Tagging along with my partner on a business trip to Frankfurt, then we have a week until we meet up with our daughter in London. July timeframe. I know this sounds crazy but we'd like to avoid super crowded areas.
Ideas for the week? Also how to get to London from the continent? Flight easiest?
All info welcome!
You can actually take the train. My husband did it and quite liked it compared to flying. You start in the middle of Frankfurt and end up in the middle of London, so you save money and time on getting to and from the airports. I think it took about 6.5 hours?
Lots of festivals in July in Hessen, so you don't have to go too far from Frankfurt. Some of the nicer towns that are easy to get to would be Limburg, Marburg, Büdingen, Mainz, Gelnhausen, Idstein, Seligenstadt, Michelstadt, Eltville and of course the Rhein.
Events end of June going into July:
22 June-1 July - Opernplatz Fest, Alte Oper
24-27 June - Johannisnacht, Mainz
26 June - European Ironman Championship, Frankfurt
1 July - Rhein in Flames, Rüdesheim
1-4 July - Sekt & Biedermeier Fest, Eltville
8-11 July - Hochheimer Wine Fest, Hochheim.
9 July - Kultur Night, Büdingen
9-10 July - Schweizerstrasse Fest, Frankfurt Schweizerstr.
I'd probably look at spending the week making my way to (and visiting) Amsterdam or Brussels, which can all be done via train from Frankfurt. Then there are direct, fast trains to London from those cities.
Maybe a couple of nights in Cologne on the way?
From Frankfurt take a direct train to Cologne and spend two nights there and explore the Rhine River Valley on day two. From Cologne take a direct train to Amsterdam for three nights. From Amsterdam take a direct train to Brussels (2h) and spend two nights there. On day two take a direct train to Bruges (1h) for the day. The next day take the Eurostar to London (2h 45m). The further out you buy your train tickets the cheaper the price.
Basing in Cologne to explore the Rhein gorge is a poor plan. Cologne is hours away from this scenic area. From Frankfurt, you are only an hour away.
Stay in a lovely town along here, like Eltville or Bacharach if this is an area you would like to see.
Basing in Cologne to explore the Rhein gorge is a poor plan. Cologne is hours away from this scenic area.
Koblenz is a direct 1h train ride away.
Koblenz is too far north to explore the castles of the Middle Rhine Valley. Ms. Jo is right, you should start significantly further south... If you join the riverboat at the southern end of the gorge the current of the river flowing north will move the ship faster than heading south fighting the current.
Northbound is just a good speed for passing by the many castles and the Lorelei.
...we'd like to avoid super crowded areas.
Makes sense to me. But how about a little more information to get us focused on your interests... Outdoor activities? Wine sampling? Art museums? Specific periods in European history? Castles / cathedrals / palaces / ruins?
The Rhine cruises that others have mentioned can be enjoyable, but I wonder whether the crowding issue that you may have applies to the boat decks, which can get a bit snug:
https://www.k-d.com/fileadmin/_processed_/9/d/csm__c_KD_MS_RheinEnergie_11_f40e092a73.jpg
Great info everyone! By "crowds" I mean long lines, not being able to see anything and worrying about a pickpocket in a museum, stroller gridlock, etc. We are mostly interested in history, art, culture. We also prefer to stay in one place longer--3-4 nights--rather than rush rush rush. Husband will likely have more luggage than a normal trip due to work clothes and computer, etc. so we won't be as mobile as usual. We are active and like exploring but more city/culture than nature/hiking outdoors.
Thanks so much for all your ideas!
Oh, we also did a Rhine cruise on our first trip to Germany 20+ years ago so would lean toward something we haven't done or seen instead.
