Need Advise on traveling in Germany ( Single Mom + 2 teens)

Public transport in Germany is quite easy, look at www.bahn.de for traintables and prices. If you only are traveling between mayor cities, then trains are the way to go and even smaller towns are connected by train. If you are keen on driving then consider renting a car for a day or two and drive around a smaller area. Driving in Germany is generally easy, but driving in big cities is always a hassle and the autobahn can be a bit daunting.
By the way there are thousands of castles in Germnay, which one are you refering to?

My wife took our grown daughter and two grandkids to Germany for two weeks in August. They used trains exclusively beginning in Amsterdam. The Germany segment began in Cologne then they made a egg shape trip around Germany. The kids very soon figured out the train system and helped the older folks get aroung. Train travel in Germany would be a novel experience for your kids.

It might be a good idea to have some sort of itinerary before you start so you know about where you will be spending the next night. We like to have a minimum of three nights in any one town. If you still feel stressed you and my wife should talk a bit. Let us know.

Yes, public transportation is easy and very reasonably priced in Germany - especially regional or weekend train day passes that cover all three of you, I love using them for hopping on and off through scenic towns. Lee on this site is the undisputed master of all things Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) so heed his advice.

I think Germany divides reasonably well into three parts, (my personal order) south, east, and north. Each is different and has it's own flavor. South of the Rhine was Roman, is more likely Catholic, and more people are Bavarians - rounder features, more easy going. North and east Germans have sharper features, are famously industrious and often entertainingly serious about life (but I think that has changed a lot in recent generations).

Most people go south first (or only visit southern Germany) - fly into Frankfurt, train to Cologne, down the Mosel to Trier, back up the Rhine to St. Goar/Bacharach area, then to Munich and Salzburg, and fly home out of Munich is a nice two-week itinerary.

East - Berlin is a long trip from other parts of Germany you probably want to see. I think Berlin (and Dresden) fits nicely into a Berlin, Prague, Vienna (and maybe Budapest/Bratislava) itinerary. In two weeks, I'd fly into Berlin and home from Vienna (or other way around).

Northern Germany, flying into Hamburg, is a third choice because it has less must-see sights. In many ways, north is the most quintessential Germany of the three options but probably works best on a third trip unless you have a family connection that points you that way.

I prefer to see Germany by car, but that is because I really like the freedom and spontaneity to stop when and where I want. I especially like to travel with a loose plan when I have teens with me. It allows them to make some choices once they see what Germany has to offer. It's hard to envision a lot of it until you are there. We often have lots of car picnics and take any turn in the road that looks interesting. I try to plan the trip so that I do not have a car in the cities as that can be difficult... so I will usually spend a few days either in the arrival or departure city without a car. While I enjoy the big cities for a short time it is really the villages and countryside that call me back. Look at Lake of Constance for a beautiful destination... also if you drive, Salzburg is not far from Munich and the drive is beautiful.

Hello,

Thank you for your responses. I wanted to include the Rhine trip because I have been reading it is beautiful scenery and you can see the castles. I also wanted to see neuschwanstein .

So, based on comments, I think it would be best to down to Cologne and then do a trips from here. Rhine cruises and other areas.

Thank you for your advise. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Rosie MOnge

Hello,

Thank you for your responses. I wanted to include the Rhine trip because I have been reading it is beautiful scenery and you can see the castles. I also wanted to see neuschwanstein .

So, based on comments, I think it would be best to down to Cologne and then do a trips from here. Rhine cruises and other areas.

Thank you for your advise. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Rosie MOnge

There are a lot of castles in Germany. See this list here, which is actually just links to lists for each Land (state), and the Land lists are subdivided by county. Most of the castles are ruins, or in private hands as homes. But that still leaves hundreds which you can visit as a tourist.

A lot of posts here seam to think kids+public transport could be a problem, and car would be better. That is a case of the 'devil you know'. Public transport (trains in particular) can be a lot more child-friendly than cars. You are not tied in with a belt, you can get up, stretch your legs, change seats, go to the toilet and talk with the grown-ups (who are not busy driving and navigating). The kids can even go to the buffet car to fetch their parents a coffee (or, if over 18, a beer).

rosie,

In general what i found was that using public transportation in Europe has been better than i am use to in the USA. What i have found is that they have a better train system then we have. You can drive if you want and sometimes it maybe necessary but so far where ever i have wanted to go, i have used a train 95% of the time. I have used some buses, but that has been usually in the city to some nearby place that isnt serviced by tram or train.

