At the conclusion of an August RS Germany, Switzerland and Austria tour we will be continuing our German vacation by taking the train from Vienna to either Heidelberg or Bamberg. Which would be the best place to see? We are inclined to tour a small town as we will be going on to Berlin and Hamburg before departing from Frankfurt.
Posted by
Port St Joe Florida
513 posts
Wendy - I am with James on this one - no where I've ever visited in Germany has better beer than you'll find in Bamberg!
Posted by
OP
Spokane, Washington, USA
6 posts
Great!! My husband loves beer!!
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3049 posts
Well Bamberg geographically makes way more sense, particularly if you're training on to Berlin afterwards. Heidelberg is pretty far west from Vienna and then you have to go back east again to hit Berlin. A Vienna-Bamberg-Berlin-Hamburg-Frankfurt circuit makes more sense in terms of time/geography. I haven't been to Bamberg so I can't technically recommend it, however I have heard wonderful things online and talking to people in person. Heidelberg I have been to many times. While I recommend it for people who are already in the Southwest of Germany, I do not think it's spectacular or interesting enough to justify the extra mileage, so I'd recommend Bamberg.
Posted by
OP
Spokane, Washington, USA
6 posts
Thank you so much for your replies! My "gut" instinct told me Bamberg would be the better choice, but Heidelberg was recommended to us by German relatives. Geographically we would be traveling through slightly different terrain going to Bamberg and we would find that appealing as well as the shortened travel time.........
Posted by
Missouri City
252 posts
Well, I'm not a beer drinker, but I LOVE Bamberg. We visited Bamberg in 2009 and 2010, then we went to Heidelberg last year. No comparison in my mind. I really have no desire to return to Heidelberg but I'll go back to Bamberg any chance I get!
Posted by
OP
Spokane, Washington, USA
6 posts
Thanks for your thoughts! Looks like Bamberg is the choice.........
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Although I found it scenic, we were in bamberg on a weekend in May/June and i couldnt believe the crowds. Shoulder to shoulder. Like Oxford Street during "sale" time. Hope its more manageable during the week.
Restaurants were also extremely busy
Posted by
OP
Spokane, Washington, USA
6 posts
We will also be in Bamberg on a weekend (arrive Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon), but it is in September. Hopefully everyone will be back to jobs and school..........