Traveling in September to German, Belgium,Denmark

How much time have you allotted? For what you describe, you would need at least 3 to 4 weeks to make a comfortable trip. We need more information.

Fred,
Hey. Thanks for the reply. Yeah I was checking it looks like flying into Munich would be cheaper, and just happy to start my trip in any city in Germany. Thanks for the tip. Hope all is well.

Tom,
Hey Tom. How are you? Good hopefully. Thanks for your reply. I shall be traveling a month. Maybe bit longer. Traveling that long alone will be a bit odd for me, but deal with it.

Hi, How about flying into Munich. That would be my first choice unless you can fly directly to Berlin with Air Berlin. Keep in mind you reach Norway and Finland by ferry from Germany, aside from the flying option.

What kinds of things most interest you? Have you been to any of those countries before? Where are you flying from? Do you need to have a return city to book your flights?

Chani,
Hey. What's going on? All good hopefully. Yes I have been to Germany & Sweden; however that was almost 10 years ago. Another good aspect is I shall be traveling on my own, and can see/do what I want. Yes I sound awfully selfish. I am big into art, history. So will do the typical tourist things. Just trying to find some out the box experiences. Well I will most likely start off in Germany and leave from Finland.

Hi, Leaving from Finland means you have the ferry option of getting there, ie. from Rostock or Travemünde to Helsinki. Then there is flying from Berlin Tegel or Schönefeld to Helsinki, depending on you time limitation. If that doesn't apply, I would suggest taking the ferry. The rail Pass offers a discount (30%) for the Rostock-Helsinki route, depending on which ferry company you use. This last trip in June left me with a very favourable impression of Munich airport, had never been to MUC before. I heartily recommend it. Most definitely certain advantages come with traveling solo, esp in Germany where I also travel solo almost always.

Sounds like you are going to have a great trip, Terry. I think your biggest prblem is going to be moving on. There's so much to see in almost every place you've chosen, that you are going to have to force yourself to leave.

Hey Terry. A woman (traveling with her husband) once said to me "you must get to see so many more places on your own, because you don't waste time arguing about where to go." Berlin has enough for 4-5 days, at least. Great museums - Pergamon is just one of them. Skip the Checkpoint Charlie Museum - you can learn as much from the billboards outside along where the wall was and save the outrageous admission price. A fun museum is the DDR, across the river from Museum Island, small but jam-packed with interesting hands-on exhibits. I heard that Potsdam is a very good day trip, but I didn't manage to fit it in. Another waste of money and time was the HOHO bus. I was underwhelmed by the Jewish Museum. Dresden is a 2-hour train ride and almost completely rebuilt to pre-war glory since the reunification. It's more like Eastern Europe than Germany. Well worth 2 days. Frankfurt has enough for at least 3 days (more of it survived WWII than most other cities), and there are nice day trips. I stayed at the Ibis Centrum. Very good location, basic but comfortable, good price.

Belgium I've only been to Bruges and Ghent. Bruges is photogenic and touristy. Ghent is between Bruges and Brussels, so easy to day trip to both. Hotels are cheaper and there's at least a full day's sightseeing there, lots of Gothic buildings illuminated at night. Netherlands - on my last visit, I stayed in The Hague (much cheaper than Amsterdam) and easy for day trips to Delft (20 minutes by train), Rotterdam and others. Amsterdam has great museums. This time I went to the Maritime Museum and the Dutch Resistance Museum and recommend both. The House of Bols is across the street from the Van Gogh Museum - check the website for details - I enjoyed it and a cocktail of your choosing is included, seconds are extra but discounted. You'll probably have to reserve in advance if you want to visit the Anna Frank house. I took a Baltic cruise, so I had short stops in: Copenhagen - the Tivoli was a combination of botanical gardens for adults and amusement rides for kids - unsuccessful at both. Maybe at night, when you don't see the wear and tear it's better. A 2-hour canal cruise was nice, didn't get to see all the tempting museums. STockholm - a museum-lover's joy. The Vasa Museum, the outdoor Skansen Museum, and the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet) were all I had time for. All were excellent. Helsinki - not so much. Try to get across the sea to Tallinn - a real gem. Or even a couple of days in St. Petersburg - but with all your destinations already, that's probably too much to cram in.

Chani, Very true traveling alone does make things much easier. When I am ready to rest...well I can rest. If choose to linger...then I can linger.. Thanks for all the information. Actually printed out what you wrote. Actually I am really excited about the Vasa museum. Heard so many great things about it. Just ready for September to get here so I can go on my trip. Only things about travel is packing & sitting in the airports.. Oh well at least can take my ipad.. Wow thanks for all of your information...you are awesome!

Hi - I don't know which type of art you prefer, but if you like Old Master paintings, you definitely should make time for a day trip to Potsdam to visit the Picture Gallery at the Sanssouci Palace - it is fantastic! Also, if you haven't been to Vienna, it's only about a 4 hour train ride from Munich, and it has several wonderful art museums - my favorite was the Oberes Belvedere Palace.

Sandi, Happy Monday Sandi... Trust all is well with you & yours. Yeah I love the old master's style of paintings, and been thinking about Vienna also. That's why I am not pre-planning all of my hotels so if want stay bit longer in one place I can.. On the other hand if need to move on sooner. Just ready for September...Goodness I sound like a child. Thanks so much for taking time to reply to my post..