Germany trip advice please

[Jacko]

Linda and I just confirmed our flights to Frankfurt, Germany (by way of Toronto) for Sept. 6th to Sept.21st. We are visiting our daughter and SIL who are living in Kaiserslautern. Looking for any good advice on fun side-trips to take while we are there or any other important tips to consider. All advice is welcome...especially from our German peeps Andiline and Joana.

Danke Schoen

[sctx]

Originally Posted by Jacko

All advice is welcome...especially from our German peeps Andiline and Joana.

Danke Schoen

Joana appears to be pretty tame........but watch out for that Adiline, she's a wild woman

[Babaloo]

i understand they have beer there
just a thought

EDIT: wow...leaving an NC almost mountain resort just as the leaves are changing...

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

i understand they have beer there
just a thought

EDIT: wow...leaving an NC almost mountain resort just as the leaves are changing...

October, my friend, will be gloriously colorful upon our return....and one must think about Oktoberfest..which the Germans so kindly centered in Munich, a mere 2 hour drive or so from where we are staying....AND they put the date in mid to late September!

Actually, I hear Munich is much better when it is NOT Oktoberfest.

[TonyHD]

My wife and I just spent a month in Europe including Germany. Rail down to Fussen, rent a car and drive the Romantic Road from Fussen to Frankfurt. The Romantic Road takes you through Bavaria’s medieval Hartland and some 33 different small villages and towns lined with farmhouses, onion-domed churches, Baroque palaces and walled cities. Spend a night in Munich and enjoy the beer hall experience. I recommend der Pschorr and be sure to drink the pilsner from the wooden barrel. From Munich, be sure to stop in Donauworth and visit the Heilig-Kreuz Abbey. It’s amazing. Spend a few nights in Rothenburg, Germany’s best-preserved walled town. On your way back to Frankfurt, be sure to stop in Wurzburg and tour the Prince Bishops Residenz.
<O:p</O:p
Or, from Frankfurt, rent a car drive to either Bacharach or St. Goar and spend a few days in the Rhine River Valley. Take a cruise on the Rhine and look at all the robber barren castles. Be sure to tour the Burg Rheinfels ruin in St. Goar.
<O:p</O:p
From the Rhine River Valley, drive over to, and tour the Mosel River Valley between Koblenz and Trier. Stay in Bielstein. Trier is Germany’s oldest city and even has a Roman ruin. If you like wine, especially Rieslings this is the motherland. I recommend either Peter Weiss Vineyards in Zell, or Haus Lipmann in Beilstein. And don’t miss the Burg Eltz castle located between Koblenz and Cochem. Wow, have a great time. We did. Germany is beautiful, especially that region. Andiline can tell you. She’s very lucky to be able to call such a place home. If you have any questions, check your local library or book store and grab a book by travel writer Rick Steves. His information is invaluable.

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by TonyHD

My wife and I just spent a month in Europe including Germany. Rail down to Fussen, rent a car and drive the Romantic Road from Fussen to Frankfurt. The Romantic Road takes you through Bavaria’s medieval Hartland and some 33 different small villages and towns lined with farmhouses, onion-domed churches, Baroque palaces and walled cities. Spend a night in Munich and enjoy the beer hall experience. I recommend der Pschorr and be sure to drink the pilsner from the wooden barrel. From Munich, be sure to stop in Donauworth and visit the Heilig-Kreuz Abbey. It’s amazing. Spend a few nights in Rothenburg, Germany’s best-preserved walled town. On your way back to Frankfurt, be sure to stop in Wurzburg and tour the Prince Bishops Residenz.
<O:p</O:p
Or, from Frankfurt, rent a car drive to either Bacharach or St. Goar and spend a few days in the Rhine River Valley. Take a cruise on the Rhine and look at all the robber barren castles. Be sure to tour the Burg Rheinfels ruin in St. Goar.
<O:p</O:p
From the Rhine River Valley, drive over to, and tour the Mosel River Valley between Koblenz and Trier. Stay in Bielstein. Trier is Germany’s oldest city and even has a Roman ruin. If you like wine, especially Rieslings this is the motherland. I recommend either Peter Weiss Vineyards in Zell, or Haus Lipmann in Beilstein. And don’t miss the Burg Eltz castle located between Koblenz and Cochem. Wow, have a great time. We did. Germany is beautiful, especially that region. Andiline can tell you. She’s very lucky to be able to call such a place home. If you have any questions, check your local library or book store and grab a book by travel writer Rick Steves. His information is invaluable.

