I'm flying into Berlin and out of Amsterdam. Meeting my kiddo who's over there for the summer. I had initially planned on a northern route after leaving Berlin (Maybe a Lubeck, Hamburg, Zwolle, Utrecht route), but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if the slightly longer southern route might be better? (Like a Leipzig, Nurenburg, Rothenburg, Mosel Valley, Utrecht) I get that the southern route is a lot more touristy, but does that mean the northern route would be boring? Folks who've explored both areas, which would you choose?
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2964 posts
Lubeck, Hamburg & Utrecht are all great cities to visit, so the Northern route is the one I would recommend.
Posted by
Munich
781 posts
In any case, you'll love the northern route. You'll see places that unfortunately remain hidden for most tourists from overseas, because it always has to be the same old Rothenburg and Mosel Valley.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7526 posts
You'll probably enjoy them both. But yes, Rothenburg o.d.T. and the Mosel Valley are extremely popular on this forum, and in my opinion overrated compared to the amount of attention they get. On the other hand, I think Leipzig is a bit underrated. But Hamburg and Lübeck are great places well worth a visit! And so is Utrecht.
Posted by
Schwerin
3880 posts
Agree to Mignon. Add Schwerin for castle and old town.
Car or train?
Date of travel?
Posted by
UK
1038 posts
Lübeck and Utrecht are two of my favourite small cities in Europe. Hamburg is a fascinating place (make sure you go to Miniatur Wunderland). I would (and indeed have…) go the northern route.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8340 posts
Posted by
OP
Austin
2 posts
Sorry. Didn't put dates and transportation to original...First few weeks of july. Thinking just public transport since it's one-way. (I guess I could look at a car from Berlin to a West German dropoff or an Amsterdam dropoff...just don't know how expensive that would be). You guys are making me feel more confident that northern Germany will be great! Just doesn't pop up in American travel literature as much!
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7526 posts
If you're just going from town to town, train will be the easiest option.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2964 posts
I agree the train is the way to go. If you pick
up a rental car in Germany and drop it off in the Netherlands, you will get hit with a “ one-way rental” charge that could be as high as €1,000.