1week in bavaria: March 2012

Friday, March 30, 2012

Romantic Road advice, please.

My wife and I are planning a 7 day car trip down the Romantic Road this summer.So many towns, so little time. Any advice on how to best spend our time would be greatly appreciated. We will be starting and ending in Frankfurt and would like to do a loop so as not to backtrack. Hotel recommendations up to about $100.00 and restaurant suggestions (no meat) would also be appreciated.

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To me the highlights of the Romantic Road are Neuschwanstein Castle, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and the Residence in Wuerzburg, and all are definitely worth visiting. Germany is full of wonderful thngs to see and do, you don%26#39;t have to limit yourself to the actual romantic road (a marketing gimmick). After seeing Rothenburg, do you really also have to see Dinkelsbuehl and Noerdlingen (other nearby walled cities but not as nice)? Maybe visit Schwaebisch Hall and walled Comburg monastery instead. Many nearby attractions may be more interestng for you to see than those on the romantic road. Get good books on Germany full of nice pictures (also a good map) and decide for yourself what other nearby towns, castles, palaces, monasteries, etc. interest you. Even if you spend all your time on the romantic road, seven days is probably excessive.

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Hi, Do stop in Dinklesbuhl - it is another walled city like Rothenburg ob der Tauber but less touristy. You hotel/guest house price should be easy to manage - at Neuschwanstein, you can book the Hanselewirt (hanselewirt.de) - it%26#39;s a very typically German guest house in Schwangau with a good restaurant that, if you e-mail them ahead (they have excellent English), I%26#39;m sure could do no meat meals. A double there is about 65E per night including a huge breakfast buffet. The towns most closely connected with the Romantic Road will be more expensive for hotels/guest houses so wander off the road a few miles and you will find nice villages with good places to stay. They won%26#39;t be a Fairmont but they will be lovely B%26amp;B%26#39;s and you can count on cleanliness! Depending on what time of year you are traveling, you might find reservations helpful. Hope this helps a bit. Have fun!

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Have a look on this site (English available):

www.romantischestrasse.de

I would recommend to stop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber - I was there Silvester 05 and it was really nice. There are two really good restaurants I can recommend you: %26quot;Gasthaus Spitaltor%26quot; and %26quot;Landwehr-Haus%26quot; - both on the same street (Spitalgasse).

Enjoy your trip!

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What is the Romantic Road? We are planning on driving around in Germany in July. Its our 26th anniversary, so it peaked by interest.

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Hi - if you go to the website and click on the link for English, there are several history articles, etc. Basics - the Romantic Road is the road from about Wurzburg down to Fussen in the south that goes along through several lovely towns and villages and near some really great castles - it%26#39;s far less than a day%26#39;s drive if you just drive from A to B but there are so many things to see, it can take about as much time as you like. It is really popular with Americans and other visitors as many of the villages are what we see as Germany. At the southern end is Neuschwanstein - King Ludwig%26#39;s memorial to Wagner and the castle Disney used to design the Cinderella castle at Disneyland - it is so fairy tale looking! Hope this is enough to get you started on your research and exploration!

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Thanks I%26#39;ll give it a try.

Accomodation in Bad Worishofen

Can you suggest accomodation in Bad Worishofen? I am only planning on staying one night. I am travelling via train so preferably something within walking distance would be perfect.

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Bad Wörishofen is quite small. so pretty everything is near the train station.

You gave no hint abour your budget. A high class accomodation would be the %26quot;Steigenberger Sonnenhof HOtel%26quot;. I%26#39;S an a little bit old-fashioned 5-star-hotel. It%26#39;s got a new and huge wellness-center with 3 pools and several saunas.

Philipp

Planning a trip

We are going to be in Munich in August for a conference. I know that I want to see the Bavarian Alps and some of Ludwig%26#39;s castles. Also, would like to see Salzburg and Vienna, maybe a danube cruise. Budapest is also not far. We can do two to three weeks at the most. Any suggestions about your favorites and preferences from you will be great.

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Will you be renting a car or taking the train? Salzburg is a must- its beautiful in August. Budapest (do not suggest driving there) is beautiful city and I would go back anyday. Prague is also near Budapest and worth a visit. You could do a big loop from Munich, Salzburg, Budapest, Prague, Vienna. Bratislava is worth a visit too.

Renting a car for a few days from Munich is a good idea. Drive south to Garmisch (a beautiful small resort town) and take the back roads to Fussen (Neuschwanstein Castle). On that road is King Ludwig%26#39;s Linderhof %26quot;hunting%26quot; castle. Its my favorite castle especially in the summer when the garden is in bloom.

if you have any other questions just let me know!

Maggie

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Thank you for all the information. In answer to your question, no we%26#39;re not planning to rent a car. Is there train to Fussen for the castles or we can take a tour for that. I would also like to go up Zugspitze, is that doable without a car? Also, Oberammergau, can it be done without driving yourself? Thank you.

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I am wondering why one of the respondents does not recommend driving in Budapest. We are travelling to Germany in May and will be leasing a car and was planning to going to Budapest. Please advise. Thanks

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Going by train is possible. You can take the train from Munich to Fussen and a bus up to the two castles there. It would be a a good day trip. Another option would be to check out a tour, the only one i know of is Panorama Tours (http://www.panoramatours.at/munich/58.shtml)

and they go to Oberammergau.

You could easily take a train from Munich on a different day and go to Garmisch, which is where the Zugspitze is. I would suggest staying a night in Garmish as it is a great little Bavarian town.

I%26#39;ve driven all over Europe and there are a few places that I would not be comfortable driving in, and one is Budapest. The roads are smaller than expected and the driving is a bit scary. But that%26#39;s up to you. One thing you should check if you rent a car, make sure that you are covered (insurance) in the Eastern Block countries. I know from where I live in Germany there is only one rental car company (Europcar) that will rent a car that you can take to an Eastern Block country because of theft. The train system in Hungary is good and it is more relaxing to do that!

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You have to try and see Prague. It is beautiful, but will be crowded. The train to and from Munich is easy, we did it begining of December. 3 days in Prague is good.

Fussen is very easy by train, also did that. We traveled alot thru Bavaria because of the Bayern ticket. Just try and take the first train available to get up to Fussen. The Bayern ticket covers all public transportation, so bus in Fussen included. The bus ride is very short and they time the buses with the arrival of the train.

Salzburg is a must. On the way there or the way back to Munich stop in Prien and go to Lake Chiemsee to see one of Ludwigs Castles, his version of Versailles. We left our luggage in lockers at the train station. We did it quickly because that is all time allowed, but wished we had more time to explore the island and rest of the lake.

Rihine castle cruise suggestions

We are visiting Germany in July and will be using Mainz as our base for a 1-day cruise/train combo to tour the castles. We are thinking of a cruise between Bingen and St. Goar with a stop in Bachrach. Is it better to take the cruise or the train while going (morning)? When does it get dark around July? Any experiences/recommendations appreciated.

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You can do any train/boat combination you like.

http://www.k-d.com/englisch/index.html

Boats are downstream much faster than upstream.

Sunset is in July around 21:30. Civil twilight is even later.

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Start the boat tour from Bingen as you indicated rather than from Mainz.

Take the train to Bingen. Get off at the Bingen Stadt stop, not the Bingen haputbahnhof stop. Exit towards the right (riverside) and follow the riverwalk to your boat landing or ticket office.

If you get off at the Bingen hauptbahnhof stop, you%26#39;ll have to walk across the Nahe River on the pedestrian side of the bridge, cross under the pedestrian tunnel which is at the corner just pass the bridge(by the parking lot there), walk underneath and pop out on the other side. Follow the Nahe until it merges with the Rhine(few mins, a large white hotel/conference center is on that corner) and walk to the boat office/landing.

Bingen Stadt(unmanned station, only ticket machines) stop is closer to the boats than the Bingen hauptbahnhof (manned ticket office and ticket machines) stop.

You should try to get a %26quot;group day ticket%26quot; for your train trip to Bingen which is good for up to a group of 5 people for train travel for the day. Maybe %26quot;abalada%26quot; can suggest one for you.

As for the cruise, there are a couple operators from Bingen, in addition to the KD operator. If you decide to use KD operators, you can get a 20%discount by showing your train ticket, check the website

Bingen-Ruedesheimer line. Goes as far as St. Goar, with several stops along the way, including Bacharach.

bingen-ruedesheimer.com/rhine-cruise/index.h…

Roessler Line - shorter cruise, doesn%26#39;t go to Bacharach/St. Goar

roesslerlinie.de/rhine_assmannshausen_castle…

Check the websites for timetables.

