I will be in Germany over the weekend before Rosenmontag. The last time I did this, I stayed in Mainz and experienced the best and worst of this holiday. This year, I would prefer to stay away from that extreme. Any suggestions of someplace to visit, not too far from FRA, where I can enjoy Germany (rather than Germany on Fasching steroids).

Please note that I am not intending this to be a criticism of Mainz or Fasching. It just isn't what I am looking for this time around.

I will be in Germany over the weekend before Rosenmontag. The last time I did this, I stayed in Mainz and experienced the best and worst of this holiday. This year, I would prefer to stay away from that extreme. Any suggestions of someplace to visit, not too far from FRA, where I can enjoy Germany (rather than Germany on Fasching steroids).

Please note that I am not intending this to be a criticism of Mainz or Fasching. It just isn't what I am looking for this time around.

Rental car or train? Also, how far away from FRA is your limit? How big (or small) of a town do you want to stay in?

I will be in Germany over the weekend before Rosenmontag. The last time I did this, I stayed in Mainz and experienced the best and worst of this holiday. This year, I would prefer to stay away from that extreme. Any suggestions of someplace to visit, not too far from FRA, where I can enjoy Germany (rather than Germany on Fasching steroids).

Please note that I am not intending this to be a criticism of Mainz or Fasching. It just isn't what I am looking for this time around.

Maybe this can help you to find a place on the map: Mainz, Cologne and Duesseldorf and all places in between located close to the Rhine and as far as to the French border are dangerous. Frankfurt and every place south or east of Frankfurt should be no problem. If you are looking to a bigger but not so big place close to Frankfurt, Würzburg could be a nice proposal. Marburg would do either.

Maybe this can help you to find a place on the map: Mainz, Cologne and Duesseldorf and all places in between located close to the Rhine and as far as to the French border are dangerous. Frankfurt and every place south or east of Frankfurt should be no problem. If you are looking to a bigger but not so big place close to Frankfurt, Würzburg could be a nice proposal. Marburg would do either.
Sir: Perhaps I did not understand the term "dangerous". Could you please say a few words about this term as you were intending it to the OP?

Thans very much

747LWW

You are very welcome: If you DON't want to get involved into the "Karneval" parades and parties avoid all areas between a line drawn on the map from Düsseldorf to Mainz and the French/Dutch/Belgium border. You are not in real danger getting traped in "Karneval" (with certain exception) anywhere east of this area, south of Frankfurt and 20 Miles north of Düsseldorf

Wuerzburg is no good choice either. On Tuesday of Fasching all shops will close down from 1 pm and restaurants have special functions. Bad for any tourist who wants to avoid this. This applies for all cities south of the Main.
Best bet is to take a cheap flight and hop to Berlin which is totally anti-Karneval (as it is Protestant and not celebrating the beginning of the fasting period).

Error - Error - Error:

Since an army of Bonn's civil servants were deported to Berlin, there is a parade in Berlin, too:

http://www.berlin.de/kultur-und-tickets/events/index.html

and it is described as one of the four major street parties in Berlin (together with CSD, New Years Eve and the Carnival of the Cultures....

Maybe this can help you to find a place on the map: Mainz, Cologne and Duesseldorf and all places in between located close to the Rhine and as far as to the French border are dangerous. Frankfurt and every place south or east of Frankfurt should be no problem. If you are looking to a bigger but not so big place close to Frankfurt, Würzburg could be a nice proposal. Marburg would do either.

Just the kind of information I was looking for. I was actually thinking about Marburg, but didn't know what to expect on the Fasching front. How about Ehrfurt? I remember reading something about it being an interesting place to go.

I believe that Erfurt in Thuringia is actually one of the few places with Karneval in the East of Germany:

http://www.karnevalthueringen.de

Erfurt belonged to the archbishop of Mainz from 755 to 1802 and this explains why these guys like Karneval.

This list (http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2005-02-07-n24.html) seems to show most bigger cities in Germany that celebrate Karneval/Fasching.

David

This list (http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2005-02-07-n24.html) seems to show most bigger cities in Germany that celebrate Karneval/Fasching.

David

Thanks, David. Unfortunately, I am not seeing many cities which aren't on the list! Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to take my chances and go with the flow. Germany is just a quick stopover and I was hoping to chill out rather than party hearty. But, when in Meenz. . . Maybe I'll just stay in Frankfurt for a change. In a bigger city, it might not be so all-encompassing.

The list is interesting because it suggests that the term Karneval is more commonly used in Mainz. My experience was quite different. While I heard Fastnacht most often, Fasching was second, and Karneval, a quite distant third.

[QUOTE=You want to go where?; While I heard Fastnacht most often, Fasching was second, and Karneval, a quite distant third.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, very interesting.

Karneval (and Fasching) is best taken either from 800km away or when you are locked in a full service perfect hotel for that time. :)

But even small Lübeck has a little karneval brrrr.

[think of that area as being brainwashed from childhood with the effect that they "party" with masses of alkohol during that time. You either know this or stay very very far away from it!]

... or in the South-West of Germany, where they celebrate a completely different, less silly and more traditional type of carnival, named Fastnacht/Fasnet, which is worth seeing. I cannot stand the Rheinisch type of carnival, but since I moved to Baden-Württemberg, I have become a passionate Fasnet lover.

[QUOTE=nixande;7208510]Karneval (and Fasching) is best taken either from 800km away or when you are locked in a full service perfect hotel for that time. :)

[\QUOTE]

I like this idea. I have been in Mainz during Fasching before. It was snowing and from a bit of a distance, the colors and costumes made a fantastic impression. People were in good spirits and many were having fun.

Unfortunately, some got too into the good "spirits" and that resulted in not so much fun.

I don't have much choice as to whether to be in Germany at that time, so I will see if I can make the best of it in the 'full service' hotel.

Wiesbaden is empty as everyone goes to Mainz