Germany Austria ( 14 nights) November

Hi,

Even though I visited Kassel, I never stayed there. As for cuisine, the place is noted for a particular dish, "Kasseler Rippchen." Your student's family can tell about that as it is a local specialty.

The beer I recommended in my other post....Einbecker Pils from the nearby town Einbeck, if you like North German beer.

You can find Kassel way down in this trip report,
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/baltic-germany-fachwerke-landesgartenschau

My group had to settle for the Kassel Best Western. Although I did not see it, I would think the museum of funeral customs would be interesting for Americans. You might try to get to Erfurt or Eisenach. Frankfurt has a good S-Bahn to the airport.

Instead of staying at the Frankfurt airport (unless your flight is super early in the morning) stay in the city so you can try some great food, Frankfurt specialties and great wine from the Rheingau. The train ride is only 13-17 min. and there are hotels for every budget here, plus tons of great sightseeing.

How are you traveling and when in November? The first Advent weekend is 25-27 November. Maybe you can catch a Weihnachtsmarkt? Are you staying in Bad Abbach? Kassel, Bad Hersfeld, Grebenau Forest, Fulda etc. reminds me of my Cold War days.

Regensburg is a great city to visit, but you probably don't need 4 nights there. Are you planning a day trip to Nurenburg?

Kassel is not know for its tourist sites. I visited the Fulda gap, while serving in the US Army Reserve and saw the old international border with the East with its guard towers, etc.

Cologne and the Rhine River not that far away, perhaps you could take a river cruise, consider Rudesheim.

@Jette....

Re: "touring on our own"...... You are in an area ie, Kassel/Nordhessen where numerous places are logistically easily reachable by train and obviously by car within a one to two hour radius.

I would also recommend as a day trip , at least, if not staying overnight, visiting Marburg an der Lahn, not far from Kassel in the other direction and a most scenic and beautiful town, a famous university town, like Goettingen, and historical (the St Elisabeth Church) . Over the years I've been there a couple of times, the first time in 1977, always as day trips from Frankfurt.

If it's Marburg vs Hildesheim, Marburg wins. Marburg vs Goslar...that's a tough call. Ideally visit both.

I’ll research marberg and hildeahwin

We can stay three nights in one! What’s the most logical?

I’ll investigate Nuremberg for day trip.
We prefer not moving much - normally we stay 2 weeks in one town

Example Budapest
Example Beaune France

So 3 nights each is pushing it for my preference but we visit three international
Exchange students and meet their families.

Yes regensberg staying bad abbach likely. Also going to Christmas markets. Or regensberg thengo to bad abbach in
Days

Hi,

I stayed in Marburg on my last visit there in June 2007. The hotel then was called "Europäischer Hof" on Elisabethstrasse 12. (3 star)

It's no longer there but has been replaced by another more modern refurbished hotel, "Marburger Hof" ... better now than I had then.

The hotel location is walkable from the train station (downhill) and down to the St Elisabeth Church (Elisabethkirche) and into the Zentrum. Good location.

Tim I found your Kassel write up:thank you!!!
Pasted

Kassel
I went to Kassel for Documenta 14, a very important contemporary art exhibition. It's called an art fair, but it is not about retail gallery sales. It's a curated exhibition that's spread out all over the city. It has just closed for 2017, and will (finances permitting) take place again in five years. There are significant remnants of past Documentas, like Joseph Beuys' "7000 Oaks", which are paired basalt columns with different varieties of oak tree, and Walter De Maria's "The Vertical Kilometer". ("The Broken Kilometer" is in New York City.) When there's no Documenta, the main reason to go to Kassel is the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. This includes the famous copper version of the Farnese Hercules which is the "symbol" of Kassel. In fact, it's a vast, superb estate park, with lakes, follies, greenhouses, and more. I only had time for the Gemäldegalerie, a four-floor art museum in the mansion. It is a superb museum, with outstanding old master paintings. I've rarely seen so many Antwerp school paintings in one place outside Antwerp. The biggest collection is the norther Netherlands, including 10 or more fine Rembrandts. There are some Italian paintings, but I don't think I saw anything from Spain. There are six excellent Cranachs. The first floor is a small selection of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities.
The #1 Tram goes to the middle of the hill (ticket machine on board the Tram, less than 2 Euros), at a beautiful 19th Century tram station. The walk uphill is about 1/4 mile from the tram, no shuttle bus. There are several hotels and restaurants on the property, as well as picnic opportunities. If you like estate gardens, this is enough reason to visit Kassel in nine months of the year. The plantings were in excellent condition in mid-September, 2017, a good sign. For art fans, the Gemäldegalerie is worth the 20-minute tram ride all year long. The water cascades on the hill operate ONLY on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, when they DO operate a shuttle bus, because it "starts" at the Hercules statue, much, much farther UP the hill. There is an admission (and a photo permit fee) for the Gemäldegalerie, but not for the grounds of the park. You can climb the pedestal of the Hercules statue, but the view from its base is just fine on a clear day.

Ms jo
I think we will stay at airport but go into town for dinner! Then I’m not stressed.
We can bus, taxi or Uber to a nice restaurant for our last night in Europe meal. Recommendation???