While in Mainz, I suggest you pick up a copy of a accordion style fold out map of the Rhine, it%26#39;s called %26quot;THE RHINE - Middle Rhine from Mainz to Cologne%26quot; English version. You should be able to but it at the train station or any souvenir shop.

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Thanks, Suburbanite, for the info about cruising options.

We were thinking of a short stop at Bacharach and a longer stop at St. Goar for a tour of the Rheinfels castle. Is it worth going all the way to Braubach for the Marksburg castle? Any other recommendations for must-see castles?

If we decide to return to Mainz by train, would it be better to come along the west bank of Rhine (St Goar to Bingen) or along the east bank (St Goarshausen to Rudesheim)?

sxm

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Good suggestions. The map is good for castle-spotting. You might also look around for a guidebook in English that provides a short history on each of the castles you%26#39;ll be passing on the way. I believe the Rick Steves Germany book has something like that.

I%26#39;d suggest a morning boat ride if the weather is good - the sun and heat can be oppressive in the afternoons on these boats, all the worse if they are crowded.

You might want to ride back to Mainz along the east bank of the Rhine via Ruedesheim (also good for a stop!) and Wiesbaden. In St. Goar, use the ferry to cross over to St. Goarshausen, then walk north a few blocks to the station. Going back on this side gives you a new perspective on the Rhine Gorge and its castles. The days are very long at this latitude in July, and if you have the energy, a stop in Ruedesheim is very worthwhile - a good place for a meal too.

It%26#39;s a good idea to cross to St. Goarshausen for a couple of other reasons too. There is a falconry show three times per day on the grounds of Burg Maus, the castle north of St. Goarshausen, in the suburb of Wellmich. It%26#39;s a hefty walk or a short taxi ride. I haven%26#39;t seen this particular show but have seen several others - they%26#39;re quite good. Also, at the south end of St. Goarshausen, in the old city tower, there%26#39;s a wine tasting bar you might enjoy in the afternoon.

Enjoy your trip!

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Thanks, Russ. Will look into your suggestions.

Also, we have 2-days in Mainz, and I figure the Rhine cruise will take a full day. Any other suggestions for day 2 using Mainz as a base?

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Mainz itself is worth some time. Nice shopping and outdoor cafes surround the Marktplatz (in front of the Dom.) The Dom is a very nice example of Romanesque architecture. The Chagall windows in the Stephanskirche are fun to see. Augustinerstrasse and the side streets, just south of the Dom, make for a nice stroll through what remains of pre-war Mainz. The Stadtpark (city park), even further south, is gorgeous; the manicured gardens overlook the river and include nice walking paths, an aviary, and a small a reptile house, and there%26#39;s a good Biergarten there right in front of the Hotel Favorite.

Or you could visit Ruedesheim if you weren%26#39;t able to do so on the previous day%26#39;s trip up the Rhine - it%26#39;s not far.

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For the train part you can use the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket (EUR 23,00). This ticket covers all local trains in the state Rhineland-Palatinate for one day and is good for up to 5 persons travelling together. On weekdays it is however only valid past 9am.

Covers also nearly all other local public transport, e.g. trams and buses in Mainz.

Also valid on a few lines outside Rhineland-Palatinate. E.g. the right bank line at the Rhine via Rüdesheim and Wiesbaden is also covered - despite these places are in Hesse.

See the map in this leaflet

bahn.de/regional/…MDB19177-rpticketflyer.pdf

DB timetable

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

and select as means of transport %26quot;only local transport%26quot; if you plan to use the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket.

If you use the KD ships and can present a valid train ticket (e.g. the Rhineland-Palatinate Ticket) you%26#39;ll get a discount of 20% on the boat tickets.

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Russ, Abalada - thanks for the info on Mainz and regional train travel.

Looking at the cruise schedule, it seems that the ferry from Bingen to Braubach will take about 3 hours. I reckon we can stop on the way either in St. Goar or Bacharach for an hour, but not both. Any suggestions?

On the way back by train along the east bank of Rhine, a stop at Ruedesheim for sightseeing and dinner looks appealing.

Thanks for the ideas/tips.

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Can%26#39;t give you any suggestion as to which village to stop at. We will have to go to both of those places next time.

As for Rüdesheim, if you have the time, take the seilbahn/chair lift up to the top by the Niederwald Monument. Nice views from this area and from the seilbahn. Walk down the forest path behind the monument to the first viewing platform (you really only see Bingerbrück and part of the Rhine from this area). It%26#39;s about a 10 minute walk or so. There is a 2nd viewing platform further in the forest, if you desire to walk that far.

Plenty of restaurants along the Drosselgasse(long narrow street/alley and very touristy) and at the top of it down either street.

Here%26#39;s the website and picture of what the seilbahn looks like-

http://www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de/

Rüdesheim%26#39;s website in English. Check the sightseeing tab for Niederwald monument and its forest-

http://www.ruedesheim.de/en/index.html

giant pandas in berlin zoo

was wondering wether anybody could tell me how many zoos are there in berlin? and what is the name of the zoo that has the giant pandas in?

plz im desperate to know, iv searched the net and its all very confusing.

as the zoo website is in german!

i would be very grateful if anybody could give me any info.

im going to berlin in mid feb and to see a giant panda is a a dream come true for me.

thanx

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Berlin has two zoos. The zoo you%26#39;re looking for is the one in the former West Berlin. (East Berlin had its own, which is why Berlin has two zoos.)

The zoo is located at the western limit of the Tiergarten; it can be reached on the underground (U-Bahn) (lines U2 and U9), by suburban train (S-Bahn). Both are named %26#39;Zoologischer Garten%26#39;. There is also a major bus terminus outside the zoo. The stop is again %26#39;Zoologischer Garten%26#39;.

Berlin aquarium is right next to the zoo; you can buy a twin-ticket allowing entrance to both at a cheaper rate than purchasing two separate tickets.

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Here is a link to information on the Berlin zoos in English:

berlin-tourist-information.de/english/berlin…

World Cup 2006 Question

On a similar topic as KimandMartin%26#39;s Gelsenkirchen World Cup post, I was thinking of staying in Cologne for a couple of World Cup games... the games are in Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen.

Is it practical to travel from Cologne to these two cities for the games? Deutsche Bahn reckons an hour each way to each of the cities from Cologne.. any other locations near Gelsenkirchen recommended?

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I recommend stying in Düsseldorf (Duesseldorf),

also very nice at the river Rhine and closer to Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen

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I think it%26#39;s for sure possible to attend games in Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen from Cologne. Add another half hour for the trip between the Main Station in Gelsenkirchen and the Stadium and another 15 Minutes for Dortmund Main Station to the Stadium. If you op for Cologne, make sure you don%26#39;t have to travel too far to the train station cologne, things could get a little bit incovenient then and cologne is quite big.

Another good idea might be Dusseldorf, it saves you a little less than half an hour each way to Dortmund/Gelsenkirchen and back and is for sure a good place to be during the WC as well!

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To give you an idea:

Ireland 4 mio inhabitants 70.280 km^2

VRR 7,2 mio inhabitants 5.027 km^2

London 7,4 mio inhabitants 1.579 km^2

The VRR is the local public transport network of this region.

efa.vrr.de/vrr/linienplan_schnellverkehr.pdf

Your entrance tickets for Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen cover also the trip to these stadiums from anywhere inside the VRR area (e.g. Düsseldorf - but there are many more cities).

Travelling from Cologne is timewise also possible, but Cologne is no more in the VRR area. Another problem ist that Cologne is much better known abroad and you%26#39;re not the first one with this idea. And Cologne is a venue city itself. Thus it won%26#39;t be easy or cheap to find something in Cologne.

two days in Berlin

Hello, any ideas on what to do for two days in Berlin middle of February? We like shops, drinking coffee/watching the world go by, unusual art and events, theatre, food, some history, anything %26#39;arty%26#39;, sightseeing that%26#39;s free! Easily pleased and willing to try most things!- but no art galleries in the traditional sense please . Thanks ever so.

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We just got back from 6 nights in Berlin. It will be below freezing when you are visiting no doubt so be prepared.

My recommendations are the Reichstag Parliment Building and the Jewish Museum. If you are going to more than one museum buy the museum pass, great value.

There are also three opera houses and tickets are very reasonably priced. We saw a modern version of Madame Butterfly and it was outrageously funny and well done.

There are plenty of places to enjoy a coffee etc as long as you don%26#39;t mind smoke.

The best restaurant we came across for food and value is Aigner:

Address Charlottenstrasse 50-52

Location In the Dorint am Gendarmenmarkt, In Berlin-Mitte

Transportation U-Bahn: Stadtmitte

They have it listed on frommers.com

Enjoy, and bundle up.

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I think Mitte is your district to be, because there you find it all.

