We are to 2 couples arriving in Frankfurt by train from Paris at 11h00 on 14/09/2017. Here we pick up our rented car for a 2 night stay at Grunstadt. On 15/09/17 we want to visit the Wurstmatkt in Bad Durkheim. We aim to use the train from Grunstadt to Bad Durkheim and back. From 16/09/2017 we will be staying near Heidelberg from where we want to do day trips by car to Gegenbach, to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and then travel to Bingen, take the boat to Boppard or Koblenz, return to Bingen by train and back to the Hotel by car. ( maybe do the boat trip on the day we arrive at Frankfurt?) On 19/09/17 we leave Heidelburg and travel to Innsbruck for a 2 night stay. On the way we would like to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle ( Do we have to book or can we just arrive? ) At Innsbruck we want to the cable car ride? From Innsbruck to Munich on 21/09/17 where we drop of the car before our visit to the Oktoberfest. We will be staying for 3 nights and then travel by train for a two night stay in Berlin from where we fly back home.
It is our first visit to Germany. We can still change the itinerary as our Hotel bookings can still be cancelled or changed. Is it possible to do the Rhine trip on the date of our arrival? Is their better or more places to visit that we have missed. Do we have to book visit tickets in advance? (Wine tents, Beer tents, boat trips ...)
Posted by
Green Bay
20143 posts
Wine tents i wouldn't know about, as my one time at a wine festival there were none, just stands with picnic tables at various spots in the town. I notice that the one I went to is going on the weekend of 16/09 to 17/09 in Puenderich on the Mosel. Besides the wine stands operated by various vintners, there will be a couple of wildly costumed bands from Netherlands parading through town and stopping at the wine stands to play a few tunes. Their pay is a glass of wine at each stand they stop and play. There is also the town band, which plays it pretty straight. Driving, someone is going to need to be the designated driver, sticking mostly to the low-alcohol Federweisser (partially fermented grape juice). From Gruenstadt, take the
motorway toward Hahn Airport and get off on the 421 to Zell, then the 53 along the river to Puenderich.
For Oktoberfest, no real need for a reservation, they require booking a table for 10 with a per person minimum. Most of the reservations are booked already anyway. Go during the day and you can sit at reserved tables until the start of the reservation, usually starting around 5 pm. After that, play it by ear, should be some empty seats around where you can sit and make friends, easy to do at Oktoberfest.
For the train to Berlin, book a 3 hour stopover in Bamberg and enjoy some Rauchbier.
Posted by
Paradise
6650 posts
"Is their better or more places to visit that we have missed."
Yes, but even now your plan is crammed with too many places and too many ground-travel miles. More places won't fit. Maybe some changes will make it better.
"We can still change the itinerary..."
14/09: Get off the train in Mannheim at 10:18 and rent your car there. You can probably make Grünstadt by 11 or so - no need at all to travel all the way to Frankfurt. Yes, it would be possible to just drive straight to Bingen that day to do your cruise. However, the cruise alone makes for a very weak visit to one of Germany's best destinations. I would not want to miss out on the old-world towns of Boppard, Oberwesel (wine fest in O'wesel that weekend!) and Bacharach, or Marksburg Castle in Braubach, or Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar. (These are REAL medieval castles that have stood there for around a millennium - unlike Neuschwanstein, which was built in the late 19th century with a fake castle exterior.)
It would probably be much smarter IMHO to pack your car on the morning of 16/09 and to spend the whole day on the Rhine - then drive to Heidelberg that evening.
I'm not familiar with Grünstadt but there are some good sightseeing options in the region for your afternoon, including Worms, Neustadt and the other wine road towns.
16/09 - 18/09: Rothenburg and Gengenbach are possible, but probably ill-advised, lengthy day trips from your location. As it's your first visit to Germany you may be unaware of the many interesting options that are near Heidelberg. I would definitely look into some alternatives before you leave on your trip. A few suggestions...
Ladenburg
Hirschhorn
Heppenheim and the Bergstrasse towns
Michelstadt
Bad Wimpfen
Besigheim
Ludwigsburg
Esslingen
So I don't see a need to change any hotel reservations for your first several days, maybe just your day outings.
As for 19 & 20/09... I'd suggest a base town on the Germany side of the Alps somewhere instead of Innsbruck. Maybe Mittenwald for mountains and lifts and such.
http://hastingshouse.typepad.com/hastings_house_us/travel_in_europe/
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8946 posts
Please do not think that Federweisser is a low alcohol drink that leaves you sober for driving. It isn't. You will get drunk quickly as it goes down smoothly. No drinking of anything if you are driving.
Are you planning on driving from Heidelberg to take the ship cruise, then train back to Bingen and then drive back to your hotel in Heidelberg? That is a long way. You are zig-zagging across the country this whole trip, going south, north, south, and north again. You might want to get out a map and either plan your trip in a circle or drop something. You will be so tired you won't be able to enjoy much of anything.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for all the helpfull advice.
The only reason for Grunstadt, it is the best available accomodation close to the Wurstmarkt in Bad Durkheim.
Maybe it would then be better to skip Grunstadt and the Wurstmatkt and then rather start by staying close to Bingen, do a longer Rhine tour, then to Heidelberg and then on to Innsbruck or Mittenwald?
Also then only pick up the car at Heidelberg? The driver (me) will then also be able to enjoy the wine tasting!