I fly solo, so my costs maybe different than renting a car vs train so that will have to be factored into the cost.

take a look at this site, seat61. all you need to do is to plug and chug from A to B and see what info and if its to you liking. seat61 THere is another site too, bahn.de\com that you can use to see the travel times if its to your liking. bahn There is another site you can look at it will give you other options. I only use it as a travel time reference. rome2rio

to help in planning break out or print a map of the area you want to go/do/see things. You can make marks on the places and get an general idea on a path. Try not to backtrack since it wastes time & $$. But once you get your areas marked, you may see some type of path to follow.

Doing tours are okay if thats your thing. Mind you, you will pay (extra) for that. If you dont want to put the effort into doing your own planning then go for the tour. It all depends on how much time & $$ you want to spend.

Getting lost is my thing. If you are nice and learn some basic German or whatever local language is used, i found that most locals will be willing to help.

ALso, when it comes to trains, there will be reader boards just like for airports that will tell you where your train will be departing.

good luck & happy trails.

Rosie... just another thing I wanted to mention about traveling with teens.... be sure that they have a journal and possibly their own camera to record their memories. It is always such a whirlwind from one amazing place to another and we think we will remember. I made a journal for my grandkids... actually more like a trip log that they fill in daily with places for them to tell the memorable sites, great meals, accommodations, the route that they traveled, etc. Then there were lots of pages in the back for sketching and further journaling if they wanted to write more. I always insisted that they fill it in each night, and on occasion if we would forget they realized how hard it was to remember what they had done only a day earlier. It has now been a number of years since the first trip and the oldest really enjoys looking at his journal. I have also asked each child to plan one day and learn a bit about where we were going and share that... sort of like being the tour guide for the day. It can be as simple as learning about the history of a building or piece of art. As far as the photos I might also give them a photo assignment..such as choose a color and try to find things that are of the chosen color. Or a theme of the day... possibly the shopkeepers of Germany... or the doorknobs... anything that has them really becoming engaged with their trip. I also don't allow much media, but that is just me, and the kids are great with it. I also bring art supplies for some sketching and painting, but that's not for everyone. Their journals are amazing and some of the most memorable moments were one of the kids sketching the leaning tower or one of the sculptures in the Louvre. Their journals should be private unless there is anything they want to share with you. I also take a CD of music that is from the area...current as well as classics.... I have gotten lots of my music suggestions from other posters here. Trips for kids at this age can be life changing.

If Neuschwanstein is on your list, I personally like a rental car after the Rhine (Mainz is a good place to pick it up).

Do a loop to see some of the Romantic Road cities like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, spend a night in the area of the castles, get to the castles a little before opening in the morning so you don't wait in huge lines, afterward head toward Munich, there are a couple potential sights to stop along the way, drop your car before you settle in Munich (and use trains from there).

Each state (Land) in Germany offers a Länder-Ticket. This is an all day, hop on/off pass for regional trains in that land, and is valid from 9 AM workdays, or from midnight weekdays, until 3 AM the following day. Sometimes tickets combine two or more Länder (pl of Land). For instance one ticket is valid in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, Hamburg is included in both the Niedersachsen-Ticket and the Schleswig-Holstein-Ticket, and one ticket includes Brandenburg and Berlin.

Länder-Tickets include not only regional trains, but local transport (U-Bahn, trams, and buses) in major cities, and many regional bus lines (for instance, RVO, Regionalverkehr Oberbayern, a vast bus network in southern Bavaria).

Most Länder-Tickets start with a basic price for one person and add an addition fee for each added adult up to a total of five people. For instance, two people in Bavaria would cost 28€ (23€ + 5€). You would only need to buy a Länder-Ticket for two people. Your own children, up to 14 years old, are free with a Länder-Ticket. But if you bring your own children for free, you can only bring one other adult (your 16 yo) for the added fee.

If your travel spans multiple Länder-Ticket zones, you can use a Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (52€ for 2 plus under 15 children) after 9 AM on workdays or the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (40€ + 4€) all day on weekends. These tickets are valid for travel all over Germany.

The price for these passes is online or from an automat. Add 2€ for personal assistance at a ticket counter.

If your schedule is set, and you can commit to a specific train (date and time), you can advance purchase non-refundable Savings Fare ticket for as little as 49€ for two (again, your 14 yo travels free with you). These Savings Fare tickets are for travel from anywhere in Germany to anywhere else in Germany. Regional trains can be used, but at least one leg must be on an express train (ICE/IC/EC/IR). They are also valid for the S-Bahn in cities (if included on your itinerary), but not for other local transport or regional buses. You can book these tickets on the Bahn website, starting 3 days before travel, although booking as early as possible (up to 92 days) is advisable. The price of these tickets starts low and increases as the cheaper tickets sell out.

