Belgium, Germany, eastern France

You have many choices for what to do in western central Germany Rhineland area.

Brussels is worth a day, in my opinion, be sure to go to the Grand Plaza.
Brugges is wonderful, also Ghent. Luxembourg is interesting, and between both areas that you plan to visit. If you rent a car, consider going to Lux city, then Viaden, Luxembourg and across the river to Trier, Germany.

I think 3 days in Cologne is a bit much. The main item there is the massive cathedral, one day is enough, so not sure where you plan to visit around Cologne. There are day river cruises on the Rhine, farther south that you might wish to do. This is bit wine country.

Mainz is an ancient Roman city and worth a full day, I would not do more than 2 nights there, unless you rent a car and drive to nearby places ( I mentioned Luxembourg and Trier).

Heidelberg is definitely worth a visit. Continuing down the Rhine, Strassbourg, France is great and near Colmar and Freiburg in the Black Forrest is good.

Celeste, there are a lot of choices, so pick up a guidebook and take a look at TripAdvisor, type in things to do in the places you might visit.

Thanks, geo - I've read and read... too many choices! While I do understand that 3 days may be too much in some locations, we are trying to minimize short stays and do day trips from a home base with good transportation options rather than move every day or two. Is there enough within a couple hour distance of Cologne to make that a good home base, or would you recommend a different home base in that area? Or spend 2 nights there and add another night in another location?
Would like to see Luxembourg since we'll be so close. You mention driving there - Google says it's three hours from Cologne by either car or train, does that seem right?

Given the geography, it doesn't seem to make sense to stay more than 5 different places in 14 nights, but I am willing to be convinced otherwise by those who have actually been there! Would two nights in Cologne, two in Lux, and two in Mainz allow enough time in each area?
From what location would you suggest we begin a day cruise?
Thanks!

We are an American family living in western Germany and have been to most of the areas you mentioned. Actually going to spend the weekend in Belgium next weekend.

I agree with the previous post about Cologne...too many nights there. I would definitely hit Heidelberg as it is a great town with a wonderful castle. Everyone we have taken there has loved the city. I believe RS doesn't give it much, but it is a wonderful place.

If you are going to stay in Mainz, make sure to give Rudesheim a visit.

Luxembourg is fabulous and you could spend a day/night there. I agree that you should give Strasbourg some time on your way down to Colmar. We spent a long weekend in the Colmar region and had a fabulous time. We used RS's book and stayed at Maison Martin Jund and loved it. Myriam was the ultimate host and we thought it the perfect spot from which to explore. We had friends staying in Riquewihr at the same time, and they enjoyed our place better than theirs. The wine was really great, too! Riquewihr was a cute, cobblestoned town and worth a short stroll (great cheese place right on the main street down in a cellar, but our friends said they would stay elsewhere next time. Not sure if you have kids or anything, but we went to Monkey Mountain (Montagne des Singes) and the Birds of Prey Show (Volerie des Aigles) in Kintzheim and the all 4 adults and all 7 kids (16 - 7) loved it! There is a castle in that town too if you wanted to make your way through it. The shows are outside so not open all year long, but you can check times.

You must give Egesheim, just south of Colmar, a visit before you head due east to Freiburg. Egesheim is my absolute favorite village in that area. Take the tram around the town, walk the circular streets, visit the church, and choose from many places to eat. Great town just right across the border from Freiburg.

Enjoy!

If you really mean that you don't care that much about museums, then 3 days in Cologne is not ideal. But I don't think the train excursions from Cologne are as good as the train excursions from Brussels-where they are fast, cheap, easy, and far superior to using a car in that area. I would not have a car in Cologne because, despite the chance for excursions, it will be a hindrance to get in and out of the city every day. A car is very useful in Alsace.

There are Western Belgian towns (like Tongeren and Diest), and the Bokrijk open-air museum that are pleasanter to visit by car, but they are very small "old towns". You don't need to see too many of them. The open air museum has its own train station.

Did you say you've already seen the scenic Middle Rhine? A car would be more useful and less annoying there. I do wonder if you are planning too many "similar" stone-medieval experiences. I'm saying, why see Freiburg when you have already been to Mainz and Bruges? You like your car, so why not visit (my previous idea) Augusta Raurica and Vitra Design Museum Campus on the way to Basel, and the Le Corbusier chapel in Ronchamp (which we missed... ).

Although it does sound like you are overplanning, I don't leave road stops to chance. The highways are not scenic (in general) and don't show you anything except a sign about what might be in the town 20-mnutes from the highway.