For shopping try the Hackescher Markt (S-Bahn station) area...many little shopping facilities with little independent designers but also some shops of the big labels (same in Kastanienallee, near subway station %26quot;Eberswalder Str.%26quot;). Both locations are also great for coffee and people watching as there are so many bars and restaurants and of course very interesting people.

A good site for theatres and operas is here:

www.kultur-netz.de/theater.htm…

Try out the Off-Theatres...little independet thratres...but I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s really worth it if you don%26#39;t speak any german.

Always good for looking for special events is: http://www.zitty.de

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Thanks so much. My cousin is appearing in The Caretaker at a theatre (in English) so will most definitely see some theatre. Thank you for your help.

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-%26amp;gt; Tacheles Art House

http://super.tacheles.de/cms/

-%26amp;gt; Transmediale, Feb 3-7

transmediale.de/page/whatis/home.0.1.html

-%26amp;gt; Berlin Film Festival, Feb 9-19

http://www.berlinale.de/

-%26amp;gt; %26quot;Spots%26quot; Open Air Gallery Potsdamer Platz

http://www.spots-berlin.de/

-%26amp;gt; KaDeWe Department Store Food Court

http://www.kadewe.de/

Christkindlmarkt Tours 2006

Hi gang. Looking to plan a trip for the family this year to Germany/Bavaria/Austria for a Christmas tour. Any one gone on one lately and/or have recommendations for agents or packages? Thanks.

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I replied to your posting in the Vienna forum. There is no need for agents or package tours.

The markts are in the main town square. All you need to do is get there and you have a long time to plan the trip on your own.

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I agree with the other poster, do it on your own. I would never consider just visiting Christmas markets, I think that after a while it could get pretty boring. There are a lot of other interesting things to do and see, Germany is full of them. Therefore, select places to visit that have nice attractions besides the Christmas Market which you can visit in the evening when I think that they are at their best. Stuttgart has one of the oldest and prettiest and Europe%26#39;s largest Christmas market (3.6 million visitors) and two nearby towns%26#39; Christmas markets reachable by local transportation (S-bahn) have over a million visitors each: Ludwigsburg baroque Christmas Market; Esslingen midieval? Christmas Market. All three of these places also have other interesting things to do and see.

It%26#39;s also nice to come across a very pleasant Christmas Market accidently when visiting a place for other reasons. Such a chance discovery could become the highlight of your trip.

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Thanks to both of you. My only concern with using an agent is to arrange all the travel. None of us have ever been to Germany/Austria and guidance would be appreciated.

dougb, you provided a lot of useful info in your other post, and I thank you for it. Is this a %26quot;regular%26quot; trip for you or is this a first time thing?

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If you are concerned about traveling, you could just rent a car and drive yourself. Driving isn%26#39;t that much different in Germany or Austria. Most rentals, however, have a standard transmission (not automatic) if that would be a problem, but automatics are available at a large price increase. If you rent a car in Germany you can normally return it anywhere in the country without any extra charges. That would allow you to visit southern Germany and at least Salzburg in Austria without any problems, and then take the train to Vienna. For larger cities (e.g. Munich, Stuttgart) the excellent public transportation can be used minimizing your need to drive in large cities. Hotel reservations can easily be made by internet.

Neuschwanstein Castle in the snow is fantastic. We try to visit in February and stay at the Villa Jaegerhaus in Hohenschwangau with its excellent views of the lit-up by night castle. Go to your public library and check out books about Germany with lots of pictures in them and select places (consulting a map) that you would like to visit. Coming across a beautiful historic castle or monastery with a Christmas Market would be a plus.

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We have visited the Alps [Germany, Austria and Switzerland] several times but this will be our first trip to the Christkindlesmarkts.

First, to save money, you should fly mid-week. To save more money, plan to visit the Markts in the larger cities over the weekend when the hotel rates are lower.

We will depart for Munich on Thursday, December 7th and staying for 4 nights. On Tuesday, we will take a morning train for the 1h 42m trip to Nürnberg for 3 nights. On Friday, we will take several trains on a 1h 24m ride to Rothenburg o. d. Tauber for 3 nights. On Monday December 18th, we will take trains for 2h 34m to Frankfurt for 3 nights. On Thursday December 21st, we will take an 11-minute ride on the S-Bahn to the Frankfurt airport for the return flight to the US that departs at 11:20.

The hotels that I have selected are

Hotel Europäischer Hof - 104 €/night [http://www.muenchen-tourist.de/englisch/zimmeressen/heh/europaeischer_hof_e.htm]

Hotel Agneshof - 150 €/night [http://www.agneshof-nuernberg.de/index_e.htm]

Gasthof golderner Greifen - 3-night special rate 218 € [http://www.gasthof-greifen.rothenburg.de/e_index.php3]

Hotel Monopol - 109 €/night [http://www.hotelmonopol-frankfurt.de/en/index.htm?gew=1]

The total transportation cost for trains, S-Bahn and taxi’s will be about 240 €. For train schedules and fares use the DB website at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

In deference to “marcopolko”, we had originally included the Stuttgart Markts and deleted a visit there ‘on this trip’ due to time constraints.

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marcopolco is right. Just plan on where you want to go and there will be plenty of Christmas markets. Our favorite Christmas market was in Salzburg. Our least favorite was Nurnberg. We went to Chiemsee and there was one on one of the islands, didn%26#39;t have time to go but looked interesting. The Bayern ticket is a very cheap and wonderful was to get around. Try and go to Prague if you have time, it is a great time of year to go and very close to where you will be, well worth the stop. Prague Christmas Market isn%26#39;t as nice as the ones in Bavaria.

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dougb328 suggested visiting Christmas Markets in larger cities on weekends because of reduced hotel rates. This is true (some but not all hotels do), but crowding at these Christmas Markets can be horrible then. Being stuck in the middle of a crowd and not being able to move or see things is not pleasant. I live fairly close to the Stuttgart Christmas Market and visit frequently during the week, but I have learned never to do it on weekends except early in the morning or by staying on the fringes.

Some smaller villages and towns only have their Christmas Merkets open on weekends and these can be pleasant contrasts to the large ones.

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Living in Germany for several years, our favorite Christkindlmarkt had to be in the Altestadt (old city) area of Cologne, along the Rhine river. Gorgeous.

Amsterdam to Wolfsburg

What is the most efficient (time or money wise) method of travel to get from Amsterdam to Wolfsburg Germany? Bus or train? Also, if I was looking to maybe do some short trips to Munich/Berlin should I look into a pass instead of a point to point ticket?

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Best connection Amsterdam-Wolfsburg is the direct IC train in 4:40 hours

Have a look at www.bahn.de

Munich and Berlin are not on the way

It might be possible to visit Berlin from Wolfsburg. It is only about 1 hour from there.

Munich is in the south of Germany , 6 hours from Wolfsburg, 8-9 hours from Amsterdam.

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Bus is not a viable travel option in Germany (except between Berlin and Hamburg). You have the choice between train and renting a car. For the train see www.bahn.de (click on %26quot;Internat. Guests%26quot; for English). It is not far from Wolfsburg to Berlin, but a quite long trip to Munich.

The shortest, fastest and also cheapest connection from Amsterdam to Wolfsburg is 4 h 40 min and costs 69 Euro.

Wolfsburg to Berlin is between 58 min and 1 h 20 min, the price is 31-39 Euro.

Wolfsburg to Munich: between 5 h 20 min and 6 h with one change, 102 Euro one way.

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Germany-Benelux Rail Pass

raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_germany…

Germany Rail Pass

raileurope.com/us/…germany_index.htm

Berlin is only a short trip from Wolfsburg.

Munich not.

other ideas

Braunschweig

http://www.braunschweig.de/english/index.html

Wolfenbüttel

wolfenbuettel-tourismus.de/cgi-bin/main.pl…

Harz Mountains

germany-tourism.co.uk/pages/itineraries_harz…

e.g. Goslar, Quedlingburg, Wernigerode

http://www.quedlinburg.de/neu/englisch/

www.wernigerode-tourismus.de/intro.html

hsb-wr.de/hsb_barrierefrei/…hsb_e.htm

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And in Wolfsburg itself the Autostadt of course

http://www.autostadt.de/info/cda/main/0,3606,2~,00.html

http://www.tourismus-wolfsburg.de/cmt/en/

5 Day travel along rhine river(cities, castles, what else...

Dear all.

Me and my wife are planning 5 days Germamny touring travel in March(10~15) especially along the Rhine river. This is our first time to be there by the way.

We will depart from Brussel to Cologne(not sure - please anyone tell me the suitable HQ for my plan). We%26#39;d like to see things like castles around the Rhine river and the cities.

Please advise me how to plan the route.

