2023 October-November Germany Trip

Try Roam Around the AI just for fun. Put down a city like Berlin and it will give you suggestions for things you shouldn't miss. i like to do maps on Google Earth.

The new Hamburg Concert Hall is supposed to be spectacular, both for the architecture and the music quality.

There are many other nice places to visit to the north of B-W and Bavaria, but rather than throw out stuff I enjoyed, I'd prefer to tailor my suggestions to your situation and your preferences. Some questions...

• Are both Bruges and the Mosel optional right now, or only Bruges?

• Do you have any specific activities/interests/expectations for your time after Frankfurt, Dresden, Berlin, Cologne and Aachen?

• Beyond your time in these cities, how many additional days are you asking about, roughly?

• Have you reserved the car for the entire period or only part of it?

• Cologne is on the Rhine... have you already had time in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (south of Koblenz) ?

If the Mosel, which is often popular for outdoor activities, is a "for sure", then you might consider reversing your loop as the weather is likely to deteriorate as the days roll by.

I'll mention about the radius from Dresden but depends how far east and north you want to go. Are your interests mainly focused on German cultural and historical sites? If so, then I would suggest Naumburg an der Saale, Meissen, Weimar, Jena, Leipzig, Lutherstadt Wittenberg....all famous sites in German cultural history with Jena and Leipzig in German political-military history as well.

From Frankfurt going northwards, I suggest Marburg an der Lahn, a famous university town, and an important site in German cultural history with its St Elisabeth Church, lovely town as well with it half timbered houses.

I have visited a few times as day trips and an over-nighter too, likewise with Weimar and Dresden. Jena, Meissen, Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Leipzig as day trips, haven't visited Naumburg as yet.

More ideas for the Dresden area: National Park Saxon Switzerland, Görlitz, Freiberg, and althought it's not Christmas season yet you would certainly enjoy a visit of Seiffen in the Ore mountains (Erzgebirge) where the famous wooden Christmas items are manufactured. Also, castles around Dresden like Weesenstein and Königstein.

Cologne is a beautiful city with a lot of ambience and the most gorgeous cathedral you will ever see. There are a number of good restaurants and also has some fun shopping as well. One restaurant I recommend is maiBeck FÜR DICH, which had some of the best food I ate in Germany. I also ate at Brauhaus früh am Dom, which serves authentic German food. I opted for beer and sauerbraten, and it was very tasty. Both restaurants were within walking distance of the cathedral (and my hotel).

I stayed at the City Class Europa am Dom hotel, which was a short distance from the train station. It was a wonderful location and I had a view of the cathedral from my window. The hotel was quite nice, a reasonable price, very clean, good breakfast and it has A/C, which is a huge plus in August. :) I enjoyed my stay here very much. I think that area, regardless of which hotel you choose, is a very convenient place to stay. As I mentioned, it's near the train station and the major sites. You really can't go wrong there.

Aachen is also a wonderful option - I went there on a day trip from Cologne and loved it. The cathedral is beautiful on the inside and well worth a visit. It is one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe and for over 500 years, it witnessed the coronation of 43 German kings and queens. It was also one of the first items to be listed on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. At the back of the altar is the Karlsschrein, which holds the final remains of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor. And the beautiful and ornate chandelier in the middle dates back to 1165.

Aachen's old town is very charming and has a lovely vibe to it. It's smaller than Cologne and you could easily spend some time just walking around and enjoying the sites. Don't miss the Granus tower, which is next to the Rathaus (town hall) and is one of the few pieces remaining from Charlemagne’s palace. It dates back to the 8th century, making it over 1200 years old.

You are including places that are far apart. Berlin and Dresden are in the east and Aachen and Cologne are in the west. Bruges is in the western part of Belgium.

Suggest focusing on a more geographically narrow area. There is a lot to see in the Rhineland. At least forget Bruges.

If you are traveling from the east like Berlin to the west toward Aachen, I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Münster preferably on a Saturday for its great outdoor market outside the great Cathedral! It is a fascinating city.

That isn't the North!

I would second the suggestions of Saxon Switzerland / Görlitz / Erzgebirge near Dresden. Be sure to include the Basteibrücke.

Between Berlin and Köln is the Harz, and it is amazing. Towns like Wernigerode and Goslar and Quedlinburg for half timbered beauty, but the region as a whole is lovely. Pick somewhere that looks appealing.

And maybe consider coming to the true North! Hamburg is a great city, not to be missed.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are overwhelmed with ideas and have made a few modifications in our itinerary. It's a big loop but may be our last big Germany trip. We like to end up in Reil/Moselle region as we stay at a Winery Gasthous in Punderich... lovely spot! I am also keeping a lookout for the smaller towns along the way that may have a 'kurpark' or bad spa area for massage and swimming. One thing my husband reminded me of is that our daylight hours will be quickly shortening as we reach the final trip days...I always love travel in the Fall but may have planned a couple of weeks later than ideal. We always love the surprises along the way!

Jerri

I just came back from traveling with my German Cousins who live in Kaiserslautern in the south to Prinzenmoor in the north near Denmark. In our travels it was breathtaking. I was to fly back on June 22nd, but stayed another month with my cousin who lives in Hameln, which is south of Hanover and Hamburg. I fell in Love with this town known for the "Pied Piper" and in the square throughout the day the metal doors on the Church would open and the bells would ring as the Pied Piper figures would come out telling the story. We also were lucky on my husband's last day (he flew home before I did) we were able to watch the Musical of the Pied Piper. Hameln is beautiful and plenty of unique shops and a very nice walk along the Weser River!

Like to stay in castle in valley near the Mosel river?

Checkout https://www.arras.de/index.php/pages

Opposite to Bullay in the Alf Valley

Little videos with German commentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr658DwZ3F4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6BmQohQjYg

15km from Pünderich

Starting in Frankfurt direction Dresden nice stopovers might be along the autobahn A4 to Dresden
All with with historic sites and cultural interest Luther ,Bach ,Goethe ,Schiller

Eisenach
https://www.eisenach.info/en/home
Erfurt
https://www.erfurt-tourismus.de/en/
Weimar
https://www.weimar.de/en/

But also the dark part of German history the concentration camp Buchenwald above Weimar
https://www.buchenwald.de/en/

For your trip from Berlin back to the west it would be nice to stopover in Quedlinburg and see the historic town
https://www.quedlinburg-info.de/en/
Stay at
Hotel am Brühl https://www.hotelambruehl.de/en
or
Hotel zur goldenen Sonne https://www.hotelzurgoldenensonne.de/en/