Travel Conditions

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

First short trip

We are going to visit Germany next May (with my wife). My plan so far includes

- Frankfurt (early Sunday), Colonge (the same day just for Cathedral), night somewhere on Rhine (Koblenz or around).

- (Monday) to see Mosel Valley

- (Tuesday) to see Rhine Valley and stay in Baden-Baden

- (Wednesday) spend in Baden-Baden

-(Thursday) travel to Bavaria and stay near near Mad Ludvig castle

- (Friday) see castles and move to Minich

- (Sat/Sun) in Munich

- (Mon) go to Rothenburg and stay here

- (Tue) go to Frankfurt airport

My questions to you guys:

- where better to use train instead of car? Which pass to buy (train or train and car if somebody used it).

- where to stay on Rhine river cities and where to use boat?

- what is %26quot;must to see%26quot; near Rhine?

Thank you,

Ahuinber

|||

Hi Ahuinbar,

no answered your post, so I%26#39;ll try to help. Fist, May is a good time to visit Germany. If you land in Frankfurt, there is not too much to see and do, yet it is not too dull. 4-5 hours for the city is sufficient, yet no must.

As for your itinery - sounds nice, but a little bit packed, but having 10 day in Germany not too bad. With this itinery I would recommend driving a car because it will give you the flexibilitiy you need, on the other hand trains are the classic way to explore Europe. Yet especially in Germany train rides are pricy, if not booked in advance and commiting yourself to a certain train (e.g. the ICE train from Frankfurt to Cologne at 10a.m....).

For Frankfurt watch check the walking tour of MarkKHanau on tripadvisor.

In Cologne visit the cathedral (its outer surrounding is not to pleasant, though) and if you are interested the Roman Museum next to it (right at the train station).

Can%26#39;t really comment on the Rhine and Mossel Valley, both are beautiful and may be best explored with a cruise(check the numerous posts for rhine river cruise). A small and popular, but overdeveloped small town at the Rhine Valley is Rüdesheim, but some small towns along the left or right river bank might give you a better idea or the region (a car would come handy for this part).

Baden-Baden is beautiful, just stroll along this city. You may want to visit the casino and the famous old bath (forgot its name Kaiser Friedrich Therme??).

For castle Neuschwanstein it might be an idea to stay in a Bavarian %26quot;Gästezimmer%26quot; (Bed and Breakfast) in one of the villages there to get an idea of rustical Bavaria. For the most part they are inexpensive and nice and give you an idea of %26quot;old-fashioned%26quot; Bavarian Life.

On Munich I am not an expert, and any book can give better advise.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the few medival cities in Germany that give you the idea that you are in some movie scene. I have been there as a child and was amazed, but that has been quite a while.

This is the best I can help you...maybe someone else has more specific infos.

|||

many spelling mistakes, sorry, hope you still get the idea.

|||

Thank you Dudel!

I used your advices and made soem more search on Internet and here%26#39;s my updated itenerary

May 19 - flight from SFO to FRA

May 20 Sunday - Rhine Valley, St. Goar

Arrival to Frankfurt 07:20 --%26gt; Train to St. Goar or part way by boat

--- Frankfurt to St. Goar 2 hour 29 Evro

--- Frankfurt to Bacharach %26lt;2 hour 20 Evro Then by boat to St Goar

ToDo - See castle there and some places around

ToStay - Hotel am Markt - St. Goar

double room with shower,wc,tv,ph. 62.00 Euro.per night .

%26lt;info@hotel-am-markt-sankt-goar.de%26gt;

The cancellation policy is two weeks. we have garage cost 4.00 euro.

May 21 Monday - Rhine and Mossel Valley

ToDo - Go to Cologne by train, see cathedral Take a car

Orbitz/Hertz 8 days Amount due at pick-up 215.52 EUR

- drive and see Eltz Castle and some other places around

ToStay - Hotel am Markt - St. Goar

May 22 Tuesday - Rhine Valley and Black forest

ToDo - see something else around St Goar (by car/boat) then

By car from St Goar to Baden-Baden

ToStay - Hotel am Markt - Baden-Baden

Marktplatz 18 D-76530 Baden-Baden

info@hotel-am-markt-baden.de D.Jung www.hotel-am-markt-baden.de

May 22nd for two nights a double room with shower and toilet

The price per night is Euro 78.- + 5.60 spa tax including breakfast.