Finally, if you want to buy tickets up to the time of travel or for shorter distances, standard (full fare) tickets are available. Again, your 14 yo travels with you for free.

Hello, A few people suggesged car rental... It may not be a bad idea for some parts of the trip. I do worry about getting lost, but that is another thing.

Does anyone have suggestions about bed and breakfast places in Berlin and Munich? I worry about looking for places and finding that they are located in a not so safe location. I am thinking that during my stay in Berlin, I will use public transportation to go around. So, I am looking to stay in a central location. Then, I can take a train to Cologne and explore for a few days... After that, I am thinking that I can rent a car and drive down the romantic road...find where I can do the ferry boat /river cruise to see the castles from the river... etc.

Then, continue my trip to the münchhausen castle and then figure out where to return the vehicle before I reach Munich.

And, t hen, use the Public transportation while in Munich. During my stay in Munich, I can take the trains to go around.

Any other suggestion?

Regards,

Rosie Monge

@ rosie,

"Does anyone have suggestions about bed and breakfast places in Berlin and Munich? I worry about looking for places and finding that they are located in a not so safe location."

Heres another thing i have discovered about Europe. I find that things are usually safer and less dangerous than in the states but of course it will depend on where you live. Sometimes i will choose the "seedy" parts as Rick puts it just to see how the regular folks live. I have found that its not as bad as some plaice in the USA and all have been "safe" as far as im concerned. What i also like about the ethnic places/areas is that i can usually find some great ethnic food at a really good priced if im in the mood.

Im havent been to Berlin, yet, thats this Sept but i was in Munich this past September and found it easy to get around on foot and by local transportation. The only day trip outside of Munich i took was to Dachau. I took the local train to the town and then the local bus to the camp memorial. Its an easy and nice trip.

Once you take a few trains, you will see they are easy, nice and convenient for the most part.

I am thinking that during my stay in Berlin, I will use public transportation to go around. So, I am looking to stay in a central location. Then, I can take a train to Cologne and explore for a few days... After that, I am thinking that I can rent a car and drive down the romantic road...find where I can do the ferry boat /river cruise to see the castles from the river... etc.

If you go to Koln (Cologne), i found it easy to get around by foot. Theres some really cool things nearby the train station.

happy trails.

When looking for locations to stay, I highly recommend using Google Street view. It lets you see the surrounding area, the stores, businesses, restaurants and the people walking down the street. This is also handy to give you a sense of where you are or are going when using public transportation or needing to walk somewhere. I familiarize myself with the neighborhood so I don't feel lost. Yes, some of these street views are a few years older, but neighborhoods don't change a whole lot.

Rosie, you say you plan to "...take a train to Cologne and explore for a few days... rent a car and drive down the romantic road...find where I can do the ferry boat /river cruise to see the castles from the river... etc...continue my trip to the münchhausen castle...

You sound more than a little confused about those places after Cologne. You can't rent a car in Cologne and just head out down the Romantic Road. The start of the RR is about 200 miles from Cologne. There is no "münchhausen castle" - if you mean Neuschwanstein then you mean driving to the start of the Romantic Road, south along the RR to Füssen, right? That's a trip of around 500+ miles from Cologne to N'stein to Munich. This is a very, very long car trip. Keep in mind that the 30-minute, €16 tour of N'stein doesn't take you through a castle but a late 19th-century palatial residence - a very fancy house, really.

About seeing castles from the river... Now THAT is something you can do very easily just south of Cologne. Take the train from Cologne to the Middle Rhine Valley for a few days there - no car needed. There are 40 real castles in 40 miles of river there. Some (like Marksburg in Braubach) offer tours (a 1-hour tour for Marksburg.) Some (like Rheinfels) offer informal tours - you pay your fee and wander around all you like. Some are hotels or youth hostels (like the one in Bacharach.)

