The impetus for this trip is a combination of having a friend who is working in Berlin for several years and frequent flyer miles. I want to work out a basic itinerary quickly so I can take advantage of discounted train fares - I'm looking at the end of June to the middle of July. I will fly into Berlin, stay about 6 nights, then ??? I can fly home from either Frankfurt or Munich. I want to spend from 14-18 days. I am traveling solo by public transportation, and I want to change hotels as infrequently as is necessary. I do want to spend several days in the Frankfurt-Mannheim area. Dresden and/or Leipzig on the way? continue on to Munich or leave from Frankfurt? And what is a good allocation of time? I don't have access to guide books here, so I am relying on all you experienced travelers. Thanks
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Mannheim? That's an unusual pick. This website explains where Rick Steves takes his clients in Germany. Have a look, then research places that interest you? http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours11/product.cfm/rurl/code/GAS11/227 The cheap advance-purchase tickets are a good deal but lock you into a plan you might not want to keep. If you focus on a region or two like Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, or Rheinland-Pfalz, you can travel within them cheaply on impulse with "Länder Ticket" daypasses that cost about 20 Euros per day. You could travel from, say, Bonn in the north to Mannheim in the south on one R-P single ticket (21 Euros.) On another day, from Mannheim to Memmingen, on Bavaria's border, for 21 Euros. Then from Memmingen to Berchtesgaden or Salzburg Austria for 21 Euros. You'd be crossing the country quite cheaply that way. http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/laender-ticket.shtml There are also cross-region weekend daypasses good for the whole country at 39 Euros ("Schoenes Wochenende" tickets.)
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
Good advice from Russ of Paradise - check out where RS tours go to get some ideas.