Germany To Do's
Jul 4, 2005 | 1:02 pm
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Originally Posted by miknamy
Recently moved to Germany near Frankfurt and looking for lots of things to do. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Must be kid friendly. Thanks!!!! 
EUROPA PARK
it's a 2,5 hour drive from FRA, but it's worth the money.
Forbes, the internationally renowned business magazine, has elected the ten most fun theme parks worldwide. In this comparison, six European theme parks are among the top ten.
Europa-Park, with 3,7 million visitors last year the largest seasonal leisure park worldwide, is the only German leisure park on Forbes top ten list. In addition, it is also the only owner-managed family business. Among the criteria of the top ten list were the uniqueness of attractions and the history of the parks. Also the editorial office of Readers Digest, the monthly issued lifestyle magazine, has presented the high-speed roller coaster Silver Star in its regular feature The best in Europe.
Europa-Park, with 3,7 million visitors last year the largest seasonal leisure park worldwide, is the only German leisure park on Forbes top ten list. In addition, it is also the only owner-managed family business. Among the criteria of the top ten list were the uniqueness of attractions and the history of the parks. Also the editorial office of Readers Digest, the monthly issued lifestyle magazine, has presented the high-speed roller coaster Silver Star in its regular feature The best in Europe.
Jul 4, 2005 | 11:51 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Originally Posted by miknamy
Recently moved to Germany near Frankfurt and looking for lots of things to do. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Must be kid friendly. Thanks!!!!
Jul 5, 2005 | 11:57 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Karlsruhe / Germany
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Posts: 327
Of course there is a lot to see and to do outside Berlin!!!
Where "near Frankfurt" are you living now?
There is, of course, the Rhine valley with all its castles.
There are a number of big firework events at different places in the Rhine valley in August/September - look for "Rhein in Flammen" on the internet.
Hessenpark near Neu-Anspach in the Taunus - an open-air museum with old houses from all over Hessen.
The zoo at Frankfurt.
Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau - Romanesque monastery, almost completely preserved. The movie "The Name of the Rose" was made there.
Hessisches Puppenmuseum (museum of dolls) at Hanau-Wilhelmsbad
Do you and your kids like canoeing? The river Lahn provides excellent possibilities for a week-end tour - a quiet river without bigger ships, lovely landscape, many pretty little towns on the way, and there's even a water tunnel to paddle through (at Weilburg).
Do you and your kid(s) speak/understand German? That would give you a lot more options.
If you all do, check out what's on at the various museums in Frankfurt. Museumspdagogik, i. e. special programmes and guided tours for kids, are absolutely en vogue here. Most museums have employees who are specialists in these programmes, and they're doing a great job.
That's all I can think of for now. As soon as I submit this post, I'll probably remember more...
Where "near Frankfurt" are you living now?
There is, of course, the Rhine valley with all its castles.
There are a number of big firework events at different places in the Rhine valley in August/September - look for "Rhein in Flammen" on the internet.
Hessenpark near Neu-Anspach in the Taunus - an open-air museum with old houses from all over Hessen.
The zoo at Frankfurt.
Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau - Romanesque monastery, almost completely preserved. The movie "The Name of the Rose" was made there.
Hessisches Puppenmuseum (museum of dolls) at Hanau-Wilhelmsbad
Do you and your kids like canoeing? The river Lahn provides excellent possibilities for a week-end tour - a quiet river without bigger ships, lovely landscape, many pretty little towns on the way, and there's even a water tunnel to paddle through (at Weilburg).
Do you and your kid(s) speak/understand German? That would give you a lot more options.
If you all do, check out what's on at the various museums in Frankfurt. Museumspdagogik, i. e. special programmes and guided tours for kids, are absolutely en vogue here. Most museums have employees who are specialists in these programmes, and they're doing a great job.
That's all I can think of for now. As soon as I submit this post, I'll probably remember more...
Jul 5, 2005 | 1:04 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Butzbach Germany
Posts: 3
Thanks for all the idea's!!!