Tim - We weren't planning to get the car until after we've done Belgium and headed into Germany, perhaps picking up in Mainz. We have not been anywhere near this part of Europe at all, so it's all unknown territory. The other points of interest you suggest are in Switzerland and France, but we'll have to hop back into Germany at some point to return the rental car before flying out of Zurich, which is why we were going to Freiburg. We had not planned to go to Basel. Maybe you are remembering someone else's post?
Thanks!

smstorch - we don't have any kids, but the monkeys and birds sound entertaining!

I am on the fence about Heidelberg - very mixed opinions on this forum about it. Mainz was suggested as an alternative.
Thanks for all the suggestions, will investigate further.

Celeste,
Mapquest says it is 2 hrs and 38 minutes from Cologne to Lux. Consider going from Cologne to Viaden in NE Lux, spend 2-3 hours there then move on to Lux City. You can do Lux City in one day. Stay one night then the next night in nearby Trier, Germany, then move on back to the Rhine. Rudesheim is a good place to see and perhaps take a short Rhine River cruise if you like.

Then head to Mainz. Look at TripAdvisor for Mainz under things to do there and determine what you want to do there. That will dictate how long you stay there.

Strausbourg, France is one place that deserves more than one day, also you can stay there or Colmar..

I would head to Brugge from the airport. It is only an hour train ride but much more scenic. The Grand Square in Brussels is worth a day trip from Brugge, but Brussels feels sterile. Brugge has charm. You can visit Ghent in a few short minutes by train. Brugge is a good place to deal with the Jet lag. I have done the trip after landing in Brussels more than 12 times. I would take the train to one of the main rail stations, I forgot which one Midi I think, and then about 11 minutes later the train to Brugge would come to the same track I was standing on.

I am going to throw in this gem we discovered on our last trip to Germany/France. On the way to Colmar is this cute little village called Soufflenheim. It is known for its beautiful pottery. I am still kicking myself for not getting more. Here are some links if you are interested. I think I heard there are like 16 different pottery places in the town.

http://www.alsace-poterie.com/
http://www.alsace-poterie.fr/

At the Poterie Ernwein-Haas we talked to the owner for quite awhile. He was really friendly and very interesting. The pottery is made from a special clay that is in the area. The yellow glaze in the middle means it is handmade. (If it is white it is not, the yellow is what you want) he said these pottery will last for generations.

So if pottery is your thing, I would recommend stopping here for an hour or so.

Note the main Rhine Gorge section for day cruising and castle viewing is Boppard > St Goar > Bacharach.
Check the KD Line schedule - http://www.kdrhine.com/rhineschedule.htm
I would include Koblenz so you can make a day trip by train up the Mosel to Trier.
Historic Aachen also makes an easy day by train from Cologne.

Brussels - 3 nights
Cologne - 3 nights (day by train to Aachen)
Koblenz - 3 nights (day by train up the Mosel to Trier)
Mainz - 2 nights - pick up car here
Colmar - 3 nights - drive to Freiburg to drop off car and train to...
Zurich - 1 night before departure

Thanks all! Pottery - yay!

David - I had just started zeroing in on the Mosel route, and will probably stay in Boppard or maybe St. Goar as opinion here is overwhelmingly to stay there instead of Koblenz.

Given that, maybe we should move a little further south rather than staying in Mainz. Heidelberg looks like a good spot on the map, but it doesn't get any love here. Tom likes Speyer, does it warrant more than a day?

I loved Speyer and used it as a base to visit Worms and Mainz.

I would choose Boppard as I don't think you have train access at St Goar.
From Boppard, it's a short hop to Koblenz on the train for a day up the Mosel to Trier.
Also from Boppard, you can jump on a 9am boat to Bacharach/Bingen, then take a train back after lunch.

EDITED: St Goar does indeed have train access - thanks Russ for the clarification.

How critical is it to have hotel reservations in advance for mid June? I'd really like to play some of the middle part of the trip by ear, but I don't want to be sleeping in our car or a train station. I have reservations in Bruges, Cologne and Zurich.

Arrive Brussels early AM, train to ...
Bruges - day trips by train to Ghent, then to Brussels on way to ...
Cologne - stay 2-3 days, train to ...
Boppard - 2 nights, river cruise from Bingen back here to sleep (pick up rental car on day of departure from Boppard)
Explore by driving ... TBD
Colmar ...

Where do you recommend dropping the car back in Germany that would be an easy train to Zurich, where we stay one night before flying out?

Celeste, I make my reservations on the fly, about 1 to 3 days (often only 1 day) in advance. I have no recent experience trying to find a room on the day of arrival. Even 20-40 years ago that made for rather stressful arrivals in each new town.

