DaddyBuiltRacing Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Long story short, my best friend of 18 years is stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and wants me and my wife to come over next March and do some traveling around Europe with him. I have never been over seas, so this will be a learning expierence in many ways. We are planning on traveling to Berlin, Amsterdam, The Czech Replublic and a few other places while there (8 days). We have a list of some of the places we want to visit while there, just looking for some other places to check out and some helpful hints/knowledge about over seas traveling and Europe. We plan on staying in Hostels and taking the trains everywhere we go for the most part. Heres the places we have planned to see, feel free to add to them Amsterdam: Ann Frank Museum Redlight District (might as well see what all the hype is about lol) Berlin: Berlin Wall Olympic Stadium Stuttgart: Porche/Mercedes Benz Museums Wurzburg: couple castles there Bas Kissigen: XXL Burger (makes thurmans burger look like a bitch) Czech Republlic: Prague Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh8sti Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Been more times than I can count. Prague is absolutely sweet. The night life there is crazy. Basically no laws haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Any other details lol, like I said I have never traveled over seas so not sure what to expect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Been more times than I can count. Prague is absolutely sweet. The night life there is crazy. Basically no laws haha. you're college age, right? how many times in 20 some odd years could you possibly go to europe that you cant count it? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unfunnyryan Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Been more times than I can count. Prague is absolutely sweet. The night life there is crazy. Basically no laws haha. Friend of mine just spent 3 months going across europe (most of time spent in italy) and said Prague was the best place of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 We'd like to visit Italy and Austria but I don't know if were gonna have the time to do it or not. In Schweinfurt we'll have access to a car so that will help cut down some traveling time. I wanna drive on the Autobahn and visit a concentration camp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Visit Interlaken and Bern... both beautiful places! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got-Boost? Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 I've been many times and can give you more info later.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 I've been many times and can give you more info later.... That works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh8sti Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 you're college age, right? how many times in 20 some odd years could you possibly go to europe that you cant count it? lol Dad has clients over there that play Futbol. Ive just been to a lot of the same places and then some many times. If i think about it maybe 10 times? idk. Dresden Germany is pretty cool if you know the war history of the place. Lucern and Lusanne (sp?) Switzerland are both beautiful places. If i remember correctly Lucern is on a lake across from Evian France. I think its Lake Victoria, i might be wrong. Either way thats deff worth the train ride. the few times i was there for vaca i did the europass and rode the train to other countries and such. Ill throw up some pics of lucern from my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh8sti Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Lusanne http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu130/oh8ti/e2aa8b5b.jpg?t=1312056506 http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu130/oh8ti/44d71262.jpg?t=1312056861 http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu130/oh8ti/838d7457.jpg?t=1312056893 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 I have been all over europe. You don't want to build up expectations, you want to pick one place and find one thing to find in that place. Then just go wondering off. I personally love Amsterdam and London. Getting lost walking around is the best way to see a city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Sounds like you'll be wasting a lot of time traveling. Best to pick 3 or 4 places tops to see in 8 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Oh, and look into hotels - last time I went the price of a hostel was somewhat comparable for a hotel room when you figure the pricing for 2 people in the hostel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got-Boost? Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Long story short, my best friend of 18 years is stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and wants me and my wife to come over next March and do some traveling around Europe with him. I have never been over seas, so this will be a learning expierence in many ways. We are planning on traveling to Berlin, Amsterdam, The Czech Replublic and a few other places while there (8 days). We have a list of some of the places we want to visit while there, just looking for some other places to check out and some helpful hints/knowledge about over seas traveling and Europe. We plan on staying in Hostels and taking the trains everywhere we go for the most part. Heres the places we have planned to see, feel free to add to them Amsterdam: Ann Frank Museum Redlight District (might as well see what all the hype is about lol) Berlin: Berlin Wall Olympic Stadium Stuttgart: Porche/Mercedes Benz Museums Wurzburg: couple castles there Bas Kissigen: XXL Burger (makes thurmans burger look like a bitch) Czech Republlic: Prague To be honest, you can see all those places in 8-days but you won't really have time to do what you want and will be rushed/tired most of the time. I would pick a few of the places you MUST see and go from there. The train is fine to travel but it's going to limit you on times/places and unless you walk everywhere you are going to need a car/taxi anyway. With that in mind, I would RENT A CAR and have your military friend get you Gas coupons on base so you are paying US prices or close driving from Esso to Esso on your planned route. With that in mind and getting a car, Berlin is kind of far out of the way compared to the other stuff. Ya running 100mph+ you can make good time but with the mountains/passes you can't