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Help needed regarding driving from Paris into Germany

Posted by (SF Bay Area, CA) on

Hi, I have been searching and reading posts for weeks, and finally decided to ask for more help specific to our trip. I have purchased roundtrip tickets to Paris for June 2020 (for 2 weeks) and was also able to get a rental car for super cheap from CDG for the entire time. There will be four of us including two kids (age 7 & 15). I have no issues driving in big cities and have driven in Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy on a previous trip many years ago.

I am trying to plan this trip to include spending at least a potion of the trip in Germany. I was hoping to get help planning a realistic driving route from Paris into Germany (staying for a few nights) and ending back in Paris. Is there a great city on the west side of Germany to Use as a home base and also take day trips from to castles and smaller towns?

Im sure I have left out important details. Any help or suggestions is appreciated.

Posted by
8315 posts

Since you mention castles, then consider the Mosel and maybe the Rhine. Trier and Koblenz are a bit bigger, but not too big and well located, but I suppose a small town along one of the rivers would work as well. I find the Mosel prettier and more interesting than the Rhine. You could spend time exploring the towns along the rivers, maybe a winery, and of course a choice of castles.

On the way there or back, Reims with a Cathedral and the Champagne region would be worth a stop, Luxembourg City as well. If you have any interest in WW II, Bastogne is right there. Cologne has another great Cathedral and a wonderful downtown area, Belgium offers some other options as well.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you for the quick replys Paul and Tom. We are trying to travel on a budget and had initially wanted to plan a trip only to germany. But we found a deal to Paris we couldn't pass up and so I am trying to get the best of both countries.

Is there a larger German city near the border with france that has a great historical looking/feeling old town?

Thank you for al your suggestions. I am looking into all the areas you two have mentioned.

Posted by
8315 posts

Then maybe look into Trier. You have Roman Ruins, a decent downtown, population of just over 100,000. You could day trip down the Mosel and hit some charming towns, visit the well preserved Burg Eltz, a nice slice of Germany.

Posted by
3 posts

Any suggestions for a hotel in trier?

Posted by
5697 posts

The Black Forest area is just over the border from France. We picked up a car in Strasbourg (had taken a train from Paris [2 hours] and spent a few days there) then drove through the Getman area basing in Gengenbach, then headed for Burgundy and Provence before taking a train back to Paris for the end of the trip. We did NOT have the car in Paris, and highly suggest you reconsider this part.

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