Daytrips Germany

We just came back from a 10-day trip to Germany, 1st time, focused on Bavaria & Rhineland. We stayed 7 days in Munich and 3 in Frankfurt. No matter how much advanced planning, there always is the possibility to make changes once you get there. For example, at Frankfurt we made a change to take the Rhine Cruise. The chapters on Rhine Cruise, Rudesheim, Koblenz, and Mainz all helped. I had bought 4 other books for the trip. This book proved to be the best resource that helped us in pre-trip planning, as well as in-trip tour guide.

This book was very helpful while planning my trip to Germany. My time was very limited in Germany so I wanted to just hit the high points in each area. Although the book is a couple years old, I found the information to be accurate and helpful. I especially found it helpful for my trip to the North. There are many other books that have lots of information on Bavaria and the Rhineland but basically nothing on the cities in the North. So this book gave me some ideas. It was organized by regions in a very understandable way. My daughter and I traveled with backpacks via the train system so we carefully decided each item as to its value in carrying with us and this book was one of the things we took. So, I would recommend it to anyone going to Germany who likes to pick and plan what they want to see.

Before our family trip for 10 days throughout Germany, I purchased a few different travel guides. After having each of them in hand before leaving home, we took 3 books with us. By the 3rd day, we only carried 2 books with us: this one and then as a BACKUP, Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2006. Those 2 books were great for finding tourist sites, great restaurants and hotels that could accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (most hotels don't have rooms with 2 beds!)

This book series is ideal for tourists that want to get more out of their trips. I own five in the series and I just bought a sixth! Our last trip to Germany was a business trip for my husband. While he worked I used this book to daytrip to surrounding towns. Staying in one town and using the efficient public transport in Europe for daytrips is an ideal way to travel. You also learn more about a town from a walking tour than you will from any other kind. And this book may include places you hadn't considered but are gems (like my trip to Gosling).

My wife and I are in Germany for a couple years, and this is our main tool for exploring other cities. We also own the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet books, but this is the one we prefer if we have to choose just one. Have a long weekend and want to get out? Jump on the train and explore a city. As an example, we visited Weurzberg on two occasions. The first was before we had this book. We found the Neu Residenz (a large 'house' that was home to the city prince) as referenced in our other books, but were unable to find any other attractions. We went back home with little knowledge or appreciation of the city.Later we returned and followed the walking tour in this book. No bus system to contend with, no street cars, only you and your favorite walking shoes. Skipping the Neu Residenz (we had been there) we spent the day walking and seeing the city. Thanks to this book, we left with a real appreciation for the city and what gives it it's identity.There are some other things to keep in mind about this book: For some cities you may have to break up the tours into two days. There is often one site that requires most of a day to see, a museum, castle, etc. You are left with the option of skipping perhaps the biggest "most important" thing in town, or doing the entire tour and appreciating the city's individual character as a whole.This is not an "all purpose" travel book. It is meant for day trips, and so doesn't say much about where to stay overnight. Finally, it's descriptions of some of the sights can be pretty sparse. You will probably want another book (such as Rough Guide) that talks more about the history and stories of the town and sights. "Daytrips" might direct you to a park, and the park will be very nice. Another book is needed to learn how the park is and was used, who the sculptor was that created the main fountain, and why the park is important to the city.