The only one I know is http://www.raileurope.com/us/


[This message has been edited by daysleeper (edited Feb 05, 2004).]

Seajac 03-

The German Rail website has English and you can book ticket on the website. Go to:
http://www.bahn.de/pv/view/int_guest...l_guests.shtml
On the left hand side under "Tickets" click English; and you can get train schedule and buy online.

Have a good trip!

I thought Trier and parts of the Mosel River were beautiful.

------------------
Visit FlyerTalk Dining http://flyertalk.com/diningfr.shtml
“I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.”

I have been to the website many time, unfortunately, the booking/reservations process is in the German language only

Since it looks like you will be there when it may be nice, you might look into Mike's Bike Tours to see Neuschwanstein. The description on the website makes it sound a little lame, but I can definitely recommend it. Even if you don't go along, try to hike up the back way (Pollat Gorge?) to the castle.
http://www.mikesbiketours.com/neusch...in_castle.html

I would also think skipping Heidelberg is okay, and say that there are some pretty interesting castles right on the Rhine that you would probably enjoy more. Not that Heidelberg isn't beautiful -- I think it's a pretty popular tour group destination.

Not sure about this. I've been pricing some tickets and when I go in where yk links, the booking box in the left hand corner has an option of english - click on that and it should hopefully bring up the booking agent in english.

Sorry here's a direct link to what I've been using:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en.

Hope it works.

(edit: add link)

[This message has been edited by chad75 (edited Feb 05, 2004).]

I know, I'm sorry, consider me suitable chastised http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif However I have learnt and will try to make amends!

In fact now that I have a rough idea of a possible itinerary and start to look at some of the areas in depth, I'm really thinking of adding more time to the whole trip.

No one has touched on your mention of architecture yet. Not knowing what style or era you're particularily interested in, I'll throw out two sites dealing with the Bauhaus school - the original Gropius building in Dessau (an easy train ride from either Leipzig or Berlin) and also the Bauhaus archive in the capital:

Dessau:

http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/

http://www.dessau.de/amt41/kulttour/engl/sehen/s01.html

Berlin:

http://www.bauhaus.de/

In Berlin, you'll want to see Lord Forser's Reichstag dome and Daniel Liebeskind's Jewish Museum (near Checkpoint Charlie).


A couple of other things:

If you go to Hamburg (highly recommended BTW) - the Beatles played and lived here beforfe they made it big - do a Google search on 'Hamburg Beatles sites' for lots of information.

If you are going from Hamburg to Berlin, you could route through Wolfsburg and check out Autostadt:

http://www.autostadt.de

(When you're done, the nonstop ICE train ride to Berlin Zoo is only 59 minutes).

(Opera haters ignore the rest of this message) http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

Consider attending an operatic performance on one of your evenings. Unlike the bloated, treacle-laden waxworks that makes up most opera performances in the U.S., opera in Germany is exciting, alive drama-first theatre with credible singing actors rather than massive motionless singing refrigerators http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/eek.gif

Examples:

'Turandot' in the U.S.
'Turandot' in Germany
Another 'Turandot' (from Graz, Austria, same idea)

'La Traviata' in the U.S.
'La Traviata' in Germany


Best of all, the ticket prices are downright cheap - very good seats at several of the major houses are in the €40-60 range.






[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited Feb 05, 2004).]

If you are interested in architecture also, check out this websites

Deutsches Architekturmuseum
http://dam.inm.de/

It is no real special museum about architecture in Germany but has special exhibitions about special themes.


The “Pinakothek der Moderne” in Munich has a special exhibition with architectural themes (e.g. the buildings of theatres)
http://www.pinakothek.de/index.php

Also I mentioned Stuttgart not in my post above, but the buildings of the Weißenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart are also of special interest for you, also I think is not a interested, as you should visit Stuttgart only because of the Weißenhofsieldung.

We spent a few days in Hamburg and Luebeck in December and had a great time. Took the train between cities - very easy. Don't take a lot of stuff because the train stations mostly have stairs to the tracks. In Luebeck, there is a Scandic Hotel which is a level 1 with Hilton (AMAZING!), near the old town. Costs about $100 but is a terrific award choice. The Euros will kill you but there are a lot of little restaurants, etc that are reasonable. Stayed in Hamburg through Priceline. Can't spell the hotel but was a 5* on the water - Jahrles...something or other. Means 4 Seasons in German. Really great. See www.biddingfortravel.com for the latest bids. Perfect location for walking the city.

4 Jahreszeiten. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

Definitely do Mike's Bike Tours in Munich. They're fun people, and provide a unique way to see the sights and interact with others. I went with them last fall, and had a great time (and I'm an old person). Mike Lasher of Long Island started the company in 1995.

If you take the train to Cologne, be sure NOT to book the ICE (Intercity Express), as this high-speed train takes a different route to Cologne. You want an IC (InterCity) that runs through Koblenz and Bonn, this routing will take you along the Rhine. Going from Frankfurt, you want your seat on the right hand side of the train, since the train will be running on the left-hand side of the river 99% of all times (1% is for maintenance and other problems).

From Cologne, be sure to reserve one day (or more, if you plan to stop overnight) for a river cruise on the Rhine. I suggest to go at least to Rüdesheim. If you want to do this in a day, a regional train will take you back to Cologne. You can save some time by taking the train to Rüdesheim in the morning and catching the ship to Cologne there, since the ship is faster down-river than up-river. As long as you don't miss the last ship, you can take as many breaks on route as you like. More information is available at www.k-d.com, there is a link for the english version of the site there.

I suggest to rent a car in Frankfurt for a few days and drive down the "Romantische Strasse". If you don't want to drive, at least take a train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and spent at least one day there. Rothenburg's center, enclosed by a completely preserved city-wall, is the most complete and authentic medieval town to be found on the planet. Sit down in a 1000 year old pub (it has been a pub for 1000 years!) and have a beer.

Remember: flying within Germany makes sense if you go more than about 300 miles. So I would suggest a plane if you go from Cologne to Berlin or from Berlin to Munich, for example. South-West like prices can be found at www.hlx.com or www.flydba.de - both airlines have English versions of their web sites. Often, flying is cheaper than taking the train! If you fly LH, be prepared to pay through your nose and be treated rudely.

try Dachau or one of the other former concentration camps...very moving experience

If you have specific questions about the Niederrhein, e-mail me. All flat and fields, a few nice lakes and bad golf courses to be honest. Some cities were founded by the romans.