Car travel

We are renting a car- even though I have read over and over use the train!--our friends here in the states who are from Germany suggest with our 3 small children and that we plan on driving into border countries we should rent a car. Now that we have done that- I am wondering- on the cities that we travel through- just to visit for a few hours- is there any tips for parking other than I am insane and should not drive!-- I am going to try to plan parking at the hotel and using public transport- or walking when we are visiting cities in which we will be staying overnight. but for a few other cities such as Koln- to see the cathedral- is there parking? Also in the Black Forest area?

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First, I think that you are right driving, as managing three small children and your lugggage using the train and public transportation can be difficult. As to parking in cities, parking garages are well posted and also may have the number of open spaces listed on the signs. I would not attempt to drive about to different places in the same city as navigating strange streets can be difficult, and the center of most cities is a pedestrian only zone. Use public transportation for that which is frequent and excellent. To me, the best part of Germany is not the large cities but smaller towns and sights in the countryside of which there are plenty, and therefore no real reason to visit large cities unless you want to. Most hotels also should be cheaper away from cities, and will also then probably have free parking.

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Since you have a car, make use of it. See the countryside, the small places. Limiting yourselves to big cities only is a common mistake among first-timers - often the small places have more flair and more authentic architecture, simply because they were not as much affected by World War II as the cities. Parking will be easier, distances to cover walking are shorter in small towns, and the kids will enjoy running along a lake, climbing a caste ruin or playing in a forest in between sightseeing. There is heaps to see in any part of the country. Off the beaten path places can be as fascinating as the big tourist hotspots described in guidebooks, and far less crowded.

What route are you planning? I am sure we will be able to come up with suggestions for worthwhile stops along the way.

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wow- thank you for the advice- I feel so much better hearing those who are %26quot;in the know%26quot; give their %26quot;blessing%26quot; to the car! I agree I would rather see the smaller towns and not the touristy spots (people think because we live in Florida we are with Mickey Mouse at the beach) so I would love advice! We arrive in Dusseldorf and will be driving to Herten- which says is about 45 miles northwest? We are going there just to drive around where my family is from. Then we are headed to Frankfurt Am Main area to stop over. I would like to see the cathedral in Koln since it is something my grandparents and mother would visit when they lived in Germany. The only thing I had as another must was the Struwwelpeter Museum in Frankfurt- this is because of the books I grew up reading. Then we are headed to Nuremberg for a few days- to experience the Christmas market and some other sites- after that we are going to Munich and Frieberg.

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Blessing... hmmm... I am generally in favour of public transport, but with three small kids a car is indeed useful and easier than using trains.

Herten is northeast of Düsseldorf, part of the Ruhr metropolis, so a rather urban area. The Ruhr district is rich in culture and far more interesting than its general reputation, but I am not familiar enough with the region to suggest activities for kids. The mining museum in Bochum, maybe, which includes going underground in a mine.

The cathedral in Köln impresses everyone, big or small. There are parking garages nearby, but I hope you are not going on a Saturday, the pre-Christmas Saturdays are incredibly crowded.

On the way to Frankfurt, follow the Rhine upstream. Don%26#39;t take the Autobahn. I hope you have enough time for a stopover in the Middle Rhine gorge or the Mosel valley... Show me a kid who is not thrilled by old castles. The best website about that region, a goldmine of information, is this one: www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php…

Going via Marburg is a detour but a worthwhile one. Do the kids like the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm? if yes, bring a bookn and read them some. This is the region where many of them originate. Marburg is a romantic old university town, well preserved (if you are loooking for cobblestone alleys and half-timbered houses, here they are), a castle and a marvelous old church and a small but atmospheric Christmas market.

http://www.marburg.de/detail/24698

A very cute little old town east of Frankfurt is Büdingen.

Water castle Mespelbrunn in the Spessart hills.

The Main valley - Wertheim, Veitshöchheim palace, Würzburg, the wine villages (Volkach), Bamberg... could be stops on the way to Nürnberg.

Depending how old the kids are - close to Nürnberg there is the Playmobil park. Friends of mine who live in Nürnberg and have four grandkids at Playmobil age are totally enthusiastic about it. If they are into technical stuff, there is a good railway museum. Then the castle, and of course the Christmas market (again, avoid it on Saturday).

ANy reason why you chose Freiburg (not Frieburg btw)? Freiburg is a great city but it is a city. If you want the Black Forest I%26#39;d rather stay somewhere up in the mountains. A lot depends on the weather, though, snow is not guaranteed. But if there is snow the mountain resorts around Feldberg, Hinterzarten, Titisee-Neustadt, Todtmoos etc. will be marvelous.

Just a few quick thoughts. Well yes, your route could easily keep you busy for four weeks or longer...

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If you are in the vicinity, by all means see Cologne Cathedral. We had no trouble finding parking near the cathedral on our first visit, but traffic in Bonn was a nightmare, so for the second visit we parked at a train station in Sinzig, about 40 miles away, and took the train in. That was much easier, as we did not have to deal with the traffic. If you are approaching from Dusseldorf, I would suggest that you leave the car at one of the smaller towns between the two cities and take the train. That way you avoid the heavy traffic The same strategy works equally well for any city that you are visiting just for the day -- park at a smaller station outside the city and take the train in.