I decided to use some of my Delta miles and decided to fly to Germany for 2.5 weeks in May. I'm arriving and leaving out of FRA. One of my co-workers lived in Germany for a little bit, so I'm also pumping him for information. But I'd like to get some opinions on what to do. I'm a photography buff and thus like landscapes, architecture, country side, etc.

My co-worker said get the hell out of FRA as fast as possible after a 1 or 2 day castle tour. He said Munich was a very modern and nice city, whereas Berlin was more run down and has an older feel.

I certainly want to see some good castles, but beyond that I"m not sure what to do. I also thought about spending a few days in Prague if there wasn't a lot to do in Germany. I'm not a big drinker, so that's not even remotely an interest. I do like good dining though.

Should I mostly stay around Munich, or spend a few days there, a few in Berlin, and a few elsewhere? I have a lot of Marriott rewards points so I'm trying to stay in areas that I can use them for free rooms. But I'm not opposed to one or two night trips that would be worthwhile.

I also don't speak any German so I'm wondering how much of a hinderance that will be? Anyone have a good recommendation for Germany travel guides?

I usually like organized day trips if the tour company is good. I'm not really looking to rent a car while I'm there.

Thanks in advance!

Munich and Berlin are certainly worthwile destinations, as are Prague, Salzburg, and some smaller places in the alps. You can visit bigger cities by train, but most daytrips are much easier done by car.

Spend a few days in Munich, and then do some road trips to some of the castles (Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee), churches/monasteries (Wieskirche, Andechs) and the alps (I'd reserve two or three days for this, and rent a car for daytrips from Munich). Then, take the train to Salzburg and spend a few days in that region. Afterwards, travel to Prague and/or Berlin (plane travel may be cheaper and more convenient). There are many other options; the western region of Germany have lots of interesting stuff to offer as well, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Cologne, to name but a few.

I don't know anything about organized tours, but you won't run into many problems when travelling alone; many Germans speak English, and most are reasonably friendly.

The first thing to do is check the FT calendar for DOs. It helps to give your trip focus and plugs you into the FT international social network.

Use FRA as a gateway. Don't limit yourself to Germany. Would a eurail pass work for you?

Jim

The first thing to do is check the FT calendar for DOs. It helps to give your trip focus and plugs you into the FT international social network.

Use FRA as a gateway. Don't limit yourself to Germany. Would a eurail pass work for you?

Jim

Pardon my newbieness, but what's DOs?

Pardon my newbieness, but what's DOs?A "Do" is a gathering of FlyerTalkers - a number of FT members enjoy travelling to far-flung destinations to meet up with other members for social gatherings, sightseeing, and fellowship.

Back to your original questions - when you say architecture, do you mean historical, or cutting-edge modern? Munich is a wonderful destination which I have enjoyed many times, however, berlin is a true "world-class" city which has radically changed in the 16-17 years since reunification. There is a mix of old structures being restored to their pre-war splendor (the museums on Museum island, for example, and of course the old Imperial palace Sans Souci at Potsdam) and the there is also the radically new (the architecture of the likes of Daniel Liebskind, and Helmut Jahn and others in Potsdammer Platz, where a perfectly fine Marriott is located BTW) :)

Berlin to Prague, with a stop in Dresden either on the way over or the way back, is very rewarding as well.

Do you like cars? Consider visiting the Autostadt in Wolfsburg and the Glass Factory (where the Phaeton is built) in Dresden.

And it might sound like a downer, but you should consider a thought-provoking visit to one of the Nazi-era concentration camps - Dachau, for example, is in the Greater Munich area and can be easily reached via S-Bahn transit system train.

Look at the top of this page and click the Calendars button. Public FT gatherings are posted there and the threads are often quite lively.

Making a detour to a European DO can be a lot of fun and most everyone speaks English.

Jim

My husband and i have gone to Germany the last 3 years on vacation. We absolutely love the country - especially the south.

Munich is definately worth a 2-3 day visit! The city is cool and you get a taste of all of the beer gardens etc.

My favorite part is the Alps south of Munich. We stayed in a couple of regions - Garmish P, Berkesgaden (i probably didn't spell it right) which is very near Salzberg were wonderful. You can visit Hitlers retreat - i think it is Eagles Nest - or something like that.

We also did "the romatic road" and visited Wurzberg, and all of Ludwig's castles.

I agree with the previous suggestion about Salzberg, it is a neat little town. Worth spending a couple of days there

We did Berlin - and was surprised we enjoyed it as much as we did. Cool city...and hotels are reasonable. You can stay at the Marriot - right next to where the wall was for a couple hundred euros a night. Very reasonable and great location...not too far from checkpoint charlie. We didn't like much of the rest of the old "eastern Germany" that we visited. Not as "prim" as the south!

Last year, we spent 4 days in the Bodensee (Lake Constance) area. Awsome as well. We drove the area, enjoyed the wines and loved to eat dinner each night by the lake!