We live in Butzbach but love traveling around so it doesn't make a difference how close or how far as long as it is fun. My husband speaks great german, I try (I depend on him quite a bit) but will go and try myself also. Hessenpark is on the agenda since it is so close. We travel up to Wurzburg a lot, we used to live there so we know all the in's and outs. I'm really looking also for a GREAT german restuarantany where around here. We love the Lutz all the way in Geibelstadt (by Wurzburg) and get up there whenever we can to eat. If you have any idea's let me know!
Thanks SO MUCH!!!!
Thanks SO MUCH!!!!
Jul 5, 2005 | 1:11 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 2005
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My 9yo kid's been clamoring to go to Legoland Deutschland, about halfway between Munich & Stuttgart. Not too terribly far from Frankfurt-am-Main.
http://www.lego.com/legoland/deutsch...sp?locale=2057
http://www.lego.com/legoland/deutsch...sp?locale=2057
Jul 6, 2005 | 3:05 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Karlsruhe / Germany
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Butzbach - in the heart of the Wetterau...
Some little ideas close by - perhaps even for a bicycle tour:
- The castle at Mnzenberg
- the monastery ruins at Arnsburg
- and it's the perfect season for the Rose Museum at Steinfurth.
Have you been to Marburg yet? Walk around, explore the historical centre, climb up to the castle. You'll love it.
Best restaurant in town: "Sonne" in the market square. (Hope it's still as good as it used to be!)
The ruins of Burg Greifenstein, above the Dill valley, North of Wetzlar.
Limburg with its cathedral.
Weilburg, by the way, offers more than the tunnel. It's a small baroque residence, designed shortly after 1700, with palace, garden, town - and an imposing church (which is "my darling" because I did a lot of historical research about it. It was me who wrote the little guide-book they're selling. Unfortunately it's in German only.)
Some little ideas close by - perhaps even for a bicycle tour:
- The castle at Mnzenberg
- the monastery ruins at Arnsburg
- and it's the perfect season for the Rose Museum at Steinfurth.
Have you been to Marburg yet? Walk around, explore the historical centre, climb up to the castle. You'll love it.
Best restaurant in town: "Sonne" in the market square. (Hope it's still as good as it used to be!)
The ruins of Burg Greifenstein, above the Dill valley, North of Wetzlar.
Limburg with its cathedral.
Weilburg, by the way, offers more than the tunnel. It's a small baroque residence, designed shortly after 1700, with palace, garden, town - and an imposing church (which is "my darling" because I did a lot of historical research about it. It was me who wrote the little guide-book they're selling. Unfortunately it's in German only.)
Jul 6, 2005 | 5:08 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Butzbach Germany
Posts: 3
Thankyou !!!
We've driven past the Munzenburg Castle a number of times and almost went up this weekend until my kids past the German/American Fest and spent the whole weekend there. The castle is on the agenda definitly this weekend.
We have only been only a couple months so haven't explored too much with waiting on our household to arrive, kids in school, waiting for Telecom to deliver our modem for the internet and just gettting familiar with our surroundings but you have such GREAT idea's. I really appreciate your genourousity on letting me in on some of your sercrets Kathrin. Weilburg REALLY sounds interesting!! THANKS AGAIN!!!
We have only been only a couple months so haven't explored too much with waiting on our household to arrive, kids in school, waiting for Telecom to deliver our modem for the internet
and just gettting familiar with our surroundings but you have such GREAT idea's. I really appreciate your genourousity on letting me in on some of your sercrets Kathrin. Weilburg REALLY sounds interesting!! THANKS AGAIN!!!
Jul 6, 2005 | 8:38 am
#9
Moderator: InterContinental Hotels and Germany
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,204
What about a visit at the Technikmuseum in Sinsheim / Speyer?
The museum has the Tupolev and the Concorde and especially for kids it ist very interesting, although depending of the interests of the kids. A link can be found here.
Cologne is worth a visit too. Beside the cathedral (a nice view from the towers) there are several museums, which are worth a visit. The "Rmisch-Germanisches Museum" show the Roman history of this part of Germany; there are often school clases, so they are used to kids. Worth a visit is the Schokoladenmuseum. It is an hour by train from Frankfurt.
Hope, this helps a little bit...
The museum has the Tupolev and the Concorde and especially for kids it ist very interesting, although depending of the interests of the kids. A link can be found here.
