Hey guys,

Next semester (January-June) I will be studying abroad in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Since Maastricht is so close to Germany, I know I'll be making several trips to the fatherland over the course of the semester. If you were an American college student with relatively limited time, what would be your top 3 separate trips you would take or places you would want to see? My travels will occur on 3 different weekends (Friday-Sunday). I hear I can either take the train from Maastricht, take a bus to Aachen from Maastricht and then hop on a train in Aachen (probably the cheapest), or take a flight from Brussels (although Brussels will be the hardest to reach). I appreciate all the help! :cheers:

- Geiger

PS: Sorry I don't know German, but I hope to learn some while I'm in Europe!

if u are a skyscraperfan(as i assume) frankfurt is a must-see. if u stay there for more then a day and u also have a taste for historical buildings u could visit rothenburg ob der tauber, or marburg/lahn (maybe mainz and also fulda) which are in one-day-visit range.
also i would suggest to visit berlin, since its the capital and really big and got lots of interesting sites for tourists to see(reichstag, brandenburger tor,..)
third trip would be munich(old houses, rich city) or hamburg (big harbour, st pauli kiez "reeperbahn")

darmstadt mathildenhöhe. insider hint.

Hey dude :)

Take a ride and head for Usedom Island & Neubrandenburg ;)


Seriously, I'd suggest you to visit the Rhine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine)-Moselle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moselle_(river)) area which is nearby. Then have some stopovers at Cochem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochem), Kaub (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaub), Bernkastel-Kues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernkastel-Kues), Loreley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreley) valley, Trier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trier) and pick some castles & neat river towns to visit - there really are heaps of those.


The other guys may submit some further proposals :) Hope I could help so far.

* Berlin (!)
* Heidelberg
* ?

* Neubrandenburg!

Dresden
Berlin
München

smaller:
Heidelberg
Freiburg
Lübeck

(From the germans cities I've visited)

^ Time to update your Fotofred, I guess ;)

don't miss Berlin Neu-Köln ;)

Thanks guys! Keep in mind that I won't have a car, so all traveling will occur by either train, bus, or plane. If I wanted to see some of the smaller towns, would I have to sign up for tours or could I reach the smaller towns by train/bus?

As said: Munich, the Rhine Valley, Hamburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden. As you're American you probably have to see Heidelberg and Neuschwanstein (latter one is a day trip from Munich).
If you want to hang around at a Euro-styled beach for some days head for the Baltic Sea (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is better than Schleswig-Holstein IMO).
Cologne is a daytrip from Maastricht.

Studying currently in Spain I should give you the tip to choose some spots and visit them properly instead of hopping to the next one after some few hours (only Asian and American tourists do that). Make a plan what you really want to see. Travel around as much as possible, but you will also need some weekends to party at Maastricht. Thats for sure. ;)
Best would be to stay one or even two months longer (after the lectures end) and travel around a bit.
And anyhow, it's going to be a great experience. Every American/Australian/whatever I've met sais that living in Europe is completely different from coming only for holidays (obviously)...

Every American/Australian/whatever I've met sais that living in Europe is completely different from coming only for holidays (obviously)...

Yeah I would never get used to your thin toilet paper nor the slow beer service.

The barkeep try and save every drop and as the beer sits under the tap, the foam slooooowly settling down, it gets warm by the time he brings it to me and saves a measly 20 cents.

That is exceedingly annoying.

Berlin
Munich/Upper Bavarian Alps (incl. Zugspitze)
Leipzig or Dresden - that's about as much GDR as an American probably can bear. ;)

Hard to post the "top 3" - Hamburg is very high on that list for me, too.

Berlin
Munich/Upper Bavarian Alps (incl. Zugspitze)
Leipzig or Dresden - that's about as much GDR as an American probably can bear. ;)

Hard to post the "top 3" - Hamburg is very high on that list for me, too.
NIIIIICE!!!!!!!

I like that Hamburg is up there on the list.

