Advice for Germany/Switzerland Solo Traveller

What about Frankfurt? It should be easy to get flights in and/or out. I found much of what I expected Germany to be (half-timbered homes, old town square, centuries-old churches, cathedral) and there are lots of easy day trips. I stayed at the Ibis Centrum Hotel, clean and adequate, very good location, just a 10-minute walk to the train station, so great for day trips, and self-regulated AC. If you have your heart set on Berlin, you could also spend 2-3 days in Dresden, which is only a couple of hours by train. Since the reunification, almost all of pre-WWII Dresden has been rebuilt and is beautiful. Berlin is, well, different. Lots of ultra-modern building complexes, lots of wonderful museums. I thought hotels in Berlin were either significantly higher in price than Frankfurt or a lot farther from the center. A train from Frankfurt to Berlin is 4-5 hours, to Munich ovr 3 hours, and from Munich to Berlin is 6 hours. Since you will lose close to a day traveling from one to another, I'd plan on no more than 2 cities.

Where are you starting out from and what kind of thing are you interested in seeing: towns, countryside, history, art??? Also why not work your way down to Rome, via Germany and Switerland?

Kaitlin That's an impossible question to answer without more information from you. I, and dozens of more He1p1iners, can tell you what we like, but unless you tell us what you like we are shooting in the dark. So, to try to squeeze a little more help from you so we can pump in more help:- First time to Europe? First time to Germany? Switzerland?
Germany is a very large country with really varied attractions. Do you mean particular parts of Germany or is it a blank slate? What do you like? Art? Architecture (what sort?)? Gardens? Factory tours? Clothing shopping? Countryside? What kind? Cities? What about them? History? What sort? Do you want to - or prefer - driving, training, flying, walking? Please let us know what you need to know....

Sorry the general topic- here are some more specifics- I've been to europe before but it would be my first time in Germany and Switzerland. I'm meeting up with people in Rome and travelling up through Italy (Florence, Milan, Venice) before flying to Paris so I would prefer to fly into Rome rather than take a train ride that I will be taking the oppisite way just a few days later and believe that Berlin will be the easiest place to fly from (unless anyone else has suggestions!) I would love to split my time between city and countyside so I was originally thinking about visiting either the Gimmelwald region of Switzerland or the Bavarian castles in Germany coupled with Lucerne/Zurich/Berlin or Munich and other cities in Germany if I choose the later. I will not be able to visit Europe for a while as I am starting graduate school, so I am looking for places that are "must-sees" or "cant-misses". I prefer to travel via rail because I feel that it is more flexible and less stressful than getting to the airport, but am not opposed to a flight. Since I will be travelling alone safety is important to me and I also want to make sure that there is enough to do to occupy my time. I'm less of a museum go-er and more of wanderer and Architecture viewer but also a WW II history buff. I enjoy hiking but I am a little nervous to be doing it as a solo traveller. I think the other thing I am considering is budget- is it my understanding that Switzerland is quite expensive while Germany might be a bit cheaper... I'm not sure if this helped because my ideal vacation is one this is not expensive, gives a little slice of everything (county/city/castles/interesting food and local culture/less "touristy"/history). If I could afford I would travel through Germany and Switzerland to see both but unfortunately I have to be selective in my destinations - hopes this helps!

Kaitlin, If you're concerned about "budget", then you might want to focus on Germany. I've just returned from Switzerland and while it's a beautiful country (especially the Berner Oberland), I had forgotten how very expensive it is! One comment regarding cities in Switzerland. Lucerne is a fantastic city, but I'd suggest skipping Zurich. If you want to end up in Berlin prior to Rome, there are lots of options. You could spend some time in Munich and visit the Castles, or spend some time on the Rhine in Bacharach or St. Goar (or even the Alscace region of eastern France). There are lots of possibilities. Another thought would be to spend a few days in Prague, as it's an easy train ride from there to Berlin. If you're looking for a place to stay in Berlin, I would highly recommend Pension Peters. It's in a very convenient area and the staff are wonderful. In terms of "must sees" or things to do, have a look at Guidebooks for the areas you're interested in. It's difficult to make specific recommendations as your interests may be different than mine. Good luck with your planning!

Am I correct in reading that the only reason you want to be in Berlin is so that you can get an easy flight to Rome? You know, there are lots of airports dotted across europe with easy flights to Rome.