Travel to Germany

6 days in Germany is not much to get all that in, and Nuremberg is somewhat of a hike to Cologne. Are you renting a car or using public transportation? You might be better off just sticking to western Germany, such as the Rhine and Moselle River valleys and the Black Forest.

Planning to use public transportation at the moment. I guess we have 7 days including the day we land (but will be jet lagged). Can you recommend two destinations as a home base around there? We were hoping to enjoy good restaurants, pubs and sights. Also wondering if we should fly or take a train to Amsterdam from there? My other concern is Easter weekend. I hope some things will be open. Thanks for any input you can offer.

I agree with Tom. You might consider flying into Frankfurt, and taking a 1 hr. train down the Rhine River to Bacharach for the night. Then catch another train into Cologne to see the cathedral and center city. From there, it's a straight shot by train into Amsterdam.
You have plenty to do in Amsterdam to take up 4 days/nights.

I actually disagree with the others. Nürnberg is an easy 2.5 hour train ride without transfers from the Frankfurt airport, and it certainly is a more interesting city than Köln or Düsseldorf. Also much easier to reach than the only part of the Black Forest (the southern portion) that's worth going far out of your way to see. Köln and Düsseldorf (I would give a slight edge to Düsseldorf) aren't bad, but they're not the type of cities people usually travel across the ocean to visit. If you really want to visit Köln and Düsseldorf on the way to Amsterdam, there's at least 3 direct trains from Frankfurt's main train station, and 2 from the airport each day between Frankfurt and Amsterdam. All make stops in Köln and Düsseldorf.

Thanks Tom! I think we will head to Nuremberg and forget about Cologne then. I actually thought it would be just on the way to Amsterdam. I am seeing a lot of interesting places near Nuremberg like Bamberg, Regensberg, Rothenberg, Wurzberg that we would like to see as well perhaps some time in Frankfurt?? My husband and I have been to Munich but the boys haven't so we may want to go there. So many options, so little time.
Can you give me any input on what we will be up against for Easter?

"Can you give me any input on what we will be up against for Easter?" Not much different from any other Sunday in Germany, except some restaurants may close earlier or not open at all. Most businesses are usually closed on Sunday anways, except things like hotels, restaurants and some tourist sites. "as well perhaps some time in Frankfurt??" Wait for Frankfurt resident and chief advocate Jo to chime in. Also, look at the thread below titled "Family of 5 visiting Germany this summer". I and another poster shot-gunned a listing of interesting towns and sites that are mostly located within an hour's drive of Frankfurt.

Ok that is great to know. I've been reading a lot of forums and it was sounding very dead around Germany at Easter so I was a bit worried. I will look at the "Family of five" post as well.
Thanks for your help. This forum just helps to minimize all of the hours of research that I have been doing. There is alot to plan and winging it with 6 people would be a disaster!

If you've only got 6 days in Germany before going to Amsterdam I'd skip Nuremberg and surroundings and fly into Frankfurt, then take train down the Rhine river to Bacharach or vicinity and do the Rhine/Lahn/Mosel river valley for a few days (probably 4), then continue down tne River to Cologne and stay there at least one night (ideally a Thu, Fri or Sat night simply because of their amazing night life). If you're into ancient history visit Xanten on your way into the Netherlands for a couple of hours. The old town has been there for 2,000 years or so.

Thank you Andreas. I appreciate your information.

Definitely visit Bamberg. We used to live there (back in the late 80's) and I revisited it last year, it hasn't changed. IT is the same quaint town it used to be. Personally I like it more than Neuremberg (45min away). Also not to be missed is Munich, and a visit to some of Ludwig's castles all easy daytrips by train and filled with it's own old churches, royal homes and museums.

My family and I were in that area last Easter week. I would definitely visit and stay in Nurnberg - lots to see and a fun old town. Also we loved Bamberg and Wurzburg (but Bamberg was our favorite). We like getting up early and don't mind one nights in a town - I would suggest Nurnberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg and Dusseldorf.

I think the boys would also like Rothenburg. The crime and punishment museum and the Night Watchman tour would be fun for them. Unfortunately, the Night Watchman tour starts at 8 p.m. Maybe spend one night in Rothenburg? By the way, this week only, the RS Germany tour book is on sale in his "Travel Store" listed at the top of this website.