Braubach is only about 1.5 hours south of Cologne; since the other old-world villages (Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar, Boppard, Rüdesheim) are only a little further, and since you're talking about real castles that are 700 - 1,000 years old, and since there are many other things to see on the Rhine, I suggest this: Spare your kids the the long, long back-seat ride to Füssen and spend several days here instead. The Rhine is about more than just a cruise. Just a few ways to spend a few days:

Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar
Marksburg Castle in Braubach
Stahleck Castle in Bacharach (hostel with family rooms)
Bacharach Village
Oberwesel w/ Schoenburg Castle (top-end castle-hotel)
Rhine Cruise
Oberwesel's old town wall and towers
"Bridge at Remagen" WW II museum
Dramatic chairlift ride in Boppard
Riverfront in Boppard
Biking along the Rhine (with Marksburg Castle in Background)
Open-air museum in Bad Sobernheim (outstanding, day trip along Nahe River from Rhine town)
Falconry show at Reichsburg Castle in Cochem (day trip along Mosel River from Rhine town)
Cochem's Reichsburg Castle

Berlin, 5 days
Cologne, 2-3 days (lots of museums there)
Rhine Valley, 4-5 days
Fly home out of Frankfurt.
That might be all the time you have. But if there's more you could visit Frankfurt or Mainz too. Both are near FRA and worth your time.

Rosie,

It sounds like you need to get a copy of Rick Steves' Germany 2015 book to help with this planning. Check with your local bookstore or even AAA. You might be able to buy one locally faster than it can be sent to you from this website's store. BUT, from the Shop Online here, you can get it at a discount right now (http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=159&id=381) which might not be available at a brick and mortar store. One advantage of the book is that it will give you lots of general information about traveling in Europe, with a slant toward Germany, as well as the excellent guidebook information.

You and your kids would also benefit from seeing some of the shows Rick has done. Go here -- http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show. Click on Germany for a selection of videos to watch. And for the basics, this travel skills video focuses on train and car travel in the Netherlands and Germany -- https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/european-travel-skills-part-1.

Also, it sounds like you are a little confused by the geography. Personally, even though I lived there and have driven there on 2 trips since then, I would not drive on the trip you outline. This is a driving distance map that shows the number of kilometers between major cities: http://www.europeandriveguide.com/drivingmaps/germany_map.php. Note that Munich and Fussen, near the Neuschwanstein "castle," are way at the bottom and Berlin is in the top right corner.

I would use the excellent train system and take a boat on the Rhine as others have mentioned. The Rick Steves book and elsewhere on this website will give you good information on the trains. Many people have already mentioned that, but to recap, you can find good help using the Man in Seat 61 (http://www.seat61.com/) for general information on train travel.

The DB Bahn website (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en) can provide very specific information about routes in Germany. The link is to the search screen. You will need to mess around with it a bit to learn how it works. Just fill in the Route, Date and time and Connections sections to start. When you get your list of results, you can see the details about each schedule. Particularly important are departure and arrival times, the duration of the trip and how many train changes are involved. Click on the red arrow of the schedule of your choice for even more detail. My favorite part is clicking on the "Show map" link and seeing the route the train takes.

Yes, the planning is daunting, but when you do your own planning, you know much more about where you are going and why. Your kids need to be involved, too. If they help decide where to go and what to see and do, they will enjoy the trip much more and have better memories in the future.

Part of the planning is learning a bit of German. There are lots of resources for that, including the phrases in the Germany guidebook. There are also lots of places online that you can learn a bit of German for free. One of the simplest to get started is Google Translate. Click on the speaker and you can hear and practice the pronunciation.

Have fun planning and have a great trip.

Hello Rosie. I agree with most of what Russ said. I think you do not need to go to both Berlin and Munich. And travelling to Neuschwanstein (King Ludwig's castle) in Bavaria would use more time than it is worth. And I recommend that you do not rent a car in Germany. Ride in railroad trains. If you will go to Berlin and KOLN (Cologne), I suggest this travel plan : 14 nights.
Fly to Berlin.
Berlin : 4 nights. Do a day trip from Berlin to Potsdam.
Train from Berlin to Dresden. 2 nights at Dresden.
Trains from Dresden to KOLN (Cologne). 2 nights at KOLN.
St. Goar : 3 nights. In two whole days visit the Niederwald monument at the top of the hill above Rudesheim, and ride on a K-D ship on the Rhine River from Rudesheim or Bingen to St. Goar. And visit the castle Marksburg on the hill at Braubach.
Cochem (at the Mosel River) : 2 nights. In the one day between those nights visit the castle Burg Eltz, and the small town Bielstein. The walk from the train station Mosel Kern to Berg Eltz is long but enjoyable.
Ride in trains from Cochem to Mainz (via Koblenz). Go off the train at Boppard to see it, and continue train ride to Mainz.
One night at the hotel that is very near the Mainz train station. The next morning ride in a train from Mainz to the big Airport of Frankfurt. Fly from Frankfurt airport to the U.S.A.