Need help with itinerary

I'd like to see Hamburg, where I was born. And the other main focus of this trip is taking a boat ride down the Rhine and experiencing Die Lorelei... and other places that are not necessarily some fake tourist-oriented attractions.

If you want to avoid gobs of tourists in places that aren't everything they're thought to be, the two main offenders are probably Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Neuschwanstein. But since these places are both in Bavaria and at the very end of trunk railway lines, it's very unlikely that they will be stumbled upon, especially if your focus is Northern Germany and the Rhineland (kudos for a refreshingly original itinerary!!)

Hamburg is an interesting place, and different from most other German cities. Nearby, you might want to check out Bremen and smallish old-world Lüneburg

The tourist nest on the Rhine is Rüdesheim - but you might want to check it out anyway to see if the attractions there appeal to you. The cruise is great - but you don't need to do more than the 1.5 - 2.5 hours it takes to travel from Bingen (southern end of the scenic part) to St. Goar or Boppard in the north. Be sure to travel from south to north (downstream) unless you want to waste a lot of boat time chugging against the current (it's about 40% slower from north to south.)

The trains around the Rhine are excellent. Ferry crossings help you get across (no train trestles between Koblenz and Mainz!) See map:

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/walking-hiking.php

The trains around the rest of Germany are excellent too.

You could easily spend about a week in the Upper Middle Rhine area if you were to include visits to the Mosel Valley as well as a couple of additional peripheral cities (Cologne? Trier? Mainz? Frankfurt? Boppard is an excellent, not-too-touristy Rhine town with a central location for doing most of the outings you might do - it has lots of accommodations (some right on the river) and restaurant choices, some Roman ruins, an exciting trail network including the "Klettersteig", an awesome chairlift, and a nice old-world vibe - and it's a great base for seeing the lower part of the Mosel River as well (Cochem, Burg Eltz.)

And a week in the north around Hamburg is doable as well. Lübeck is another popular outing. So are the northern beach areas.

With a two-area focus you likely do NOT need a railpass. There are local day passes available in both areas - and in Boppard, you will get a FREE pass for the trains that is valid throughout your stay there.

The Rhine towns are very close to FRA. You might find it smart to fly into FRA and out of Hamburg, or vice-versa.

Saver fare tickets between your Northern and your Rhine areas can be bought in advance at the DB site; Day passes for local travel and short trips to the airports are best purchased at the local train stations.

Welcome to the forum, Vicki. And... Happy planning.

Russ gave some comprehensive advice already.

Agree on HAM in and FRA airport out.

Like to add the option to visit Harz Mountains close to Hanover on the way. Old towns of Goslar and Quedlinburg are worth seeing (UNESCO culture heritage) and also traveling the steam train up to Brocken mountain.

Close to Hanover you will find a younger castle: Marienburg - not much history but very nice.

If you would add some more interests we could provide more ideas.

A big street and culture festival in Berlin is happening during your planned travel timeframe. It is not directly on the way but trains Hamburg - Berlin take less than 2 hours, also Berlin - Hanover is very fast.

Some basic tips for traveling to / in Germany.

Oh wow. I can barely contain my excitement! Your replies are great! Thank you!!

So what I’m thinking now is that it might be feasible to have a home base from which we can explore the region, right? And, from what you say, Boppard sounds like a good place for home base for a few days. Others would be figured out as i figure out this itinerary.

(Sitting in the ER right now with a friend so I don’t have a map in front of me).

Also, What is the DB site?

So, when I arrive in Hamburg, when I get off the plane, then what? I’d like to spend a night in Hamburg. I take a taxi to my destination? An Uber? And after that, the next day when we leave Hamburg, buy a train ticket to my next destination? Can train tickets only be purchased at train stations? Would there be a language barrier?

I’m kind of confused about day passes vs rail passes? Wouldn’t a rail pass be the way to go for our trip from Hamburg to Frankfurt, stopping along the way to the destinations on our itinerary?

Once I get a map, I can be more specific in my questions.

I don’t mean to be annoying with all of these questions

Thank you.

Great choice, Hamburg is in my opinion an underrated part of Germany.

Also, What is the DB site?

www.bahn.de

So, when I arrive in Hamburg, when I get off the plane, then what? I’d
like to spend a night in Hamburg. I take a taxi to my destination? An
Uber?

Take a local train (S-Bahn) from the airport.

And after that, the next day when we leave Hamburg, buy a train ticket
to my next destination?

Yes, or buy it in advance to save money.

Can train tickets only be purchased at train stations?

No, they can also be bought online.

Would there be a language barrier?

If you don't speak German, yes. But not a big one. Most Germans speak at least decent English, especially those working in areas where they come in contact with tourists.

I’m kind of confused about day passes vs rail passes? Wouldn’t a rail
pass be the way to go for our trip from Hamburg to Frankfurt, stopping
along the way to the destinations on our itinerary?

