Driving out of Frankfurt airport and from Bavaria to Copenhagen

I can't help with the Germany part, but try to allow at least 2 days for touring Denmark. There are 2 ways to get there-the ferry to Sjælland via Puttgarten, or the land route up into Jutland. If you do that, you can visit Legoland (which I really enjoyed even without kids) and drive all the way to the tip at Skagen. If you take the ferry route, you can see the sothern area of Sjælland. there is a nice castle there but I'd have to look up th ename. Either way you go, you should certainly visit Lübeck, the "Queen of the Hanseatic cities" on the way.

Rather than trying to drive when you are jet-lagged, let me give you some advice. You can get off the place in Frankfurt and immediately take an S-Bahn to either the Hbf in Frankfurt or to Hanau. There you can catch a Regional Express (RE) and be in Würzburg a lot faster than taking time in FRA to rent a car, and it will probably cost you half. It will cost you €7,30 pP for the local ticket to Kahl and you can use a Bayern-Ticket (€29 for two) from there. If it's a weekend day, a Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (€39) will be good all the way from FRA to Würzburg by S-Bahn and regional trains, and then by regional train and bus to your final destination. You can also get online, advance purchase Europa-Spezial tickets from Würzburg to Kopenhagen for as low as €39 pP. Why drive?

If you've never driven in Germany, arriving jet-lagged from the US at Frankfurt International is not the time and place to experience it for the first time. Traffic can be congested at certain times of the day, but at a minimum, it's usually pretty heavy. If you're not used to navigating by the name of towns and cities (rather than, let's say, taking I5 North), it can be a bit confusing.

If you can arrange to rent outside the airport, preferably the next day, you will not only save some money, you may well save your sanity. The rental area in Frankfurt AP is buried within a maze that takes some time to figure out. For me, that was the most frustrating part of driving in Frankfurt traffic. After that, heavy traffic in the rain was a breeze. If you like mazes, go for it! Of course, you should be able to rent elsewhere and return the car at the airport without extra cost.

"If you can arrange to rent ... the next day, " There are online discount fares (Sparpreis) in Germany, but they are train specific and non-refundable. I don't normally advise them for people on the day they arrive from the US, due to the uncertainty of arrival time. If you can book in advance online for a specific date and train, you can get Frankfurt airport to Würzburg via direct ICE from FRA Fernbf for as low as €49 for two people.

Thanks for your replies about driving from the Frankfurt airport. I think we'll probably take the train to Wurzberg and rent a car the next day! We'll be visiting a lot of small towns so I think we'll need a car. Not enough time in Germany to spend it hanging around at train/bus stations. I still would appreciate any tips on driving up to Denmark from Bavaria and how long it takes. I'm trying to figure out if we need to spend the night somewhere on the way or if we can drive it in one day. And, thanks to Lola, who answered initially with some great advice about what to see in Denmark!

I'm not sure about Frankfurt, but renting cars at airports is often more expensive. The train station is located in the airport and Wuerzburg isn't hard to get to. I might even suggest using the train for most, if not all, of your trip (since you are only two people). I looked at the opposite this summer (renting in Copenhagen and driving to Hamburg to visit relatives) but opted out because it was too expensive (the train was expensive too). If you can pick up and drop off your rental in the same country, you will save a ton, check your options before you book. If you do drive, I really liked the cities of Kiel and Schlesswig. Kiel is a German Navy town, many submarines are based there. It's a great glimpse of the architecture common in Northern Europe and has decent nightlife. Schlesswig sits on a fjord similar to Oslo. It's really pretty and small for a regional Capital, I think about 50,000 people. The oxenweg trade route ran through this area. There is a great summer palace there from the days of Danish Kings that is worth a visit.

Use Via Michelin to research driving times: http://www.viamichelin.com/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm From Würzburg to Copenhaven is 8-9 hours. We really liked Goslar as a stop going north. The route from Frankfurt to Würzburg is over the Spessart mountain range and is loaded with slow moving trucks. You are wise to give it a miss.

We used to live near Wurzburg and I had to collect my husband twice a month from Frankfurt International airport. The motorway between Wurzburg and the airport (A3) is one of the most congested in Germany and I would advise you to avoid it until you feel more confident about driving in Germany.

To all the folks who responded to this inquiry: Thanks so much for all your great advice. I'm definitely going for the Tom Tom and definitely avoiding the Frankfurt-Wurzberg drive! And thanks, Gary Mc, for telling me about the Viamichelin webiste. Now, since you've been so helpful, I'm hoping to get recommendations for a great little town with a lot of charm in Northern Germany where we could spend the night on the way to Copenhagen. We'd prefer that over a big city. Thanks again! Heidi

Heidi, you would probably get more responses to the second part of your question if post it separately. Also, where in Bavaria, will you be leaving from? In the absence of other suggestions, I will offer this: If you are driving from Munich to Copenhagen, you will probably pass near Berlin; if so, take a look at Potsdam for a place to stay. If you start farther west, you might want to consider Marburg.