And just recommend any hotel(or B%26amp;B) with best money-value.

Happy new year.

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Hi Novasuh!

Actually Brussels and Cologne are neither very suitable headquarters for your Rhine Valley cruise. Even though Cologne is situated on the shore of the Rhine river, the part that is most picturesque is a couple of miles further south. If you only want to do the Rhine river cruise, I would recommend staying somewhere near Koblenz. The %26quot;classic%26quot; river cruise would start in St. Goar / St. Goarshausen and lead south to Rüdesheim (or - even better, but from Brussels not very handy - the other way round). This is doable in one day per ship. On the other hand, you might want to stay in a castle in the area overnight or visit some towns along the Rhine river. Then of course, your trip could take much longer.

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Fully agree with MarkK

Cologne is for sure worth a trip for a day, but the most interesting part of the rivey valley is located between Bonn in the north and Bingen in the south with the part between Koblenz and Bingen being something like the highlight. Accomodation will be better price/value in these cities as well compared to cologne.

I%26#39;d suggest you pick either one of the three cities (Bingen, Koblenz, Bonn) as the starting point; Koblenz might indeed be a good idea, maybe even for a short trip into the River Mosella Valley.

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I%26#39;d have to rely on the 2 previous posters opinion about the Rhine from Koblenz to Köln. We haven%26#39;t seen that part of the Rhine. But the middle Rhine from Bingen to Koblenz is wonderful. There are many vineyards, villages, castles, hills and valleys. You could stay at a castle hotel or there is one castle that has a hostel on the Rhine in that area. And there is a castle that offers an apartment to stay in as well.

You could choose Koblenz or Bingen as a base or any village in between, such as St. Goar or Bacharach. You can easily reach the other villages by train. We stayed in Bingen as we had friends there.

From Koblenz, you should see Marksburg castle in Braubach.

You should visit Rüdesheim one day. Ride the seilbahn/chairlift to the Neiderwald Monument.

KD is the big-boat operator on the Rhine and Mosel river, if you want to do a cruise to Marksburg and take the train back. There are smaller operators based out of Bingen as well.

For your train travel use the Rheinland-Palatinate länder ticket.(When at the ticket machine at the station - push the %26quot;länder%26quot; button and select %26quot;gruppentageskarte bis 5 personen%26quot;). It%26#39;s good for up to a group of 5 after 09:00 and on the weekend. You get a 20% discount if you show it at the KD office for a boat cruise.

Some websites to check out-

Bingen-Ruedesheimer line. Goes as far as St. Goar, with several stops along the way, including Bacharach.

bingen-ruedesheimer.com/rhine-cruise/index.h…

Roessler Line - shorter cruise, doesn%26#39;t go to Bacharach/St. Goar

roesslerlinie.de/rhine_assmannshausen_castle…

KD-

http://www.k-d.com/englisch/index.html

Here%26#39;s the website and picture of what the seilbahn looks like-

http://www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de/

Rüdesheim%26#39;s website in English. Check the sightseeing tab for Niederwald monument and its forest-

http://www.ruedesheim.de/en/index.html

Burg Rheinstein apartment:

http://www.burg-rheinstein.de/index_e.htm

Castles along the Rhine, just click on a castle name to see it%26#39;s description:

www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php…

another website - castles in Rhineland-Palatinate from Bingen to Koblenz.

http://www.roadstoruins.com/saarbrucken.html

Schlosshotel Rheinfels

http://www.schloss-rheinfels.de/

Schönburg Castle

www.hotel-schoenburg.com/rhine-river-map/

Stahleck Castle

www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php…

Hotel Burg Reichenstein

www.caltim.com/reichenstein/#Burg%20hotel

A few hotel websites in Bingen:

www.nh-hotels.com - this is the largest convention hotel in Bingen and is right on the Rhine. I suggest you try looking here first for a room in Bingen. It%26#39;s convenient to everything.

www.weingut-hemmes.de

www.weinhotel-michel.de

www.hotel-krone-bingen.de

www.servicehotel.org

www.hotel-koeppel.de

City of Bingen am Rhein%26#39;s website-

www.bingen.de/tourist/englisch/index.php

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Thank you to all...

It is really helpful for us...

Transportation Berlin-Cologne

Hi, can anyone tell me about a cheap to way to go from Berlin to Cologne round trip? Thanks

|||

With the types of day trips you plan:

Euro Domino

bahn.de/p/…offers_europeans.shtml

3 days 3 2nd class EUR 189,00 (%26lt;25y EUR 139,00)

additional day EUR 20 (%26lt;25y EUR 15,00)

DB timetable

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

Normal single ticket Cologne to Berlin is EUR 93,00.

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For flights try

http://www.germanwings.com

http://www.hlx.com

http://www.flydba.com

http://www.lufthansa.com

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I have found on the DB website the cheapest return fare between Cologne and Berlin is 93 Euros.

|||

Yes, but the discounted fare is for pre-booking; you have to book for a certain train, at least 7 days in advance and the return has to be over the weekend or so.

|||

... and these Sparpreis 50 (50% discount) tickets are restricted in numbers. The chance to get such a ticket if you plan to travel e.g. on a Friday or Sunday afternoon/evening is slim.

|||

Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it, and... are there any bus companies that run from Berlin to Cologne, I feel it can be cheaper than the train?

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Andresgv,

are you in Germany only for a short time or visiting frequently? In the latter case buy a BahnCard 50, you will get 50% discount on the train tickets without any contingents or prebooking.

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Thanks a lot, I will be in Germany only one 8 days. 4 of them in Berlin and the other four on Cologne. From Cologne I´m planning to travel to Belgium and maybe Luxemburg. These is gonna be in the end of december and I´m looking for a cheaper way of transportation than the train, if its possible. Thanks you very much.

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If you are in Germany only for a few days you should not spend all the time on buses. Where a train need 4 hours the bus often takes 8 - as I said, if there is a bus at all.

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@andresgv:

If I were you I would fly from Cologne to Berlin. If you book in advance tickets are usually cheaper than the train ticket.

Cheapest tickets are available for Tue-Thu and Sat.

Lufthansa offers tickets for 69,-EUR (ow) all incl. (no advance booking period):

lufthansa.com/online/…

%26quot;HLX%26quot; (www.hlx.com, Cologne-Berlin Tegel) has its %26quot;Happy Hour%26quot; on Tuesdays. Tickets for next week Mon, Tue,... still available for as little as 32,-EUR (ow) all incl. Same for %26quot;dba%26quot; (www.flydba.com, Cologne-Berlin Tempelhof)with tickets from 37,-EUR (ow) all inkl., Germanwings (www.germanwings.com, Cologne-Berlin Schönefeld) from 42,-EUR (ow) all. inkl.

Stadthausbrücke

In the centre of Hamburg there is a street named %26#39;Stadthausbrücke%26#39;. There is also an S-Bahn station on this road with the same name. The literal English translation of %26#39;Stadthausbrücke%26#39; is %26#39;city house bridge%26#39;.

What exactly is the %26#39;city house%26#39;? I don%26#39;t think it is a reference to the city hall, as this is of course known in German as %26#39;Rathaus%26#39;, and as I walked through the street I could not see any building denoted as the %26#39;Stadthaus%26#39;.

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dict.leo.org says Stadthaus = townhouse

There is no real fix defination.

A Stadthaus can be a town hall

www.mobil-potsdam.de/s_stadthaus_62.htm

or another public building

mannheim.de/io2/…20N1

http://www.stadthaus.ulm.de/

or a hotel

http://www.das-stadthaus.de/index2.html

something older

hvbimmobilien.de/projekte/index_1000176.html

or less old

das-neue-dresden.de/stadthaus-dresden1923.ht…

or just a plan for the future

lbs.de/west/…lbs-stadthaus

or something you can buy %26quot;out of the box%26quot;

hausausstellung.de/Das-Stadthaus-Flair-124-I…

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If i%26#39;m not totally mistaken, the Stadthaus refers to the building which now harbours the Baubehörde, the turn of the century building on the corner of the Neuer Wall. Notorious, because it was once the Hamburg Gestapo HQ.

Cheers, Dieter

Apartment in Berlin for seven on Paddys weekend??

We are seven friends who have decided to go to Berlin over the Saint Patricks weekend.

We are thinking that it might be cheaper to get one or two apts rather than a hotel but we are not reaaly sure where to look for these.

We are coming over on the 17th of March and returning to Dublin on the 20th.

We would prefer to stay near Mitte or Prenlauer Berg if possible.

Any suggestions please....??

Gary

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http://www.cityroom-berlin.com/index.html

http://www.berlinzimmer.de/

http://www.ferienwohnung-zimmer-berlin.de/

Don%26#39;t have any experiences with these so far, just what Google found after a quick search.

