Advice on Traveling to Germany

Frankfurt is the much bigger airport, it is the 3rd largest airport in Europe after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. There will be lots of choice from any London airport to Frankfurt. From Mildenhall, Stansted will be your nearest airport. But, Mildenhall is "in the middle of nowhere", so I hope someone can give you a lift to the airport.

Düsseldorf is much smaller, but has flights from some of the London airports. There is also Cologne (Köln) airport just south of Düsseldorf. There is a High Speed train line from Frankfurt airport to Cologne and Düsseldorf, but I would recommend taking a slow train via the old route along the Rhine gorge and stopping off en route. This is very picturesque, and has lots of places to stop off, or you can take a boat for part of the way.
I would recommend Cologne over Düsseldorf, it has more to see. You could fly into Frankfurt and back from Cologne (or vice-versa)

I am assuming you have accommodation in Mildenhall. Unless you are staying a long time, you have plenty to see in England. Day trips to London, Cambridge, Ely and I am sure your son can suggest a few.

Of you only have limited time to spend on mainland Europe, I would suggest a few days in Paris. Only 2½ hours from London by train.

Thank you for the reply Chris! I am staying in a hotel on Base and he has a car. So we will be traveling to London and other places near and then traveling to Germany. I appreciate your reply so much. Cologne over Dusseldorf is great advice. See, I know nothing so you have no idea how much you are helping!!

Just in case you were thinking of doing so, DO NOT drive into London. Drive to a commuter station (Bishops Stortford, Harlow, or any of dozens more) and get a train in. But you knew this already, didn't you?

If you do want to do a few days in Paris, look up trains from Ebbsfleet on www.eurostar.com Ebbsfleet is a "park and ride" station just off the M25 (London orbital motorway) at which some Eurostar trains heading to Paris stop. Click here for Eurostar timetable.

If what you want to visit are towns or cities, use the train.

I think my son told me he NEVER drives into London, he always drives to a station and rides the train in. Definitely will be taking the train. I offered to go to Paris and he told me that Paris is for "couples" and since we were Mother and Son he would rather go somewhere else. HAHA. So we decided Germany. :)

"Frankfurt or Düsseldorf" scares me. I hope you are not planning on taking RyanError to "Frankfurt" or "Düsseldorf". RyanAir's Frankfurt, really Hahn, is a long bus ride from Frankfurt (Main); it's closer to Trier. RyanAir's Düsseldorf, really Weeze, is nowhere near Düsseldorf and with very bad bus connections.

I saw you say no Paris because your son thinks it is a "couple's city".... that is SO wrong! We have traveled extensively, and Paris is one of the most fabulous cities in the world in our whole family's opinion! We love Germany as well, but do not be that close to Paris and miss it - at least 2 days. My 31-yr old son and I LOVE it and go whenever we can. You will not be sorry - make sure not to miss the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night like a million flashbulbs - after dark at the top of every hour, on the hour, for only 5 minutes. Magical and you will never forget it. So much to see & absorb there - bridges, museums, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, scenery, the metro to get around, food & wine sipping at sidewalk cafes, Parisians :) and on & on! GO! GO! (train routes are quick & easy from Germany). You will be glad you did - I guarantee it!! (just say bonjour when you enter anywhere - it goes a long way, and the French are NOT rude)

sorry - a couple more ideas. For other sights in Germany, Neuschwanstein castle is great - check out photos and you'll see why it's popular! And our favorite town is Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the river). It's a small medieval walled village - you can walk the wall. The definition of charming!! It was spared during the war and is old, quaint and original. Many tourists in the day but it calms down in the eve. If you go, stay within the walls and walk everywhere - we have stayed 3 times on the top floor of Hotel Cafe Uhl - perfect location, good views, very good rates and wonderful morning smells wafting up from their bakery!

"It was spared during the war and is old, quaint and original."

Mr. Steves really needs to correct this detail in his books. It was anything but spared. What you see today is largely a rebuild.

My usual advice on Rothenburg odT: By all means, see it if you're headed in that general direction. But despite what the tourist literature claims, it isn't nearly as unique as advertised. If the general flow of your trip isn't headed by Rothenburg, you can see plenty of other great old towns practically anywhere else in the country, the biggest difference being that most of the others aren't packed with trincket shops and tour buses.

From my reading, I understand that 30-40 % of Rothenburg was destroyed in WWII. That is bad not compared to nearby Würzburg & Nürnberg. Plus Germany has suffered devastation in several wars since the Middle Ages, most notably the Thirty Years War 1618-1648, where Germany was the battlefield for Europe's religious conflict. Then, the Baroque Age altered much of what was left. Finally the introduction of modern utilities forced the change to all before it. None detracts for me the beautiful position of Rothenburg over the Tauber Valley. (I am especially glad there is modern plumbing - think of the alternative!)

The affection for Rothenburg was not an American/Japanese invention. Its beautiful location attracted a British Artist colony in the 1900's. Paul Schreckenbach published a romanticized historical novel (Der König von Rothenburg) bringing it to popular German attention in 1910. (Good read to my taste.) I am sure that much changed in Rothenburg to fit that popular image, as it has all over Germany. (Still thinking about that modern plumbing.)

If you do not like other tourists, then avoid Rothenburg in the high season. It just seems unfair for cursing for doing maintenance, modernization and romanticizing on a par with most of Germany.

Thank you everybody for your replies. Much appreciated. Truly!