4 days.

Actually you people should question my connection to German cities.

Seattle- Hamburg- Istanbul?

And back?

Think what I really do for a living!

ha ha ha!

Ok, so I am seeing alot of Berlins and Munichs up here...do you all think 3 days in each place is enough time? What are some of the attractions in each place?

Also, do you think I could visit Frankfurt and Cologne on the same 3-day trip if I'm coming from Maastricht?

One day for Frankfurt and Cologne is enough. In Cologne you would visit the central cathedral and in Frankfurt you can look the the skyscrapers and walk along the river. Keep in mind, Frankfurt is not a tourist city. Mostly business travel.

You could visit Cologne in the morning and Frankfurt in the afternoon. The train from Cologne to Frankfurt takes about one hour. From Frankfurt you have rail connections to almost everywhere. Its the busiest train station in Germany.

What is there to see/do in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich?

Berlin-Neukölln is very nice. The most beautiful place in Berlin. There lots of easy girls and the people living there have no problems if you do it with their sisters.


@Zoologic:

When did 4-5 layer of toilet paper became thin?

You must be a poor man if you use public toilets.

What is there to see/do in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich?
Always a good starting point:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich

;)

In Berlin there is more than enough to see. Don't mind Mercedes S600. He's sad because he isn't able to move away from Berlin. :-/

Berlin for 3 days: perfect.
Berlin for 3 years: hmmmm.

IMO Hamburg isn't as interesting as some of the other cities mentioned here. Frankfurt is also pretty boring (besides the few scrapers of course).

Berlin for 3 years: hmmmm.


I have no clue what hmmmm stands for but if you mean something like FC%K!NG S@#T ... WHAT THE %U$K IS THAT? .... I agree. That's exactly my point.

Yeah I would never get used to your thin toilet paper nor the slow beer service.
It's the Americans who have thin toilet paper. But not only in public toilets - in private ones as well. It's all about the technique, I guess - we fold it, you rumple it ;)


The barkeep try and save every drop and as the beer sits under the tap, the foam slooooowly settling down, it gets warm by the time he brings it to me and saves a measly 20 cents.

That is exceedingly annoying.
You've mentioned that before. I never experienced anything like that in Germany. You must have been to the cheesiest takeaway huts around.

IMO Hamburg isn't as interesting as some of the other cities mentioned here.
But it has the Kiez.

Hamburg is the only(?) port city in the world without ocean view. For real. Ask Tekken.

IMO Hamburg isn't as interesting as some of the other cities mentioned here. Frankfurt is also pretty boring (besides the few scrapers of course).

Really depends what you are interested in. I for example find Hamburg more interesting than Munich.

- harbor (boat tour)
- Alster canals (boat tour)
- best shopping in Germany
- Reeperbahn (largest red light district in Germany)
- most beautiful city in Germany (IMO)

For a tourist, I would say Berlin is the most interesting city.

^^ Agreed!

My list:

Berlin (must-see for a tourist!)
Hamburg / Munich (depends on your taste.)
Moselle or Rhine Valley (sooo beautiful and German!)

Edit: Do you prefer beer or wine?

you dont really wanna send him on 6 hours boat trip with nothing but retirees.

you suggest lübeck, freiburg & heidelberg are more interesting than hamburg? were you stoned on your trips?

6 hours? What kind of boat tour is that? The very enormous Hafenrundfahrt with a trip to Brunsbüttel?

He's talking about the Rhine-Moselle tour I guess. Well, it depends on sky's taste - if he's searching for wonderful landscapes, neat towns and magnificent castles he's on the right track with that one.

If he prefers sightseeing & clubbing/whatever in cities though, he should pick Berlin, Hamburg and/or Munich first. As further choices, I'd suggest Dresden (+ Elbe valley with Meißen and Sächsische Schweiz), Potsdam (together with Berlin), Stralsund, Schwerin, Lübeck, Heidelberg, Freiburg and (if he wants some awesome German kitsch) Rothenburg o.d. Tauber

Sky - if you want to see some great European beaches, go to the islands of Rügen and Usedom (insiders' tip!).

you suggest lübeck, freiburg & heidelberg are more interesting than hamburg? were you stoned on your trips?