Please note that our reception is open till 10p.m.

There are no cancellation charges for accomomodation cancelled more

than 72 hours in advance, thereafter your credit card will be debited

with the first night charge of your accommodation.

We have some parking in front of the hotel. Cost 3.- Euro per night

otherwise is a free public parking in walking distance.

May 23 Wednesday - Baden-Baden

ToDo - Bath, Casino, promenade

ToStay - Hotel am Markt - Baden-Baden

May 24 Thursday - road to Bavaria (Constance Lake?)

ToDo - Driving Hohenschwangau, see all around

ToStay - Hotel Garni Schlossblick Hohenschwangau

Hotel Garni Schlossblick Hohenschwangau

reservierung@neuschwanstein-hotels.de Kastelic Barbara

1 double room with shower/WC including continental breakfast buffet at the rate of Euro 62,00

per room/night The local visitors tax of Euro 1.35 per person/night will be charged separately.

Please note that our reception closes at 8.00 p.m. - in case of late arrival

we would appreciate a phone call to inform us.

So we will deposit the key on the reception from the Schlosshotel Lisl

(Tel.: 08362-81649)

May 25 Friday - Castles

ToDo - See Mad Ludwig%26#39;s Royal Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles

Arrival to Munich (Romantic Road)

ToStay - Hotel Uhland

Hotel Uhland Uhlandstra?e 1, D - 80336 Munchen/Germany/Bavaria

Voice:+49 (Germany) - (0)89 (Munich) - 54335-0

Fax:+49 - (0)89 - 54335 -250 eMail: info@hotel-uhland.de

http://www.hotel-uhland.de/enwelcome.html

1 double room of

comfort class with private shower and toilet for 3 nights of May, 25th 2007.

The rate of Euro 90,50 includes breakfast, service and tax, per room, per night, net hotel.

All our rooms are established with TV, telephone and minibar.

Parking-space for your car is in our backyard.

May 26 Saturday - Munich

ToDo - See Museums and city

ToStay - Hotel Uhland

May 27 Sunday - Munich

ToDo - See city and around, parks

ToStay - Hotel Uhland

May 28 Monday

ToDo - Departure from Munich, Arrival to Rothenburg by Romantic Road

ToStay - Hotel - %26quot;Zum Greifen%26quot;

Gasthof Greifen %26lt;gasthof-greifen@t-online.de%26gt;/ Ursula

a small double room for 2 persons with shower/Wc for 65.- Euros per night

including breakfast and a parking place behind the house.

May 29 Tuesday

ToDo - Drive to Frankfurt,

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:20 am, August 18, 2009

Topic Kids Attractions in/around Cologne

Hi -

My family is going to Cologne in May 2007. We%26#39;re taking our two sons (5 and 7). Any suggestions on great kids activities in or near Cologne? Seeing a castle is definitely on our list. Others? Great playgrounds in the city? Festivals in May? Pedestrian-free zones in which the kids might love running around? We%26#39;ll be there for 3-4 days. (And if you can recommend a great, two-star, inexpensive hotel within the city too boot...why that would be groovy too!) Thanks!

|||

Cologne Zoo

http://www.koelner-zoo.de/index.php?id=293

Cologne cable car

www.koelner-seilbahn.de/english/index.html

(you can combine this easily with a visit of the zoo)

Climbing the South Tower of the Catherdral

http://www.koelner-dom.de/aktuelles.html?%26L=1

Chocolate Museum

http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/index_e.html

Phantasialand Brühl

www.phantasialand.de/phantasialand.html

There is a KombiTicket which includes public transport (counts as day ticket) and entrance to the Phantasialand. Can be bought at VRS counters (and ticket machines?) in Cologne. Price is the same like the pure entrance ticket to Phantasialand.

For events etc. see

http://www.koeln.de

also useful

www.koeln.nicecity.de/english/index.htm

%26gt; Pedestrian-free zones ...

Autobahns, the Rhine, railway tracks, ...