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We booked through www.123berlinzimmer.de for a rental on Novalisstrasse in Mitte for last Easter. The apartment (slept 3-4) was wonderful perfect, and service excellent from booking system and renter. There%26#39;s loads of choice of stuff on the site in Mitte and Prenzlauerberg.

Other cheap option I%26#39;ve used is Etaphotel Potsdamerplatz. 43€ for one, 50€ for two. Basic but ensuite and excellent position. Manned desk until 10pm. Basic breakfast at 5€ optional.I%26#39;ve stayed there twice.

Next door is Ibis, slightly less basic, and also suitehotel (or similar name). all part of accor group.

|||

Thanks for the suggetsions.

I went on google myself and had a look at some sites but wanted to see if anyone had had an experience of a particular place.

anymore advice will be welcome too.

Thanks again guys.

Gary

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Perhaps:

http://berlin-holiday-flats.com/

Winter Badeschiff !

Hi,

anyone been to the new Winter Badeschiff - the winter version of the summertime riverside pool? It looks great, like some stranded UFO, and has a 25m pool and a sauna. Can%26#39;t wait to go!

http://www.kulturarena-berlin.de/609.aspx

Any other tips for cool pools and saunas in Berlin?

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You could check out the Liquidrom www.liquidrom.com, seems to be closed right now though.

Not exactly Berlin, but you could do a day trip there. www.my-tropical-islands.com

|||

@ Berlinjgal - I thought the Liquidrom is closed?

@ Delaforce - perhaps the Turkish Hamam (for women):

http://www.hamamberlin.de/

Also see:

berlin-tourist-information.de/english/berlin…

North or South of the Bahnhof?

I will be staying in Munich for about 1 week and wonder if the North or South side of the Bahnhof is better to stay in.

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I assume you are talking of München Hauptbahnhof.

Why limit yourself to being in the area around the station? Munich has an excellent network of underground and suburban trains as well as trams and buses, which serve every corner of the city; so if it%26#39;s public transport that is your main concern, don%26#39;t worry!

In all honesty, I wouldn%26#39;t recommend staying in the area of the Hauptbahnhof anyway. There are quite a few strip clubs and s*x-orientated businesses nearby. Why not search for something over towards the Marienplatz/Isartor area?

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I would agree with LondonParisBerlin – sort of !

Because we travel Europe by train, our visits to Münich are usually only 4 or 5 night so we stay across the street south of the Hauptbahnhof at the Hotel Europäischer Hof [http://www.heh.de/e/default.htm] and make use of the excellent public transportation to quickly get around town. Our primary reason to not pick somewhere closer to Marienplatz has been cost and we have never had any problems with the area.

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%26amp;gt;%26amp;gt;dougb328

Could I just point out to you that you seem to make a common mistake in your English spelling of the German word %26#39;München%26#39;.

Munich is spelt WITHOUT an umlaut over the u. Thus, Münich is incorrect.

BTW, no offence intended. I just though you may genuinely not know.

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We stayed in south hauptbahnhof area. Yes, there was a strip club/nudie bar on our street(Hotel Royal on Schillerstraße), but the area is safe. We walked from the hotel to the hbf several times during the night w/our little kids and did not feel unsafe any time. Anyway, stay where ever you get a good deal. The trip on the S-bahn to Marienplatz from the hbf takes only a couple minutes. We purchased the 3 day Munich card for the public transportation.

Are you looking at venere%26#39;s website for Munich?

en.venere.com/germany/hotels_munich/…

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Hi,

I would definetly recommend the MEININGER City Hostel, Landsbergerstrasse 20. 1 Stop from the main train station with the SBahn till Hackerbrucke.

You will find across the street the best (and cheapest)beer hall in Munich!

good place to stay in dusseldorf for 7 weeks that's not a...

Hi there!!

Question: I%26#39;m travelling over to dusseldorf on business for 7 weeks. Alone. Which can get verrrrrry boring. Especially since i don%26#39;t have a word of german. Kinda dreading going over actually. Anyone know a good place to stay where i might have the chance of meeting other english speaking people maybe travelling? aussies, americans, british, irish etc etc

I%26#39;ve been there for a week in december and the hotel i was staying in was one of those cold soulless business type hotels out in a business park type area. Grim. Every evening surrounded by depressed looking businessmen dining alone in the hotel restaurant with cheesy musak playing in the background, the only other option then is to head up to my room and flick through 25 channels, with only one in English. There’s only so much CNN International a man can watch. So I want to find somewhere more suitable to stay. Would even consider getting myself a room in a hostel. Just somewhere with a bit of life!

Anyone any suggestions?!

Thanks a million!!

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Why don%26#39;t you just find yourself a room some place close to the old town of Dusseldorf? I don%26#39;t know whether you took a trip there in December, but there are at least five Irish pubs which are frequently visited by lots of english speaking tourists, businesspeople and some kind of irish community. The same applies to some other pubs/bars downtown. Try to avoid a Friday or Saturday for your first visit unless you don%26#39;t have a problem with really packed pubs. Another idea is the Ratinger Street on Wednesdays which is more popular to locals between 20 and 35 and has less tourists than the old town. But basically there are a lot of english speaking people or some kind of expat community as far as I can tell as a local.

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Three Options:

Hotel Orangerie, close to %26quot;Altstadt%26quot; but quiet , great Atmosphere, little boutique hotel - Tons of Tourists in walking distance, pubs etc. closeby. Pubs frequented by english speaking travellers from all over the world, specifically the irish variant ;-)

Two: Great Place that feels like home away from home: Burns Art Hotel. They rent great stylish, furnished Appartments. Always a few people staying there long time, should be possible to make contact. Close to central station.

Three: SAS Radisson Mediaharbour. Great design hotel in the center of the posh %26quot;Hafen%26quot; area. Fantastic restaurant and clubs in walking distance, less touristy, cinema with english speaking movies next door, very international scene. Less pedestrian traffic than Altstadt, you need to be a little bit more proactive trying to intermingle. But much classier.

One is for beer lovers. Two is for wine drinkers and thai food lovers, three is for prosecco afficionados.

Enjoy!

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Actually, I would try t go for a mitwohnzentrale - these people offer rooms where you can share a flat with other people. It sure has the more personal side to it and is a lot more cheaper. Otherwise, I would certainly agree with superfliege.

Let us know when you are there and we have a Altbier somewhere. I live close to the Schumachers Brewery - close to the main station.

Cheers

girls only trip

My girlfriends and I are planning a ladies only week in Germany? We are all early 20s and want a fun party atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where in Germany we should head? Chelle

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Well, you can just show up in any major city and ask, %26quot;Where%26#39;s the party?%26quot; Major cities everywhere (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, etc.) will have bars, clubs, and beerhalls, of course. So you might want to use some other criteria to plan your trip - get some specific cities and towns agreed upon on the basis of the sights or the food or the history or the architecture or the music - and then scope out the best %26quot;party%26quot; spots in those places. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get some more specific suggestions once you provide some specific destinations.

The other alternative is to plan to visit one or two festivals, where Germans are at their partying most. There are all kinds. Wine fests, beer fests, sausage fests, folk fests, music fests, auto-free bike fests, and more, at many different times of the year. What time of year do you plan to go? Provide a travel window and you%26#39;ll probably get some help.

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I would go to Munich- its a blast! There is lots to do during the day and a great nightlife there. You can do some fun day trips as well.

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Head to the big cities...Munich is nice but very expensive...Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin are good for having fun. It just belongs to your interests.

Cologne is a good choice because there you have a few other cities nearby wich are worth a visit (Duesseldorf etc.).

Berlin is good because it%26#39;s cheap and the nightlife (especially the club scene) is outstanding in Europe.

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My 22 year old son loved Berlin...lived there for 6 months going to school last year...he said lots of nightlife and things to see in the daytime.

|||

It really depends on what you are looking for.

Munich is a typical Bavarian Town - close to the Alps, nice clubs - rather chic. The boys are probably a lot more galant there than anywhere else ;-)

Cologne and Berlin are more trendy and you will find more unusal clubs (some of them rahter on the dark side but very interesting). Cologne is a rahter ugly city but a fun place to be.

Berlin is cool and a lot cheaper than any other big city in Europe... also lots of museums, trendy shops and interesting buildings.

It%26#39;s up to you!

5 days in Berlin / Berlin to Zurich

I have a questions below.

1. I have to leave my husband 5 days during the day time in March. Please advise where he should visit and what he should do.

2. After the business trip, we plan to go to Zurich. Which mode of transportation that we should use?

Thanks a lot.

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Don%26#39;t worry there is enough to do and see in Berlin for your husband.