You could probably do that on a flexible ticket, which would be a lot cheaper than rail pass.

DB = Deutsche Bahn, the main German rail company.

I use the DB app to buy tickets when in Germany.

"I’m kind of confused about day passes vs rail passes? Wouldn’t a rail pass be the way to go for our trip from Hamburg to Frankfurt, stopping along the way to the destinations on our itinerary..."

German Rail passes cover the whole country. They are useful if you have several LONG train journeys (like Hamburg to Boppard) which you would take on LONG DISTANCE trains. A 5-day GRP costs €207 in 2nd class and in the "flexi" version, you can pick the 5 days you would use it during some 30-day period. So the cost per travel day would be around €42. A 10-day pass would cost €324 - so around €32 per day. You can travel all day as far as you like on as many trains as you like with a GRP.

Day passes normally cover smaller trips within smaller areas and are valid on the regional trains - they normally cost around €20 - €30 for a single person. The VRM day pass you get in Boppard normally costs €21/day but Boppard hosts hand it out to you at no charge.

Here's a map of the VRM travel area (light green) for most of your Rhine/Mosel trips.

(There are also comparable day passes for outings from Hamburg. Not sure about giveaway day passes there, myself)

And of course there are point-to-point TRAIN TICKETS for a single journey... Some tickets for short local rides might cost you less at the station ticket machine than the day pass. (The normal price for a Boppard > Bacharach > Boppard ticket would beonly €15.20 for the round trip for example - cheaper than any day pass.)

However, tickets for long distance journeys usually cost A LOT at the normal price - but you can get amazing SAVER FARE prices at the DB site if you buy those in advance. Hamburg > Boppard is a great example. Normal prices are maybe €90 - €125 for a one-way trip. But you can go online and find fares a few months out at much lower prices (like €20 - €30 one way on some dates.) Buy these saver fares early - the price will go up as tickets sell.

So as you can see, the average price of day passes + train tickets is likely to be less than the rail pass price per day.

The people that benefit most from rail passes are those who have several LONG train journeys and have waited until a few weeks before their trip to get tickets. At that point, prices are quite high for those trips, and the rail pass becomes a bargain.

As your trip is structured at present, you have no need for a rail pass at all - just one long-distance train ride (buy asap if committed,) some day passes to buy around Hamburg, some free day passes once you reach Boppard and an occasional local ticket - and a final local ticket to FRA airport.

The DB site will give you travel schedules for all trains. It will sometimes show prices for local tickets and day passes - but do not be concerned about buying short trips on the regional trains as those prices never change - just get them at the station. USE this DB page for direct access to scheduling:

https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en

We are going to southern Germany and Austria in May 2020. We have a car and after we leave Prague we will have 10 days before we fly out of Frankfurt. I want to spend some time in the Dolomites and don't know where to stay in that area. I would love it if someone gives me an itinerary of what they suggest to see and where to stay in this area. We thought we would stay 2 nights at Gasthof Vorderbrand which we have heard is a great little spot. Don't know if we should stay in Heidelberg or Frankfurt at the end of our trip. To see the Barvarian Alps where is the best city to stay in? Want to spend some time along the Rhine River. Thanks for any help!

Warenow1, you should start your own thread to get help with your questions.

OK. Update. I believe I just got dumped by a travel agent because I wasn't promptly responding to their e-mails. Family crisis going on. So I'm facing the fact that I'll be building my itinerary totally on my own - well, with the help of these boards that I'm totally grateful for. So I have a map up on the wall that I can use as a visual of where I would be going.

Arrival in Hamburg. I've read that going down river on the Rhein is easier than going up river. That doesn't matter if my trip is not a cruise, right? I figure I can take a train along the way, south to Frankfort and taking in the sights along the way. In the meantime, I'll be looking for "home bases" where I can stay for a few days, and leave every morning to do my sight-seeing. So far - and thank you for your suggestions - Boppard will be one of my home bases. Keep the suggestions coming!!

Any suggestions of a good source for BnB's in Germany?

Also, do recommend going to a currency exchange or just using my debit card?
Maybe I don't need a travel agent afterall. LOL

Vicki, if you're willing to dedicate some time you CAN plan this trip on your own! A website I've found helpful in explaining European rail travel is seat 61.com. To learn about German train travel use this link www.seat61.com/Germany-trains.htm . For B & B's you can look on booking.com or homeaway.com; filter according to the type of accommodation you prefer.

Please return to this Forum with questions that arise as you firm up your itinerary and start becoming comfortable with train schedules on the Deutsche Bahn ("DB") website. Remember, even the most experienced travelers who advise on this Forum started somewhere:).

Happy planning!

edited to get link to work--first time I've tried this:)

You are right - the train is fine in either direction!

There are cruise boats elsewhere on the Rhine, but the best part for your money is from Bingen to St. Goar or Boppard.

