Tips for a short break in Germany

[BigonaBianchi]

I'd like to visit those pretty little multi-coloured towns you associate with old Germany, visit bierkellars (?) and just relax taking in the sights and scenery.

Then you will like meersburg on the bodensee



http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=me...Q&biw=1024&bih=601&sei=0wv9ToaDNYu38QPpyMDFDA

 

[BigonaBianchi]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=bRr9Tq-0Ncjl8QORotylCg

this is a lovely little town I went to...it's small though...just a day trip will do it...not so easy to get to though as my suggestion above.

 

[brokenflipflop]

Yes. Don't visit an Audi dealership....it sends some people on here into some kind of anaphylactic shock.

 

[ASC1951]

Yes. Don't visit an Audi dealership....it sends some people on here into some kind of anaphylactic shock.

Not shock, just incredulity. And not all Audis, either, just the hairdresser's TT and the Bully Boxes.

 

[ASC1951]

What to eat?

I've always tried to eat whatever the locals eat, especially if I don't recognise it, and whether I think I will like it or not. When you are eating out, go for at least one thing new every meal.

Germans tend to be big on cakes and pastries. I don't have a sweet tooth, so I only have those mid-cycle.

 

[mcr]

Where to start?

Big cities for culture, night life etc: Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart

Great architecture: Cologne cathedral, Roman sites in Trier, regeneration of Berlin, rebuilt Dresden, Heidelberg castle, Neuschwanstein castle

Scenery: Bavarian Alps, Rhine Gorge, Moselle Valley, Harz mountains, Black Forest, Bodensee, Elbe Gorge, Baltic coast, Neckar valley - these are the big ones, but plenty of scenic river valleys and forests away from the crowds (eg Ahr, Lahn, Weser, Main, Altmuhl)

Pretty towns: Rothenburg an der Tauber (bit of a tourist magnet), Dinkelsbuhl, Nordhausen, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Regensburg, Passau, Lindau, Tubingen, Mainz, towns/villages along Rhine gorge and Moselle valley, anywhere off the beaten track

Food: hope you're a meat eater! Schnitzels are always a good bet.

Beer: goes without saying...

Travelling around: trains are a dream, and not too costly if you take advantage of the various regional passes available (see www.db.de)

Probably plenty I've missed out, but that's a start!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Dont worry about the food you will be fine...its nearly all good.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I will save this thread, what great advice. Thank you all. Off to work in a bit but a trip to buy a decent map of germany is now a must.

Bill

 

[MontyVeda]

has anybody suggested "don't mention the war"?

 

[BigonaBianchi]

The Germans have 'forgiven us' for the war..but I doubt they will ever get over Baked beans

 

[Paulus]

Cologne, (Koln). Easy to get to by Eurostar to Brussels, and then a connecting train (Thalis). I had a great time there with some friends. Plenty to do, easy bike hire, great food, good beer, kolsch, I am not a lager drinker, but this stuff is good.

 

[yoyo]

Germany is a cyclist's paradise. I also recommend the Rhine Radweg, Heidelberg, Munich. Passau on the Danube and Inn Radwegs is simply beautiful, colourful and architecturally stunning. I have cycled from Passau to Vienna on the Danube and would love to do it again. I know this is Austria and not Germany - similar except less English is spoken in Austria. As the other posters have said, there is little difficulty with language - my German is very basic - and the food is good. Kaffee und Kuchen is a must in either Germany or Austria. Can't wait to go back for more!!

 

[Andy in Sig]

Thanks snorri, yes you are right, for my first visit it's more about getting to know the country than cycling around it. I'd like to visit those pretty little multi-coloured towns you associate with old Germany, visit bierkellars (?) and just relax taking in the sights and scenery. I can then plan a proper holiday with my bike for a future date.
Again, many thanks,

Bill

In which case fly to Munich and take the train (or cycle) to Füssen where one of the world's most picturesque castles is. It's also the start of a bike route called die romantische Strasse which goes through a string of medaeval towns. It finishes on the River Main at Würzburg or Wertheim (your choice at the end of the route). Then follow the Main route down to the Rhine at Mainz and then along the Rhine back to Hook of Holland and the ferry home. If you haven't got enough time for all of that, then fly to Basel or Friedrichshafen and go back along the Rhine.

 

[ASC1951]

Germany is a cyclist's paradise.!

From my limited experience of cycling there (Bavaria, the Black Forest, the Rhine valley) it does have everything you would want: mile after mile of cycle track, lots of eateries, properly maintained road surfaces, generally considerate drivers, main roads to take all the commercial traffic etc.

But there is something unnerving about the place. All the shops keep the same hours. All the houses are painted. Everyone mows their lawns. No-one keeps rotting caravans, or even rotting tractors. There is no wilderness. Everything is looked after. Everything works. After a while I find myself nostalgic for some British dereliction or a French 'Bugger it, it was good enough for grandad'.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

But there is something unnerving about the place. All the shops keep the same hours. All the houses are painted. Everyone mows their lawns. No-one keeps rotting caravans, or even rotting tractors. There is no wilderness. Everything is looked after. Everything works. After a while I find myself nostalgic for some British dereliction or a French 'Bugger it, it was good enough for grandad'.

..yep...very true. They are a nation of rule makers not rule breakers...until it comes to invading poland...oops did I say that