Traveling to Germany for 2 weeks

We are going for the first time this coming summer, and including several other countries in the itinerary, but we will be in Germany for about 12 days overall.

We will enter in the middle-west at Trier and do the Rhine/Mosel river valleys for three nights, then Rothenburg/Wutzburg/Nurnberg for two nights, then follow the Romantic road down to Fussen and the famous castles for a 5-night stay in a cottage, doing day trips to towns nearby, including western Austria. Then we leave Germany to head east. We return to Munich for two nights for our flight home.

I feel bad about missing Berlin but it was logistically awkward for us to include, and the descriptions I read about the city made it seem poor by comparison to the other cities we will be seeing.

Munich.

Munich is, I feel, the essence of Germany. From Munich visit Rothenburg, Wuerzburg, Fuessen, Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden, Salzburg. If you want to see less touristy Germany, see the castle at Burghausen, on the border with Austria. From there see Passau, on the Danube. Or go to Landsberg am Lech.

If you like mountains, go to the Illertal, in the Oberallgäu region of southwestern Bavaria, near the ski resort of Oberstdorf. From there you can go up into the Kleinwalsertal of Austria, one of the loveliest places in the world.

Be sure to actually stay in Rothenburg and go on the Night Watchman's Tour. The town feels entirely different after the tour buses leave. If you walk the wall, and you should, beware if you are tall!

What do you like to do? Do you want cities, countryside, small towns? Give us some ideas of what you would like to see and you will get lots of good advice.

Hi Shelly, I would do 3 nights Sankt Goar, 2 nights, Cochem, 3 nights Trier, 2 nights Baden Baden, 2 nights Heidelberg and 2 nights Frankfurt. I don't know what time of year your going or what your interest are or what your mode of transportation. I usaully have a car. There are many side trip from these locations and this is if you are flying in and out of Frankfurt. So if you let us know more I'm sure more people will have ideas for you. Lee's Munich, etc. trip sound great too... more of my favorite places.

When in Munich (a lovely city indeed!), I'd include a trip to Salzburg on the Austrian border. Salzburg really has a lot to offer and it's not very far + going there would have you cross Bavaria southwards and the country is beautiful there.

Since this is your time over, be sure you include BERLIN.

I would recommend going there to most of the suggested places in south Germany. Any particular interests, must-see sites, museums, churches, historical or cultural monuments?

Shelly,

There are lots of choices, and which places to choose will depend on your interests.

Using open-jaw flights would be the best idea, even if only visiting Germany. One suggestion....

• Start your trip either in Berlin or Frankfurt (perhaps one night in Frankfurt - Jo can provide suggestions on things to see).

• To St. Goar/Koblenz (Burg Eltz)

• To the Romantic Road (Rothenburg ob der Tauber - be sure to spend at least one night to take the Night Watchman's tour, as it's very entertaining).

• To Munich (day trips to Neuschwanstein, Dachau or Berchtesgaden)

• Depending on time, you could also spend a few days in Salzburg, with a day trip or overnight trip to Hallstatt (which is one of the most beautiful places that I've seen in Europe - here's one photo).

You might want to pick up a copy of the Germany 2010 Guidebook (I believe the new version was released for sale yesterday). That will provide you with not only lots of ideas on things to see, but also lots of listings for budget accommodations, transportation, tours, etc.

Good luck with your planning!

Hi, We loved Herrenchiemsee Castle (patterened after Versailles). This castle is a 1 hour train trip from Munich. A must see!

I try to arrange my trips so as to minimize the time and cost of travel. Therefore, I would recommend first, Munich. There are lots of things to see in Munich. I'm not particularly a museum person, but there is Marienplatz (Viktualienmarkt, Residenz, Frauenkirche), Nymphenburg, and Dachau. I might spend some time in Berchtesgaden (Königssee, Eagles' Nest, Dokumentation Center). You could see Salzburg as a one day side trip. Another place would be Oberammergau. Close by would be Linderhof. Füssen is just a short bus ride from Oberammergau.

Then go to Rothenburg, and, yes, spend a night. Walking the wall is a worthwhile thing to do.

From Rothenburg it is a days journey to the Mittelrhein. You can get there using regional trains through Frankfurt and Mainz and a Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (€39 for two). St. Goar and Bacharach are the best to see there. Burg Eltz is a little too time consuming to get to for what it's worth. The Marksburg (Braubach) is as interesting, and more accessible.

Other than if you are going from Munich to the Rhein Valley (the Rhein Valley is too far away to be considered with anything in Bavaria) Rothenburg is more on the way, I would not lump them together. I didn't think Baden-Baden was worth the stop, but some of the northen Black Forest (Alprsbach, Freudenstadt, Calw, Bad Wildbad) are definitely worth seeing.

Munich is, I feel, the essence of Germany

Thank you Lee for the chuckle I got from your comment! Munich is indeed one of the top choices of destinations in Germany. But if anything it's "the essence of Bavaria" - and Bavaria is not Germany. At least not for any German living north of the "Weisswurst Equator" ;-)

There are some very good suggestions in this thread. I'd still like to throw in another vote for Berlin. It may not be "on the way" to yet another destination but it really is a very interesting metropolis with an incredible mix of history, culture, people, music ...

Germany's history has been more decentralized than countries like England, France or Italy. Countries few people would tour and consider to skip their capitals. Whereas in Germany you get quite a number of very diverse and worthwhile destinations outside the capital. But Berlin is a great destination nevertheless AND it is the capital after all.

I am going to go with Beatrix there. Munich is only the essence of Bavaria and does not really represent the rest of Germany at all. No city does. No more than Miami represents all of America, or Vancouver all of Canada. Each city has its very own flavor and culture, its own dialect, its own food specialties, its own history. I would say all of the cities in Germany represent the true Germany. Bavaria is just Bavaria after all and nothing special to the rest of Germany.

I would pick Berlin too, not only because there is so much to see and do there, but it is close to other cities that are well worth your time to visit. Hamburg, Potsdam, Dresden, Luebeck, or Quedlinburg.

As I posted above in recommending BERLIN, there is, however, one problem with choosing the place over somewhere else.

It is exactly because BERLIN is so amazing, captivating, fascinating, engrossing, and just plainly interesting that you can't pull yourself away from it to see a place nearby: POTSDAM.

You get sucked in to spending all your time in Berlin, (very tempting), without having saved some time for Potsdam.