we are planning on going to Germany to visit our son in August. We are planning on 2 mini trips (Tues - Thu) to a european destination (london, barcelona, paris, etc.). Any suggesions on where to go and how to get there? He is near Spangdahlem AFB in Germany and it seems like the nearest airport is Frankfurt/Hahn. Is that basically RyanAir options? I've tried the Eurail website and have had trouble finding rail transportation from there (Trier). It seems to be an area with limited transportation options.
Posted by
Green Bay
20103 posts
The nearest train station is Huettingen, about 5 miles from Spangdahlem. There are trains south to Trier about 40 minutes. Going north, its 2 1/2 hours to Cologne with a change in Gerolstein.
Paris is 3 hours 45 minutes away via Trier.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
If you are REALLY using the Eurail website, you won't find rail schedule information. Eurail is a cooperative of European national rail companies to package and market rail passes. The don't sell tickets. Rail Europe does have some rail schedules, but only for the trains for which they sell tickets, usually the fastest most expensive trains, and they mark up those prices. The best place to find rail schedules is on the German Rail (Bahn) website. But if you are looking for train schedules between Hahn and Trier, you won't find any. Hahn is accessed only by private bus. You can find schedules on the Hahn Airport website under "getting there" > "by bus". And yes, Hahn is essentially a RyanAir airport.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23269 posts
First off, do not use Eurail for schedule info. It is not complete. Since you are in Germany, use the German site bahn.de for scheduling info. London, Barcelona, even Paris, are at some distance so obviously air would be be quicker. RyanAir can be an excellent cheap option. HOWEVER, read the fine very carefully and do not assume that you can sneak by any of their requirements.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8147 posts
Rick: Spangdahlem AFB is on the far western side of Germany kind'a off the beaten path. The roads don't exactly go north, south around there. The nearest airports appear to be Luxembourg and Frankfort, but they're not close. The Central Railway Station has direct train connections to Saarbrücken, Luxembourg, Cologne, Metz, Koblenz, Mannheim and other cities. If you Google "Tier Railroad Station" you'll get some links to the rail station and reservation services. Don't forget that you lose a day coming and going anytime you change locales in Europe. 3 day trips would only give you one day in a city. With only 3 day trips, you might consider the Cologne/Rhine River area. Another suggestion would be to take the train into Munich. I was surpised to find RyanAir and EasyJet don't go to Frankfort Main Airport. Vueling Airlines can get you from Frankfort to Barcelona, however that's a place deserving of more time.
Good luck!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Here's a musical warning of the perils of Ryanair (warning: not safe for work - contains profanity): http://tinyurl.com/2vxmaod. Just be sure you know what you're getting into and do everything you need to do to avoid unnecessary fees (like being sure you print out your boarding pass before you get to the airport).
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
rick, Rail travel for your side trips is probably the best idea, preferably via the high speed trains (ie: TGV in France which travels at 300 kmH). Use the bahn.de (German Rail) website for planning. DON'T fly from Hahn to Paris via RyanAir (if they even offer flights on that route) as their Paris airport is Beauvais which is a considerable distance outside Paris. Happy travels!