Anniversary trip to Germany May 2016

Germany really is a great place, and I hope you have a nice trip.

Since you have only one destination in mind, well I'd encourage you to read further about what else you might like to see. How much time will you have? Neuschwanstein isn't a real castle and it's not at the top of my list for sure, but the DW wants to go there, so that's what you'd better do. But it's a 30-minute tour, j_55, so you have a lot more to plan.

Germany's large cities were heavily destroyed in WW II of course, but Germany is still a good place to see old-world towns if you stick to the smaller places; if you're nervous about driving, this is probably best anyway as larger cities tend to be more stressful in every way. For this reason alone, unless you're dying to see Munich, I'd stay near Neuschwanstein instead.

Between N'stein and Frankfurt there are a good number of handsome old places in more rural settings that you might visit. Here are just a few:
Sommerhausen, Marktbreit and Ochsenfurt on the Main River (just south of Würzburg.)
Pappenheim
Old walled town, Nördlingen

What about a castle stay for your anniversary? Burg Colmberg gets very good marks.

Speaking of castles - real ones - the best place to see a lot of them is the Middle Rhine River Valley, a short distance NW of Frankfurt. Day cruises are popular here too - KD is the most prominent cruise provider.

"Where would you all recommend us to go for a nice evening out, somewhere romantic and all? Thank you for your help. May 5 is our Anniversary and that's when we'll be there."

It's not clear whether "there" means Munich, the Neuschwanstein area, or Germany. You'll probably get some suggestions if you clear that up.

I know this won't clarify anything but anywhere Romantic would be great. N'stein is 2nd on the list gor my wife wants to see the real Cinderella castle

Hi,

Can you help us out here?

You'll fly into Frankfurt and out of ?
How many nights do you have to spend?

We did a driving trip flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich in Oct. '07.
Stayed near Cochem on the Mosel for 4 nights (3 nights would have been ok). Visiting Burg Eltz and Marksburg Castle were highlights for me.
Stayed 2 nights Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Loved our visit and 2 nights was just right.
We then stayed 4 nights in the Berchtsgaden area. Loved our stay and visited Salzburg, Zell am See, etc.

Combine Neuschwanstein with the tour of Hohenschwangau castle. Fuessen, maybe 10 min. at most from the castle's, is a very nice old town to walk around. Near the castle's, there's the Tegelberg cable car and luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn). The luge is a lot of fun. The Wieskirche is well worth a visit while in the area. Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze is maybe a 40 minute drive from Fuessen. This sits on the border of Germany and Austria and the ascent from the Austrian side is in Ehrwald, Austria by Fuessen.

Paul

I highly recommend taking Russ' suggestions. We've taken some of his suggestions for off-the-beaten-path places and have loved them all.

Don't worry so much about the driving. It really is very similar to driving in the States, just be aware that signage is different, road speeds are strictly enforced, read up on highway rules (I seem to recall that Rick has a section about driving rules in his guide books), etc. If you are driving, then I recommend staying out of cities as much as possible. If Munich is on your list, maybe consider dropping off the car, spending a few days in Munich and then flying home from there. I would recommend getting a GPS - either bring your own or rent one with the car - and a good book of road maps. With those you should have no difficult navigating. Certainly, don't let a rental car keep you from staying in the centre of a place you really want to see. The train network is SUPER efficient and once you've done it once you'll realize how easy it is, too.

It is difficult to make too many recommendations without knowing how much timing you have and what interests you. Based on your desire to see Neuschwanstein, I would suggest basing yourself in that part of Germany for a few days. We love Oberammergau as a base when we have a car but others are just as much in love with Fussen, Mittenwald and Garmisch. Using Oberammergau as a base there are a lot of 'romantic' sights and lovely drives you can explore within easy day-tripping distance. Neuschwanstein is just one of them.

Thank you to all for your replies and when I get closer to really get the itenerary together, I will for sure going to examine all of these and get our trip together. Now, I do have one more request. Since we are traveling on buddy passes on a major U.S. Airline, I'm going to try to mix it up. I would like to take my wife to Paris first, stay a few days, then head down to Germany. So my request for help is what do I need to keep in mind in regards to taking the train from Paris to, probably, Munich. Thank you all in advance!

Just do it. Bavaria and Baden Württemberg are great. I would also recommend in May Austria/Italy Tirol, Sud Tirol (still snow on the mountains) and northern Italy too (Lake Como beautiful). Driving here is fun once you get used to it, and for me driving is the way to go. Take a navigation device like an updated TomTom. Go where you want. It is hard to recommend one place as a base. Allgäu (Neuschwanstein area) could be a nice place to base, buit I think moving along is better. Sorry but have not been to Paris in 20 years and trains are not my thing.

"I would like to take my wife to Paris first, stay a few days, then head down to Germany. So my request for help is what do I need to keep in mind in regards to taking the train from Paris to, probably, Munich."

This new plan will surely change your options and the suggestions you get.

"Thank you to all for your replies and when I get closer to really get the itenerary together, I will for sure going to examine all of these and get our trip together."

Munich is a long trip, a 7-hour train ride from Paris on 2-4 different trains. Before planning this train trip, I think you should reverse your planning strategy - consider your destinations in Germany first. THEN your train route.

mchpp mentions the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest part of Germany. From Paris, you could get there in just 3 hours (to Karlsruhe, by direct train... or with one change of train to Offenburg, doorstep to the Black Forest.) Baden-Württemberg doesn't have the name recognition of Bavaria, but it's a fantastic place to visit.

You wanted a snappy place for an anniversary dinner? How about the Schwarzwaldstube or "Black Forest Room" in the Black Forest town of Baiersbronn, a mecca of sorts for gourmets: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187279-d718344-Reviews-Schwarzwaldstube-Baiersbronn_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

Castles and Palaces in Baden-Württemberg:
Hohenzollern
Ludwigsburg
Castle/hotel Hirschhorn on the Neckar River near Heidelberg
MORE

Just a few of the charming towns in B-W:
Meersburg on Lake Constance at the German/Swiss border
Bad Wimpfen, near Heidelberg
Calw in the Black Forest near Stuttgart

The Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum in the Black Forest is wonderful too.

The Black Forest is great for walks and great scenery.

Stuttgart might be a fly-out airport for you. It also has some interesting sights.

Great information!

I'll just comment that you don't necessarily need to be driving, especially if you don't want to. We've been all over Europe using only trains & the occasional bus. For us train travel is very relaxing, and we enjoy both the scenery, eating a lunch on the train and being ready to go as soon as we arrive at the next location.

Enjoy your anniversary trip!