We are planning a trip this May to the Netherlands and Germany. So far, for the German leg, (14 nghts total) we are considering 4 nights in Berlin, train to Dresden for 2 nights (possible daytrip to Gorlitz?)and then...? We will have a car. If 2 nights Dresden/Gorlitz is sufficient, we will have from Sunday May 19 until we return our car at the Frankfort airport late Sunday 26 May. We would like to tour the Rhine area for sure. In the past, we have enjoyed staying in a town as a base and doing day trips before moving on to the next destination. I am looking at Weimar, with possible daytrips to Erfurt a/o Quedlinburg in between Dresden and the Rhine. We are open to any suggestions. Any ideas about these destinations...or others...as well as suggestions for time allocations per stop would be greatly appreciated. We have recently spent a week between Munich and Nuremberg so no need there. Our interests include scenic drives,pretty villages and towns, and historic sights and museums, particularly painting. In Germany I look for towns that escaped the ravages of WWII (I know Dresden is not in this caetgory). Nightlife and fine dining are low on the list. Thanks very much for any suggestions.
Posted by
Germany
868 posts
2 nights for Dresden and Görlitz are not much. Even if you only visit the small reconstructed old town of Dresden and one or two museums, like the Old Masters and one of the Green Vaults, you need a full day. Görlitz is a day trip, and highly recommended, since the town is perfectly preserved. You will miss Meissen, which looks like Prague and small, Saxon Switzerland, the paddle steamers, Königstein fortress, the vineyards of Radebeul/Pillnitz and, in case you are interested in such things, Seiffen, the village where all the typical wooden Christmas toys come from (the entire village is one huge shop). On the way from Dresden to Seiffen you cross Freiberg, the centre of the Ore mountains and once Saxonys richest town, which is also completely preserved. Oh, and between Dresden and Görlitz is Bautzen, a baroque town surounded by medieval town walls and the centre of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority.
Weimar is not a good base for day trips to Quedlinburg/the Harz mountains. It's a quite exhausting drive and takes some time. Weimar is good for day trips to Erfurt and Naumburg, which are both completely preserved, or Eisenach to visit Wartburg castle. if you want to see Quedlinburg you should stay there for at least 2 nights, since the Harz region is full of perfectly preserved towns with literally thousands of half-timbered houses (Quedlinburg, Wernigerode, Stolberg, Goslar, Duderstadt, Hann. Münden, Wolfenbüttel, Einbeck etc.).
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
If you want museums with paintings, then you might want to spend that last day in Frankfurt and visit the Städel, the Schirn, the Giersch Museum or the Museum of Modern Art. Also, on 25-26 May, there is going to be a really fun Skyscraper Fest in Frankfurt, with fireworks, lots of live music, and more. Here is the website with a video of the last fest in 2007.
http://www.wolkenkratzer-festival.de/bilder-videos/so-schoen-wars-2007.html
Posted by
San Francisco
14979 posts
Hi, I agree with seeing Leipzig with all its cultural history as well as getting out to the Völkerschlachtdenkmal on the Battle of Leipzig where the Allies caught Napoleon in a concentric battle. The museum at the monument was a bit disappointing, even if it is presented from the Allied perspective. "In Germany I look for towns that escaped the ravages of WW II." Some of them are Celle, Plön in Schleswig-Holstein, Meißen (take the S-Bahn from Dresden Hbf), towns in the Lüneburger Heide, also Halle an der Saale, SW of Berlin, Görlitz an der Oder. Now if you were going into Poland as well, I could give a few names that escaped the war basically intact without having been raked over by artillery fire and bombs, esp. in the West Prussian area, ie., in the lower Vistula.
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
2083 posts
Thank you all for the great input. It has been very helpful!