I'll be looking for "home bases" where I can stay for a few days, and
leave every morning to do my sight-seeing.

What I suggested previously was that you could accomplish your Hamburg > Frankfurt Airport route with just TWO such base towns - Hamburg (plus day outings) for maybe 6-7 days, and Boppard (plus day outings) for about the same. From both these base towns, there are nice outings you can do (some already mentioned.)

As you travel from Hamburg to Boppard, you will first hit the Rhine River in or near Cologne. So if you are thinking of ADDING base towns on the Rhine, you should look at options from Cologne south. Cologne itself, Bonn, Remagen, and Linz would be among the options. These last three towns are in the "Lower" Middle Rhine Valley.

The MOST scenic part of the Rhine, the part most people want to visit, is the part near Boppard - the "Upper" Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Bingen. That's where I said a week would be about right if you wish to include the nearby (and also very worthwhile MOSEL Valley.)

Boppard is a good spot for exploring the Upper Middle Rhine, the Lower Middle Rhine, AND the Mosel. So if you wish to add a base town on the Lower Middle Rhine, you can, but it is not really necessary.

Here's a map of the entire Rhine Valley with the Middle Rhine Valley, upper and lower, in yellow. You can see how small these truly scenic parts are compared with other parts of the Rhine.

In a nutshell... It's only about 5 hours for the train between Hamburg and Boppard - an easy train trip. Bremen (mentioned previously) could be a good visit - as a day trip from Hamburg - OR you could stop over there for a few hours on your way south to the Middle Rhine Valley. Cologne is also on the way and could possibly be a good additional stopover for you - maybe 1-2 nights - depending on how much time you want/need in Hamburg. OTOH, if there are just a few things that interest you there in Cologne, you could just take a train break there for several hours on your way to Boppard. If Bonn and Cologne both interest you, then maybe 2-3 days could be spent in Cologne. But in general, while the Cologne Cathedral is a major draw, most visitors don't bother much with the rest of Cologne, and tend to be somewhat more interested in the destinations to the south of Cologne and Bonn.

Den / Vicki - Seat 61 is very good for the long distance trains all around Europe. For Vicki's shorter local train trips and outings, which are usually the services of he local transport authorities (VRM in Boppard, for example, HVV in Hamburg) I don't think Seat 61 will be very helpful. For the one long trip (Hamburg > Boppard) that Vicki has in mind, I suspect Seat 61 will direct her to the DB site.

OK then. At the risk of sounding stupid, once you arrive at your destination by train, to actually get to where we’ll be staying, are there taxi’s, Ubers, public transportation or what. From the airports, there are probably shuttles, I assume. I’m just trying to figure out the logistics.

I walked from Hamburg's main station to my hotel there. Pick one near the station. Then you can use the local trams etc. to get other places if you need. There's a lot to see there and some might not be near your hotel. But a lot of Hamburg is walkable. Tourist office and transportation office can help you get around and make suggestions:

https://www.hamburg-travel.com/discover-hamburg/information/hamburg-tourist-information-at-the-central-station/
https://www.hvv.de/en/service/service-centres-sales-points

Bremen and Lueneburg are smallish and not hard to walk around from the station on your visits there.

Bremen and Trier (Mosel River) day trip walking guides: scroll down:

https://hastingshouse.typepad.com/hastings_house_us/travel_in_europe/

Boppard and all the Rhine towns are easily walked. Cologne and Bonn are much bigger but mostly walkable, with most of the things you'd likely want to see in a cluster.

Every city and region have their own public transportation firms, so once you figure out which cities you are going to visit, come back and ask about the companies, their names, how to get cheap tickets, etc. No uber in Germany.

Use an ATM to get cash, never use a money exchange. Use an ATM that is actually in a bank, like Deutsche Bank, Commerz Bank, or a Sparkasse. Deutsche Bank ATM's are also in the airports and are the only ones there that you should use.

The Loreley is very, very underwhelming. Unless you are on a bus tour that takes you to the top where you can look out. If you are at Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar, you pretty much get the same view. The statue on the spit of land is quite small and if you aren't quick when the ship goes past, you will miss it.

True about the Loreley on the cruise. That said, it's an impressive view - and a lovely outing - if you hike up from St. Goar onto the clifftops and then upstream (south) on the trail that skirts the river gorge.

https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/urn-publicid-ap-org-682dc95f92d34269a0a542833f7e5bc7Germany_Dry_Rivers_67188-780x520.jpg

So, on the boat ride past Die Lorelei, do they still sing Die Lorelei as you pass or is that just a memory of a quaint tradition of a bygone era? That used to be one of my favorite songs growing up.

Yes, they still play the song. If there are a lot of German senior citizens on the ship, they will sing along.
An interesting fact about this song. The words were written by Heinrich Heine, but during WW2, it was written by Anonymous.