just drive direct. It's going to be a long drive to/from and will cut into your time for other stuff even hauling ass. Where are you flying into? Frankfurt? If you want to go to Amsterdam, I would check on a cheap flight. You can fly for very little in Europe if you want to go there. Otherwise, it's a bit out of the way unless you hit that last and fly home from there? Not knowing where you will fly into, I'll start with your friends duty assignment at Schweinfurt. I would go South to Wurzburg in the morning and explore the castles and stuff early. Then work your way further south to Rothenburg and spend the night. Rothenburg is a cool little city inside a castle wall and you can stay at a zimmer (family owned bed/bkfst) for very cheap. Walk down to the Nightwatchman tour and explore the little shops and castle stuff. http://www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=123 Your wife/gf will like the Kathe Wohlfahrt store: http://www.wohlfahrt.com/index.php?clang=1 Then I would swing over to Stuttgart and go to the Mercedes/Porsche Museums and if you get there at the right time, you can have a factory tour. Make sure you get there early though and plan ahead with tickets for Mercedes. For Porsche you need like a 6-month advance plan/notice and even then it's tough. To be honest the BMW tour is the best but it's down in Munchen and out of the way. Now if you decided to go that route you could see some very nice stuff in Munchen. The original Hofbrauhaus http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/index_en.html and tour the market street/town etc. While you are there I would recommend Dachau if you want to visit a Concentration camp. http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html It all depends what time of year for stuff to do. Summer/Winter markets are fun and lots to see/do, just depends on the time frame. If you decide on Munchen, then that sets you up for either a quick trip over to Salzburg, Austria and very close to Hitlers Hideout "The Eagles Nest" http://www.eagles-nest-historical-tours.com/EN/eagles-nest-tours/index.php?navid=2 or the other way to Garmisch where there is plenty to see/do. You can stay at the US military lodge (Edelweiss) with your military friends ID and rooms are CHEAP and nice. http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/home.html That would also have you close to the Zugspitze: http://www.zugspitze.de/en/summer/berg/ and the Neuschwanstein Castle: http://www.neuschwansteincastle.net/ which is the one Disney based there's off of. Heck, I could go on for DAYS!!! My parents lived over there for many years and I visited a LOT. Any questions or info you want, I'll see what I can do. Have fun and plan it out before you go to maximize your time. TONS OF STUFF TO SEE AND NEVER ENOUGH TIME.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got-Boost? Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 FYI....if you plan to go see the Nurburgring: http://www.nuerburgring.de/en.html it's up closer on the way to Amsterdam if you drive NW. When you see Nuremburg just SE of Wurzburg, that's not the track. Nurburg the racetrack is West of Koblenz which is NW of Frankfurt on your way to Amsterdam. Frankfurt to "The Ring" is about 2-hours taking it easy. FYI....you can fly Frankfurt to Amsterdam for like $60 so check your prices and times. Otherwise, Frankfurt to Amsterdam is like 4 and 1/2 hours driving. Works out great if you end your travels there and fly home from Amsterdam... To drive from Frankfurt or Schweinfurt you are talking 5 to 5 1/2 hours to Berlin maybe more depending on traffic (several unrestricted zones though)... Schweinfurt to Rothenburg is 1hr. Rothenburg to Munchen is 2 hrs 20min taking it easy. Munchen to Garmish is 1hr. Munchen to Salzburg is 1 1/2 hrs. You can't really beat a car with a decent GPS for traveling in Germany! Get an international license from AAA for like $20 and have fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks for all the info. I know for sure we want to see Amsterdam, Berlin. We could pass on the Mercedes and Porche museums as I am not really a fan of either car maker (just a car fan in general) and my buddy is not a car guy. So by eliminating that it opens up free time. We are flying into Frankfurt as it appears to be the closest airport to my buddies camp. He is going to come up that morning and meet us, we have looked up train info and it says its a 3hr 42min ride to Amsterdam and theres a train leaving right around 1 1/2hrs after we land which should allow us enough time to get off the plane, get our backpacks and go. We did look at the castle that inspired Disney and that looks pretty cool. I found Hostels for $9 a person each night, and if they are the same as the pics shown then they aren't bad. We still have 6 months to really figure everything out before buying plane tickets, setting up reservations and getting train passes taken care of. We are planning on getting one of my friends army buddies to let us either borrow a car a few days or just go with us. They know a few Germans as well which should help with the translation stuff, and could help if they know quicker routes. I will check on flights from Frankfurt to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin Miata Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I went to Germany when I was in high school, went to Paris for a couple nights but mainly stayed in Germany. Definitely do the Porsche factory tour and Mercedes museum if you can, I went while the new museum was being built. We stayed in a small town near Ramstein AFB with some people who used to work for my parents, he was a gov't contractor. As has been said, spend some time driving around without any real destination. Obviously driving the autobahn is a big plus as well, but you get used to it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 All plans are tentative right now, so I am open to other ideas and destinations in or around Germany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 We did look at the castle that inspired Disney and that looks pretty cool. I found Hostels for $9 a person each night, and if they are the same as the pics shown then they aren't bad. We still have 6 months to really figure everything out before buying plane tickets, setting up reservations and getting train passes taken care of. This is correct. Went with my family. Dad picked up his 5-series in Munchen, we broke it in on a trip to Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Linz, and back to Munchen. It was awesome. If you're going to travel to Prague, I think you should also visit Austria. IMO its one of the best places to visit in Europe. Budapest was really cool too but I wish I'd gone to Prague instead :fuuuu: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Cool, I was thinking about starting a thread about Germany since I'll be going there in 2 weeks. We're staying around Munich so now I know to check out Salzburg. Want to check out BMW in Munich, Hofbrauhaus, Rathaus glockenspiel, and Dachau. Definitely stopping in Ingolstadt and checking out the Audi factory on the way to Berlin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jizzle Juice Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I lived in Wales for about 3 months after i graduated. Fun times over seas, the women LOVE american accents. Went to London, prague and bathe. It rained alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got-Boost? Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) Thanks for all the info. I know for sure we want to see Amsterdam, Berlin. We could pass on the Mercedes and Porche museums as I am not really a fan of either car maker (just a car fan in general) and my buddy is not a car guy. So by eliminating that it opens up free time. We are flying into Frankfurt as it appears to be the closest airport to my buddies camp. He is going to come up that morning and meet us, we have looked up train info and it says its a 3hr 42min ride to Amsterdam and theres a train leaving right around 1 1/2hrs after we land which should allow us enough time to get off the plane, get our backpacks and go. We did look at the castle that inspired Disney and that looks pretty cool. I found Hostels for $9 a person each night, and if they are the same as the pics shown then they aren't bad. We still have 6 months to really figure everything out before buying plane tickets, setting up reservations and getting train passes taken care of. We are planning on getting one of my friends army buddies to let us either borrow a car a few days or just go with us. They know a few Germans as well which should help with the translation stuff, and could help if they know quicker routes. I will check on flights from Frankfurt to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to the US. I would def. go to the Mercedes Factory/Museum, they have a new museum that is VERY nice. The Porsche is also neat and brand new so I would go to both if you can. In the past it has been tough to get tours at Porsche but maybe that has changed recently. As far as Amsterdam/Berlin they are both worth the trip just wasn't sure what kind of traveler you are. If you are okay with sleeping on the train you will be fine. Just sucks to essentially kill a day EACH up/back for both places just traveling... Also, I don't know what kind of traveler you and your wife are but I would say you will NOT like the Hostels. They are cheap for a reason. You don't have anything but a bed in a lot of them and no joint bathroom. So depending when you are up and getting ready you have to wait to use the community shower/bath in the hall. A couple guys traveling not a big deal but woman typically don't go for the bare minimum rooms. Not to mention three people at $9 a person, you can stay at a family owned zimmer with the full goodies AND breakfast for a few bucks more ($40+ total). It all depends on the experience you want though... Edited August 1, 2011 by Got-Busa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I was just over in Europe about 8 weeks ago, wife and I went over for a month. Visited Ireland, Germany and Italy. In Germany, you will LOVE the autobahn. I wish to God we had a road system like that over in the US but 98% of our drivers could never do it as they dont pay attention enough. Far as places, the Nurbergring is a BLAST to visit! We took a tour ( they do have english tours so they say but when we went, it just meant they gave me a english handout and the tour guide spoke in German, my wife translated for me ) and got to go see all sorts of stuff on the track. Then even though I had never done anything like that before, I did two laps around the old circuit in my rental, Audi A4 and although I was by far the slowest, it was still a very fun experience. First lap was 14 mins 36 seconds and second lap was 14 mins 2 seconds. I highly recommend it Paddock Entrance http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/sogwap55/Pic3.jpg On top of the control tower http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/sogwap55/Pic1.jpg Track security car "drools" http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/sogwap55/Pic2.jpg The fairy castles were very cool too. We spent a day visiting them both. When you go, I highly recommend you spend the couple euro and take the bus up to it. You still will have to walk a bit but that 1.2 mile hike doesnt look far until you see how STEEP it is. And make sure to go out on the rope walkway that gives a perfect view of the Nueschwistz castle ( sure I butchered the spelling ) http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/sogwap55/Pic4.jpg And other thing I recommend, if you can, just take a drive thru the Austrian Alps. We spent an afternoon just driving around in them, some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen. http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/sogwap55/Pic5.jpg Add me on facebook ( Brian Franchi ) if you want to see more pics, there is an asston loaded under different albums for each country we visited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyBuiltRacing Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks Brian I will add you. Again I appriciate all the info. It does suck that a day or 2 will be spent just on train traveling, but we kinda left 2 days open just for the fact that we knew there would be time wasted on the train. I really wish we could visit for say 2 weeks but my school schedule just doesn't allow for that. I figure what we don't get done this trip, we can always see on the next one, because I am sure there will be another trip over there after this one. What are some things to be alert about, such as "don't drink the water", "don't go to this part of town" ect...i am just leary of traveling over seas because you are in their territory and are the outsider. What are some good foods to eat and what are some foods to avoid? Any/all links possible to places to stay and trains would be highly appriciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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