We fly into Paris from the US, on Monday May 27th arriving in the afternoon. Staying in Paris until Saturday, June 1, then off to Germany. I am torn on whether we should fly into Munich, stay there 2-3 days, rent a car and then start a road trip up the Romantic Highway, ending up with friends/family in Heidelberg. Or train or fly to Frankfurt, rent a car and tour the Mosel Valley, then ending up in Frankfurt. We are traveling with our 2 twin 17 year old daughters who will turn 18 in Germany. They are very excited. I know it is all personal preference and what you really want to see. I have been to Germany, years ago, but my husband and girls have not. I have seen Munich, Neuschwainstein Castle, Salzburg, Vienna and the Alps, but this will all all be new to them and I want them to have a good trip. I really wanted to see Burg Eltz and that area yet, willing to compromise. We leave on the 14th, flying back out of Paris. However the girls will stay with family until the 22nd. Our friends also told us that June 10 is a National Holiday in Germany and everything is closed, so it would be good to work that into some type of walking day or rest day. Any positive suggestions for an itinerary? Thanks for your positive responses.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9224 posts
Take the train to Frankfurt rather than fly. So much faster and if you get your tickets 3 months ahead, they should only be 39€. Factor in your time and expense spent getting to and from the airports. Train takes less than 4 hours.
You could also consider taking the train to Cologne instead since you want to go to the Mosel. Otherwise you are back-tracking going all the way to Frankfurt.
With holidays in Germany, only stores are closed, not anything else. If you don't want to shop, it won't make any difference at all. Just like a Sunday. Tourist attractions, museums, restaurants, etc. all do booming business on holidays.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Thanks. No I am not a shopper so would rather sight see.
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Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Or you can take a train to Trier in about the same timing as to Cologne, about 3.5 hours. The major car rental agencies are all present in either city.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14767 posts
I was about to mention taking the train to Trier as well. I did the RS Germany, Austria, Switzerland tour a few years ago and started with some days in Paris. Took the TGV train (the fast one) to Saarbrucken and an Intercity from there to Trier and it worked really well. Trier is an interesting university town on the Mosel with a number of Roman ruins. It's also not too far from Burg Eltz. The train from Saarbrucken runs along the river (the Saar, I think) and thru miles and miles of vineyards.
If I had a vote on which "castle" to see between the 2 you mentioned, I'd vote for Burg Eltz. Much more interesting and people still live in parts of it as opposed to Neuschwanstein.
Posted by
San Francisco
14988 posts
Take the morning TGV Paris Est to Frankfurt Hbf and you'll be in Frankfurt by 11 am. Stay 3-5 nights to see the city's sights eg, the "new" Opera House, Goethe's house/museum (Germany's greatest poet), plus for a day, if you want to include that too, numerous towns outside of the city accessible by the RB trains or S-Bahn....Wiesbaden, Wetzlar, Marburg, Bad Nauheim, Butzbach, Friedberg/Hessen, Hanau, etc.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Great suggestions, Pam and Fred. Thank you so much. The girls are very excited and also a part of reading these responses. They think it is really cool that people on here want to help them have a great time in Europe.
Posted by
San Francisco
14988 posts
Hi,
You're welcome. If the girls are interested in history, taking a day trip from Frankfurt to Koblenz or Bad Ems would be well worth their time, especially if they took AP European History as you wrote that are presently 17.
Going from Frankfurt Hbf to Koblenz Hbf is easy...a direct shot. Change to the S-Bahn to reach the Deutsches Eck. (the German corner). The HI hostel in Koblenz is located at Festung Ehrenbreitstein, a Prussian fortress completed shortly after the defeat of Napoleon as part of the Great Powers' guard against a possible French resurgence. Ehrenbreitstein is located on the other side of the river and above Deutsches Eck.
From Ehrenbreitstein you get a terrific view of Deutsches Eck where the Mosel and Rhine converge. There is more historical "stuff" connected with Deutsches Eck and Ehrenbreitstein, which you'll see when you get there.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
1498 posts
If that's the way you're going to go, take the train to Frankurt. Then drive autobahn 3 to Wurzburg and Nuremberg, and then 6 to Heidleberg. There's loads to do along the way and great scenery. For even more fun get off the main road and drive the secondary ones. You're bound to hit a winefest between Frankfurt and Wurzburg. You might also want to look up the local Volksmarch events (usually weekends) and join them for a 5-10 km walk thru the local area followed by sausage and beer.
Oh yes, if you stay at Pensions in small towns you can easily get two rooms for less than $100/night.