My husband and i are spending 16 days in Germany, flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich. We will have a train pass (10- or 15-day flex) so we won't rent a car unless it's a place that's really hard or time-consuming to get to with train/bus. We would prefer to have a few home bases and just do day trips from the bases. We are thinking Frankfurt 5 days (wine road, Heidelberg, Rothenberg), Stuttgart 4 days (black forest, Basel), and 7 days in Munich (Garmisch, Fussen, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden). Is Stuttgart a good place to stay at between the two big cities? Are there other day trips that are worth going that are not on my radar?
Posted by
Berlin
3015 posts
Are there other day trips that are worth going that are not on my
radar?
Hundreds :-) Just as an indicator you can use the top 100 of Germany map and there are many other places, also less known to US tourists which are worth a stay or visit. Local tourist offices can give you very good advices. In addition there are events at special dates. Also some new attractions like Hi-Sky in Munich.
Major corner I miss in your southern Germany trip is Nuremberg as base with several day trips, e.g. Bamberg.
From the ways to travel would recommend less base stay and more traveling / sleeping at or close to destinations. But that is personal preference.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2591 posts
I prefer the home base with day trips approach but I would look at the actual train schedules to see which trips are practical. For example, Frankfurt is not a good base for a day trip to Rothenburg, taking 5-6 hours round trip.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7898 posts
You may find that the railpass is not the best value, but it takes careful analysis. (See our host's Tips menu top left.) I'm not sure I'd sleep in Stuttgart for four days, but maybe if very convenient to the train station. I also don't like changing hotels. I slept two nights in the southern BF with trips to walk in the forest and to Basel. If you slept in the BF, the KONUS card might save a day or two of your passes.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4608 posts
In 2008, we used rail passes. Although it may be cheaper to buy individual tickets, I admit that it was nice to just hop on the train whenever it suited us.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks for all the suggestions and tips. I think we now will spend a few nights in Rothenberg as well and visit Nuremberg as well.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We have somewhat decided on Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Black forest (Gengenbach), Munich, and Garmisch. I am wondering what the best route is to minimize train time. I am thinking going in the above order but I may be way off.
Posted by
Paradise
7077 posts
Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Black forest (Gengenbach), Munich, and Garmisch.
Base towns will not work very well for you. Munich - Garmisch is a possible day trip, but you really ought to stay a couple of nights in the Alps to enjoy the area. Nuremberg - Munich is a possible day trip, but again, several hours in either will be insufficient.
I would suggest instead the following strategy: Frankfurt - (stow bags in locker on a stopover in Heidelberg for most of the day on the way to...) Gengenbach/BF - Nuremberg - Garmisch - Munich.
You could do all 4 of these longer journeys with a 4-day flexi version German Rail pass (€314 for two at DB.) This pass provides good flexibility, convenience, and value.
You will of course need to purchase short-stretch tickets to/from the airports in Frankfurt and Munich. You might also need inner-city transport tickets while in Munich and Frankfurt (for which a rail pass is useless.) Just buy these on the day of travel.
You can do day trips from Gengenbach into the Black Forest for FREE with the Konus Card program. Gengenbach is a very good base town for this.
It is unclear to me whether you plan to visit Rothenburg. But this can be done as a day trip from a Nuremberg if you wish to and if you can find the time. It will cost about €20 for two round trip using a VGN Tagesticket Plus day pass. Buy it at a Nuremberg station ticket machine (or from the bus driver or at the subway station - it covers all those things too just in case you aren't staying near the Nuremberg rail station.)
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Black forest (Gengenbach), Munich, and Garmisch.
I am thinking going in the above order
Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Black forest (Gengenbach), Nuremberg, Munich, and Garmisch makes more sense.
Heidelberg and Gengenbach are close together (less than 2 hours by rail). You might consider one as a base and the other as a day trip, or find somewhere in between. Baden-Baden is in between, but I hesitate to recommend it as I don't think it is a very pretty town. I would stay in Gengenbach and make a day trip to Heidelberg, then other trips in the other direction into the heart of the Black Forest.
Same with Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen - 1 hr 22 minutes apart by train.
I would consider Oberammergau as a base in the Alps. You can get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 45 minutes, Hohenschwangau (castles) in less than 2 hours, and Linderhof in half an hour, all by bus. Here is a really good place to stay in Oberammergau - close to the train/bus station, nice, economical, and Frau Richter speak good English. There is a NATO installation in Oberammergau, and a lot of the Americans from there stay at Richter.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you for the valuable information!