Another tour guide questions for the Water Cooler…
A couple friends and I are planning on going to Munich for the 07 festival. I’ve been all over Europe, but never Germany. I figure three or four days in the Munich area and another week or so cruising around Germany and Belgium.
If anyone has been to this or has any suggestions, I’d like to hear them. It would appear that the hotels in and around Munich are already full, or filling up fast.
Wish I could help. I spent a couple of days in Munich on business but can't remember much (it was several years ago). I do remember my disappointment on the morning I was heading out to the airport when I looked out the window and realized that I was within driving distance of the Alps. D'oh !!
That was also when I discovered that Oktoberfest was mostly in September ;(
Don't forget to take your lederhosen
Mike, that's an awful long way to go for a beer, but I'll humor your extravagance. I've traveled in Germany a couple times during the summer, but haven't been in Munich and don't really have any ideas about the Oktoberfest. One thing that does come to mind if you're going to be heading NW to Belgium(rather than taking in Switzerland, my favorite)is to include a "cruise" literally, although presumably you meant driving. One thing that I enjoyed was a short day cruise on the Rhine(it can be as short as an hour each way), castle visit, etc.
Funny this topic came up now. I am leaving for Germany on Friday. I'm going to Frankfurt and Marburg, then down to Bern, Switzerland, and then onto northern Italy from there. I've never been to any of these countries, so I am looking forward to it as well. I'll also take suggestions for any of them.
Sounds like a great trip, Jason. Since south from Frankfurt to Bern follows the Rhine, the first thing that comes to mind is a short Rhine cruise, as I mentioned to Mike(now that I think about it, maybe that wasn't such a great idea; if Mike is still in a drunken stupor from the Oktoberfest he might fall off the boat and become a permanent resident of the Rhine). It really is a pleasant little excursion and the whole thing can take as little as three hours. You'll see a lot of gorgeous scenery around the Alps, of course.
Augsburg is close by, it's a nice town. For a more sobering trip, Dachau is close. Slightly farther away is Stuttgart where you can tour the Porsche factory and Nurnberg (Nuremburg), site of the Nazi Party rallies in the 30's and the Tribunals following WWII. The stadium where the Nazi rallies were held still exists and is very, very disquieting. Really, you can't go wrong in general. It's Bavaria, fer chrissake! Oktoberfest and Bavaria are pretty much synonymous. I spent more than a few leave days in Munich and environs in my day. A hint: Weisswurst and Blutwurst look disgusting but are actually quite delicious.
A little farther north, Bad Nauheim, Bonn, and Frankfurt are nice places. My guess is that you are flying in to Frankfurt, which is a good start. 10 days total in Central Europe opens many possibilities. Vienna, Prague, an Budapest are not all that far away. Just try not to cram too much in to your visit. Pick a few spots and enjoy them!
Eat street food - Currywurst and pommes frites mit mayo.
We REALLY liked Salzberg. I didn't make it to Berchtesgaden, but it is not far and might be worth a stop.
Also reasonably close to Munich is
Herrenchiemsee (one of Ludwig's palaces like Neuschwanstein. This one - on which he squandered pretty much the entire treasury - is patterned after Versailles and sits on an island in the middle of a lake). Spectacular and recommended.
You should go to Dachau. It's kind of tough medicine, but it is too powerful to miss.
We got AFL lost driving around Munich.
Have fun.
Ich glaube daß er mir nicht mitnehmen will.
Thanks for the suggestions; I’m jotting these places down. I’ve always wanted to see this part of Europe and figured this would be a good time to do it. A buddy went over this time a couple years ago and still tells me how much fun he had. Not so much for the beer drinking, but that the whole country is celebrating and there’s a lot going on. I don’t drink much in public, so no worries about me falling off a boat John. Plus, I’m into micro brews. Hifa’s and wheat bears don’t do much for me and I doubt they have Genius there…..come to think abut it, I don’t think I like any German beers…
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I don’t think I like any German beers
BURN HIM!!! 
Mike, it's probably because you haven't had them in Germany.
I'll drink some of them foo-foo Belgium ales with the corks sometimes....
But you may be right. I didn't really appreciate Genius till I had it in the UK, and then really appreciated it at the brewery.
Spaten lager from a keg is mighty fine! I also have not had a beer from Paulaner that I did not like. Enjoy your trip!
Ayinger makes some fine brews, too. Attempting to answer the Paulaner Optimator vs. Ayinger Celebrator "which doppelbock is best?" question is always a good use of time.
My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to travel through most of continental western Europe last July. I should be able to offer a couple of suggestions, though I have found that my memory is fading fast.
Belgium
we had the most fun here, mostly because we were staying with family and not pushing ourselves too much to see everything while we were there. We did find the people to be the friendliest and most polite of any country we visited. We toured Brussel, in which most of the main city sites are within short walking distance. There are no particularily well known sites, well except for the peeing boy - Manikapis (sp?). You might also enjoy visiting the bar Delirium with the pink elephants. They own(ed) the Guiness Record for the most types of beer in one bar - 2004 (not uncoincidently in the year 2004). You have to make sure to visit a few "friturs" when you are there. The Belgians invented "frites" or what we know as French (or Freedom depending on your politics) Fries. If you happen to be a big WWI or WWII history buff there are plenty of battle sites, monuments and cemetaries scattered all over this tiny country and within short distance in neighbouring France (Ypres, Vimy, the Ardenes, Dieppe, Normandy, etc). We also enjoyed our stay at a small inn near the Abbaye de Notre Dame de Scourmont where Chimay beer is brewed.