I never said that. I made a list about larger and smaller cities. HH wasn't good enough for my top 3 in the larger cities and obviously to big for the small city list. Which part didn't you understand - I can translate it for you if you want to.

i did not understand the list with the larger and smaller cities. can you visit 3 smaller cities (across the country) instead of a large one in the same time?

yes. why should that be a problem?

peace bro

Fight!

ah ok know I know what you mean. No of course you can't but you can visit 3 small instead of 3 big or 2 big and one small etc.

Thanks guys I really appreciate it.

1. So here's what I'm seeing so far on Hamburg...it sounds better than I thought! What would be the best time between January and June to visit?

http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/en/sightseeing/best-of-hamburg/

2. I really want to visit Munich too, with it's location near the mountains. It would be sweet to see Neuschwanstein. It's basically the perfect fairy tale castle. How far is it from Munich? Could I take a tour from Munich to see the castle area?

Berlin of course is a must-see.

As everyone mentioned, Frankfurt has very little in it, so maybe I will spend less than a day there on the way to Munich or Berlin.

3. I will certainly have to stop off in Cologne. How long do you think I would need to see all the major sites in Cologne?

4. I know many people mentioned Heidelburg and some of the smaller towns...which of the small towns would be the best to see?

5. About the beaches you mentioned: are they the topless kind?

Thanks again for all the help guys!

Munich - Füssen is two hours by train, from there you have to catch a bus or taxi for the last 5km. Easily possible in one day. If you go in winter don't forget warm clothes (snow...), if you go in summer you can hang around the lakes around for one or two hours. Hiking boots give you access to the Pöllat gorge, the best way up to the castle and without the herds of tourists. The second castle (Hohenschwangau) is woth a visit as well. Don't miss Marienbrücke for the best photo spot. And bring your own food, the area of Hohenschwangau is probably Germanys only real tourist trap.
I would go to Munich without stopping in Frankfurt for long, you loose too much time and there's plenty of things to see in Munich.

Cologne is a day tip, I would do that spontaneously if you wake up after a long night and don't want to go to uni (you'll experience these days, believe me). One day should be enough.

Heidelberg and Frankfurt would be possible on the same weekend. If so, don't catch the high speed trains from Cologne but use a "normal" train which goes through the Rhine valley (whine, castles, etc.) to frankfurt. Don't miss to stop at at least one village (plan a whole day for the Rhine Valley, e. g. you could stay overnight in Frankfurt and go to Heidelberg the next day).

The website of Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.de) offers online schedules, so you can easily check the travel time and fares there. Should be in English as well.

1. So here's what I'm seeing so far on Hamburg...it sounds better than I thought! What would be the best time between January and June to visit?

It gets nice in May. Then one can stroll along the Landungsbrücken area and also go on boat trips along the Alster. A trip to nearby UNESCO world heritage town Lübeck may also be of interest.

2. I really want to visit Munich too, with it's location near the mountains. It would be sweet to see Neuschwanstein. It's basically the perfect fairy tale castle. How far is it from Munich? Could I take a tour from Munich to see the castle area?

Neuschwanstein is fun, but it's a bit out of the way. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany's most well-known ski resort town with the Zugspitze mountain is also worth a trip (only 45 mins from Munich). Also, the Starnberger See or the Chiemsee lakes are fantastic places in the summer.

As everyone mentioned, Frankfurt has very little in it, so maybe I will spend less than a day there on the way to Munich or Berlin.

Frankfurt's city center is a bit dull, but the museums along the Main, the view from the Main Tower observation deck or the apple wine gardens in Sachsenhausen and Bornheim make it an appealing place nonetheless. Spending a day will not get boring.