Some places in Germany that might be in line with your interests. Ending your exploration in/near Cologne would set you up for either a train ride or a flight to London:
https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/discover/sights/aachen-cathedral/
https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/discover/museums/
https://eu5.bookingkit.de/onPage/detail?e=0dd763b1d0fac1d83c0069cb1fcea2b3&preview=true&lang=en
https://www.cologne-tourism.com/see-experience/poi/cologne-cathedral/
https://www.cologne-tourism.com/see-experience/poi/ns-documentation-center/
https://www.cologne-tourism.com/see-experience/culture-museums/
South of Cologne:
In/near Remagen:
https://de.zxc.wiki/wiki/Arp_Museum_Bahnhof_Rolandseck
https://bruecke-remagen.de/?setlang=en
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g642105-d11847296-Reviews-Apollinariskirche-Remagen_Rhineland_Palatinate.html
In Braubach, an attractive old world town 10 min. from Koblenz (scroll through photos):
https://www.marksburg.de/en/circuit/
In Koblenz:
https://www.seilbahn-koblenz.de/ehrenbreitstein-fortress.html
Thank you for posting about your interests. It's still puzzling that you thought you might have to fly to England. Are you planning to make the proposed Original Post trip by train or by car rental? A week is not very long when you consider how much trouble it is to check into and out of hotels when changing bases.
I think it is unreasonable (Covid aside ... ) to expect to visit anything interesting in Northern Europe in July and not meet large numbers of other people. There are plenty of pretty small towns in Germany, but that is not a productive way to visit a part of Germany you haven't been to before.
I happen to like Cologne a lot, and Duesseldorf next door is a bit different. Cologne is not a "scenic Rhine" destination, but if you don't want to follow the Rhine, you could go towards Berlin and fly to London. Or you could go to Northern Germany and visit places like Munster or Kassel or Bremen or Hannover, while still heading to Amsterdam just to get the Eurostar (or to visit Amsterdam, if you haven't been there. But Amsterdam will be VERY CROWDED in July.)
It is a key point that there are Eurostar trains to London from Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. These are fast and comfortable. They are priced like air tickets, going up as the date approaches, and charging extra for changeable or refundable. You currently have to check in 60 to 90 minutes early for REQUIRED customs and immigration performed BEFORE boarding.
Note that Amsterdam is the most recent destination added to Eurostar, and may have less service. A lot of less frequent travelers mistakenly assume that Amsterdam is "close" to England. In many ways, it is NOT.
Hi,
If you are thinking about going to North Germany in July and are interested in history, as you expressed above, numerous places in Norther Germany have interesting museums, memorials, monuments, especially if you want to see those pertaining to Prussian-German history.
As for places in northern Germany swamped by tourists , that doesn't happen, definitely, not in the towns. Yes, some tourists are there, relatively fewer , if any. depending on the city. You will not find that in towns where I've been over and over or even once)...Lüneburg, Eutin/Holstein, Cuxhaven, Munster/Oertze, Goettingen, Kiel, Soest/Westfalen, Minden,
International tourists and Americans do not go to North Germany in droves as can be seen in Munich, the Middle Rhine area or in Bavaria,
Most likely, you might just be the only person visiting a museum, literally and figuratively, I've had that happen in North German places. "Super crowded areas" don't exist in northern Germany relatively to other areas in Germany.
Bottom line is if you want visit and explore towns not inundated by crowds, go to towns in North Germany, better still those places in eastern Germany....Halle, Jena, Meissen, Weimar, Potsdam, Naumburg an der Saale, Magdeburg, Leipzig, Neustrelitz...all well known culturally and historically.
@Tim Yeah I didn't know that you could take the Aerostar from Amsterdam or Brussels. We'd much rather do that than fly.
You'll find Cologne > Brussels > London (Eurostar) information here:
https://www.seat61.com/Germany.htm#london-to-cologne-by-train
@Kimberly, I agree with the others about taking the train. It's such a relaxing and enjoyable way to get from place to place, and logistically it isn't much longer than flying when you take into account having to get to airports early, especially when the airports are usually a bit of a distance out of the city. Plus you get to enjoy the scenery as you travel. Most trains have wifi available, tables to write on or put your laptop and food/snacks available. I'm spending a month in Germany and taking trains everywhere.
