We are driving from Brussells to Amsterdam via Germany in four days. We'd like to do wine tastings, hike around Freudenstadt,have picnics by scenic rivers, and see great scenery. What is the bst route?
Posted by
Paradise
7063 posts
The Rhine and Mosel Rivers offer your best opportunities for this. With 4 days you can also explore the Ahr River towns (near Remagen), the Lahn River (east of Koblenz toward Limburg) and the Nahe River Valley, another wine producing area to the west of Bingen.
Hiking trails along the Rhine cliffs around St. Goar and Oberwesel are especially scenic; the Mosel offers good hiking too - the area between Alf and Reil is beautiful. Hike up to Burg Arras castle and the Marienburg from Alf and back in a couple of hours.
I would not travel all the way to Freudenstadt for the hiking alone; the Black Forest is also an interesting place to visit, but the Rhine/Mosel is IMO more attractive and offers a greater variety of activities. Rick's book has some good suggestions. This website is great for finding accommodations:
www.bensbauernhof.com/accommodationsrhinemosel.html
To get to Burg Eltz castle (best castle tour around):
Posted by
OP
flagstaff
4 posts
Russ, thanks so much! I've been stressing about this trip, and rading the wrong books. Your reply realy helps. How would you travel from Brussels to enter Germany for this route you have described - thru Trier or where??? Thxs, Carol
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
I would travel thru Trier and then along the mosel to Koblenz.Then along the Rhine to Koln and then to Amsterdam.There are great towns on the Mosel and Koln is a nice town to stay a night in also.We drove from Amsterdam to Koln in 6 hours but with a number of stops.
Posted by
Paradise
7063 posts
Jack's provided you a good basic route. Cologne is interesting for a short visit - a good bit of trouble with a car though, as it's fairly big and can be congested, not especially scenic. Be sure to head south along the Rhine a bit from Koblenz - the most scenic section lies between Bingen and Koblenz.
If you have a car you should stop in Bernkastel after Trier, and after heading north along the Rhine, you might also visit Monschau, south of Aachen - gorgeous, well-preserved small town - then head north into the Netherland's southern extremity, the Maastricht area.
Posted by
Kindsbach, Germany
4 posts
Agree with Russ's earlier post. Would travel through Luxembourg City, then the A1 will take you into Trier. From Trier, follow the B53. It is a very nice road that winds along the Mosel. Along the way, Berncastle and Cochem make good stops. Depending on the time of year you come through, Berncastle has one of the best wine fests around. (Its usually early September) At Cochem, the 53 turns into the 49 or the 416, but you should be able to just continue to follow the Mosel. Be sure to explore some of the little side roads along here, as many little parking areas have nice hiking paths attached to them. The whole area is a spiderweb of hiking and bike paths. Just find the one you like. The road will eventually hit the Rhine. At this point, head south. St Goar and Bacharach are definately worth visits. There are some nice little towns on the east Rhine also. Follow the Rhine north, visiting Koln and Aachen, then north into the Netherlands. Have a nice trip, the area is beautiful.