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Itinerary: 10 Days And Departing in 2 Weeks (!j

Posted by (Bellevue) on

Scrambling to plan a fun trip for myself since I haven’t been to Europe in almost 20 years and I jumped on a cheap trip to Frankfurt. I arrive on November 23rd around 1 pm and my thought was to catch a train from the airport to go to my first location, although not more than an hour or two on the train. Cities I’d like to see this trip include Bamberg, Regensburg, and Nurnberg with maybe day trips from Bamberg to Coburg and Bayreuth. I fly back Monday Dec 3rd around 2 pm.

I’m interested in visiting the Christmas markets and I understand that the one in Nuremberg starts Nov. 30th so I don’t want to go there first. Suggestions? I’m traveling by myself won’t be renting a car.

Posted by
20082 posts

Bamberg is 3 hours and 20 minutes on regional trains and 44 EUR with a QdL ticket. Using fast trains does not save a whole lot of time, maybe 30 minutes for more money. That is the closest destination city. Regional trains can be used to get to Coburg, and Bayreuth. Coburg can be done with a Regio-Ticket Thueringen-Franken for 22 EUR round trip. Go Sat or Sun to get an early start with that ticket as it can be used before 9 am then. Bayreuth is a Servus Ticket for 22 EUR round trip, leave after 9 am on weekdays.

You will pass through Nuremberg to get to Regensburg, but that is a 25 EUR Bayern Ticket after 9 am week days. Back to Regensburg is a 23.20 Flex Ticket, but you can use a Bayern Ticket for 25 EUR if you want to have free use of the Nuremberg transit system for the rest of the day.

Nuremberg to the airport could be done that morning if you feel brave. It is a direct ICE. You can buy train specific advance tickets now for 19.90 EUR for the 7:30 departure. Takes 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Posted by
2224 posts

Most Christmas markets will open earliest on Nov 26, some 4 days later. Frankfurt has also a nice Christmas market, so maybe save the last night for that occasion before flying home.

A nice stopover on the way FRA to Bamberg is Würzburg. From there Rothenburg ob der Tauber with nice old town is not far away, part of Romantic Route which has its own charme in late November.

Posted by
2332 posts

Regensburg and Bayreuth could be done as day trips from Nürnberg (trainwise, Bayreuth is more conventient from Nürnberg than from Bamberg); also Rothenburg, Bad Windsheim, Ansbach and other nice places are in easy reach with an inexpensive VGN (Nürnberg&Central Franconia transport authority) ticket. So you could basically get along with two hotels, one in Nürnberg the other in Bamberg. But I would consider spending the first night in Frankfurt and relax from jet lag. The city has much more to offer than its bad reputation among tourists makes believe. Then you could book a cheap ICE ticket to Nuremberg for the next day. The price difference against the regular ticket (up to €40 pp) buys a decent dinner.

Posted by
32742 posts

If you are going to the Festung Coburg (a most impressive castle), it is a fair old slog up the hill. There is a bus which stops at a tiny carpark up above the castle but very close to the entrance to the grounds, and there is a funny tourist train which wends its way up the quite steep hill. Check for operating hours for all at this late time in the year.

Posted by
4684 posts

Nuremberg and Bamberg are only forty minutes apart by train, so I wouldn't bother staying in both places. Stay in one and visit the other by train.

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