%26gt; ... in which the kids might love running around.

I very much doubt this. These are rather places ideal if you want to commit suicide.

If you mean pedestrian (or car free) zones:

stadt-koeln.de/imperia/…3.pdf

All streets in purple (or however one may call this color) are pedestrian zones.

1967 the Hohe Straße (= High Street) was transferred to the first pedestrian zone in Germany. Another interesting fact, this is mostlikely the oldest high street in use. The width and lenght of this road are unchanged since it was the high street of the Roman colony Colonia Aggripina. It%26#39;s also the most busy (shoppers per day) high street in Germany.

Can%26#39;t help you with Cologne.

You may check

http://www.hrs.com

You may also consider a family room in one of the youth hostels.

jugendherberge.de/jh/…

|||

Can%26#39;t help you with Cologne HOTELS.

|||

I don%26#39;t know how many stars it has, but I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Merian, which is an easy walk from the rail station. I booked through hotel.de and you can check out reviews here or at booking.com .

A great daytrip for kids of all ages is to visit Marksburg castle in Braubach (located just south of Koblenz along the Rhine). It is the only castle along the Rhine that was never taken or destroyed. When I visited a few years ago the tour was only in German, but there was a English language guidebook for a reasonable fee. The guide also makes for a good souvenier.

Take the train from Cologne to some point south of Braubach where there is K-D boat service. You can find the boat schedules by googling %26quot;K-D Line%26quot; . Board the boat for an pleasant sail down the Rhine where you%26#39;ll see castles, small towns, vineyards and passing barges. Depart the boat at Braubach and take the little tram or walk up the hill to the castle.

Inside the castle, you can easily see why the castles were built given their commanding presence over the Rhine.

If time and energy allow, I like to stop in Koblenz and walk from the rail station along the Rhine down to the city center.

The train back to Cologne completes the day.

|||

While doing research for my next trip I stumbled on something that makes the guidebook unneeded.

Google %26quot;Rick Steves%26quot; and go to his website.

Click on %26quot;Plan your trip%26quot; and then on %26quot;Best Destinations%26quot; .

Select %26quot;Germany%26quot; and then %26quot;Marksburg Castle Tour%26quot; for an

English language list of the castle%26#39;s rooms and contents.

Have fun!

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 4:17 pm, August 18, 2009

LosAngeles to Munich Travelers beware of Lufthansa !

Travellers to Munich, Germany from Los Angeles need be aware that Lufthansa airplanes have no individual air-ventillation controls above their seats. Normally, during the course of a flight, it is not unusual for a passenger to want more airflow and adjust it accordingly. Such controls are not available on Lufthansa and on a 12hour trip like this, it can be one of the most uncomfortable flights you will ever be one.

Travelers need also be aware that the seats are amongst the smallest, and the service is not that great. This may come as a dramatic surprise as most of you who have flown Lufthansa in the past know it to set a bench mark for excellence -- that was yesterday! Today? You cant even get any air.

I dont know of a single other airline out there - NOT A SINGLE OTHER AIRLINE - that does not have air/ventillation control above their passenger seats.

Consumer BEWARE!!

|||

marrucci, sorry to hear that you had such an awful journey. Is thIS standard for all of their flights? Or were you unlucky and on an old plane?

|||

The airplane was definately on the newer side.

Going into Munich from LosAngeles and

back, the airplanes were quite new, congested,

and no ventillation control. That is kind of bizarre, especially for a 12hour flight.

I wish there was a site like seatguru.com

where you have an ability to give consumers a %26#39;heads up%26#39; about what to expect/ avoid.

Is there such a site for international Airplanes?

It would be SO very helpful!

|||

Train reservations

Hello. I have two separate queries.

1. We intend to travel from Berlin to Vienna on 1/1/07. We have Eurail First Class passes and want to make seat reservations only on the train. I have looked at the Die Bahn website but appear unable to make just seat reservations. We have considered waiting until we arrive in Berlin (28/12) and making the reservations that day for the 1st, but are concerned about it being too close to the time.

Can anyone explain the easiest way to do this?