I travel via train and bus, so you will have more flexibility than I do, location-wise. I think it will also help if you plan mainly 1-night stays (not that I recommend that, but if you're looping through small towns, it sort of makes sense) rather than needing a last-minute room that's available for multiple nights.

It goes without saying, I assume, that folks who are really picky or looking for maximum charm will probably not be too happy with this strategy.

Edited to add: I travel with a tablet computer and use Wi-Fi at my hotels to reserve future hotels, nearly always on booking.com, though there are certainly other websites one could use.

Check the forums again about Heidelberg. It gets a lot of love. There must be some reason so many people like this city. Rick is the only one who says not to go there. He also says not to go to Mainz or Wiesbaden. Frankly, I don't think he has been to either one of them and he probably went to Heidelberg 30 years ago. It has changed a lot.

"How critical is it to have hotel reservations in advance for mid June?"

It's a very good idea, generally, if you care about room rates and don't want "leftovers" or the stress of hunting them down at the last minute. I suggest making refundable reservations for your best-guess itinerary. Then if you want to make a change somewhere, observe the cancellation deadlines and cancel/rebook as needed.

("pick up rental car on day of departure from Boppard")

AFAIK this is NOT possible. You'd need to get to Koblenz for a rental outlet, or to Emmelshausen.

"I would choose Boppard as I don't think you have train access at St Goar."

Agree that Boppard is a fine base town. But St. Goar absolutely has train service! There are roughly 40 trains per day that stop there. Here's a map of the train line.

I like St. Goar as a base town as well because of the FERRY crossing there - which gives you easy access to the St. Goarshausen train station on the opposite river bank for trips to Marksburg Castle or Rüdesheim.

"Explore by driving ... TBD"

I think you've mentioned Mainz, Heidelberg, Speyer as options... These are all nice towns, all worth visiting. But honestly you don't get much in the way of great scenery or exciting drives out of traveling to them by car, and driving will mean higher costs, parking fees, parking hassles... I'd definitely use the train to reach any of the first 3 places. There are a bunch of smaller places in the area as well. Neustadt "an der Weinstrasse" (on the wine-road) is worth exploring. Here's the town tourism site. But like many smaller places, Neustadt also has great train service. And from Boppard, the train ride to Neustadt (or any of these towns) costs you only €29/day for two with the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket. This day pass will actually get you as far south as Karlsruhe. See all the train routes covered by the R-P ticket on this map. You do not need to pre-purchase this ticket. Buy it at the station when you arrive as it's always available - this way you have flexibility.

You mentioned Colmar for later... Are you thinking you'll use the car to drive through the French Alsace, like Strasbourg - Colmar? This is a popular driving route for which a car might make sense. So maybe you hold off on picking up a car until Heidelberg or Speyer or Neustadt or thereabouts... The you drive into France and later back into Germany (Freiburg?) to drop the car.

acraven - That's what I was thinking, making reservations a day or two ahead, probably not the day of. Seems a lot more challenging these days than when we did it 10-15 years ago. I don't mind staying somewhere lacking charm, as long as it's clean.

Does anyone have recent experience making same-day reservations in June in the southwest of Germany?

Ms. Jo - Russ was one poster who said Heidelberg was "just OK." You are correct that there are a lot more who give it love.

Thx!

Russ - I was beginning to worry that you hadn't replied yet. :) I was posting my last at the same time you were, so apologies on the redundant questions.

I'll do more research on your suggestions and will probably be back!

Thanks!!

"Ms. Jo - Russ was one poster who said Heidelberg was 'just OK.'"

That's right. There are better places IMO - like Mainz and Speyer, which I mentioned in the same breath. That said, I would never agree with Rick if indeed he says "don't go there." It's not a bad place, nice enough as German cities go, and most visitors enjoy themselves there, I believe.

I think Michael is right about Cologne. 3 days there would be too many IMO.
Cochem is a lovely town and makes a good base for a Mosel. But Boppard is a great base town for the Rhine - AND you can visit Cochem on a day trip from there - it's an easy and scenic train trip, and not a bad idea at all if you can squeeze out another day for Boppard.

But honestly you don't get much in the way of great scenery or exciting drives out of traveling to them by car, and driving will mean higher costs, parking fees, parking hassles.. If we're talking about the upper Rhine region around Heidelberg and the opposite bank around the German Wine route, I completely disagree. The main rail routes between the towns tend to travel out in the middle of the fields or industrial areas, and when they do go through towns, there's often a sound barrier that blocks the views. There are certainly other factors to consider, but when traveling in this region, you can see far more by car. Parking is also relatively easy and plentiful in most of Germany, certain large cities like Munich being the exceptions.