Christian Seitz

    > What about the sights on the RR. Should I base myself in Fussen for 3
    > days or base myself in Munich & do day trips. Or a smaller town like
    > Dinklesbuhl, ?

My suggestion would be Frankfurt -> Wurzburg -> Rothenburg -> Fussen

Wurzburg is the start of the RR and pretty close(about 130 km) to
Frankfurt. Wurzburg is a small city in the main valley. Lots of churches,
the archbishops residence and a large castle. The archbishops summer
residence in Veiltshoechheim is also a good place to visit. Rothenburg
is a must - but there are alot of tourists there. There is an open air
museum in Bad Windsheim(30km from Rothenburg). They have rebuilt several
medival- early industrial age villages there. Might be a good place to
visit of you want to know how people lived in the middle age - early
industrial age.

Christian Seitz

Ulf Kutzner

BB schrieb:
    >
    > On Thu, 12 May 2005 18:45:11 +0000 (UTC), Juliana L Holm wrote:
    >
    > > Day 1: Frankfurt to Bacharach, explore town of bacharach.
    > > Day 2, 3, explore Rhine Valley.
    > > Day 4. Drive Bacharach to Rothenburg
    > > Day 5. Explore Rothenburg.
    > > Day 6. Leisurely drive down Romantischestrasse
    > > Day 7. See Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.
    > > Day 8,9 Drive to Munich and spend two days there.
    > > Day 10. Get back to Amsterdam.
    >
    > Nice itinerary!

I would consider Bacharach/Rhine Valley between Munich and Amsterdam.

Regards, ULF

Ulf Kutzner

Luigi Donatello Asero schrieb:

    > The train connection might be much better now but they were not so good from
    > April 1995 ( and probably before) until august 1998 between Germersheim am
    > Rhein and the nearest big towns ( for example Karslruhe, Mannheim and
    > Heidelberg)

Germersheim has now better train connections.

However, the most scenic part of the Rhine valley is situated between
Bingen and Bonn.

Regards, ULF

George

Luca Logi wrote:
Probably the boy would appreciate the water jokes at Hellbrunn castle
(be ready to get out completely wet, so leave the 6-months old out).
Probably he would like also the salt mines, but they are definitely too
cold for the poor little baby.

As to the bishop's palace al Hellbrunn, you don't neccesarily get wet,
I didn't, but I knew what to expect. On a warm day it could be fun. I
think that just asking the guide to warn about wet places, having the
baby get wet could be avoided. There is also a zoo next door. I don't
believe the salt mines are particularly cold, maybe 10-20C at worst
which on a hot day would be pleasant. The ice caves at Werfen would
definitely be cold, about freezing temperatures and require warm
clothes and gloves to keep from freezing one's hands grabbing the
handrail on all the steps. Carying laterns and using strips of
magnesium to light attractions makes for a different experience. One
parent could visit with the older child while the baby and the other
waited outside in the sun. I'm sure that they would remember the
experience the rest of their life. The hike, gondola ride, and views
are pleasant enough without having to go into the cave..

George

Christian Seitz

    >It was cool to see the castles &
    > vineyards, but I'm glad I didn't spend days there.

You can get the same in the area around Wurzburg - which is also
the start of the Romantic Road.

Christian Seitz

Juliana L Holm

Ulf Kutzner <[email protected]> wrote:
    > BB schrieb:
    >>
    >> On Thu, 12 May 2005 18:45:11 +0000 (UTC), Juliana L Holm wrote:
    >>
    >> > Day 1: Frankfurt to Bacharach, explore town of bacharach.
    >> > Day 2, 3, explore Rhine Valley.
    >> > Day 4. Drive Bacharach to Rothenburg
    >> > Day 5. Explore Rothenburg.
    >> > Day 6. Leisurely drive down Romantischestrasse
    >> > Day 7. See Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.
    >> > Day 8,9 Drive to Munich and spend two days there.
    >> > Day 10. Get back to Amsterdam.
    >>
    >> Nice itinerary!