Mchpp

I’m really excited about going to several Christmas markets which is why we turn the trip upside down and started in Italy moving up to Germany for the Christmas markets. We also want to go to the Christmas markets with our exchange student.

Geo Va Griffith

I will definitely check out Nuremberg. I think rudesheim too far for this trip. I’m saving the info!

But we are four nights in Reagansburg and plan to go to bad abbach spa, Christmas market, and could use a day trip away that is a good place?

Fred-

We changed the triple lot based on your suggestions now we are really trying to figure out which town in Germany to stay three nights in maybe gossler may be Marburg. Then we will stay four nights and Kassel and hit the Christmas markets and have dinner with our exchange student at her parents and then another night at dinner with our student.

If we stay in goslar 3 nights we can visit einbeck and gottingen. Then 4 nights in Kassel amd day trip to Marburg!

Rick Steves Vienna Salzburg & Tirol sixth edition guidebook contains an excellent self-guided walk in Salzburg that I took once and loved.

Marburg is beautiful, but so is Limburg. I enjoy visiting both of them. Hessen has lots of gorgeous, medieval towns. You might want to check out the Half-timbered route to find more of them. https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

Hi,

When you are staying in Kassel at the home of the student's family, it's a great idea logistically to do a day trip to Marburg...most definitely. A good number of the trains depart not from Kassel Hbf (central station) , but rather Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe.

If you get on at Kassel Hbf, you'll have to transfer at Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe anyway.

Hi, Jette; looks like a great upcoming trip.

In the autumn of 2017, I visited for the first time Kassel where I stayed for 4 nights.

In Kassel, I wanted to see some of the legacy art sculptures and monuments from past Documenta, including Beuys' thoughtful "7000 Oaks" throughout the city; and the "Monument for Strangers and Refugees", an obelisk by Olu Oguibe with its anti-racist refugee-supportive theme. Initially removed from Königsplatz, the obelisk got moved to Treppenstrasse, next to Florentiner Platz.

I spent an afternoon in the GrimmWelt Kassel to learn about how in the early 19th-century the Grimm brothers collected tales and stories from around the region and continent, how some of the characters in stories like Aschenputtel (Cinderella) or Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood) would meet far uglier fates, and how the collections of stories printed in a single language would fit into the idea of and culture for a brand new unified nation (re. 1871).

On German Reunification Day, I spent most of the available daylight at the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with decent weather and ample crowds. I took public transport up to the "top" next to the Hercules monument and followed (walked next to) the water cascades to a large fountain at the bottom of the park.

From Kassel, I made separate daytrips by train to Höxter to see the Corvey abbey world heritage site, and to Göttingen to visit the final resting places of scientists whose work and discoveries formed a part of the foundation for my training; i.e., Max Born, Otto Hahn, Carl Gauss, Max von Laue, Walther Nernst, Max Planck, etc.

Have a great trip / gute Reise!

While visiting Marburg in Dec. for their Xmas market, discovered that the Elizabeth church is undergoing extensive renovation and the entire choir section was blocked off. Not sure how long this is supposed to take, but don't be surprised. Sometimes these restorations can take years.

Ditto for Hoexter, went there some years back as a day trip from Soest/Westfalen

I recommend seeing the Schloss, with its magnificent library. The author of the poem, " Das Lied der Deutschen," Hoffmann von Fallersleben has his grave site in the yard of the Schloss....saw that too. The 2nd and 3rd stanzas are the Nationalhyme today.

To follow-up Ms. Jo's most recent entry:

The interior of the Elisabeth Church in Marburg will undergo restorations from late-2021 to late-2024, according to this press release by the State Department for the Preservation of Monuments in the federal state of Hessen.

Die Restaurierung des Innenraumes der Elisabethkirche in Marburg beginnt Mitte Oktober 2021

" ... Die Kosten von 6,7 Millionen Euro trägt das Land Hessen. Die dreijährigen Arbeiten sollen im Herbst beginnen."

Ms Jo, Henry, and Fred..
You are a wealth of information thank you so much!

There is an option for free public transportation and sightseeing in an around Nordhessen / Kassel that may be worth considering.

The Meine Card Plus program is a cooperative effort on the part of more than 100 area lodging establishments to provide guests with a complimentary "guest card" for the duration of their stay. Details at the link below:

https://www.grimmheimat.de/content/download/52306/2245522/version/2/file/Freizeitfuehrer_MCP_2022_EN_web.pdf

Hi,

You're welcome !

While staying with your student, ask them about Schloss Wilhelmshoehe, as something to take in if you so desire. I went there because of its unique history, it played host to the French Emperor who was technically a prisoner taken at Sedan.

I stayed at the Marburger Hotel in late November 2019 for 2 days. The hotel was very good. Marburg was setting up the Christmas Market. The town is beautiful and built on fairly steep ground. With the fog and drizzle the views were limited as the castle disappearing into the clouds. The cobble stones were slick. I was thinking I would like to visit it in a drier, sunnier season next time.

Comment on the SalzbUrg portion of your trip - only two nights? Salzburg has some of the best markets in Europe including the nearby Wolfgangsee area. Plus you like longer stays, so why so short? I’d definitely do 4 nights in Salzburg and two in RegensbUrg.