Vacation In Germany, Suggestions Requested.

[hannstew]

The wife and I are in the beginning stages of planning a vacation starting in Prague and then about a week traveling Germany. Can anyone recommend the route in Germany that would be best for scenery and castles (to visit)?

 

[jantango]

I thought this was a forum about living in Buenos Aires. You can Goggle "castles in Germany" and get the information.

 

[camel]

The wife and I are in the beginning stages of planning a vacation starting in Prague and then about a week traveling Germany. Can anyone recommend the route in Germany that would be best for scenery and castles (to visit)?

If you happen to be a sports car / racing fan, you might enjoy visiting the Nürburgring. Bonus: you can visit the old Nurburg castle that is within the race track! (The race track is 12.5 miles long). If you can spend about $800 extra, you can rent a race car and actually drive around the 'Ring. Or for a bit less money, you can get a ride in the Ring taxi (a BMW M5), that will blow your mind. Plus, the drive to Nurburg is very nice in itself.

If you're not into racing or cars, there are probably other, better options.

 

[thorsten]

Just a few options:
- Schloss Sanssouci: it's the "German Versaille". It's nice and has a big garden and is located in Potsdam, so you can spend some time in Berlin too
- Heidelberger Schloss: its a ruin of an old castle, but if you drive from the north to the south, its likely you'll drive by Heidelberg (A5) and even though the ruin itself is not as impressive as other castles, the old part of the city is really nice (but maybe I'm biased as I lived there for some time )
- Neuschwanstein: probably the most famous and nicest castle in Germany. It's located in Bavaria and if you are into castles, you don't want to miss it.

Depending on your actual route, I'd look also into Munich, the Mosel area (it's the area where most of the German wines come from with a very nice scenery) and Bodensee (biggest sea, with a little island you can also visit). In general, it's way nicer in summer (June to September are probably the best month).

 

[lucha54]

I thought this was a forum about living in Buenos Aires. You can Goggle "castles in Germany" and get the information.

No, this is a place where expats help each other on a myriad of topics, BA or otherwise. This is a sign that he trusts our opinion. Change your goggles.

 

[lucha54]

I went for a 3day weekend in 2006 to Munich and Neuschwanstein when I was living in France. Munich is a cute capital with a lot of tourist attractions- beautiful main plaza, churches, museums, etc. It's the capital of the Bavaria region (south of the country). I especially liked the giant park (includes beer gardens) and the place in the park where there is a creek sort of thing with a constant wave and surfers line up all day to have a go at it. From Munich you can take a 2 hour train to Füssen then get a direct bus transfer to the Neuschwanstein castle (buses are waiting when the train arrives, no need to book anything ahead). It's the one that inspired Disney and looks like the one at Disneyland (obviously the original is 100x better!!) The interior is also pretty awesome. Crazy King Ludwig was really into Wagnerian opera stories and there is a lot of art inside that's all fantasy and childlike. It's a good daytrip from Munich and I'm sure there are more cool castles in the region if you have the extra days, as well as the Black Forest (Hansel and Gretel territory). Perhaps you could look into a shorter few-day cruise on the Rhine River too. I never went but it's supposed to be really beautiful and chock full of clifftop castles hanging over the river!!

 

[sheawj]

I've gone to Munich a few times for vacations, I loved it so much. I agree with lucha54's recommendations and think using Munich as your base is a good idea. I also will suggest going to Berchtesgaden. It's gorgeous, full of history, and you can also cross into Austria from there and see Hohensalzburg Castle. There is even a Sound of Music tour. :wub:

 

[NYKate]

I would focus on Bavaria. Munich is beautiful. You can drive the autobahn and go to the famous Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau. There is Oberammergau which is know for its passion plays then you can go on to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and take the cable car up to Zugspitze (the highest point in the Alps in Germany). Happy planning!

 

[wineguy999]

Maybe a three or four day boat trip on the Rhine. Plenty of castles, and plenty of Rieslings.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I've gone to Munich a few times for vacations, I loved it so much. I agree with lucha54's recommendations and think using Munich as your base is a good idea. I also will suggest going to Berchtesgaden. It's gorgeous, full of history, and you can also cross into Austria from there and see Hohensalzburg Castle. There is even a Sound of Music tour. :wub:

There are some pretty unsavory aspects to Berchtesgaden's history as well. Still, gute Reise!