Family vacation in the Erfurt area over the holidays

Applies to Erfurt as well as original Subject of below thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-west/favorite-towns-sites-to-visit-from-leipzig-germany

See also
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/historic-textiles-and-costumes-in-salzburg

(I can't say enough good things about Quedlinburg.) Check if the EGAPark in Erfurt is open and has a Christmas display. In summer, it's well worth the small entrance fee, and has its own tram stop.

I don't personally know about Leipzig in WW II, but I would mention how important it was in the fall of East Germany, which is sort of a post-war story. Would your sons want to go to the Gotha historic schloss?

You may want to look into Kassel. Would the boys prefer Contemporary art to dead guys in museums? Also, in Kassel, you could do the only museum of dead guys (Gemäldegalerie) while they have acres of estate grounds and a castle tower with a big copper sculpture on top to run around in. Both Kassel and Munster have a lot of outdoor sculpture, which some anti-museum people prefer to paintings. (Just saying ... ) Kassel also has a museum of Germany funerary culture (which I missed), which is VERY different from American funeral and grave culture. Maybe you have read about the oldest, biggest cemetery in NYC trying to rebrand itself as a quiet park for the living. It's been that way in Germany for some time. I learned that at a German flower show that had a huge section of fake graves!

Edit: Kassel permanent exhibitions: I specifically wanted to see American Walter DeMaria's "Vertical Earth Kilometer", from an old documenta. His related "Broken Kilometer" is in NYC. It might appeal to youngsters. Also conceptual art, "5000 Eichen", by German Joseph Beuys, which are (now) mature trees each with an associated basalt column. There are also sound sculptures along a water park, from past documentas.

https://www.documenta.de/en/works_in_kassel#

I have no interest in car manufacturer sites, but we went to see the exterior of a BMW assembly plant designed by Zaha Hadid, a (now deceased) star-chitect.

Has the family been to Berlin? I rate it far, far above Munich.

Just to get this right, you are basically asking for destinations within a 200km radius of Gießen?

My first recommendation is to ask your friends. They will be experts on the closer region. There is the nearby university town of Marburg for instance with a nice castle.

If you were traveling in summer, I would have recommended boating on the Lahn river for two active boys. Not sure if there are any activities like that in winter, but I am sure your friends would know.

For a boy interested in WWII history, have your friends find a tour of Gießen itself that does not focus on cutesy rebuilt houses but on the true history of what happened. The town itself is the best representation of the consequences of the war.

Gießen has interactive museums on maths and science which might be fun for your boys. Not sure how much knowledge of German those require though.

Erfurt and nearby Weimar I am sure are worth a visit. Within the same radius, you can also reach some of the classics, like Heidelberg, Würzburg, or the Rhine river valley. Not in comfortable day trip distance from Gießen though.

Since you will be passing through Frankfurt at least twice, you might also make that an option. Maybe Ms. Jo will chime in. You could also make Frankfurt a day trip from Gießen.

Just on a side note: I assume you aware that you will be doing almost 100% backtracking with that route Frankfurt - Nuremberg - Gießen?

Edit to add:

Kassel of course is famous for being the site one of the most renowned contemporary art exhibitions of the world, the documenta which is going to take place again next summer. They do have a few permanent exhibits, and Kassel has a number of other noteworthy museums, but I would not go there just for the town itself. I may be doing it injustice. :-)

Quedlinburg is a great destination but definitely outside that 200km radius I assumed above. If you want a town with half-timbered houses a little closer than that, you might have a look into Hannoversch Münden.

And I'll certainly second the idea of Berlin, though that is definitely outside the 200km radius. :-)

Quedlingburg is indeed a stunner. In addition to the huge number of protected buildings, there's the cathedral with its super-impressive treasury. Google for the American connection to the treasury. As of 2015 the tourist office rented out audio guides. Unfortunately, it's not really a reasonable destination in your timeframe if you're starting from Giessen and using trains. Even with a car it looks as if it would be about 4 hours.

Erfurt is a handsome university town with a merchant's bridge and two historic churches. It survived the war basically unscathed. If you're ready for something other than German cuisine by this point of your trip, I think you can find it in Erfurt. I remember a small Middle-Eastern restaurant (Jordanian or Palestinian, I believe), and I don't think it was the only non-German option.

Weimar is historically important and also the jumping-off point for the Buchenwald concentration camp. After the defeat of the Nazis Buchenwald was used during the DDR period to incarcerate enemies of the state, so there's a lot of history there. You may need to ask for the printed English material about the camp. I don't know about the period when you'll be traveling, but I was able to take a city bus from Weimar to the camp.

Eisenach has an attractive historic center, but most people probably go there for Wartburg Castle, which I suspect would appeal to your sons. The castle has a Martin Luther connection whose details I don't remember. There are usually some English-language tours available. I don't know about the holiday period or how much one can explore without a tour. Again, there was public-bus service at the time of my visit.