    > I would consider Bacharach/Rhine Valley between Munich and Amsterdam.

Yes, actually I (the person who proposed the strawman itinerary) that if
they were driving to Amsterdam, they consider doing the itinerary backwards,
but the OP wanted to start at the Rhine.
    > Regards, ULF

--
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**********
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Juliana L Holm

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>The Glockenspiel is fascinating to kids, and the ZAM (Center for Unusual
    >>Museums) has a couple of toy museums that would be of interest.

    > However, this poster said he had zero interest in museums and didn't
    > plan on visiting any.

I will point out the ZAM is very unlike traditional museums.

--
Julie
**********
Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

Juliana L Holm

Juliana L Holm <[email protected]> wrote:
    > B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>The Glockenspiel is fascinating to kids, and the ZAM (Center for Unusual
    >>>Museums) has a couple of toy museums that would be of interest.

    >> However, this poster said he had zero interest in museums and didn't
    >> plan on visiting any.

    > I will point out the ZAM is very unlike traditional museums.

And THAT said, a later posting, about the castle with the water jokes, makes
me think Salzburg might be better for this family. (They appear to be into
castles, and the water jokes would be fun for kids).

There's also the salt mines, I believe, which might be interesting.

Note that I have never been to Salzburg (yet) so I cannot speak from
any experience in this matter.

Julie
--
Julie
**********
Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

nghampton

If you don't like big cities skip Munich. Salzburg is smaller and
quainter. Vienna is much too far away.

And I agree you should switch the direction of your trip, traveling
south first and circling up to the north in the direction of Amsterdam
to the Rhine

Jens Arne Maennig

nitram wrote:

    > Are you posting from Strausburg, Jens?

Straus(http://tinyurl.com/ac3uh)bug(http://tinyurl.com/8cfen), please!

Jens

Tom Peel

BB wrote:
    > On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:06:15 -0400, Claim Guy wrote:
    >
    >
    >>I would use the time saved from the Rhine and do Munich and Salzburg. But
    >>then again, if you don't want to see museums, Munich is not the most scenic
    >>old European place.
    >
    >
    > He's got a point. The Rhine is a big draw for wine-lovers, but it is a lot
    > of barges and trains, with just a few towns that are quaint (but certainly
    > no more than what you'll see later). It was cool to see the castles &
    > vineyards, but I'm glad I didn't spend days there.
    >

That is correct. The trains run all night (mostly freight trains) so if
you get a hotel in one of the villages on the Rhine, you'd better be
used to the sound of freight trains driving right past your window,
otherwise it will be a new experience to add to your jetlag.
Instead of staying on the Rhine, try one of the sidearms. The Lahn
valley is incredibly beautiful- visit Nassau, the original one - for
example. The river Lahn flows into the Rhine near Koblenz.

BTW I doubt if any of the big cities will be much fun for the kids.
Probably better to find a little hotel next to a farmyard somewhere and
let them chase the goats and the chickens round all day.

T.

BrianW

I just got back from a somewhat similar trip two weeks ago, traveling
with my wife, our 5-month-old son, and my two parents (their first time
in Europe).

We had 15 days and flew in and out of Frankfurt. 4 days spent in SW
Germany (near Freiburg), where we spent time touring around Alasace,
France, and a bit of the Black Forest. 1 day to drive to the
Garmisch-Partenkirchen area (near Fuessen). 4 nights there, inlcluding
day trips to Munich via train, Innsbruck and then into Italy by car via
the Brenner Pass, and one day around G-P. Then to Salzburg for two
nights. From Salzburg we did the marathon drive to the Netherlands,
where we visited friends for four days. The drive from Salzburg to
Zeewolde (about 45 minutes from Amsterdam), Holland, took about 12
hours. It was a very long day, and one I won't repeat again.

The so-called "Romantic Rhine" really doesn't do too much for me.
Bacharach is a nice little town, and the immediate area along the Rhine
is nice, but I wouldn't spend more than a half day exploring the
region. I think the Mosel is much more interesting, and much prettier.
The Rhine is seriously spoiled, IMO, by the ugly train line(s) that run
along it.