Places to see: Zitadelle Spandau, Schloß Charlottenburg, Ku%26#39;Damm area with Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Church, Potsdamer Platz, Holocaust Memorial, Schloß Bellevue, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden with it%26#39;s old building, Berliner Dom, Nikolaivirtel, Alexanderplatz with TV Tower, Rote Rathaus, Hackescher Markt, Friedrichstraße, Gendarmenmarkt, Checkpoint Charlie, Neue Synagoge … just to name some of the well known ones.

If your husband gets bored of sightseeing than there are heaps of muesums he could visit like the Pergamon Museum.

There are quite a few walking tours offered in Berlin. I did the Brewers Tour when I had friends over for a visit and I really liked the tour.

If your husband still has some time left he could do a day trip to Potsdam which is easily reached by public transport.

Air Berlin flies - if I%26#39;m not mistaken - from Berlin to Zurich, you could check their website www.airberlin.com. It%26#39;s definitely the quickest option. Otherwise you could check the train on www.bahn.de. Click on Intern. Guests and you will have everything available in English.

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Concerning 1 I am sure there are better Berlin expert on this forum. About 2: there are two reasonable possibilities, flying (Air Berlin is probably the best idea for a one way ticket) or a night train (CityNightLine). The latter has also cheap promotion tickets (SparNight) that you should book in advance, like with an airline.

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Flights:

Berlin-Tegel Airport -%26amp;gt; Zurich

-%26amp;gt; www.airberlin.com

(Tickets from 47,-EUR (ow) all incl. still available for March)

Swiss and Lufthansa fly the same route for a little more money!

Transportation Frankfurt-Madrid

Hi, can anyone tell me which is the cheapest way to go from Madrid to Berlin, no matter if it´s by air or land.

Thanks

|||

I would say there are no cheap land connection. Look at www.ebookers.de or www.skyscanner.com for cheap flights. My guess would be Air Berlin or HLX, but maybe there are alternatives...

|||

Also possible :

by bus : http://www.deutsche-touring.de/

|||

Molineros,

yes it is possible - if you are ready to sit 24 h in a bus...

|||

Why does your title ask about Frankfurt and your question about Berlin?

Surprisingly, it is cheaper to fly with Iberia and Lufthansa than Air Berlin between Madrid and the German capital. A return fare with Air Berlin is around €300 whereas with Iberia its nearer €200. Lufthansa quotes a fare of only €90 return* between the two cities via Munich or Frankfurt on its Spanish website.

www.airberlin.com

www.iberia.com

www.lufthansa.es

*based on MAD%26amp;gt;TXL on 17 Apr 2006; TXL%26amp;gt;MAD on 26 Apr 2006.

|||

Sorry. I%26#39;m not quite sure why my post appears five times. I don%26#39;t know if one of you TripAdvisor people could delete four of them...

|||

thanks you very much

How far is Kaiserlautern from Munich airport-driving

Thanks

|||

The distance between Munich and Kaiserslautern is around 200 miles (300 km).

Kaiserlautern hotel for USA vs Italy world cup

I am not having any luck finding hotels in Kaiserlautern for June 17th. Can someone recommend a near by city that might have something?? Is Munich far? thanks

|||

Munich and Kaiserslautern are at the opposite ends of southern Germany. It%26#39;s about 300 km in between. You could consider staying in Mannheim or Saarbrücken, these are middle-sized cities about 50-60 km east resp. west of Kaiserslautern. The rail line from Mannheim to Saarbrücken with good connections is passing through K%26#39;lautern, so you won%26#39;t have any problems getting to the games from any of those cities. Try also Neustadt (Weinstrasse), it%26#39;s a smaller city between Mannheim and Kaiserslautern. Is a bit more convenient I think..

|||

Munich is quite a considerable distance from Kaiserslautern. It%26#39;s probably near to 200 miles between them.

I suggest you look for hotels in places such as Ludwigshafen (am Rhein) or Mannheim, which are both within easy reach of Kaiserslautern. It takes around an hour to reach Kaiserslautern by S-Bahn train from either, as opposed to four to five hours by train from Munich (with multiple changes).

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check www.hrs.de. I found more than 100 hotels in every price range for your date (you might want to consider hotels in the area (50km), because the surroundigs of Kaiserslautern are quite nice, whereas the city itself ist not very spectacular, being the smallest city that hosts the World Cup).

chinese guide

I will visit the world cup with 5 friends. And want to find a guide who can speak chinese and drive us travel in Germany. Where can I find the guide?

|||

If you are going to actually be in Frankfurt, why not contact their tourist information office and ask them.

Frankfurt Airport - VAT Offices ?

I could not find any information on the FRA website [www.frankfurt-airport.de/] about VAT office locations and hours, so I sent an E-mail. Reply was that there was no information on the website and to contact grd-guenther@t-online.de - so I have done so.

Can any of you help answer the question ?

|||

In my over a year old tax free Shopping Guide Stuttgart they state:

Welcome to Germany, the Shopper%26#39;s Paradise.

You will love all the international luxury articles and top-quality products. And - as a tourist from outside the European Union, you can save up to 12.7% Value Added Tax. Make use of this concession. 1) Buy from stores with the tax free sign. 2)Ask in the store for a Tax Free Cheque. 3) Have the Cheque stamped by German customs when leaving Germany. If you leave Germany for another EU country before returning home you should ask for a customs stamp at the point where you finally quit the EU internal market. 4) Hand the Cheque in and collect straight cash at more than 700 payment points in Europe. Tax Free Shopping - it%26#39;s that easy.

Further, it states: Cash Refund Office in:

Terminal 1, Hall A, B, C, C23

Departures Terminal 2

between Hall D and E

Unfortunately, they have never republshed this free booklet. Although only 64 pages, it was jam-packed with useful information for both tourists and residents of Stuttgart, better than guides you pay for. By the way, Metzingen (35 km south of Stuttgart), a town of 22,000 people, has the most factory outlets of anywhere in Germany. Stuttgart itself is a good place to shop with Germany%26#39;s second largest department store and a large pedestrianised area. During the Christmas Market thousands of Swiss come each day by special busses, not only for it, but also the cheaper shopping.

|||

I see that I neglected to say that the places of the cash back offices mentioned are in the Frankfurt Airport (just in case you thought it might refer to the Stuuttgart Airport).

|||

By the way - this information exists on the Frankfurt Airport website:

airportcity-frankfurt.com/cms/default/dok/71…

|||

Thank you “abalada”

The responce from my second E-mail was:

“We have offices in

Terminal 1 Hall A ( level 3 behind passport control - left)open from 08.00a.m to 2.30 p.m

Terminal 1 Hall B landside ( Counter 643 departure hall B ) from 06.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Terminal 1 Hall B airside ( level 2 behind passport control- left ) 07.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.

In Teminal 2 ( D / E ) Level 3 behind the passport control ( make a u- turn to the left ) D/E open from 8.00a.m. to 10.00p.m.

Sincerely,

E. Günther

Stationmanager”

In Muncih on April 21 and 23

Where should we stay and what should we see in Munich for two days?

|||

Hard to answer without knowing your budget for a hotel and what your interests are--please provide more information.

Stop Over in Frankfurt

Hi: I will be stopping in Frankfurt for 6 hours in early Feb. I would like to leave the airport and experience the City. Is there enough time for me to go by train and where should I go? One important factor is that I arrive at 6:30am, so may need to find a coffee shop until everything opens.

Finally, I heard it is extremely smokey inside the Frankfurt airport. Is this true? I have problems with cigerette smoke and am quite concerned.

Thanks.

|||

You should have plenty of time to visit Frankfurt. Just catch the local train (S-bahn) and take it to the main train station. Get a map and some tourist information there and wander around downtown until it%26#39;s time to go back.

Frankfurt airport certainly isn%26#39;t smoke-free, but some areas are smokier than others and some fairly smoke-free although most of the airport is supposedly no smoking. This would be a good reason to visit the city.

|||

Thank you for the info!

|||

Is there a place/locker at the airport to store carry-on luggage while I venture into the City? Also, can you suggest what part of the airport might be less smokey? Thanks.

|||

We arrived on a Saturday at 10:00 from Chicago. The first thing I noticed was how smoky it was. There were people at the breakfast/coffee bar at our terminal smoking a cigarette and drinking their coffee. From the International terminal to Terminal 1 and 2 - all I noticed how smoky it was. We spent a little over an hour there going through customs and getting our baggage, bathroom breaks, bringing luggage to our friends car for transfer to their house etc.... And my eyes started to get a little watery/red - not exaggerating. I do have mild asthma and use a rescue inhaler on occassion - but I did not get that bad.

However, when we left for home the smoke cleared up. We left on a Saturday as well. I don%26#39;t know why it wasn%26#39;t as smoky, but did appreciate the difference.