3. I will certainly have to stop off in Cologne. How long do you think I would need to see all the major sites in Cologne?

Cologne is not that great a city. The cathedral is a must-see, but the city center is grey and forgettable. Instead go spend the rest of the day in the student town of Bonn which is only 30 minutes away. It is a very green city, full of cafes, historic neighborhoods and great walks along the Rhine river.

4. I know many people mentioned Heidelburg and some of the smaller towns...which of the small towns would be the best to see?

Heidelberg is the biggest and most well-known student town. It's a bit too touristy for many, but the historic city center is an eye pleaser. Other small towns that are nice would be Regensburg or Bamberg (in Bavaria) with its beautiful old towns; Baden-Baden in the Black Forest (beautiful spa city) and Wiesbaden near Frankfurt (looks like a small version of Paris).

5. About the beaches you mentioned: are they the topless kind?

Look for the sign "FKK" and you won't be disappointed.

I remember spending a day in Hamburg in August 2007 and thinking: "Must be a great place in summer." ;)

Look for the sign "FKK" and you won't be disappointed.

no granny alert? ;)

^^ Always, somehow. Hot chicks are much less inclined to undress than old, fat cows. At least here in Vienna. Human rights violations?

No. Not on the Island of Usedom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usedom) at least, I assure you ;)

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Pleasure Island ;)


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Schöne Pics haste da gemacht. ;)

Für's Forum bin ich mir für nichts zu schade.

Ahhh...they're so average. ;)

Look for the sign "FKK" and you won't be disappointed.

Maybe it was ment like he was afraid of seeing a german woman topless? :dunno:

Ahhh...they're so average. ;)That's the point. Even average looks like first class compared to the rest of Germanic Europe over here.

Usedom, here I come!

1. Berlin

2. Hamburg
3. Constance (Lake Constance)

Uhh, diese Leerzeile ist ein Schlag ins Gesicht für uns Nicht-Berliner.:ohno:

Do not forget to visit Aachen. But you will go there propably at least once to shop when the shops are closed in Maastricht ;).

It may not be the most beautiful city in Germany but it has the Aachener Dom, Germany's first world heritage site. Also interesting is the modern art museum in an old umbrella factory if you are into modern art.

And the best thing about Aachen is the trainstation: 1h to Cologne, 1,5h to Brussels and 3h to Paris.

Also if you want to sleep in a real castle: Bacharach youth hostel with a great view over the river Rhine.
There are some great youth hostels around Germany, cheap, clean and you meet people from everywhere.

And Maastricht is a great city to study.

Berlin is so overrated! It's a poor city, with a lot of workless people and they have a lot of Sozialschmarotzer. Visit Munich, Nürnberg, Heidelberg, maybe the Ruhrpott, and the Southwestern Germany!

Would you honestly prefer Gelsenkirchen or Wanne-Eickel over Berlin???

Quite frankly, tourists don't care about homeless people - why on earth would they go to Rio or Cape Town?

The only thing worth watching is the central borough of Berlin called Berlin Mitte. Other districts are boring or full of trash. I suggest you not to spend more than two days on Berlin. If you like to visit a big European city I'd suggest London or Paris. Berlin is a small village compared to both cities.

Fühl mich wie in einer Zeitschleife. Lese immer nur den gleichen Müll, der schon zehnmal zuvor verzapft wurde.

Jeder hat das Recht, persönlich und individuell beraten zu werden. Und wenn es hundert Mal der gleiche Inhalt ist.

Are there any World War II historical sites in Nurnberg? I know the trials took place there, but don't know if there are any museums or such.

I'd also love to make it to Austria (Vienna and maybe Innsbruck)...would the best route be through Munich?

PS: Yes, hopefully I won't run into a granny alerty!