Juliana L Holm

I'll point out that the place I recommended, the hostel at Burg Stahlek in
Bacharach, is on a hill above the main town, and gets no train noise. It's
also in the middle of the Rhine Gorge, which is very picturesque, with quite
a number of castles you can tour within easy day trip area.

Not at all just trains and barges.

Julie

Tom Peel <[email protected]> wrote:
    > BB wrote:
    >> On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:06:15 -0400, Claim Guy wrote:
    >>
    >>
    >>>I would use the time saved from the Rhine and do Munich and Salzburg. But
    >>>then again, if you don't want to see museums, Munich is not the most scenic
    >>>old European place.
    >>
    >>
    >> He's got a point. The Rhine is a big draw for wine-lovers, but it is a lot
    >> of barges and trains, with just a few towns that are quaint (but certainly
    >> no more than what you'll see later). It was cool to see the castles &
    >> vineyards, but I'm glad I didn't spend days there.
    >>

    > That is correct. The trains run all night (mostly freight trains) so if
    > you get a hotel in one of the villages on the Rhine, you'd better be
    > used to the sound of freight trains driving right past your window,
    > otherwise it will be a new experience to add to your jetlag.
    > Instead of staying on the Rhine, try one of the sidearms. The Lahn
    > valley is incredibly beautiful- visit Nassau, the original one - for
    > example. The river Lahn flows into the Rhine near Koblenz.

    > BTW I doubt if any of the big cities will be much fun for the kids.
    > Probably better to find a little hotel next to a farmyard somewhere and
    > let them chase the goats and the chickens round all day.

    > T.



--
Julie
**********
Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

Nitram

On Fri, 13 May 2005 17:12:17 +0200, Tom Peel
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >BB wrote:
    >> On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:06:15 -0400, Claim Guy wrote:
    >>
    >>
    >>>I would use the time saved from the Rhine and do Munich and Salzburg. But
    >>>then again, if you don't want to see museums, Munich is not the most scenic
    >>>old European place.
    >>
    >>
    >> He's got a point. The Rhine is a big draw for wine-lovers, but it is a lot
    >> of barges and trains, with just a few towns that are quaint (but certainly
    >> no more than what you'll see later). It was cool to see the castles &
    >> vineyards, but I'm glad I didn't spend days there.
    >>
    >That is correct. The trains run all night (mostly freight trains) so if
    >you get a hotel in one of the villages on the Rhine, you'd better be
    >used to the sound of freight trains driving right past your window,
    >otherwise it will be a new experience to add to your jetlag.

Spay (Rheinland Pfalz), about 15 km due south of Koblenz is on a bend
in the river. If you stay in one on the hotels on the bank of the
Rhine there, you are away from the noise of trains. Only the noise of
the barges pushing their way upstream rattles the hotel windows.

Hotels inland from the centre of Rhens 10 km south of Koblenz
are also quiet. The most attractive old hotel in Rhens seems to have
the mainline running down the hotel corridor.

    > Instead of staying on the Rhine, try one of the sidearms. The Lahn
    >valley is incredibly beautiful- visit Nassau, the original one - for
    >example. The river Lahn flows into the Rhine near Koblenz.

Yes, we've done that too!

    >BTW I doubt if any of the big cities will be much fun for the kids.

If it's warm there are lots of open air swimming pools dotted around
Koblenz.

We used to take our kids on long walks through the forest above the
Rhine.

    >Probably better to find a little hotel next to a farmyard somewhere and
    >let them chase the goats and the chickens round all day.
    >T.

Nitram

On Fri, 13 May 2005 17:06:55 +0200, Jens Arne Maennig
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >nitram wrote:
    >> Are you posting from Strausburg, Jens?
    >Straus(http://tinyurl.com/ac3uh)bug

I thought of him too!

    >(http://tinyurl.com/8cfen), please!

Head of the Bavarian Green Party?