Sorry my earlier post was in error. We will be visiting the Romantic Road area of Germany after about 3 1/2 weeks of Normandie and tracing some of the 84TH Inf. Div . route of WWII. From this last area, to FRA to depart back to Dallas.
We would like to relax a little after a busy schedule and want to soak up some of the great German beer, food, and ambiance.
Heard that Haus Karin in Rothenburg was great there, any ideas for Wurzburg, should we stay there instead.
Thanks for any help.
Can't speak for the hotels but IMO Rothenburg and Wurzburg are very different towns so it depends on your interests. Rothenburg is small and very touristy. I'm told it's pleasant at night when the tourists have left but it's small. Wurzburg is larger and maybe more everyday German. Lots of choices for good food and beer.
Doug's right - English seems to be the main language in Rothenburg, Würzburg a much larger, authentic German city.
I personally prefer nearby Nuremberg for the sort of stay you have in mind - much good beer, food and ambiance there!
Ed,
We've once taken a very comfortable room at Hotel Greifenstein Hof in Würzburg and from there made a day trip via rail to Rothenburg o/d Tauber. It's an easy trip ... just be sure to check the train schedules at the latest a day or so before. Würzburg has a Residenz that's out-of-this-world baroque and would occupy a good part of another day. And there are some mighty fine restaurants in Würzburg, too. You could easily see what else there is for tourism in Würzburg, such as Schloß Marienburg, by making inquiry at www.Google.com. Gute Reise! P.
Thank you all for your suggestions.
Wurzburg seems to be the winner...now to find a good gaustehaus or B&B there...Suggestions... also how about a B&B in Bamburg????
I would vote for Rothenburg even though it is rather touristy. My reasoning: since you'll be on a WWII tour, you might want to see how Germany used to look. The center of Rothenburg is a well-preserved old German town. I love it!
Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Würzburg are both good choices. Würzburg is my favorite city in Germany, mainly for the castle across the river, with its museums. One room is devoted to the destruction of the city in a single firebombing, with a scaled model of the city after the attack. I was stationed in Würzburg in the 70's.
We liked the Hotel Barbarossa and Hotel St. Josef, which are a short walk from the train station on the edge of the pedestrian zone. We have reserved both through Hotel Reservation Service:
http://www4.hrs.de/
Reservations also available through Würzburg's homepage.
http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/index.html
Ed,
My choice would be Rothenburg. Although it's quite touristy in the day time, it's much quieter at night.
I can't recall the details, but remember something from the "Night Watchman's" tour about the military history in Rothenburg. I believe a German General defied orders to destroy the town as they were retreating? I believe the old part of the city was heavily damaged by bombing?
Cheers!
Rothenburg is only a 45 minute drive from Wurzburg. I don't find it relaxing. Wurzburg, on the other hand is not such a tourist hangout and to me more relaxing. We have a condo there, and we have developed a relaxing routine for our visits--walk along the river (nice path), shower and dress, walk downtown, sit in a sidewalk cafe and have a beer and a snack, wander around, eat dinner, walk back to our condo. There are some nice sights--Residenz, churches, Festung Marienburg, the Kapelle, the Mainbrucke (fantastic bridge to walk across)and some really nice restaurants, from a Chinese restaurant in a boat on the river to some really classy ones on the hills surrounding the town. My point is, you can easily do both--stay in Wurzburg and take daytrips to several preserved cities such as Rothenburg, Miltenberg, Nuremburg, and Wertheim.
The Hotel St. Josef that I mentioned above is a Gastätte with restaurant:
http://www.hotel-st-josef.de/Englisch/startseite_eng.html
I did get slightly better prices on the Hotel Reservation Service. The St. Josef had a good restaurant and one of our best breakfasts in Germany.
Still cheaper is the Hotel Barbarossa which does not have a restaurant but serves breakfast. It sits atop a building many uses (elevator-yes) but still has a comfy feeling. The location is slightly closer to the rail station and the pedestrian zone. The view from the breakfast room looks over the city spires to the vineyards. It did not have a website but was listed on Hotel Reservation Service. It was one of our favorite overnights.
Regards, Gary
