Germany....If you've been "we need YOU"!!

[eliza61]

LOL, so we're definitely not doing Disney this year and last night we were talking about where we wanted to go for a family vacay.
My youngest mentioned that every time were at WS in Epcot, I get to Germany and say "wow, I would love to visit some day". Soooo we are seriously considering Germany.

time to play "pick your brain".

1) so what was your favorite city and why?
2) any tourist attraction you would call a "must see".

I do plan on getting a guide book (some one always post this, lol) but I really do think that some of the best information comes from peoples experiences.

edited to add: we usually travel during June or late August to september but can easily adjust if some other time is better weather wise. we don't like to travel in the cold so usually dec-march is out.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

We did a one day cruise down the Rhine. That was amazing! I'd look into that. We also did Cologne, loved Heidelburg Castle, the Black Forest was eh. We ate at a restaurant right on the water by the Rhine Falls which was nice. The falls were ok but then most waterfalls are "ok" unless you've never seen a big one like Niagara etc. We loved Germany!

 

[Micca]

Been there but it's been decades. I highly recommend something like this https://www.greatrail.com/tours/fairytale-castles-and-bavarian-alps/

The word "awesome" is too weak to describe this.

 

[lisaviolet]

Have fun Eliza. I have not been ----- yet.

Just wanted to share this wonderful TR, that includes Germany. And has some great information on travel possibilities. Besides pertinent information for your travels there, it's a wonderful read in itself.

The train ride to Cologne starts on page 20.

http://disboards.com/threads/canadi...ion-30-03-endings-and-silver-linings.3161647/

 

[gwynne]

There are Roman Ruin sites in various cities in Germany. When you settle on an itinerary, see if any of them are nearby. Very interesting.

 

[cabanafrau]

NHdisneylover lives in Germany with her family. I'm sure she could give you great info.

 

[SparklePixie]

When using public transportation, know the specific names of neighborhoods, streets, etc of where you need to disembark. Train schedules are not multi-lingual like most everything else.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

We've only been to Munich and the Bavaria area--to us, that's the Germany we think of when we think of Germany. We absolutely loved it.

 

[jsmla]

We really enjoyed Rothenburg, it's pretty touristy but enjoyable. The English language Night Watchman Tour was great!

 

[JaxDad]

I aqree with Bavaria and the "fairy tale" castles--Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, etc. I also liked Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is a walled medieval city--definitely touristy, but cool. I spent most of my time in Bitburg--not much there, other than a brewery, but some nice stuff nearby. The Mosel River valley is nice, and the wine is awesome. Trier is a small town that has some Roman ruins. You should also check out the cathedral at Cologne. Have fun!

ETA: Make sure you go to the right Rothenberg! I was traveling with a car full of other US service members. We arrived well after nightfall, and our navigator, who had been there before, said, "This doesn't look right." It wasn't! We were in Rothenberg, Hesse, Germany, some 100 miles from Rothenberg ob der Tauber. We ended up spending the night there anyway. We went out to a restaurant and some clubs and met some awesome locals. It ended up being a highlight of our trip, a real immersion instead of just another tourist stop.

 

[firecracker725]

We just did Oktoberfest/Munich/Bavaria with our family. It was pretty fantastic. We used Rick Steves Germany, and his advice (as always) was spot on. You have to see Neuschwanstein.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I agree that what most people think of when they think of Germany is more Bavaria/Baden Wurtemburg (and is my favourite).

Berlin is quite from all that and very different, but also fascinating--though unless i had a ton of time I would stick more to the south myself--but that is what I love.

What to do depends a lot on what you like. There are amazing ,and not overly difficult hikes in the alps (one i love that is between Lake Constance and Neuscwhanstein castle--you take a ski lift up, there is a lodge there with live music and good food and from there you can hike further up (where you will encounter another smaller lodge with a nice beer garden). Back down at the top of the ski lift there is the longest alpine slide in Germany to ride down (on a steel track, not a concrete flume). Loads of fun for older kids/teens and adults, plus gorgeous views all day, classic German food and drink, etc and not pricey.

Other people may want only cities full of tourists (Rothernburg is lovely, totally overrun, but yes, lovely) or big cities like Munich. Heidelberg (my town!) is really, really nice too.

Also, do you want to stay put in one place all week, or travel in between places and stay 1-3 nights each for a week or two? (which I would recommend).

In totally random fashion--depending on what you like, we love some of the ultra quirky German amusement parks and they can give you a major feel for the culture too (Tripsdrill is my favourite).

Anyway--personally I think Germany is a great choice

I am about to hop on a cruise for a week, and there are plenty of others who know the area, I do not mean to suggest that I am alone in that at all---but if you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them once I am back.

 

[pryncess527]

We did a one day cruise down the Rhine. That was amazing! I'd look into that. We also did Cologne, loved Heidelburg Castle, the Black Forest was eh. We ate at a restaurant right on the water by the Rhine Falls which was nice. The falls were ok but then most waterfalls are "ok" unless you've never seen a big one like Niagara etc. We loved Germany!