2. We know we can buy food on the train and wondered how good this is? Has anyone experienced train food?

Many thanks

|||

%26gt;We have considered waiting until we arrive in Berlin (28/12) and making the reservations that day for the 1st, but are concerned about it being too close to the time.

In 1st class? Too close to the time? These two sentences don%26#39;t get together. Usually most people travel without reserving seats, so even if you reserve them 15 min before departure you can be sure to get your seats. But actually in 1st class you don%26#39;t need to bother.

In any case, you can only get seat reservations online on bahn.de for inland trips - by going through the process as if you buy tickets, and then check %26quot;No tickets, reservations only%26quot;. It is possible to buy international tickets to selected destinations online, but in most cases you would need to go to a counter or call them.

|||

%26gt;2. We know we can buy food on the train and wondered how good this is? Has anyone experienced train food?

I guess someone has experienced it, otherwise it wouldn%26#39;t be sold :-)

It is nothing special, more expensive than the same food in a stationary restaurant, and often is prepackaged and then microwave-heated on your order. If you consider yourself a gourmet, don%26#39;t bother. If you simply want something warm and reasonabe tasting, it is useful.

If you prefer to save some money, take some food (sandwiches etc.) with you.

|||

1. Online seat reservations only are only possible for %26quot;domestic%26quot; trips.

You can reserve Berlin to Salzburg online through the DB timetable and hope that nobody else will reserve Salzburg to Vienna. As seat reservations inside Austria are not that common this is unlikely.

bahn.de/p/…monatsaktion.shtml

See %26quot;Speisekarte Bordrestaurant%26quot; and %26quot;Spezialitäten des Monats%26quot; (specialities of the month). Both are in German, English, French and Italian.

There is however no %26quot;chef%26quot; onboard. The food is more or less ready prepared before it comes onboard.

Better/fresher than what you will get on most flights, but no match for a good normal restaurant.

|||

wow, just checked out that website link re on-board catering and that looks seriously impressive compared to trains in the UK!

Is that a first-class only thing or for all classes on the longer distance trains?

I have been checking this post with interest as I will be making my first train booking within Germany next year.

I will be travelling from Berlin to Leipzig (and return journey), I understand that the 50% saver tickets are available from approx 3 months before date of travel? Does that allocate a seat automatically or do I need to make seat reservations too - is this all straight forward enough to do via online booking? As we are travelling around Pfingsten (Whitsun) holiday weekend, I am guessing that a seat reservation would be recommended.

|||

%26gt;is that a first-class only thing or for all classes on the longer distance trains?

No. The restaurant car is between 1st and 2nd class parts of the train.

In 1st class you can however order snacks and beverages from the restaurant or bistro to your place.

%26gt; Does that allocate a seat automatically or do I need to make seat reservations too - is this all straight forward enough to do via online booking?

No. Seat reservation is extra. EUR 1,50 per leg if you book it together with your ticket online.

Booking online is no problem. I use nearly always this method.

But if you%26#39;re from the UK you can also contact the DB UK booking centre.

http://www.bahn.co.uk

Seat reservation will be however more expensive. Ticket prices are the same online or at the counter.

%26gt; As we are travelling around Pfingsten (Whitsun) holiday weekend, I am guessing that a seat reservation would be recommended.

Indeed.

|||

do the experts think I need a reservation for 2 on a morning train from Berlin to Dresden on 28 December?

|||

At the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof is a decent sized grocery with a

good selection of food items. Instead of using the restaurant car

I like to buy bread, cheese, meat, fruit, beverages and a dessert item at a grocery and dine in style.

Travelling 1st class, you shouldn%26#39;t need a reservation. But they are

cheap for the peace of mind they give, and you can book one on the

28th for the 1st. The office where they sell tickets and give out information is the best place for the tourist to buy a reservation. Someone there will speak English, if you don%26#39;t speak German.

There are different windows, so look for one that has %26quot;Reservierung%26quot;

on the list of services.

I use train passes, so at the top of the paper I hand the clerk, I write

%26quot;Reservierung nur, bitte%26quot; which is %26quot;Reservation only, please %26quot;.

