We are visiting the Netherlands and would like a day trip to Germany by rail. We would like to travel no more than 4 hours each way from Amsterdam. Is there a nice historic town that has interesting buildings , Good German food and beer ? We are taking friends who have never been to Europe and one has a German heritage.
Posted by
Chicago
7879 posts
Aachen or Kohn are the closest that I ve been to.
But personally if it is a train ride over 3hours each way with stops it is no fun.
Posted by
Green Bay
20162 posts
Cologne is 2 3/4 hours away by direct ICE trains, the first at 6:37 and the second at 8:02, return trains at 7:14 pm and 8:42 pm.
The iconic Gothic Cathedral is in excellent condition, but the rest of the city was pretty much turned into a moonscape from the bombing. So they are justly proud that the rest of the city was restored to close what it looked like before the war on the outside and modern on the inside. Koelsch is the local beer and can only be called that if the brewery is within sight of the twin spires of the cathedral. Nice town and I highly recommend it. I always stop in at Papa Joes Biersalon on the Altmarkt.
Book nonrefundable Sparpreis tickets as far in advance as you can. Looking a week away, somewhere around 350 EUR for 4 people round trip., but tipping 540 EUR if you wait until the last minute. Looking 6 weeks out, as little as 200 EUR.
Edit - And as far as being historic, there are a few vestiges of Roman ruins going back to Julius Caesar's time. The name Koeln (or Cologne as the English name) derives from the Latin name Colonia (Colony on the Rhine).
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
You might want to check with your friend first. Or this could turn into a, Hey my friend's an American from Los Angeles so we thought he'd feel right at home in Boston ...........
Posted by
San Francisco
14538 posts
I agree with Aachen, Köln, Düsseldorf, and Koblenz (plus Bad Ems right in the area) and/or Bonn. Düsseldorf has its famous Altbeer.