WOW! Perfect! Thanks for the great info Tony!

[playabum17]

I lived in Germany as an Army brat...many years ago. I loved it. I don't remember as much as I would like, it's one of my 'someday' places that I would like to go back to .

[TonyHD]

Here's a few shots from our trip

[playabum17]

Great pictures, Tony That's one thing we loved about Germany, all the churches and castles, very neat. Our favorite was....well, it was somewhere, I can't seem to remember the name of it right now. Will have to call Mom tomorrow.

[Andiline]

Jacko, I will have to get back to you later this week as I have to work in Zurich the next two days. In a short while I am on my way to the airport. Just let me know a little bit about what your interests are so I can look into this a little bit better.

[bufante]

Those are good pictures. I love castles...I am envious Jacko. Take a bunch of pics...

[TAPPY]

Great pics.....love the castle one !


Jacko...have a great time. You know we will want a full trip report when you get back !!!

[Jacko]

Thanks Tony for the great pictures! You are really helping to build our excitement for this trip! I have a "coffee table" picture book written by Peter Von Zahn about Deutscheland that has some of the same pictures you took. Looks like you two had a marvelous time! I appreciate the time you have taken to help make our trip better.

Andiline,
I look foward to your advice! Our interests are typically in visiting the towns, both small and large to get a flavor for the history and the culture..and of course the local food and drink...we tend to try to avoid the BIG tourist venues in favor of the more intimate, "real-life" experiences. You know, the ones like meeting one of your favorite peeps for a delightful dinner in Cologne?

Now if I can just get myself started on my Fodors "German for Travelers" CD's..being that I am half German from my father's side, do you think it will be easier?

[Sourcerer]

I traveled to Frankfurt many times in my previous job - it is mostly a business & banking city. It is not high on my tourism Richter scale - not too much noteworthy to see and it is to be avoided during the many trade fairs. There is a small Altstadt (old city) section but it is a reconstruction since most of Frankfurt was flattened during WW2.

But our family had an outstanding tour of southern Germany & Austria. When planning the 10-day trip I had an excessively aggressive itinerary. I planned to fly into Zurich, drive through the Black Forest on the way to Strasbourg in the French Alsace. Then motor through Stuttgart to Munich then Salzburg, Austria, and back through Innsbruck, Austria to Switzerland.

Upon consultation, my German friends just shook their heads and said:
"Typical American vacation. You spend all your time going and too little time seeing."

It was the best advice I got. The temptation was to see everything, but I cut the number of stops in half and reduced the driving radius. I don't know if you will have the same temptation, but the pictures and suggestions in this thread all look great to me.

I can't match Tony's pix, but second his Fussen recommendation. That is the site of Neuschwanstein castle - Disney's inspiration.

I'm sure you've been looking a maps, but here are some places relative to your destination. From Kaiserslautern it is:

60 mi S to Strasbourg, France (Alsace region)
100 mi S to Freiberg, Germany (Black Forest region)
145 mi S to Zurich, Switzerland

80 mi SE to Stuttgart (Porsche & Mercedes)
185 mi SE to Fussen (Neuschwanstein Castle)
195 mi SE to Munich (did someone suggest beer?)
265 mi SE to Salzburg, Austria (Sound of Music setting)
270 mi SE to Berchtesgaden (the Eagles Lair)

40 mi E to Heidelberg
300 mi E to Prague, Czech

45 mi NE to Mainz (on the Rhine)
60 mi NE to Frankfurt
325 mi NE to Berlin

65 mi NW to Koblenz
110 mi NW to Cologne
300 mi NW to Hamburg

75 mi W to Luxembourg
250 mi W to Paris

230 mi SW to Geneva, Switzerland

All distances are as the crow (Krähe auf Deutsch) flies and compass directions are approximate. This is according to my new favorite web site /application: Google Earth.

Have fun planning.

[Jacko]

Good advice Sourcerer! Thanks!