Nuremberg has to offer some beautiful medieval buildings (in that era it was one of Europes most important cities), although most of it got destroyed by allied bombings. The most important World War sight is the party rally areal It was never completed, so it's basically "only" one open arena (Zepellinfeld) which is used for motor acing once a year, an huge road for parades and a huge building which now offers a small documentation centre. The constuction site of the large stadium (400k) is now only a lake... IMO that alone is not worth the trip, there's plenty of stuff to see in Munich and Berlin as well (specialised guided tours).

I doubt that Innsbruck alone is worth the trip. Another option (easily one weekend) would be to go to Salzburg (tourist trap but beautiful) combined with the Bavarian sites of Berchtesgaden (Königssee, Europes most beautiful lake, Obersalzberg, Hitlers summer residence (only some ruins) and Chiemsee (the Herrenchiemsee island has a Mini-Versailles...) (every site one day, perfect in summer).

Vienna is definitely worth the trip. If you want to go by train the best option is the ICE that comes from Frankfurt (and I think also Cologne) and goes through Regensburg - Passau. For Innsbruck and Salzburg you have to go via Munich.
You should consider using overnight trains especially for Vienna (it is a long trip and it gives you lots of well needed extra time in the city), but I don't know about the routes and connections. The Deutsche Bahn website will provide it for you.

I was told that Innsbruck is more charming thatn Salzburg. I've never been to any of the places myself though.

you could also go from berlin over dresden and prague to vienna and bratislava.

Innsbruck is nicer than Salzburg, that's a given.

^^ boys and girls ...

Zitat:
"My travels will occur on 3 different weekends (Friday-Sunday)"

Salzburg is totally overrated. Go to Graz instead, nicest big little city in Austria.

Ik besuche gern und oft Deutschland. Am liebsten bin ich in Bremen, dann folgen Oldenburg und Münster. Aber Leer/Ostfriesland gefällt uns auch, das reicht zum Einkaufen...

^ Warst du schon in Göttingen? Stade? Hamburg? Lübeck? Lüneburg? Very schön dort überall :)

I suppose this is a vague map of my proposed German travels (and beyond in some cases). Break each route into a trip and let me know if you think this could work on 3 separate 3-4 day trips. Thanks guys and I appreciate the help.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/werd2000Fo/Trips/GermanyMap.jpg

Visting Hamburg & Copenhagen or Munich & Vienna on 3 or 4 days is a bit... japanese (or american ;)). Take your time.

It's not a bad plan if you don't have much time. I've got in front of me an American travel catalogue taking you from London to Rome in seven days, visiting Paris (half a day!), Amsterdam, Zurich, Innsbruck, etc. Even Tuscany! Now that's incredible. But three days for Hamburg and Copenhagen or Munich and Vienna definitely makes for a good first impression.

travelling is all about bragging anyway, like i was there and there and there. nobody asks you how long you were there.

Definitely NO. Europe is so diverse that it is just ridiculous to stay in a city like Hamburg (we're not even talking about London, Berlin or Paris!) for just one day! Munich in lots of things is completely differend from Berlin (and they're even in the same country). Seems to be incredible for Non-Europeans but they normally quickly find out.

The Americans I know really seem to have the maxime to jump from place to place as soon as possible (which makes me assume that there's basically no much difference between American cities). My advice always is to take your time, stay for some days in every city and try to understand a bit the cities caracters. That makes a really good trip and afterwards you maybe can't say that you've been everywhere but you know every place you've seen much better than most of your fellows.

Anyway, skysdalimit: Koolkeatz is right, take your time. The several trips are in general quite ok for me.
Are you planning to go around every weekend? As I said, I wouldn't recommend it, you'll definitely want to stay in Maastricht for some weekends, too (especially in the first weeks to make friends), so take your time. If you don't see everything, it really doesn't hurt, you can come back some day. Believe me, I'm currently studying in Spain and I haven't been on any long trip so far at all (but will go to Madrid and Portugal soon).
So you should either decide which of the trips are most important for you (and see right in Europe, for which ones you find time) or consider to stay at least one month longer after the exams and do an Eurail trip or something like that (again, with time).

