is as well. <BR> <BR>I'd also like to add the touristy but charming town of Monschau, roughly south of Aachen, as a must-see town of the Eifel region - a great place to visit if you're also travelling to Belgium. <BR> <BR>Next time you're in Bavaria, plan a trip along the white-cliffed Altmühl river if you possibly can and see Eichstätt, Pappenheim, and Weissenburg for some very interesting scenery, history, and architecture. It's a nice alternative route east of Nördlingen and south of Nürnberg.

Anna

Thanks to all who posted about places they loved in Germany...I'll written down all the places we haven't been to yet in one of my German guidebooks so we can visit at least some of them out on our next trip to Germany.

Paige

Burghausen is a nice little town off the standard tourist route. It's close to the borders of Austria and Czech. It has a big castle on a hill and a quaint old town. Passau is nice as well and is in the same area. Regensburg, Mittenwald, Garmisch are other favorites.

Pam

Will be visiting Hamburg for one day on cruise. What is there to see? Transportation? Nice place for lunch? Thanks for any suggestions.

Lucy Jacobs

Unfortunately most tourists avoid the former East, although it has scenery, landscapes and sights just as beautiful as the West. True, this part of Germany still must catch up with the West in regard to a comprehensive infrastructure for tourists. But any tourist with even very basic German language skills will find a trip through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen and Thuringia to be unforgettable. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern you will find hundreds of natural lakes inviting you to swim, sail or fish, the largest being Lake Müritz. Schwerin is the capital city of this state and well worth a visit. You will also find the beautiful Baltic Sea with its many old towns, including Rostock and Warnemünde. The islands Rügen Hiddensee and Usedom are also wonderful. In Sachsen you find Dresden, Meissen and the Sächsische Schweiz as well as the Erzgebirge (Iron Ore Mountains), home to the famous toy-making town of Seiffen. In Thuringia you must visit Erfurt and Eisenach, birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach and location of the Wartburg castle where Martin Luther translated the New Testament. Oh I almost forgot the state of Sachsen-Anhalt. Here you must see the towns Quedlinburg and Wernigerode, both famous for their numerous and very well preserved half-timbered houses. <BR>There are many more...driving is the best way to explore the beauty of the East! Eine gute Reise! <BR> <BR>I found that most <BR>

Philip

Berlin!!! I heard that Donald Trump is building over there so you must see it before he ruins it. I find it fascinating to watch a city rebuild itself. <BR> <BR>Oberammergau & Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Beautiful little towns nestled in the mountains.

Nate

Another area often overlooked by American tourists is the Rhon. Only 1 hr East of Frankfurt the Rhon is unspoiled and not overrun with touriests. Fulda is a very nice city and Tann near the old East German border is quite nice. The Kreuzberg with the 2nd best beer in the world according to Playboy and some of the best day hikes one could ever want. <BR>Also the area between Saarbrucken & Landau is very nice with large rock formations, many castles and quaint villages and lots of wineries. <BR>

Dave

I have to say all of the former East Germany. All the biuldings have been restored to their former glory, and there is none of that ugly 60's and 70's architecture, like in the West. Towns like Erfurt, Quedlinburg and Goerlitz simply don't have any rivals in the West, IMHO. And, everything is cheaper, and the people are very very friendly.

Annispapa

I'm limiting my list to places seldom mentioned on this board. If this encourages one person to visit one of them, (at the expense of Neuschwanstein, Rothenburg, Heidelberg, etc.) I'll be happy. <BR> <BR>In no particular order: <BR> <BR>1. Externsteine: near Detmold. Who needs Stonehenge? <BR> <BR>2. Wernigerode: catch the narrow-guage railway here for a trip up the Brocken. Watch out for low-flying witches. <BR> <BR>3. Eisenach: home of the Wartburg... everything a German castle should be. <BR> <BR>4. Schleswig: don't miss the viking settlement at Haithabu <BR> <BR>5. Hamburg: Sunday Mornings - Hamburger Fischmarkt - Fill yourself with raw fish and a belly full of beer and still make it to church on time! <BR> <BR>6. All of the Lüneburger Heide <BR> <BR>7. The Partnachklamm: don't leave Garmisch without a visit. <BR> <BR>8. Passau <BR> <BR>9. Münster and the surrounding area: you want moats? We got moats! Home of the Wasserburgen <BR> <BR>10. Bremen

thankfully

Any train station where I can get a ticket out....

Linda

Berlin is one of the best cities in Europe. Munich, Hamelin, Dresden, Berchtsgaden, Koblenz, Bonn, Koln (Cologne), Tuebingen, Rothenberg--just a partial list.