bavaria

You can tour an excellent castle just south of Cologne in Braubach - Marksburg Castle:

www.marksburg.de

The German Alps are interesting but you might as well go nuts and see the Swiss Alps, which are spectacular. You can get Europa-Spezial train tickets in advance for a trip to Interlaken, the heart of the Bernese Oberland, for 39 Euros each way if available on your travel dates. Check here:

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

But if you want to see Bavaria for sure, you might look into Berchtesgaden, maybe the most scenic area of the German Alps.

Some farm-stays there:

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/farmsberchtesgaden.html

Closest Alpine area to Cologne (which isn't that close) is south of the Bodensee, along the Austrian-Swiss Border. The view from the lake is spectacular, and it only improves as you move south.

You can stay on a farm at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, close to some castles (you can hike to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) and visit others nearby with a car (Lindau, the ruined Ettal castle).

http://www.schluxen.com/

Note, however, that this place is actually in Austria, not Germany.

Ron, how are you travelling? Are you returning to Koln after 3 days?

Is it 3 days altogether that you have in Germany, or 3 days outside of Koln to go around Germany?

There's a few websites that can help you find farmhouses to stay in, a good one is www.bauernhofurlaub.com. Click on the British flag on the top to get it in English. You can also go on the tourist websites for individual towns by going to www.(name of town).de to find listings, too. Farmhouses are called "Bauernhof", apartments are called "Ferienwohnung" or "FeWo" for short.

Thanks to everyone for your help its very nice ...fri. to sunday monday morn. then back to koln..not to get picky but i dont want to drive more than 3-4 hours max

Let Me Ask a different question....if i were to not go as far as i wanted for the sake of time..what should i absolutly see on the 2-3 hours from cologne
I want the KIDS to remeber and see the nature of this grat country. Can I see the mountains or the forest,,,basically asking for someone to plan my weekend...lol

Forgot to ask you the ages of your children. What are they interested in seeing?