1 Week in Germany, June 2106

Car or train? Where are you going first in Italy? My thought would be to stay 2-3 nights in Rhine Valley then to Bavaria - Munich and area around there - then train from Munich to Venice. If going somewhere else in Italy first then possible flight from Munich to wherever in Italy.

We are going to travel by train through Europe, after Germany we are heading to Florence. We have not picked a destination in Southern Germany yet but the Bavaria region seems most likely.

St Goar is a good spot because you can get a VRM MiniGroup ticket for 22.10 euro total for up to 5 people. That will give you unlimited regional train, bus, and ferry travel in the Rhine-Mosel Transit district after 9 am weekdays, all day weekends. That includes up the Mosel River as for as Bullay, north on both sides of the Rhine to just beyond Remagen and Linz. To south is limited, Oberwesel and Kaub, but those are cheap tickets if you want to go to Bacharach say.

I'd say get to Bavaria, maybe Munich. From Munich you can catch direct EC to Bologna. EC 85 leaves Munich at 8:38 and goes all the way to Bologna, from which you are only 35 minutes away from Florence by train. ECs leave Munich every two hours, but only that one goes to Bologna. Later ones only get as close to Florence as Verona. With advance purchase, you can get fares as low as 49€/P for that train.

"Would you suggest spending 3 nights in the Rhine Valley then heading to another location in Southern Germany for 4 nights or vice versa?"
Welcome to the forum.

A week will go quickly. You arrive on May 29 (right?) after a transatlantic flight (right?) Most people find their inner clocks are all messed up and don't accomplish much on Day 1 - they get to their first base, freshen up, settle in, have a meal, maybe see a few things perhaps. So it's best to plan for just 6 days, IMO.

If you travel to Munich on one of those days, much of that day will be given over to the logistics - a 5-hour train trip and again the checking in routine - so you lose close to half a day there.

A trip to Florence from Munich will later snap up 8 hours altogether using the above EC 85 connection - so most of your day.

So what to do? First, congratulations... You've selected one of Germany's most beautiful and diverse areas for your first destination. Rick Steves tends to fly through this region on his tours and in his videos, but you don't have to. There's a ton of things to see and do in this region - Roman historical sites, WW II history, medieval castles, open-air museums, awesome cathedrals, half-timbered old-world villages, river cruises, outdoor activities and more. With 10 days I might send you to Bavaria. But with 7 I would spend the 6 full days of sightseeing you'll have within the rough triangle formed by Trier, Mainz, and Cologne.

Sam has given you a good tip for Rhine area transport passes (there are a few other passes too.) The train transport in this region is scenic and outstanding along the Rhine and the Mosel Rivers, where tracks follow the river in most places (and also along the other Rhine tributaries.) You won't feel like you're wasting your time on these trains.

I agree with Nancy - flying to Italy is smart. FRA and Cologne-Bonn airport (CGN) have direct flights (Germanwings from CGN.) The point IMO is to enjoy the train trips where the train trips are enjoyable (like the Rhine and Mosel River) but don't waste time on excessively long train rides (like the one from the Rhine to Florence, via Munich or not.)

Here are just a few great places that you might have escaped your radar:

MOSEL:
Cochem
Falconry show at Cochem's Castle
Cochem's main square
Trier, main square
Trier, UNESCO sites
Burg Eltz
RHINE: Rüdesheim's Seilbahn and Rhine Castle Trail
REMAGEN: WW II Bridge at Remagen museum
BAD SOBERNHEIM: Open-air museum
COLOGNE: Cathedral, museums, including Gestapo prison/Nazi Doc Center

Thanks Russ and everyone for your input, we have decided to spend all 7 days in the Rhine Valley, that makes the most sense. Later I will look into flights to Italy.

One question, should I pre-book a train ticket from the airport to St. Goar or should I just buy it when we land?

Thanks,

Tyler

"...should I pre-book a train ticket from the airport to St. Goar..."

No, that's a trip by local/regional trains, which offer no savings if you pre-purchase. It's €18.30 from a ticket machine at FRA's Regionalbahnhof (regional train station, not the Fernbahnhof at FRA which is for long-distance trains.)

If you board the RE train there, you'll likely have a change of train in Oberwesel; if you board the S-Bahn, you'll change in Mainz.

Some more information for the region you'll be visiting:
http://flyhahn.com/regions/holiday-regions-germany-frankfurt-hahn.htm
http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php?id=274&L=3
http://www.en.romantic-cities.com/Cities.5616.0.html

We did the same trip in 2006. I would suggest you stay in Bacharach (2 days) rather than St. Goar (real crowded with tourists). Just a short and beautiful boat trip from Bacharach. We went from there to Rothenburg (just fantastic) (2 days). Went to Munich (2 days) then to Reutte, Austria (used as a base to see castles...a lot calmer than other towns near the castles). Then to Berchtesgarden (sp) for 2 nights..wow!! Then went went to Hallstatt (can't miss this) and finally finished in Vienna.

Southern Bavaria and Austria are just spectacular.