Germany June 2010

Pam,

You might want to have a look at the Germany Guidebook (2010 edition available Dec. 8). There are LOTS of suggestions for not only lodgings in various price ranges, but also restaurants, transportation and sightseeing tips in not only Frankfurt but the Rhine and Mosel areas as well. You might enjoy a visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber while you're in that part of Germany.

Happy travels!

Here's a list of rec's with reviews from relatively seasoned travelers in the area:

www.bensbauernhof.com/accommodationsrhinemosel.html

If you use Cochem as a base, you can daytrip easily to Trier, to Burg Eltz, and over to the Rhine villages. Cochem is one of the larger villages and has plenty of accommodation choices and dining options - it's one of the most attractive towns in Germany in one of the most attractive settings on the planet.

Hi Pam,

I'd suggest staying in Cochem (or very close by) for a few nights. We stayed in Valwig at the Hotel Rebenhof, just across the Mosel from Cochem.

www.hotel-rebenhof.com

I'd also suggest a couple of nights (2 or 3) on the Rhine or in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Our "Trip Report" and photo's from 2007 on these area's may be of interest and may give you some ideas:

www.fodors.com/community/europe/moselrothenburgbavaria-report-with-photos.cfm

Paul

Cochem is a charming town in a central location. This summer our family stayed in the small town of Ernst, just outside Cochem and had wonderful accommodations at the Haus Schwarzenberg. Cochem provides more tourist attractions but Ernst is a quiet respite after a day of touring. Ernst has a grassy, park-like waterfront great for strolling along the Mosel, as well as numerous family owned wine businesses.

We loved staying in Beilstein at Hotel Haus Lipmann several years ago. We took a day trip to Trier from there.

If you are interested in the Rhein and Mosel - I highly recommend staying in Bacharach on the Rhein. It is a short train ride from Frankfurt (1.5 hrs). It is gorgeous. We stayed at Hotel Im Malerwinkel. Very cute, very comfortable. You can take local trains up and down the Rhein to explore.

We took a day trip to Koln to see the cathedral - very worthwhile. Stunning cathedral. It was a bit of a jaunt to get there and the trains were pricey - but it was worth it.

Also we went to Burg Elz on the Mosel. Word of caution - Burg Elz was under extensive repair. The hike was great and it was nice to be out exploring the Mosel area...but the castle was disappointing. Full of scaffolding and the rooms were blocked off and emptied. I wouldn't recommend someone take time to see that particular castle right now.

trains were pricey

From where?

If you went from Frankfurt to Köln via ICE, they would be a little pricey.

But, for 2 people, from the middle Rhein, a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket, for €27 will get you to Bonn, from which the standard (VRS) fare is €6,50 pP each way. So €40 one way for two people, €53 RT.

Actually, if you are going RT, you can get a VRS Regio (PS 4) Tagesticket for up to 5 people, between Bonn and Köln for €20,60, for it would be €47,60 RT.

Actually, a car is an unnecessary expense. You can get anywhere in Rheinland-Pfalz (from Mainz down to Bonn and up the Mosel to France), all day long, by train or bus, for €27 for up to five people. For no more than €20, up to 5 people can use a VRM Minigruppentageskarte, from Oberwesel (does not include Bacharach) down to Remagen/Linz and up the Mosel to Bullay.

I should know, I have spent 7 full and 4 partial days (11 total) in that area, seen Bacharach, St. Goar, cruise between, Boppard, Braubach (Marksburg), Koblenz, Cochem, Bernkastel-Kues, Zell, and Beilstein), all with public transportation, for not much more than the cost of gas alone.

Thanks for the various suggestions. We decided to rent a car because after being with a group for 9 days we didn't want to be tied to schedules. The last night of our group tour will be in Wurzburg.

Lee, if I recall we did opt for an ICE train from Koblenz to Koln just because of time. The non-ice train was significantly longer timewise and the ice was leaving just when we got there at the perfect time. So we did pay more to save time.

I think in the end we paid like $60-$70 each (because of the ICE) to get to Koln (from Bacharach) and the only thing we did was go to the cathedral. So it is kinda spendy when you think about it that way.

But it was so great - that cathedral is comparable to Notre Dame or St. Peters. Worth it in my opinion.

Trier was very interesting. The Landesmuseum is well worth a visit. We took a 2-hour boat tour on the Moselle.

Enjoy!

You haven't mentioned seeing anything in Frankfurt, so you might want to put that on your list. As one of Germanys very historic cities, it is well worth your time. There are 3 beautiful Medieval churches, the Kaiserdom, many, many museums and galleries, great neighborhoods filled with turn of the century architecture and wonderful farmers markets held on various days of the week, the Klein Markt Halle which is a great indoor market, old guard towers from the 1400's you can dine in, one of the most beautiful opera houses in Europe, and there is usually some sort of fest going on here every week in the summer.

Thank you for the information regarding Frankfort. Do you have any lodging suggestions?