7 days in Germany, suggestions?

[Alanslegal]

Hi All,

I'm heading heading to Germany for 7 days and nights in June, and will be arriving and departing FRA. It's my first time there and I would like to do all things tourist-y etc.

I am currently thinking the first 2 nights in Frankfurt, then train to Berlin for 4nights, before heading back to Frankfurt for the final night.

I'm very open to suggestion on where to go, see, eat, things I should not miss, hotels to stay at etc.

Thanks

 

[samh004]

When my mum and I were there in 2007 we took a walk down the river and found a Pride festival on, so there were lots of street stalls.

The Frankfurter Dom has some interesting architecture inside and out and there's a street with a sort of Punch/Judy clock with puppets I recall, but can't remember the name.

Walk everywhere and marvel at how many sex shops there are

 

[munitalP]

Alan, Frankfurt's a nice town, you wont be disappointed in whats there. My suggestion would be to take in (if time permits) Nurmberg & Regansburg - both on the same ICE line so transit to/from Frankfurt Main is very easy. Both cities are rich in history.

Dont forget the old quarter in Frankfurt - dine in a restaurant built in the 1200's, walk between the main bridges on both sides of the Mine, and of course, sample the beer!

I can't comment on Berlin but here's a few images of Frankfurt. More at this link

Frankfurt Main

 

[ryanbryan]

Tbh, I don't think Frankfurt is worth a whole three days - in fact, it's barely worth a mention at all. You've made a good decision in Berlin, which is an absolute must.

I have been to most parts of Germany, and my fave parts are probably Berlin and Bavaria. Personally I would either head straight up to Berlin (either by train or plane) for the first four nights, then fly to Munich, and have a look around. It is also possible to do a daytrip to Schloss Neuschwanstein from Munich, which is one of the most magical castles you will see.

German airports are all well connected with regular public transport (not expensive express-style offerings like the Heathrow Express), so the cost of getting to and from airports doesn't negate the saving of air travel that it can in other European locations.

If the above sounds too rushed, I would at least recommend maybe a night or two in Heidelberg, which is a short train trip from Frankfurt. Also a very nice castle, and being a university city, it has quite a youthful vibe about it.

 

[burrco]

Berlin is one of my favorite cities so I'd be straight on the train from FRA and spend all my time there!

Frankfurt isn't as bad at it is often portrayed - but normally if I just want to spend a night or two after the flight I use Koln/Cologne as a base. It's a quick hour and a bit on the train from FRA and I find it much, much nicer than FRA.

All of Germany is quite interesting so you can't really go wrong anywhere.

As for hotels in Berlin for SPG you've got the Westin, which is quite nice but pretty much your standard large chain hotel. The Ritz Carlton is also nice, and can be surprisingly cheap (maybe not in July). Depending on your budget i actually find the Hotel de Rome to be a very good choice and normally stay there, except for when the other two listed hotels have prices that are to low to ignore.

Mitte is definitely the most convient area to stay in Berlin for a first time (and repeat) visitor.

 

[Homer]

I don’t have much experience with Germany but I just wanted to add that we spent four days in Bavaria (Germany’s most visited region), mostly in Munich, last November and it was definitely enough time to feel as though we got a good overview. So just because you only have seven days, don’t feel that you have to just hang around Frankfurt. If you don’t mind some domestic flights then I’d be trying to get to both Berlin and Munich. I would also add my vote for Neuschwanstein Castle (pictured below). We drove there from Munich and did it in an easy day trip.

 

[Alanslegal]

Great tips guys! and nice photos Gordon, will have to look at your TR again.

Well it seems the consensus is to minimise the Frankfurt visit and go elsewhere. That castle looks amazing! So I might have to fit it even though its in the opposite direction of Berlin. Maybe I could hire like an Mercedes Benz E63 or something and hit 250km/hr on the autobahns? BTW how is driving in Germany? safe? easy?

I thought 7 days was too much for Germany, guess I am sooo wrong! But I couldn't fit anymore in, as I'm doing too much on this itinerary already (syd-sin-dps-hkg-fra-xx_x-fra-amm-cdg-lhr-ath-jtr-ath-vce-fco-ams-sin-bkk-xx_x-syd).

 

[Sprucegoose]

The largest city, Berlin should be done by boat!!

 

[GT351]

Frankfurt has some nice museums but it is a modern-ish city with a CBD banking business feel. The area around the train station was a bit seedy and best avoided after dark, although a while ago

Depends what kind of experience you want. Didnt feel very "german" to me

 

[Homer]

That castle looks amazing!

It's pretty special, and only built relatively recently (though not as recently as Walt Disney's knock-off). Good old Mad King Ludwig... Btw I took that shot from the bridge just behind the castle - so you can be sure it looks like that "in real life" .