Baggage Storage-

%26gt;%26gt;Terminal 1: Area B, Level 1, open 24 hours, and Area B/C, Level 2 daily from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M.

%26gt;%26gt;Terminal 2: Area D, Level 2, daily from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M.

Baggage lockers-

1 euro-2euro/2hrs. up to a storage time of 72 hours. Terminal 1: Area B, Level 2(Transit); Terminal 2: Area D, Level 2

There are 2 platforms for train arrivals/departures at the Frankfurt Main Airport - the fernbahnhof and the regional bahnhof.

Take the S-bahn train(direct train, 16 min trip) from the regional bahnhof to Frankfurt Hauptwache and you will be right in the middle of the tourist area. If you take the train to the Frankfurt hauptbahnhof(main station), you have a little walk(15 mins or so) to get the Hauptwache/Römerberg area. There is a tourist info office at the hauptbahnhof where you can get a Frankfurt map for .50 euro cents, not sure of the Hauptwache stop though. The sightseeing area is compact and can be covered in a few hours.

A few sites to see in your time there would be the Dom(old church), Römer and Römerberg(half timbered houses and city hall) area (across from each other), the iron bridge - Eiserner Steg, and the riverwalk by there. If you take the train to Häuptwache, Katharinenkirche(a yellow church) is right there.

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The less likely to be smokey areas of the airport in my experience are the areas after security controls when leaving. An unoccuped departure lounge is probably about as good as it gets (there is a nice area in which you can even stretch out and sleep if not being used, I believe in Terminal 2 that used to be used by El Al flights but now is used for flights to the US). I imagine when morning long distance over night flights arrive that this would be one of the smokiest times as smokers have been deprived from smoking on the flights and will want to get a nicotine fix.

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Thanks for the great tips!

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Maybe %26quot;marcopolko%26quot; is right because when we left for Chicago it was on a Saturday afternoon as oppose to our morning arrival.

The S-bahn trains that go to Frankfurt hauptbahnhof and Hauptwache are the S8 or S9 from the regionalbahnhof station at the airport. I believe they depart from platform 1. You can buy your tickets at the ticket machines, some have English as an option or go to the ticket agent and ask.

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Of course I arrive on a Sat morning on one of those overnight atlantic flights :)

Its good to know what to expect. I%26#39;m hoping there might be less traffic in this off-season. Escaping to the city sounds like the perfect plan--I%26#39;m traveling solo on this trip, so I really appreciate all the info and am feeling good about the plan!

I may even bring a mask in case I start to feel sick--just hate wearing it because, as you can imagine, everyone stares.

Castle Hotel on Boppard side of Rhine

Can anyone give me a suggestion for a castle hotel on the same side of the Rhine as Boppard? Castle Leibenstein looks like a nice Castle Hotel, but it is on the other side and would require either a ferry or additional driving to the nearest bridge. Thanks for your help.

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Burg Rheinstein is a castle not far from Bingen where you can sleep and it%26#39;s on the Boppard (left side) of the river, not far by train from Boppard. Otherwise, don%26#39;t know any other castle you can sleep in on that side. - there%26#39;s a romantic tower apartment and a family apartment for rent.

Burg Rheinstein apartment:

http://www.burg-rheinstein.de/index_e.htm

Castles along the Rhine, just click on a castle name to see it%26#39;s description:

www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php…

another website - castles in Rhineland-Palatinate from Bingen to Koblenz.

http://www.roadstoruins.com/saarbrucken.html

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Read your question again. Was just clicking on some castles from one of the websites I gave you and looks like a few other castles have a hostel or hotel you can stay at on the same side as Boppard. Otherwise, if you want to stay in an actual castle, you can do that at Burg Rheinstein.

Schlosshotel Rheinfels

http://www.schloss-rheinfels.de/

Schönburg Castle

www.hotel-schoenburg.com/rhine-river-map/

Stahleck Castle

www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php…

Hotel Burg Reichenstein

www.caltim.com/reichenstein/#Burg%20hotel

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Thanks for the information!

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Can%26#39;t help you with a castle hotel. We have stayed some 6/7 times in Hotel Gunther Garni in Boppard. A room looking over Rhine Alley with a view of the Rhine is excellent.

www.hotelguenther.de

email info@hotelguenther.de

J Bolling(Scotland)

Two weeks - itinerary suggestions

I am traveling for two weeks (for the first time) with my boyfriend who is stationed in Paderborn. I thought we could drive to Berlin to start our two week adventure. I would love any suggestions on what sort of route to take in Germany that would A)See the main sites B)Also suggest some off the beaten track ideas C)Suggest how much time in each area. We will have a car and plan on using it for the full two weeks. I just want to make sure I avoid driving for hours with no direction! Any ideas?

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I notice you have not received any response so far. I suggest rather than leave everything open you do a bit research and narrow down your choices. The best would be do start out with some itinerary and then let people pick it apart.

One suggestion: Take the train from Paderborn to Berlin, and pick up your car when you are coming to the end of your stay. A car is just a nuisance in Berlin.

Here are a couple of suggestions for you to look up: Drive from Berlin to Leipzig and Dresden. Then head southwest toward Bamberg -Rothenburg - Fuessen. Return to Koblenz via via Lindau - Freiburg - Baden-Baden - Heidelberg - Fankfurt, drive along the Rhein.Drop off car in Koblenz and take train back to Paderborn.

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Treplow%26#39;s suggestion makes a lot of sense, Lboogie. You should definitely take in the Rhine valley with its castles, vineyards and lovely little towns and villages. The Deutsche Eck in Koblenz is famous, it%26#39;s the confluence of Moselle and Rhine and has a huge memorial to Wilhelm II, last emperor of Germany. Bit touristy but still worth seeing. You could also go further up the Rhine valley to Bonn, a lovely town and the former capital.

Just a question, though, are you hiring the car or is it a car that your boyfriend owns? Because obviously you won%26#39;t have to return the car if it%26#39;s yours. If you%26#39;re hiring make sure to enquire about charges applying to renting the car in one place but returning it in another place.

Get yourself a good map of Germany, have a look at the route Treplow suggested and see what you think. It%26#39;s a lot of driving but that way you%26#39;ll see loads of beautiful Germany!

Good luck with your planning, have a wonderful trip!

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You need to define your likes a bit. A good place to start is a travel book. I like Michelin Green Guide for Germany, but others have their favorites.

Michelin%26#39;s has a couple maps up front that lay out the principal sights and possible driving routes. Look up a couple places and see if the appeal to your imagination. We were stationed in Germany as well and our trip planning usually started with the Michelin.

Regards, Gary

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You don%26#39;t mention when you are travelling. There is the possibility to attend an exotic interesting event like the Narrensprung in Rottweil (Alemmanic carnival in February) or spring or fall beer festivals, etc. The suggestion to use the Michelin Green guide is good, although I have never used one for Germany but for other countries. I like to look at books full of pictures (use your library, and not only just travel books) and from them select places of interest to visit. I personally have non-travel books about areas and places in Germany, castles, monasteries, churches, etc. which help me when I want to visit places in Germany.

Because you will have a car, I would concentrate mainly on non-urban areas where driving and parking would be easier. In and close to cities use the excellent public transportation. There are two places that I think shouldn%26#39;t be missed, Neuschwanstein Castle (for lovely views of the lit-up by night castle and an excellent hotel stay at the Villa Jaegerhaus in Hohenschwangau) and the walled town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Both are likely to be jam-packed with tourists in the summer, so if possible visit at another time of year, or wander around in the early morning or evening when most have disappeared. I also like Schwaebisch Hall (also see nearby walled Comburg Monastery), by visiting the new modern art museum there you can get a nice mix of new and old Germany and the contrast is interesting. For a similar effect, my favorite sight in the Staatsgalerie art museum in Stuttgart is Hansen%26#39;s life-like cleaning lady sitting on the floor in front of more classical art.

An off the beaten track idea is to visit the state stables at Marbach south of Stuttgart. The stables are in the pleasant countryside of the Scwaebische Alb. You can enter the actual stables and be near to these magnificent large high-spirited animals. Nearby is also the very picturesque Lichtenstein Castle sitting on the edge of a high cliff. It and nearby Hohenzollern Castle (Hechingen) are fairy tale-like castles that rival Neuschwanstein, but there is only one Neuschwanstein, best I think in the snow. I personally like Oberschwaben (between Ulm and the Bodensee-Lake Constance). It is full of wonderful baroque churches and monasteries. Steinhausen (south of Biberach) has been called the most beautiful village church in the world, rightfully by me and my wife.

Germany is full of wonderful things to see and do, you can hardly go wrong wherever you decide to visit.