Weimar is historically important

... absolutely, and it was so way before the Nazis. Weimar was the cultural capital at the time of the most famous German poets, Goethe and Schiller. It is also the symbol of the first attempt at democracy in Germany, the Weimar Republic.

Wartburg Castle, which I suspect would appeal to your sons. The castle
has a Martin Luther connection whose details I don't remember.

Let me help you on. :-) Luther stayed there while he was outlawed and used his time there to translate the New Testament into German. It's basically THE one thing the Wartburg is famous for.

Also, legend has it that he threw an ink pot at what he believed to be the devil appearing to him, and the ink spot on the wall used to be shown to visitors. Not sure if they told the visitors that the ink naturally fades over time and they had to renew the spot on a regular basis. I think they don't do that any more, so ... no ink spot.

Well, the Wartburg has a fictional historical relation to Wagner's Die Meistersinger. I believe that Bach's actual birth house in Eisenach is long gone.

We drove (I know the OP has no car) from Weimar to Quedlinburg and back in one day, including seeing the treasury and having an early dinner in Quedlinburg. But Quedlinburg was an absolute must-see for me. This was in summer, with a longer day. It was about 2.5 hours each way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_of_medieval_art_from_Quedlinburg

For those who have more time: You can certainly fill a full day (2 nights) in Quedlinburg, using the audio guide to explore the large historic center, the cathedral and the castle. There's also a small modern-art gallery. Few Americans seem to find their way there, but it is justifiably popular with European visitors.

I liked Erfurt. Was there before the pandemic for the opening of the Christmas Market a few years ago. Still has old East flair (good) and good public transportation. No idea what is going on 27-31 Dec, but I would guess quiet. Nice cafe and restaurants. Maybe some Stollen? From Gießen you could go to Friedburg (another old US base, Fulda Gap fight) and visit Bad Nauheim (Elvis lived there). There is the the Limes (Roman) in the area too, and always liked Münzenberg (closed?), but transplantation might be a problem. Hessenpark?

Thanks for all the input! I appreciate it.

Anna- Our friends are the ones that pointed us in the direction of Erfurt and the surrounding area. But, I asked here also to get some input from a tourist point of view. Our friends are actually taking us to Marburg for a day trip. Their daughter (our former exchange student) just finished up six years of studying there. I know we're backtracking on ourselves a little bit via Frankfurt, but it's just how it's all piecing together between things we'd like to see and our friends' work schedules. Great suggestions on Giessen!

Quedlinburg - Man, so many votes for this place! I wish it was easier to get to from our starting location.

Berlin- Lots of votes for Berlin too. We haven't been and it doesn't exactly fit my "Christmas card" mental picture. But maybe I should reconsider. We'll be staying a total of 8 days in our friends' small village (outside of Giessen) so I guess we'll get the small town fix there.

Mchpp- We've actually been to Hessenpark and it probably would be a good one with the kids (the kids weren't with us when we went)

For Buchenwald, I recommend you give that some thorough thought considering the young age of your boys. I haven't checked for Buchenwald, but I know that some concentration camp memorials won't even allow children below the age of 12.

Just wanted to add Herborn for the timber frame buildings in the old city and Wetzlar for the Wetzlarer Dom. You may have been there as they are so close to Gießen

Well, I just realized one major factor we might have overlooked in our planning. While we will all be vaccinated by US standards, I am not sure if Germany will recognize my 9 year old's proof of vaccination. Nothing has been approved for younger children over there and it was just approved here this past week. So, I'm struggling to find information regarding this. My 9 year old is getting his first dose this weekend. All that to say, even though he'll be fully vaccinated by the time we are set to fly out, I'm not sure he'll be exempt from the quarantine requirements, which would totally defeat the purpose of us going :(

I think the 3G entry requirement is for 12 year old or older. I would keep abreast of the situation and check with your Airline carrier. The Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) regularly publishes their Information on the designation of international risk areas weekly, with a link to an English pdf file. There is reference to the 30 September 2021, the amended Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulation.

"On account of the increasing worldwide spread of readily transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants (in particular, the delta variant), a general obligation to furnish proof applies. This means that persons aged 12 or over must, as a rule, possess a negative test result or proof of vaccination or recovery when entering the country."

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Transport/Archiv_Risikogebiete/Risikogebiete_aktuell_en.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

mchpp- I think the exemption for those under 12 only applies for the Obligation to furnish proof. If the German government doesn't recognize his vaccination, then he would be treated as unvaccinated and required to self-isolate for 5 days. So, really the question is will they recognize his Pfizer vaccine. It's so new here in the US. Kids are just starting to get it this weekend. I'm not sure how to figure that piece out...Here's the language from the German Ministry of Health website:

Please note the following regulations if you are entering the country accompanied by children:

Registration required: Minors who, at any time within the last ten days prior to entry, spent time in an area classified as a high-risk area or an area of variants of concern at the time of entry must be registered.