 

[medhead]

An easy answer for me as my brother lives in Munich. I'm a bit of a romantic type so I love to go to neuschwanstein. It is also an easy day trip by train from Munich using a Bavaria pass (day pass, unlimited train travel). I'm not sure there are any autobahns going in that direction. Probably wrong but it felt rather rural.

The kehl stein haus (hitler's eagles nest) near Bretchestgarten is also an easy day trip from Munich.

My next trip in march I'll probably do regansberg and maybe nurmberg. My bro is talking about hiring an R8. I'll probably also do a day trip to neuschwanstein and try to get some pictures from the front up the hill rather than from the side on the bridge. There is also a tank driving place near berlin that I'd like to try.

 

[ryanbryan]

BTW how is driving in Germany? safe? easy?

Generally, yes. However, most people don't drive as fast as most people outside Germany think they do! And there are far more restricted speed areas on the autobahn network than outsiders realise. Most people seem to sit somewhere between 130-160km/h. Another thing is that their intercity roads are much more busier than Australian ones. It is not uncommon to be in a traffic jam in the middle of nowhere that is caused by nothing more than the huge volume of traffic.

Crashes are not overly common (German drivers are put through much more rigorous driver training than Australians!) but when they do happen, they are unfortunately (and predictably) quite major. Multiple car pileups of volumes unheardof in Australia are not hugely uncommon relative to the number of accidents.

If you are travelling in the left lane (the fast lane), you should move to the right if you see a car speeding up behind you.

An interesting feature is that most newer German cars are fitted with a feature which senses when the radio is doing a traffic update, and turns off whatever is playing and/or turns the volume up.... very nifty! I think it has something to do with the tone they always play before traffic updates. But not much use if you don't understand German!

 

[casanovawa]

In 2004 We went to Berlin which was interesting, did a tour of the city etc... i am a bit of ahistory buff so walked over where Hitler's bunker was, didn't go into the actual Reichstag but saw it and several other places around Berlin including a museum ont he Berlin Wall and stopped near Checkpoint Charlie etc was and all.. took a visit out to Sachsenhausen concentration camp as well... I am planning to go back in July to Berlin to see some parts i missed and just see it again...

2008 i spent a couple of days in Cologne, climbed to the top of one of the steeples?!?!, whatever they are called anyway of the cathedral there... very high and not a bad view of the city, and did a tour, i then went down to Munich for a couple of days, did tours of the city, went out to visit Dachau Concentration Camp but didn't get out to Neuschwanstein... now that its been mentioned ont his thread i am thinking i might try and see it on this upcoming trip where i am just trying to cram in way to many things as my mind wanders....

 

[RB]

We are also planning some time in Germany in May/June. The Rhine/Mosel junction area certainly has caught my eye.

 

[Fantic125]

I was in Germany last week and will be back again in a couple of weeks.

As noted above, Frankfurt is a nice but not overly exciting city. I spent one full day looking around the old town and a few other areas and I reckon I covered all I wanted to see.
I haven't been to Berlin, but I have a friend who goes there every year for a month and she loves the place!

If you drive down to Munich I would recommend a slight detour to Wurzburg and have a look around Marienburg Fortress. Allow an hour or two to wander around and admire the view. Stuttgart is also worth a look around if you have the time.

As mentioned, driving is fairly safe and easy once you get over the feeling of being on the 'wrong' side of the road. The autobahn's are fun - just make sure you keep with the traffic flow and check your mirrors, especially when you pull out to overtake!

There really is so much to see in Germany, you'll wish you had more than 7 days.

 

[Flashback]

Well .. I'm back, I thought I'd take a step out of the shadows to provide some recent experience on this area.

If on a limited timeframe I'd suggest 1/2-1 day in FRA, tops. There's not a lot to do there. In September last year I managed to squeeze into 10 days Munich, Salzburg (an easy trip from Munich, 1.5 hours on the train and can also be done on the Bayern ticket (refer to my TR)), Nuremburg, Cologne.

Berlin is a must see, and somewhere I'd like to get back to but if you only have 7 days I'd recommend arriving in FRA, maybe spending 1 night, then head down to Munich. From there I'd spend a good few days looking around the area of which a good day trip (and you WILL need the whole day) is out to the castle, again, this can be done with a Bayern ticket also. Another trip to consider, although should only consume half a day and easily done on the train (20-30 min ride IIRC) is out to the Dachau Concentration Camp site, amazing stuff.

From here it's worth doing a 1-2 day trip to Salzburg in Austria also, especially as you can use the Bayern ticket there / back (yes it's not in Bavaria, but it's an exception to the rule ). It's a really pretty city and definitely worth a visit. If you're into the Sound of Music (heck, even if you're not!) then you can go on a SOM tour also.

 

[burrco]

I think the only consensus you'll find is that seven days is not enough for Germany - so you need to start planning your return trip!

I've spent an aggregate of six months or so in Germany over the years - it really is a great destination.