Germany Sept 2010

[mesabravo]

That's a bummer. For one night you are probably right. I think they increased the one night to a little over $800 us for each night. At 3 nights this was breaking my budget. But for one I would do it just so I wouldn't have to pack up again. I would keep checking though. They have had their rates as low as eur 255 since oct of last year. You might still get a good deal and then can cancel the ABD day. Good luck!!

 

[mesabravo]

Hi everyone. Just saw that the Munich hotel has dropped the rates again to EU 255 per night. I thought I would let everyone know as this is the lowest I have seen since Oct 2009. It doesn't come with the breakfast or dinner, but this is a great rate. Hope it works for you all...

 

[Skatetigger]

Mesabravo, thanks for posting the update, I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Everything has been a bit crazy for me.

I did check and it's still pretty expensive for just the one night . We did go ahead and pay for it through ABD, it wasn't as expensive as we were originally told so it wasn't bad.

I have read so many good things about the hotel that I think we're getting a good deal especially since it is Oktoberfest.

The hotel was actually rated like #4 in Europe in my recent travel and leisure magazine.

 

[healthrn]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

Thank you for the offer to answer questions!

We are arriving 1 day early I was wondering if the zoo is good to go to. I was wondering if you have any recomendations for places to eat at the 3 destinations on our free time.

Thank you again

 

[marcemch]

My daughter (then 8) and I went to the zoo when we did the ABD Germany trip in July 2008. I remember at the time that the guides seemed surprised that we did - guess not that many people do it. I remember that it was an expensive cab ride there and back - I think it was about $50 total. Made for an expensive zoo trip! There was perhaps a way to get there by negotiating the bus routes, but we weren't up for that on our first day there and VERY limited German. The zoo was rather small and just okay, in my opinion - I wouldn't rave about it. It definitely was off the tourist beaten path, and some signs weren't in English. If you have young kids, it might be fun as there's a nice little playground there and seems to be geared towards younger kids.
Although you have time to do things in town after the castle tour on the first day of your ABD trip, there's enough to do in town that you might enjoy a river cruise or something like that instead.

 

[mesabravo]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

I want to take you up on your offer about questions. Since I'm leaving my other 3 children and husband at home, I wanted to send postcards throughout the trip. How much is a post card stamp, and are they available at the Franfurt airport or hotels? Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US? Thanks a bunch for your insight!!

 

[bopper]

I want to take you up on your offer about questions. Since I'm leaving my other 3 children and husband at home, I wanted to send postcards throughout the trip. How much is a post card stamp, and are they available at the Franfurt airport or hotels? Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US? Thanks a bunch for your insight!!

An International Post card stamp is 1 Euro.
I don't know for sure, bu I would imagine they are available at the airport or hotels. I would say they would get to the US in a week or so.

 

[Diskidatheart]

Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US?

It took about 2-3 weeks for our post card to get to the states from Italy. I'm guessing it will take about that long as well.

 

[mesabravo]

Thanks for the info. I know my twins will be excited to see postcards as it will be difficult to call due to prices. Thanks again!

 

[healthrn]

My daughter (then 8) and I went to the zoo when we did the ABD Germany trip in July 2008. I remember at the time that the guides seemed surprised that we did - guess not that many people do it. I remember that it was an expensive cab ride there and back - I think it was about $50 total. Made for an expensive zoo trip! There was perhaps a way to get there by negotiating the bus routes, but we weren't up for that on our first day there and VERY limited German. The zoo was rather small and just okay, in my opinion - I wouldn't rave about it. It definitely was off the tourist beaten path, and some signs weren't in English. If you have young kids, it might be fun as there's a nice little playground there and seems to be geared towards younger kids.
Although you have time to do things in town after the castle tour on the first day of your ABD trip, there's enough to do in town that you might enjoy a river cruise or something like that instead.

Thank you.

 

[healthrn]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

How much Euro's should we bring with us?

Someone mentioned a river cruise since we are coming a day early. Any Suggestions?

 

[Noel22]

How much Euro's should we bring with us?

Someone mentioned a river cruise since we are coming a day early. Any Suggestions?

Which city are you going to visit?

 

[mesabravo]

We are staying a night in Frankfurt to see the sights, then, once we get to Heidelberg, we are going to take a train ride to Koln one day. Also going to Salzburg after ABD tour.

 

[healthrn]

The Adventure starts in 3 weeks!

Does anyone have any suggestions on:

1. bring Euros with us or exchange there (atm?) Are there better rates to do home or in Germany?

2. Someone mentioned a river cruise. Is that in Heidleberg?

Thank you

 

[mesabravo]

We are brining some euros, as the ATM's can eat your cards I've heard. Although, some credit cards seem to be a better deal if they don't have transaction fees. I would suggest to call on one you want to take. As to the river cruise, I was looking into it, but we decided to hop a train and go to Cologne instead. I had googled Heidelberg and was searching through there for info. Good luck!! See you in 3 weeks.

 

[Skatetigger]

We're planning on exchanging some before hand and also bringing some travelers checks.

I can't beleive it's so close.

I got a new suitcase for the occasion.