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This is fantastic advice, I really appreciate it since I%26#39;ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed! My trip starts March 25 until April 7th. I would love to go to any festivals or events during this time so that there is that special something to look forward to. Again, thank you!

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Unfortunately, I think that your trip will be between most festivals. Carnival will be over and the Spring festivals will probably begin in later April into early May. I asked my German wife and she couldn%26#39;t think of any either. You should have a nice trip anyways, there is plenty of other things to see and do.

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Well, Lboogie, all I can say is: have a wonderful trip. I hope everything will turn out the way you want and that you will enjoy Germany and have a good time!

Romantic Road, Bavaria

We are planning a long weekend to Munich in the middle of May %26#39;06 and need advise on what to do on a Sunday. We have already visited the castles and Dachau and thought we would visit the Romantic Road. What is there? Is it worth a visit? Any other suggestions? Thank you!

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I think that Neuschwanstein Castle and the walled town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber are two of Germany%26#39;s best sights. The Residenz in Wuerzburg is also a top sight on the Romantic Road. However, these places are a fair distance from Munich and you would spend considerable time traveling. Salzburg, Austria is more convenient to visit and is one of my favorite cities in Europe.

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Take the train to Prien, about 56 minutes. Walk or take the old steam train (if is running by then) or the bus to Stock (about 15 minutes%26#39; walk), the landing pier for the boats to the Herrenchiemsee palace of King Ludwig II (of Neuschwanstein fame)There is a good restaurant shortly after you get off the boat, on your right up the hill; also cafeteria in the palace. Herrenchiemsee was Ludwig%26#39;s own palace of Versailles.

After viewing the palace and elaborate gardens, take the boat to the Fraueninsel. Nice old convent, with good restaurants and cafe and great view of the lake and mountains. You can also purchase some of the famous Chiemsee Likoer, a Benedictine liquor made by the nuns (in China?????). Then return by boat to Stock. Allow 4 hours for the whole trip, including lunch and coffee stops.

Day and Weekend Trip from Wiesbaden

Hi can any one recommend some day and/or weekend (1-2 days) trips from Wiesbaden? We%26#39;re new to the area. Have car.

Thanks

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Do you live in Wiesbaden or are you just visiting, and if so, for how long? Any special interests?

The Stuttgarter Zeitung today had a full page listing of carnival (Fasnacht)events almost all in Baden-Wuerttemberg from 28Jan to the 8Mar, most events occuring from 23Feb-28Feb. Such carnival events are interesting and fun. Perhaps visit probably the best, the Rottweil Narrensprung at 8AM on 27Feb, there are also events there on 26Feb and 28Feb. If you want to spend two or more days in the vicinity, the Castles of Hohenzollern (Hechingen) and Lichtenstein are very picturesque and fairy tale-like amid the cliff scenery of the Schwaebische Alb, close to Lichtenstein Castle is the state horse stables at Marbach which are interesting and the stalls can be visited, and the old college town of Tuebingen and nearby well preserved Bebenhausen Monastery are very nice.

Actually, you can probably just randomly throw a dart at a map and have a nice visit anywhere near where it lands. Germany is full of wonderful things to see and do. Only attending a special festival or event will require some previous knowledge and planning.

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thank you for all and any info!

We%26#39;re new to the area, living here now- we have yet to make friends and met many people since we don%26#39;t speak the language- although we%26#39;re trying.

intrests include bicycling, triathlons- we like the volksmarch, reading, attending shows and threatres etc... many interests...

i think we%26#39;re just trying to see more of germany and take in some history....

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I%26#39;m an American living in Stuttgart with my German wife. For things to do and see, join the local library and look into travel-type books for the Wiesbaden area and the rest of Germany, also France as it isn%26#39;t too far away. Some of the books may be in English (at least in the Stuttgart library). Also, go to book stores and buy some books about your area or particular things in which you%26#39;re interested. Even books entirely in German could be OK if they have lots of pictures in them as the place where the picture was taken will be identified. Many of the picture-type books will be in three languages (German, English, French) although the German part will be emphasized. Since we live in Baden-Wuerttemberg, one of my favorite books is such a three language book Baden-Wuerttemberg Sehenswert - Liebenswert crammed full of beautiful pictures of scenery, historic buldings, people and events in that German state. Then from these pictures I choose some of the places we visit which my wife hasn%26#39;t been to before or revisit. Wiesbaden is in Hesse, and I%26#39;m sure that they have similar books, also look into Rheinland-Pfalz.

Germany is excellent for biking, there are a lot of dedicated bicycle only trails. There are countless books on bicycle touring routes, unfortunately usually only in German, but the route and sites along it will be marked on an accompanying map. I believe that there are lots of Americans living in Wiesbaden, you could also ask their advice as some probably have the same interests as you. Also, it%26#39;s nice to occassionally attend cultural events like ballet, opera, other music, and visit some art galleries which may have special exhibitions. Try to be aware of local events as some of these can be interesting and quite fun. I%26#39;m sure that you will have a good time there.

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First you have to find when the big local events are. Would be a shame to miss them.

some ideas

Rose Monday Parade, Mainz

mainz.de/WGAPublisher/…mkuz-5tvcye.en.html

27.02.06 11:11

Sky Arena, Frankfurt

www.wm-frankfurt-2006.de/index.php…

3.,4. and 5. June 2006 11pm

Museumsuferfest, Frankfurt

http://www.museumsuferfest-frankfurt.de/

7.-9. July 2006

5. Ironman European Championchip, Frankfurt

http://www.ironman.de/

23. July 2006

590. Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt, Bad Dürkheim

http://www.duerkheimer-wurstmarkt.de/

8.-12. and 15.-18. Sep. 2006

Recommendations on accommodations during the World Cup

Hello,

My family of four, which includes a 7 and 10 year old, will be travelling to Stuttgart this summer for the World Cup. My husband and 10 year old will be going to the games, while I and my 7 year old will be touring the city. We will have a car. Can you recommend accommodations that will enable easy access to the Stadium and to the city centre?

Thank you!

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Almost anywhere within the large public transportation area of S-bahns, U-bahns and buses will allow easy access to the stadium and city center. However, I personally would stay in the city center if possible. My first recommendation would be for the City Hotel which is moderately priced and a block from our apartment. Two inexpensive alternatives are the Hotel Espenlaub and Alex 30 Hostel which I believe has a family room. For a more expensive small hotel you could try Der Zauberlehrling in the Bohnenviertel (old quarter of town) with its themed rooms and excellent restaurant.

However, obtaining a hotel room during the world cup may be very difficult or impossible in Stuttgart. My first choice then of a city outside of the public transportation system, but close and accessable by train would be the old college town of Tuebingen. Then you could have the car to sight see while your husband and one child went to the games.

For advice on things to see and do in and near Stuttgart click on my name to access some recent postings of mine, especially the ones dealing with children. If you have any further questions, I would be happy to answer them.

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I have just checked my recommended hotels and believe no rooms are available there. You probably should book your rooms as soon as possible as a few other hotels I looked at had some rooms, but most were booked during the time of the actual games. With a family of four this will necessitate in most hotels having two rooms, and add to your difficulties in finding a room. I also noticed that prices had gone up considerably during this time at most hotels. Having a car, you might book a room in a small town nearby not served by public transportation and get a much cheaper rate, but then it%26#39;s also possible that all park and ride parking lots in Stuttgart could be full.

Again, book your rooms as soon as possible.

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I just noticed that www.hotel.de had some rooms in Stuttgart and nearby, but there were very few hotels listed.

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Thank you for the advice on accommodations during the World Cup. I did manage to find one room not far from the City Center....it seems just in time. I will look to your other postings for suggestions on things to do in Stuttgart (besides the World Cup festivities, of course!)

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For getting around in Stuttgart you won%26#39;t need a car. Esp. not in the city centre or to the stadium.

When going to Stuttgart I use the trains or park my car with friends at the outskirts (lived near Stuttgart for 10 years) and use local public transport.

VVS (local public transport network of Stuttgart region)

http://www.vvs.de/en/index.php

You may consider e.g. the 3 day tickets

www.vvs.de/en/fahrk_fahrkarten_3tage.php

Parking is not easy to find. And not for free. Not in Stuttgart and not in the neighbouring towns.

http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/

Esslingen and Ludwigsburg are definitly worth a visit

esslingen-tourist.de/english/Sehenswert.htm

http://www.ludwigsburg.de

Both some 15 minutes by S-Bahn from Stuttgart (don%26#39;t think that you can do this in this time by car - you%26#39;ll more likely need 15 minutes to find a place there for your car alone).

And the coghweel train (line 10 - covered by a normal public transport) is worth the ride alone.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahnradbahn_Stuttgart