Germany
we didn't see too much of Germany, just Berlin. There is a lot to see here and the city is well spread out. The good thing is that the transit system is very easy to use and quick too. We visited KZ Sachenhausen, which was according to stats the worst concentration camp within German borders. Sobering to say the least, but I think important for everyone to see. Sounds like you are on the right track with the beer gardens, that'll be plenty of fun.
Switzerland
also didn't see too much of this country, but did have the opportunity to visit Zermatt which was the only area of the Alps in Switzerland that was open to summer skiing (at least that I could find). We really enjoyed the town of Zermatt, even if it was a bustling little resort town, it was very relaxed. It was especially enjoyable for us considering we had just come from a week in Italy where the weather was always above 30 Celcius. The nice cool weather in the mountains was a great refresher. We had taken the train to (from Venice) and from (to Zurich) Zermatt and I'd have no problems recommending that method of travel. It's not the quickest, but the scenery is wonderful and it's pretty relaxing.
Italy
this country is hot, dirty and smelled bad. It was overcrowded and a PITA to get around in. After this is said though, i would go back in a second. With all the incredible sites you can't miss it....and that wasn't the best part. THE FOOD is unbelievable. Of course I could live on pizza and pasta. I'm sure you won't but don't miss Rome.
I'm sure both of you will have a blast. Sorry to be so long winded, hopefully some of this will come in handy for you. If either of you had any specific questions, even to the point of what train we caught to get somewhere, i'm sure i could find it in the mass of papers that we collected and brought back.
Make sure to take plenty of pics and share with us when you get back.
Cool trip. I think you'll have your hands full cruising Germany/Belgium in a week. I've been to both and there's a bit to see/do. Enjoy driving the Bahn, can be very intense, just make sure to pay attention if you're going to push it. I've done 200 KM/H in an Audi and then get high beamed by both a Porsche and a motorcycle riding my arse. That's intense.
Munich
Skip the Hofbrau Haus. Hard Rock Cafe a la Munich. You can get better beer at smaller places.
Stuttgart/Ulm
Would be cool to visit the Porsche. You're close to Lake Constance which borders Switzerland IIRC. There's a cool castle on the lake.
Rothenburg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber)
Kindy touristy but what the heck. It's a walled town kinda like fairy tale books. Pretty cool to visit and take pix.
Heidelberg
Cool castle town. I was there for the 800th anniversary, they know how to party...
Frankfurt
So so. I personally like the smaller towns, more character.
Dusselfdorf
FANTASTIC Alt bier. It's also the fashion capital so if you're lucky and there's a fashion show, you're hotel could be full of models. Mine was...
Belgium
GREAT beer. Kinda fruity but I really like the kriek. Fantastic fries, you can't beat real Belgian fries. Found really good waffles too. It's cool (though a bit touristy) to sit in the platz, have a stein of beer, bucket of mussels sitting in butter/wine, basket of fries and just people watch. That was probably the best times I've had in a Euro city.
Den Haag (The Hague)
More closer to Amsterdam but I did drive from Belgium to Amsterdam and stopped in Den Haag. It's a beautiful town, probably one of the nicest I've seen around that area.
Any suggestions?
As my brother is fond of saying "Don't mention the war"
Bren R.
Thanks for the info. While I would like to get to Rome, we aren't going to make it there this time. We have been talking for a while about doing Rome and then southern Italy from there for our 5 year anniversary, which is the end of summer next year. We'll be sticking with the Northern part for now. 1 night at lake Como, then 2 each at Milan, Florence, and Venice.
It is tough because there is so much I want to see over there. I could spend months just travelling and checking out all of the different countries. I'm looking forward to both phases of the trip. It looks like work has even built in some sightseeing time in Germany since the first week I am there for business, so that will be nice.
This is cool. Excellent information guys.
Zarak,
It’s my humble opinion that if you could only visit one place in Europe, it would be Prague. I wandered around that city for a week in a daze staring at the architecture. There’s so much history there it’s overwhelming. Plus, it did not get devastated by the war. But it isn’t cheap anymore. After the end of the cold war, it became quite the destination for Europeans. And if you’ve spent much time riding the tubes in London, there is a copy and paste of that system in Prague. Very easy to use.
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Erding is nice
Erding...home of the infamous Erdinger Weizen. My brother in law's family owns a butcher shop/grocery store/cafe there.
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As my brother is fond of saying "Don't mention the war"
Makes me think of that Billy Crystal line in The Princess Bride, "Bye boys, have fun storming the castle!"
I've had other people tell me that Prague is a good spot to see as well. Perhaps a 3rd Europe trip at some point will be Munich, Prague, and other points more East in Europe.
If I get sent back to Bern again for work at some point I could see the Alps and Paris being a trip as well. Too many places I want to see in Europe. I feel like there is a lot more I want to see over there than in the states. San Fran and New Orleans (although not as much now that it is not the same any more) are the only two US spots I can think of that I would like to check out and haven't been to.
I could use a job that sends me to Europe. Maybe that will be one of my criteria in my next job search.
Not that I'm looking.
Unless you know of a job opening that meets this requirement.
mdrew,
be sure to rent a nice porsche, say a GT2, and take a drive on the autobahn. Can you say no speed limit doing 200mph?
Ummmm...will they let you rent a Porsche for the day? If so, I think I just found out what I can do on the with my Wednesday travel day between Marburg and Bern