Some friends of mine will jump around Europe in two weeks by Ryanair (going to Italy, Ireland, Scotland, France and Germany) which I would never consider as it is only stress and you don't have enough time anywhere.

Mmh...perhaps I'm a little condescending here, but...do Americans even notice the differences between Munich and Hamburg, Prague and Vienna? We are conditioned to our own city's identity but can hardly tell one American city from another. Why should it be different the other way round?

because there are more differences I suppose (just look at the architecture, the atmosphere, etc.). Of course you can't tell if you stay everywhere only half a day, I couldn't for America either. :)

But New York, Washington D.C., Las Vegas or L.A. are totally different from each other for example and you see the difference ;).

NYC, W.D.C. and L.A. aren't comparable - granted. ;)

I think thun was talking about those "Just CBD + suburbs"-like urban centers.

^^
Ecactly. I wouldn't be able to see any large difference e. g. between Dallas, Detroit or Indianapolis (and most other American cities).
Cities like San Francisco, NY, Washington, SF, LA, LV or Miami are exceptions, of course.

To get a feeling for the difference of the german regions it may be better to visit small towns like Rothenburg, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Goslar, ... They have conserved more or less their old town centers and regional diverse architecture.

Heidelberg is a fucking detour but I think you won't have regrets!

So do you guys think my plan would be do-able if I had 5 3-4 day trips instead of 3 trips?

I think you see alot of Americans (and especially the Japanese with their cameras) hop from place to place rapidly because they have limited time and want to see every place they are possibly able to. I have a little more time obviously than most Americans with their 2 week maximum vacations, but I still feel pressed for time because I want to see the majority of western Europe. I want to see alot of places, so that's why I have to go from place to place faster than maybe you guys would, because you guys live in Europe.

Mmh...perhaps I'm a little condescending here, but...do Americans even notice the differences between Munich and Hamburg, Prague and Vienna? We are conditioned to our own city's identity but can hardly tell one American city from another. Why should it be different the other way round?

As an American, I definitely notice the differences between European cities in different regions. When I went to Spain, I noticed an obvious difference between cities like Madrid and Sevilla, Granada and A Coruna. There are also many differences between American cities. I know alot of our sprawl looks similar in parts, but there are many differences between the regions of the US. For example, cities like and Atlanta and Phoenix look totally different from each other and have different feels, although they are similar in size and both sprawl out. Anyways, I think I'll pick up on the differences between European cities fairly easily. :cheers::banana:

Hm, it wouldn't be bad at all (of course).
You realize that the whole Benelux and Western Germany is only a daytrip from Maastricht, so it shouldn't be hard to see that.
Maybe you can decide to rule out some cities, that would give you more time (especially if you want to go around in the whole of Europe).

Maybe you are lucky to find e. g. an low-budget flight to cities like Vienna, Berlin or Prague. The choice of airports reachable in a acceptable time around Maastricht isn't bad at all. Otherwise, as I said, using overnight trains on the long routes is something I would strongely recommend.
Eurolines runs long distance busses all over Europe, but I don't know about the exact connections and if they would run overnight.

As an American, I definitely notice the differences between European cities in different regions.

OK, sorry then. ;)

Visit one of Germany´s megacities: Berlin, Hamburg or München. All of them quite similar, large and filled with locations.

Then visit Stuttgart, our only topographically interesting major city. The other bigger cities show poor altitude differences just around 15 feet or more.
Hence, Stuttgart is here called the "Frisco of Germany" (whereas Cologne is it for other reasons).

Admiring the teeny-weeny European skylines you might plan a stop-over in Frankfurt on your way to Stuttgart.

Stuttgart has a beautifuk coastline.

Visting Hamburg & Copenhagen or Munich & Vienna on 3 or 4 days is a bit... japanese (or american ;)). Take your time.

I was dissapointed with Copenhagen.

Didn't get a good vibe.

Seemed a bit austere.