Ditto this exactly. Loved the cruise down the Rhine. Loved Cologne, loved Heidelberg Castle.
I still get sick to my stomach thinking about black forest cake from Germany . . .

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Ditto this exactly. Loved the cruise down the Rhine. Loved Cologne, loved Heidelberg Castle.
I still get sick to my stomach thinking about black forest cake from Germany . . .

I loved just sitting on the deck and looking at the fantastic castles up on the hills on the side of the river. I didn't care about any of the stops etc

 

[minnie mum]

Some great suggestions so far. But NHdisneylover's question about location is important. I recommend a trip where you move from one place to the next, too. We were fortunate to live for 3 years in Germany in the little town of Oberammergau ( big name for a very small town!). So I am partial to Bavaria. Germany is so easy to get around. Train service is generally very good, even to small towns. But driving is also easy, especially on the autobahns (you would need an international drivers license- easy to get).

I'll second the recommendation on getting the Rick Steve's Germany guide book. It's excellent.

If you can travel in September, I'd recommend it. Crowds in the more touristy areas will be less, and the weather is still nice.

 

[firecracker725]

Some great suggestions so far. But NHdisneylover's question about location is important. I recommend a trip where you move from one place to the next, too. We were fortunate to live for 3 years in Germany in the little town of Oberammergau ( big name for a very small town!). So I am partial to Bavaria. Germany is so easy to get around. Train service is generally very good, even to small towns. But driving is also easy, especially on the autobahns (you would need an international drivers license- easy to get).

I'll second the recommendation on getting the Rick Steve's Germany guide book. It's excellent.

If you can travel in September, I'd recommend it. Crowds in the more touristy areas will be less, and the weather is still nice.

And there's Oktoberfest...which contrary to popular belief, is actually at the end of September.

 

[minnie mum]

I loved just sitting on the deck and looking at the fantastic castles up on the hills on the side of the river. I didn't care about any of the stops etc

Some of the stops are very nice. Especially in the fall when all of the wine festivals are going on. After all, you're smack in the middle of the Rhine wine growing locale. Some of the castles overlooking the Rhine are now hotels. We stayed in a tower room one night. It was a blast.

 

[Amy]

DH and I talked about visiting Germany ever since the night we met in 1983, and this past July we finally made it! It only took us 32 years to get there. We did a Globus tour of Munich, Salzburg and Vienna (sunday to Sunday) and loved it! Since we had an overnight flight to Munich, we went a day prior to the start of tour, so that gave us an extra day to see Munich on our own. We got to see the English Gardens, have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus and visit Schloss Nymphenburg, none of which were included in our tour. The tour was great - we had a wonderful tour director and a great group of fellow tourists of all ages, teens to 70's.

We toyed with the idea of doing the trip on our own, but I'm glad we went with an escorted tour for the added perks and ease of planning. For instance, we got to Neuschwanstein first thing in the morning. You should have seen the huge line of people buying tickets. Well, our tour director had our tickets ready to go AND we also got a bus to the top of the mountain (instead of walking the mile uphill). We had plenty of time to walk further up to Mary's Bridge before the time for our tour inside the castle. We also beat the crowds on our tour of Hitler's Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden. One afternoon we cruised the Danube past vineyards and abandoned castles. We also visited many of the sites where they filmed The Sound of Music. (If you're planning to do the trip on your own, there are specific Sound of Music Tours if you're interested.) I don't know the age of your children, but the teens on our trip didn't seem to be bored at all.

Must sees: Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles (be sure to visit the grotto at LInderhof), Glockenspeil in Munich's Marienplatz, Mozart's birthplace/museum in Salzburg, Barenwirt restaurant in Salzburg (wonderful, amazing Barenwirtschnitzel!). In Vienna, we visited Heiligenkreuz Monastery, which was built in 1133 and is still in use today. It just amazes me that we were walking in this place that's been there for almost 900 years, and yet in this country we can't even build a road that lasts 5-10 years.

When using public transportation, know the specific names of neighborhoods, streets, etc of where you need to disembark. Train schedules are not multi-lingual like most everything else.

I second this, and I was amazed at how efficient and on time the buses and subway are! Here in Pittsburgh, we joke that our bus schedules are just suggestions since the buses show up whenever they please. But in Munich, if a bus was supposed to be at the stop at 2:25, it came at 2:25.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

I agree with staying in Bavaria. My wife and I stayed in Mainz, about 1/2 hour from Frankfurt. From there we drove, my brother really as he had the car, and it was his place we were staying at, to different castles, Monasteries and beautiful churches. Another place to consider, if you're going for a week or more, is Garmisch, in southern Germany near the Austrian border and in the Alps. Absolute beautiful. That's also near Linderhoff Palace and Neuschwanstien Castle.

 

[JaxDad]

I'd also recommend Dachau. We made a stop there on our whirlwind tour. Although depressing, it is real history and provides important insights and lessons for humanity.