Obligation to furnish proof: Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the obligation to furnish proof.

Obligation to self-isolate: For children under the age of 12, quarantine after a stay in an area classified as a high-risk area at the time of entry automatically ends five days after entry into Germany.

OK a deeper dive is required. But if your 9 year old is tested within 5 days of entry and registered, quarantine requirement is ended? I'm not sure what test is required for entry, or end of quarantine, but a antigen test can be done with results returned in an hour. The antigen test I have schedule for a US trip in December is EUR 23.

I would contact the Federal Ministry of Health: https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/service/contact-form.html

We hit another record high cases today, so no telling what will happen in the next weeks.

Our friends are planning to call the Ministry of Health hotline next week for us. Hopefully they can get some clear answers. I have been keeping an eye on the rising cases in Germany. As you said, that could mess travel plans up either way if things go into lockdowns again. * Sigh *

Someone already mentioned Buchenwald, but another WW2 site north of there is Nordhausen (mittelbau-dora). It was a work camp where they made the V2 rockets underground after being forced from their North Sea location. There are tours of some of the tunnels. Nice towns in Erfurt and Weimer.

@cah2c: This might be a thread for you to look at. The OP originally had a question about unvaccinated kids, and now a reply has been given "problem solved" since kids can now be vaccinated. I don't know if that solves the problem or not, but it might make sense to look at this question together.

Thanks Anna! I sure hope this ends up being a non-issue! We have certainly tried to do our best to make sure we keep ourselves and the people around us safe. Boys just got their first jab tonight!

Just in case anybody else finds this information useful, our friends were able to call the German Ministry of Health today and confirmed that the pediatric dosage of the Pfizer COVID vaccine will be accepted by Germany upon entry and so the kids won't need to quarantine. It was confusing because the US Embassy and German Embassy both pointed to a page on the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute that listed recognized vaccines for entry into Germany and the list contained age requirements. However, it turns out this list is the age limits for which the vaccine is offered within Germany. As long as it's the same brand and # of doses, it doesn't matter the age of the recipient for entry regulations. So our trip has gotten the GREEN LIGHT!!

Also, based on all the rave reviews by you all and our friends, we have booked lodging for our side trip to Quedlinburg. We decided to rent a car for those days to make it quicker and easier to get around. We still have to figure out what activities will be available while we're there since it's right between Christmas and New Years and also what is offered in English. But some potential ideas are to take the kids on the steam train, go on a winter hike if the weather is mild enough, possibly sledding in Braunlage, conditions permitting. There's Wernigerode Castle nearby where the story of The Little Ghost takes place and they do tours for kids (not sure if in English) based on the book. Thanks to Amazon the book is already en route to us. Any other suggestions? As a reminder the boys are 12 and 9 and are very active!

From Wernigerode, you can take the steam train up to the highest mountain of the Harz, the Brocken. This mountain is full of history. During GDR times, it was a military area and totally off limits to the public.

For us West Germans, we could go up to Torfhaus and look across to the Brocken, but never go there.

What visitors and younger Germans sometimes forget: The wall was not only in Berlin, but it went from North to South through all of Germany. It went right through that valley between Torfhaus and the Brocken.

So, if you want to give your kids an idea of what that all was like, you could do the following. It's a bit of a detour, but could make history come alive:

Take your kids up to Torfhaus first. Have them look east on the Brocken, and have them imagine a huge fence and a strip of land totally off limits going through the valley.

Then you can go to Wernigerode and take the steam train up. Not sure if they have guided tours in English on the train or up on the Brocken in the museum, but try to show your children up to which point East Germans could go. Schierke for instance was open only to "trustworthy" citizens. Farther up was closed to everyone except the military.

However, for two very active boys, I would actually recommend HIKING up to the Brocken starting from the town of Ilsenburg. It's a beautiful 10km hike from there, constantly along a small river, and with a choice of a very comfortable even trail or a more adventurous rough one going parallel alongside the riverbed.

You could walk up and, as a treat, take the steam train back down. Check the steam train schedule to make sure you don't miss the last one. Keep in mind that everyone left up there will want to take the last train, so that particular train may get crowded (avoid weekends for that trip if you can). And you will have to figure out how to get back to your car between Wernigerode and Ilsenburg, either by bus or by taxi.

Edit to add:

Goodness, I just got carried away here and totally lost track of the fact that you will be going not in summer but in winter. Absolutely check the weather (it may be quite abysmal up on the Brocken) and what's open that time of year. Forget about driving up to any place in the Oberharz (Torfhaus etc.) unless road conditions allow and your car is properly equipped.

Anna- those are some great ideas! But, like you said in your edit, we will have to pay close attention to the weather to see if it's plausible. In general I've taken the approach that there's no bad weather, just bad clothes. However, I also live in a warmer climate in TN. So, I could change my mind about that while in Germany this December :)

Believe me, you can have bad weather on the Brocken. :D