Cologne is worth a visit too. Beside the cathedral (a nice view from the towers) there are several museums, which are worth a visit. The "Rmisch-Germanisches Museum" show the Roman history of this part of Germany; there are often school clases, so they are used to kids. Worth a visit is the Schokoladenmuseum. It is an hour by train from Frankfurt.
Hope, this helps a little bit...
Jul 6, 2005 | 10:55 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Karlsruhe / Germany
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Posts: 327
Hi Butzbach,
I'm glad you like my "secrets"... I was living at Marburg for 12 years, that's why I know a little about the area.
By the way, next week-end at Marburg there is the festival "3 Tage Marburg". Should be worth a visit. More info: http://www.marburg.de (Parking can be a problem there - go by train.)
Some more ideas (I understand you are staying for a longer time...)
Two small historical towns: Gelnhausen and Bdingen.
Bad Hersfeld: Every summer there is a festival of music and theatre. Open-air in the ruins of an old church. Unfortunately I never managed to go there, but it must be great.
Weilburg has a festival of music during the summer, too.
Close to the Hessenpark there is Saalburg - an ancient Roman military camp. A reconstruction, of course, but interesting to see.
The Technikmuseum at Sinsheim seems to be interesting indeed - it's on my to-do-list, as it's not far from Karlsruhe. From Butzbach it might be a 2-hour drive (depends how crowded the highways are). It was a big affair last year when they brought the Concorde there.
And if you and the kids like that technical stuff, spending a couple of hours at Frankfurt Airport to watch planes and to watch people can be entertaining.
Are the kids into dinosaurs? Museum Senckenberg at Frankfurt.
In general, watch out for events named "Tag der offenen Tr" (Day of the open door). Many factories, railway stations, airports, museums, institutions, police, fire-brigade, hospitals, laboratories, etc. etc. etc. do that once a year. One day, usually for free, they invite people in, show them everything and explain their work. Can be very interesting.
I'm glad you like my "secrets"... I was living at Marburg for 12 years, that's why I know a little about the area.
By the way, next week-end at Marburg there is the festival "3 Tage Marburg". Should be worth a visit. More info: http://www.marburg.de (Parking can be a problem there - go by train.)
Some more ideas (I understand you are staying for a longer time...)
Two small historical towns: Gelnhausen and Bdingen.
Bad Hersfeld: Every summer there is a festival of music and theatre. Open-air in the ruins of an old church. Unfortunately I never managed to go there, but it must be great.
Weilburg has a festival of music during the summer, too.
Close to the Hessenpark there is Saalburg - an ancient Roman military camp. A reconstruction, of course, but interesting to see.
The Technikmuseum at Sinsheim seems to be interesting indeed - it's on my to-do-list, as it's not far from Karlsruhe. From Butzbach it might be a 2-hour drive (depends how crowded the highways are). It was a big affair last year when they brought the Concorde there.
And if you and the kids like that technical stuff, spending a couple of hours at Frankfurt Airport to watch planes and to watch people can be entertaining.
Are the kids into dinosaurs? Museum Senckenberg at Frankfurt.
In general, watch out for events named "Tag der offenen Tr" (Day of the open door). Many factories, railway stations, airports, museums, institutions, police, fire-brigade, hospitals, laboratories, etc. etc. etc. do that once a year. One day, usually for free, they invite people in, show them everything and explain their work. Can be very interesting.
Jul 6, 2005 | 11:18 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 7,566
Talking about technical museums (as Kathrin was) - you may want to take your kids to Munich for the week-end for a visit to a musem called Deutsches Museum. My parents took me there when I was ten or eleven and I loved it (lots of hands-on stuff!). I went back once as an adult and still loved it. You need a whole day to get round - at least.
Jul 7, 2005 | 9:37 am
#12
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Naples, Florida
Posts: 7,419
How about the 'Ebbelwei-Express'
http://www.stoeffche.de/express/
Welcome aboard Frankfurt's Ebbelwei-Expre, the old-fashioned tram with everything to offer: original look combined with comfortable interior. Is there a better way to get things rolling along nicely? In a cheerful and vibrant atmosphere, enjoy the leisurely pace of the olden days, the sights of Frankfurt - and genuine Frankfurt cider or apple juice produced by the family enterprise Possmann