NOt sure what we're goign to do in Heidleberg quite yet but we're still reading up on things

 

[Liberator]

Hey folks,

very nice to welcome you here in Germany in September!
I live between Cologne and Frankfurt, so I can give you some advice.

In Cologne you can do very nice and cheap river cruises.
Cologne is always crowded, please don't wonder. Especially on Saturdays the "Shopping Streets" (Schildergasse and Hohe Straße) are totally crowded. Just a few steps behind the Dome Cologne there is the Rhine and the Main Rail Station. There's a lot to see an do in cologne. Don't forget to get up the stairs of the Dome.

For those who are going to Frankfurt: Frankfurt is a very nice town. There's a nice shopping center called "Zeil Galerie". The rest of the main city is full of shops, Restaurants and Bars. Very nice.
For those who want to go to a discotheque, you should go to the "Club Cocoon" - very famous. The skyline of Frankfurt is very nice. In the evenings you should take a walk at the Main.

ATM's in Germany: We have a lot of them. Better have a Visa Card or a Master Card. In most shops you can pay with them. American Express or Diner's Club is not that common over here.
If you see a "Sparkasse" or a "Volksbank", I don't think that you will have any problems getting money there.

Deutsche Bahn (Railway): Don't get confused by the pricing system of the Bahn. Make sure to go to the ticket office and ask them for special conditions like "ticket valid for 2 hours" or a "weekend ticket". If you don't ask for any special offers, they will give you the most expensive ticket they have. Please note that you can't use ICE or IC-trains with all tickets. That are the fastest trains, but often you have to change the train on different stations. So ask the person in the ticket office for the easiest way to get from one point to the other. If you don't, they won't tell you. That's what the Deutsche Bahn is

 

[TaiTai1]

Liberator, thanks for the great info. Tell us about the weather around the end of September. What to wear? What to bring? Are jeans appropriate for all days of our trip? Will we need shorts?

 

[healthrn]

Hey folks,

very nice to welcome you here in Germany in September!
I live between Cologne and Frankfurt, so I can give you some advice.

In Cologne you can do very nice and cheap river cruises.
Cologne is always crowded, please don't wonder. Especially on Saturdays the "Shopping Streets" (Schildergasse and Hohe Straße) are totally crowded. Just a few steps behind the Dome Cologne there is the Rhine and the Main Rail Station. There's a lot to see an do in cologne. Don't forget to get up the stairs of the Dome.

For those who are going to Frankfurt: Frankfurt is a very nice town. There's a nice shopping center called "Zeil Galerie". The rest of the main city is full of shops, Restaurants and Bars. Very nice.
For those who want to go to a discotheque, you should go to the "Club Cocoon" - very famous. The skyline of Frankfurt is very nice. In the evenings you should take a walk at the Main.

ATM's in Germany: We have a lot of them. Better have a Visa Card or a Master Card. In most shops you can pay with them. American Express or Diner's Club is not that common over here.
If you see a "Sparkasse" or a "Volksbank", I don't think that you will have any problems getting money there.

Deutsche Bahn (Railway): Don't get confused by the pricing system of the Bahn. Make sure to go to the ticket office and ask them for special conditions like "ticket valid for 2 hours" or a "weekend ticket". If you don't ask for any special offers, they will give you the most expensive ticket they have. Please note that you can't use ICE or IC-trains with all tickets. That are the fastest trains, but often you have to change the train on different stations. So ask the person in the ticket office for the easiest way to get from one point to the other. If you don't, they won't tell you. That's what the Deutsche Bahn is

thank you for all the great info! Looking forward to visiting!

 

[Liberator]

The weather in September here is not easy to explain.
It still can get very hot, but it can also can get very cold, especially in the nights. In every week there will be 1 or 2 days of rain, thats normal. But it depends on where you are. I live in Siegen, its the 2nd rainiest city in Germany.

Jeans will be perfect for any weather in September. Shorts for warmer days are ok, too. You will need some sweatshirts for the evenings and something like a jacket for the wet-days. Hope you won't have any rain!

And the rain here is not that strong like in Florida for example. Everytime when it was raining in Disney World i was like until it stopped.

At the moment the weather is VERY bad here, so it only can get better! Its just raining and raining and raining.

Things you should do when you are over here:
- drink a Coke, it tastes totally different
- drink a glass of fresh water, you will be surprised how fresh it tastes
- rent a car and hit the Autobahn, you know, there are not much speed limits
- take a walk on an official way in the woods (signs on the trees will lead you), very nice landscaping in Germany
- go to a small village and look for a restaurant, often they have typical German food for low prices
- drink enough beer, you will miss the taste and the low prices

We don't have much tourists from the USA, so we are very happy when you visit us. Everyone 12 years or older should be able to tell you a direction or other easy things, because almost everyone learns English in school.

If you have enough time and you want to visit a theme park:
- Europapark, it's in the south of Germany, I think not too far from Heidelberg
- Phantasialand, it about 15 minutes from cologne
- Movie Park Germany (ex Warner Bros. Movie World), it's in Bottrop, in the north of the "Ruhrgebiet"


Hope you will have fun over here!

Ah I forgot something very important: If you want to use a taxi, I would prefer walking or taking the bus, because: It's very very expensive!