Your favourite German towns and cities?

[oblio]

Hi folks

The thread sums it up.

As part of the planning for this summer's drive we are looking to spend some time in Germany and are on the lookout for some recommendations for about a weeks worth of visits.

Criteria would be...

- 'Nice' places to stay for a couple in their mid 40's - no need for raves and niteclubs!!
- Hotels walkable to bars,restaurants (Hotels also need safe parking)
- Sights of interest etc plus short drives out if we stay more than one night

So far I have looked at Koblenz, Koln and Munich but any other suggestions would be well received.

Has anone driven the 'Romantic Route'? If so I would be especially interested to know if this is worth it?

TIA

[Ultraviolet]

Baden-Baden and Trier are both lovely...

Uv

[Silver993tt]

Freiburg, Nuernberg, Heidlberg for starters.

[Hugo a Gogo]

Koblenz is quite nice, handy for boat trips up and down the nicest bits of the Rhein or the Mosel, all the wine areas etc, not a huge town though

Berlin is good too, in a completely different way

[nsa]

You could try the Nurburgring area...Koln (Cologne), Koblenz, Ahrweiler. There are some nice places to stay around the Ring.

A visit to Brussels/Bruge/Utrecht also nice on the way.

[PaulHogan]

Harz Mountains. Simply stunning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harz

[eps]

Leipzig and Dresden could be interesting, of course there's always Berlin.

I think we did a route of Bruges, Frankfurt (not suggesting you go there tho!) and through the south to Stuttgart, Munich and then
up through Czech Republic to Prague and on to Leipzig and then back towards Amsterdam or possibly Amsterdam was first.. It was quite a few
years ago now.

[Silver993tt]

eps said:

Leipzig and Dresden could be interesting, of course there's always Berlin.

I think we did a route of Bruges, Frankfurt (not suggesting you go there tho!) and through the south to Stuttgart, Munich and then
up through Czech Republic to Prague and on to Leipzig and then back towards Amsterdam or possibly Amsterdam was first.. It was quite a few
years ago now.

Nothing wrong with Frankfurt. The surrounding environs are lovely, especially to the south ofthe city, a big wine area incorporating lovely towns such as Bensheim. Frankfurt itself is very pleasant, nice old town plus Sachsenhausen and set on a nice stretch of the river Main.

[Lord Pikey]

Cannot rate Munich high enough, especially in Summer.

but i am biased.

If you have any specific questions id be happy to awnswer them

[luckyal]

+1 for Baden-Baden.

Beautiful town, fantastic restaurants & bars & all very relaxed. Top end shopping if that's your thing too. Racetrack nearby & Casino in middle of town.

[Zod]

Forget Frankfurt. There is not really anythign wrong with it, but the old town is one square, completely rebuilt after the war (the Roemerberg). Sachsenhausen is mostly low-rent bars.

It just doesn't have anything about it that makes it worth visiting over Wuerzburg, Bamberg (really lovely), Trier, Heidelberg, Leipzig and a long list of others.

Google " Schönste Städte Deutschlands" and you won't find the Germans talking up Frankfurt.

[Hugo a Gogo]

from that link, I went here : http://www.germanplaces.com/de/deutschland/staedte... and the first city that popped up in front of me was Frankfurt

[davepoth]

I like Munich, but that's mainly due to the little towns to the south.

[Silver993tt]

Hugo a Gogo said:

from that link, I went here : http://www.germanplaces.com/de/deutschland/staedte... and the first city that popped up in front of me was Frankfurt

Frankfurt suffers from lots of Brits visiting Mon-Fri for business/work. Some of my old colleagues used to do this. They arrive on Monday mid-late morning (never, ever travel on Sunday evening) and then leave on Friday afternoon. Whilst theyare there, they spend the day in the office and then return to their hotel (some boring chain Hotel of course), eat in the boring hotel restaurant and then if push comes to shove, find the nearest Irish pub. They never ever spent a weekend there , even after working there for nearly 12 months. They then blurt out that Frankfurt is boring

However, you're right that link provides a nice overview of the city butthere's quite alot more to see. Best to get the Rough Guide to Germany, very good publication.

[noddynitro]

Adenau, Nurburgring country with some fantastic walking in the hills/forests around the Ring, nice bars etc

[Zod]

I lived there for years. I stand by my views. Most Germans I know agree with me. We struggle to get people to move to Frankfurt from our other German offices. By contrast, we've opened in Duesseldorf and Hamburg in the last couple of years and had no trouble getting people to move.

[oblio]

Thanks for all your replies folks

I have scoped out the following itinerary which takes in some of your recommendations and also the Romantic Road which looks v nice. It also takes in some other things we want to do

Tunnel Crossing

Night 1 - Bruges

Night 2 - Koblenz
Night 3 - Koblenz

Night 4 - Wurzburg

Night 5 - Fussen
Night 6 - Fussen

Night 7 - Baden-Baden

Night 8 - Luxembourg

Night 9 - little place we know not too far from Bethune (N France)

Back to Blighty

Happy to get any feedback on the places mentioned (hotel recommendations etc). Sorry we can't get to all your suggestions (...this time )

Cheers again

[TimmyWimmyWoo]

Don't miss out on Munich – it's easily one of my favourite places in the world in Summer. The local ladies seem to grow 6ft legs and show them off. I guess you can swing by if you're going to Fussen! Baden Baden is also excellent – I camped some miles away on my motorbike this year but dropped in to walk around the town and visit the thermal spas. 'Twas hideously relaxing!

[PaulHogan]

Last summer we struggled to find a decent hotel in Brugges that would take a one night booking on a Friday or Saturday. So we went to Ghent instead. I rate it higher than Brugges. We stayed here: http://www.hotel-harmony.be/eng/page/hotel and put our car in the underground garage.

[plenty]

+1 for Ghent. Lovely town centre and riverside walks.

We drove the Romantischestrasse this past summer (as well as the western end of the Castle Road). It's worth doing - the southern end is better IMO and Fussen is gorgeous.

Instead of a second night in Fussen you could consider breaking up your journey to Baden-Baden and staying in one of the Black Forest villages. Quintessential German countryside and some incredible driving roads - the B500 for example.

Instead of staying in Luxembourg, consider staying in Trier, just a few miles across the border. Much better value for money, and Trier is a bit of a hidden gem with the Porta Nigra, a beautiful Roman gate, and a picturesque location on the river Mosel. We stayed at the Mercure Porta Nigra hotel which is right across the road from the Porta Nigra and just a few steps away from the town centre.