Also, dont forget the Black Forrest - Swartzwald - if you like clocks - you can pick up an authentic cuckoo clock...check out the "house of a thousand clocks". pretty much a tourist trap, but they have it down. they shipped my clocks home for me - so we didn't have to worry about it.

We flew once into Frankfurt, but didn't stay. We were able to use our points to get in there, so we just used the city as a place to pick up the car.

If you plan to drive, the roads are great and easy to navigate! We have become experts in navigating European highways.

Have fun!

I am envious! We had to force ourselves to go somewhere else this year - so we are off to Paris again. We love it as well so i am excited!

P.S. All 3 of my trips to Germany have been in May. The weather is great! You should have a wonderful trip!:)

18 days is a good length for a stay in Germany. What I would do (born in Germany):

Take a train from FRA to Heidelberg (60 minutes) and stay there for the night. Continue to Stuttgart (60 minutes) and stay there for the night. Continue to Munich (120 minutes and stay there a couple of days exploring the city, taking a train to Salzburg (80 minutes) for a day. Visit Neuschwanstein by coach for a day. From Munich take a flight to Hamburg. Stay there for about two days. Visit a show and and the red light ditrict to tell your beloved ones what you have seen. From Hamburg take a train to Berlin (90 minutes). Stay there for three days. Take a train to Dresden (120 minutes), stay there for two days. Fly back to Frankfurt and take a Rhinetour with castles and drinking before you fly back to the US.

Trains are very reliable in Germany (and go in general every hour). For flights between MUC and HAM you can either choose www.lufthansa.com or www.flydba.com. If you book in advance and if you are flexible flights in coach should not be more that 59 Euros. From DRS to FRA is only LH and it could become a little bit more expensive. There are trainpasses you can buy abroad and trains are very affordable too.

He said Munich was a very modern and nice city, whereas Berlin was more run down and has an older feel.


When was your coworker in Berlin? I don't get that feeling from it now. It's had an incredible amount of new construction in the past 15 years.

For Munich: If it's modern architecture that you are especially interested in, you should make an effort to see (and tour) the spectacular Allianz Arena. The architects, Herzog and de Meuron, are also doing the Olympic Stadium in Beijing (they also did the new deYoung museum in San Francisco):


http://www.allianz-arena.de/en/arenatour/

Yngdiego - People might be able to give you the best information they can if you tell them what your interests are. What you like to do and see. We're going to Germany for about 2 weeks in May. We're staying in Berlin - Munich and Cologne. I happen to like cities. Other people may prefer castles in the countryside - hiking in the mountains - or driving fast on the autobahn (that's why Jay Leno goes to Germany!). With regard to Cologne - I picked it because of its reputation for art galleries. Also - it has 2 3 star Michelin restaurants (we're dining in both). Your mileage may vary. Robyn

Take the train to Bonn, or better, Cologne, and taks a Rhine steamer downriver to Koblenz--magnificent scenery. Try to walk thru one of the tiny towns along the Rhine. Buy a Michelin Green guide--it has a great description of the area.

Take the train to Bonn, or better, Cologne, and taks a Rhine steamer downriver to Koblenz--magnificent scenery. Try to walk thru one of the tiny towns along the Rhine. Buy a Michelin Green guide--it has a great description of the area.

The rhine cruise should be done the other way round (faster downstream than upstream), and not between Koblenz and Cologne, but between Bingen (easily accessible from Frankfurt through Mainz) and Koblenz, because that's where the best scenery is!

David

One of the things you shouldn't miss is Cologne. Nice City. Might be the most friendly people all over Germany ( definetly the most relaxed ones ). Wonderfull historic church. Nice beer.

If you go to Cologne you should do this at the beginning or the end of your trip. To or from Cologne to FRA airport use the train. It runs up to 300 km/h and does this 200 km trip within 55 mins. It is amaizing. The route is mainly parallel to the Autobahn and you can even pass Porsche and Ferrari by riding this train.

Might be you should do the trip like Flying laywer told you, but from Dresden take a flight to Cologne ( www.germanwings.com it is a low cost LH daughter ) and then go back via FRA.

One of the things you shouldn't miss is Cologne. Nice City. Might be the most friendly people all over Germany ( definetly the most relaxed ones ). Wonderfull historic church. Nice beer.

If you go to Cologne you should do this at the beginning or the end of your trip. To or from Cologne to FRA airport use the train. It runs up to 300 km/h and does this 200 km trip within 55 mins. It is amaizing. The route is mainly parallel to the Autobahn and you can even pass Porsche and Ferrari by riding this train.

Might be you should do the trip like Flying laywer told you, but from Dresden take a flight to Cologne ( www.germanwings.com it is a low cost LH daughter ) and then go back via FRA.

The OP has already made his travel arrangements - but for information purposes - we're flying into Berlin and out of Cologne on Continental (from Newark Airport). Robyn