We've decided very last minute to travel to Paris and another country. We have 8 days in late July or August . 4 in Paris then ? 17 yr. old daughter wants Amsterdam I say Germany - Moselle River Valley for the castles and beauty ?
Is it a fairly easy commute? I'm 55 and losing my mojo lately. Any ideas and input would be very greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Merci
Posted by
Paradise
6636 posts
"Moselle River Valley for the castles and beauty ?"
Try Cochem, maybe the most scenic spot on the Mosel and very close to Burg Eltz, R. Steves' favorite castle in Europe - and Reichsburg Castle is right in town.
Cochem
Cochem's town center
Burg Eltz
Walk to Burg Eltz
Photos of falconry show at Reichsburg
You can do day trips from Cochem easily enough to Trier (Germany's oldest city, Roman roots) and to the Rhine villages (Boppard, Bacharach, St. Goar, Oberwesel.)
Cochem has plenty of apartments and B&B's - but summer is busy there so book soon. Here's one option from Bavaria Ben's site, a trustworthy source:
Haus Andreas
Cochem area accommodations
Posted by
Denver, CO
731 posts
Amsterdam is a beautiful place too, with a lot of history. If you like art, there's the Riks and Van Gogh museums. There's also the Anne Frank house and the Dutch Resistance museum. And of course, the gorgeous canals. It's a very easy commute on the high speed train - no changes and it takes 3:17 hrs. The earlier you buy the train tickets, the cheaper it will be. They go on sale 90 days in advance and you can buy them from this site. http://www.nshispeed.nl/en
Whichever place you choose, have a great time with our daughter!!
P.S. You will love Paris!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I'm moving this from your duplicate posting and deleting that one:
The Mosel is beautiful, with cute towns, wine tasting, and castles, and would be relaxing. You could add another city like Cologne before flying home from Frankfurt. However, Amsterdam is also beautiful, with canals, unique architecture, more great art museums, and easy day trips to smaller towns like Haarlem, Delft, or Alkmaar. I bet your daughter will be more engaged if you go with her choice of destination.
Train tickets from Paris to either country get expensive, but you may get a discount by buying them as soon as you have decided.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
321 posts
Mindful- I believe Laura has hit the nail on the head (or spot on to those in the UK) as far as getting your daughter engaged. Let your daughter make a list of things she wants to do in Amsterdam and you make a list of things you would like to do in Cochem. Then discuss the lists. Having been to both places a few times I believe it will become obvious which area would be better for a first time trip. There is just so much more to do in Amsterdam, especially for a 17 year old...even at my advanced age I get bored with Cochem after several days. Also, I believe Paris to Cochem is a more tedious trip than Paris to Amsterdam. I don't want to throw gasoline on the fire but have you considered London instead of Amsterdam or Cochem? Have a great trip!!!