I write down the date I wish to travel using the European system of Day, Month then Year. I also mark down the time the train departs and the train ID number. I like window seats, so %26quot;fenster platz%26quot; is usually included on my request.

|||

Thanks for the good advice. We are lucky to be travelling 1st class but will definitely reserve seats anyway as a precaution. My daughter speaks German and is looking forward to the trip.

I have discovered an excellent link through the Eurail site go to the timetables/ Western European drop down for people looking for timetable information and connections.

I will follow up and let you all know how the journey went!

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:18 pm, August 18, 2009

Next weekend

Going to dusseldorf next weekend , any recommendations for things that we should do and see ?

|||

- Altstadt

- Medienhafen

- several Christmas markets

- Kö on Ice

- Shopping Königsalle and Schadowstrasse

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:20 am, August 18, 2009

Car Rental

Which car rental would be the best to hire a car from for 6 peopel (must be big enough for luggage as well)for 3 weeks?

We arrive at Stuttgart airport.

Would it be better to rent something in advance or rent at the airport when we get there?

Thank you for your help

|||

You%26#39;ll be paying the highest possible rate if you walk in at the airport, IF they are not sold out already, especially with your somewhat unusual requirements. This is pretty much the same worldwide.

|||

With your requirements I would always have reservations for a car rental. There probably aren%26#39;t that many cars that will meet your requirements. If you have to rent something like a van, make sure that it isn%26#39;t too tall and therefore will be able to be parked in a parking garage. There are a fair number of car rental agencies at the airport so you have some choices of who you deal with: Avis; Budget; Europcar; Hertz; National Car / Alamo; Sixt.

|||

Would you know a good webside where we could look for a great deal?Maybe a german side (if you know one) is better?

What kind of car would you recommend?

|||

Have a look at the deals of www.holidayautos.de (also in english, I think they also have an international website .com), they work with all major rental car companies, I%26#39;ve used them several times and think they are good value for money (all insurances included).

You should be looking for something like a van (7-9 seats vw sharan/ vw caravelle) to get all of you plus luggage on board.

|||

Hi,

please try:

www.europcar.de

http://www.e-sixt.de

http://www.avis.de/

dont forget a CDW ( Vollkasko ). Look for a minivan (Minibus).

Ford Galaxy (Sixt); VW Carvelle (Europcar)

Automatic transmission is NOT standard in Germany-be careful.

I checked some offers-sixt ist the cheapest ( Stuttgart Zentrum /downtown)

|||

Thank you so much everyone for your help.

I also found the webside opodo and on that side a Intermediate Minibus for 20 days cost 830 Euro with auto europe.

Now i have a few questions

Is that car (didn%26#39;t say what kind of car it is) big enough for 6 ppl?

What kind of car would it be?

Is that a good deal?

Has anyone used auto europe?

|||

%26gt; Is that car (didn%26#39;t say what kind of car it is) big enough for 6 ppl?

%26gt; What kind of car would it be?

Guess this is a Seat Alhambra or VW Sharan (both the same model like Ford Galaxy). A 7-seater with a trunk capacity of 18-22 cu. ft.

If there is a problem than with the space for the luggage.

%26gt; Is that a good deal?

A very good one.

%26gt; Has anyone used auto europe?

Autoeurope is a rental car broker, not a rental company.

But from what I saw on feedbacks so far reliable.

|||

last time I used autoeurope in Germany, the actual rental company was europcar. You can look up autoeurope the rental location and cross reference the address with the major agencies and you%26#39;ll know the actual rental company.

|||

Try www.arguscarhire.de - usually very reasonable rates

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 12:21 am, August 19, 2009

Decent place to eat by Intercity Hotel by Main train station

Hi,

Will be staying in Frankfurt overnight, arriving at 8:30 pm. from Malaga, any decent places to eat? Do people eat late in Frankfurt?

Thank you for any responses.

|||

From your post I understand that you will be staying near the airport. Restaurants are usually open till midnight. I can recommend the Sheraton Airport Hotel in case you haven%26#39;t booked a hotel yet.

|||

Rainbow Garden - around the corner from the Intercity is a fab Thai restaurant - lovely ethnic decor, food is superb and inexpensive and staff are friendly and attentive.

rainbowgarden.de/restaurant/…index2.php

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 8:16 pm, August 18, 2009