to be surprised that so few British people would consider Germany a good holiday destination?

[emkana]

We've just come back from Bavaria and it was amazing. Lakes, the Alps, beautiful houses, good food, lots of culture, historic sites...

I highly recommend it!

I imagine there are parts of Scotland equally beautiful.

If you like chilling out on a beach with an umbrella in your drink, German just doesn't sound like the sort of place you'd like. And plenty of people do like sun and sand.

germany is absolutely good and fine. Just wouldn't pick it for my holiday.

I wen tto Germany to visit my penpal once and spent Silvester there. It was fun

I prefer lakes and streams - no sand in my pants

I would like to visit again - been twice

nkf, that's where the stereotype is wrong though!
there are loads of places, within 20 minutes drive of our house, where we can go and lie in the sun with a drink all day, by the water. Probably on mown grass, though, not sand.
eg
-at the open air swimming pool
-at the Therme (hot baths, fantastic different pools in and out, sauna, massage etc)
-at our favourite bathing lake, surrounded by mountains.
-at our other favourite bathing lake, with a cafe and baby splash pool
-on the pebble beach in the grotto by the stream near our house, where we can also barbecue and swim in the pool under the waterfall

comparison with scotland is interesting. It is different - mountains are higher and more dramatic, and the clouds are higher, not brushing the tops of the mountains so much. More flowers, and def more sun. Nothing conjures up the feel of a scottish holiday for me, as much as gentle drizzle in my face!

I can totally believe that German is beautiful. But, as you say, people imagine (erroneously) that it is a certain way.

Germany. Gah. Can't type today.

We went to Germany last year for our holiday in September and loved it. Definately be going back there. Munich is such a beautiful city steeped with so much history. We plan to go back soon.
Munich very close to Austrian border so we also popped into Salzburg too. Stunning, absoulutely stunning.
YANBU, it's a lovely country and I also cannot fathom why people can be so narrowminded and always choose the most obvious of destinations when the world is your oyster with much more to see than costa del sol.

Don't tell everyone about Germany!!! The prices will go up!!! It's our secret - we go every year. Most child-friendly country I know.

if you get the chance try the goulash soup in Austria, it's to die for, honestly.

As for Neuschwanstein, it was amazing to see from the outside, great to have your picture taken next to, but the inside was an anti-climax (Sorry). We waited a while to get in to see inside and when we did the tour was over within 10 mins. Amazing to see though from the outside, just like a fairytale.

Also worth visiting is the Englisch Garten. HUGE park, great for the kids to play in. It stretches for miles.

Anyone with three or more children is described as 'Kinderreich' - rich with children. (A far cry from Britain, where we apparently collectively distrust them, and avoid them, and corral them into hellish ball pit play areas, whilst attempting to flog them bras and lipsticks from the age of five, and so on).

BoffinMum, nice to meet someone else who can see more than sea and sand for a holiday destination! Germany is just amazing, can't really fault the people and ofcourse the food, and the public transport! argh, it's so efficient!!!! they could teach the UK a thing or two about how great public transport is when it's affordable to the masses.
sorry I must have a deep seated love affair with Germany...

I thought Neuschwanstein was beautiful inside too. It was never finished because the king died but what's there is beautiful.

Our tour lasted some time, perhaps it depends on the tour guide.

I'm jealous that you got to see Salzburg.

Was Oktoberfest on while you were there?

thunderduck, my DH was gutted that we just missed Oktoberfest (by a few days!) but he is planning to go with a few friends either next year or the year after (it's his kind of thing).

You must see Salzburg, where parts of sound of music was filmed (it's easy to get to by bus from the train station). Aww, it's just beautiful...

I may try to get to see Salzburg, and back to Munich this year.

You should go to Oktoberfest. I don't drink and hate parties but I absolutely loved Oktoberfest,particuarly meeting new people of various nationalities. It's very family friendly too if you choose the right tents.

I'd love to live in Munich. I'm obsessed with it. It's a wonderful place to raise a family and as you said the public transport is excellent.
I was particuarly impressed by how disability friendly the transport was. That every U-bahn station seemed to have a lift, an escalator, stairs and a ramp leading down to the underground so that it was accessible to all.

yes, the U Bahn was the way forward, infact not just that, we actually made good use of the family ticket and used all modes of public transport. agree with you there, there was a lift everywhere. we had the pushchair, so were glad of the lift! can't fault them with anything in Munich. I was told my someone there that it is one of the safest cities in Europe.

especially at night.

I found the U-Bahn confusing at first but I had the 3 day pass so could just hop and off the trains easily if I got on the wrong side, as I did a few times.

I loved just being able to run for a train and hop on, and not having to worry about barriers or showing a ticket.

The underground trains were lovely, proper trains, not the small side facing carriages we have in Glasgow, and so clean.

Everyone was lovely, even the police were lovely and it cracked me up to see them going on the rides at the Wiesn.

It is an expensive place to live but I think it'd be worth it. It's so safe as you say, and I felt incredibly safe when walking back to the camping ground in near darkness.

It's a very wealthy city and it shows. Designer shops everywhere. Just about every car I saw looked expensive and new. Even their taxis are Mercs.

I loved the food too.

I had a bit of wierd time in bavaria - we chose to go there during the solar eclipse (can't even remember when that was) you know the year where Cornwall thought it would sink under the weight of people flocking there to view it but it just ended up a cloudy damp squib. Well we stayed in a wooden lodge and there was hardly anyone there except the hippie owner who'd stuffed it full with African masks and statues.

We spent a lot of time giggling because it was very twee and all the Gros Gott got to us slightly. But it was beautiful and the eclipse was amazing viewed from a beer garden with a stein in hand.

I've been to a wedding there near Austria and I always come back feeling slightly inferior. It all seems so civilised and organised and efficient - from recycling, to housing, to transport, to schooling, to campsites etc... The kids all look well dressed and confident and I felt very shabby coming back to scruffy England and always wonder why a lot of the UK has such a superiority complex!

I've also been to grittier places like Berlin and Bremen - again that just seemed streets ahead in terms of young people getting things together and the arts. Stayed in some great co-operative housing and flats - people seemed politically sussed.

I guess a lot of people might find all that dull and just want a beach and a burger.

That sounds lovely actually Glasjam. Which part of Bavaria did you visit?

We spent a weekend in Nuremburg ( not sure of spelling!) before the children decsended on us and we had a blast.

I must confess to being half German. But I would go there on holiday anyway because it seems to have everything.

Bavaria does have the sea/sand equivalent in its mountain lakes, which vary in temperature and facilities. Tbh the Germans will swim in anything, and it doesn't take much of an excuse. But places like Murnau are great because they have special lawns by the lake you pay a couple of euros to use, and then you have access to changing rooms, loos, refreshments, shady trees if desired (the Germans are obsessive about shady trees), sandpits for the little ones, machines to blow up your lilos, and fixed wooden rafts in the water you can swim out to and sunbathe on. It's a lot more comfortable than the seaside.

The weather can be incredibly hot - you are very near Italy and could more or less go to Venice for a day trip - but being mountainous it does rain sometimes, so you always have to have a plan B for entertaining offspring. Places like Alpamare in Bad Toelz are great for this, as it is an indoor swimming paradise a bit like a tiny, very tasteful and upmarket Center Parcs. It even has family spa facilities you can take children into as long as they are quiet, and iodine-rich water that makes your skin go all soft and lovely.

www.alpamare.de

Emkana - where did you stay, or did you stay with family?
I've been chatting to dh about going to Germany for a holiday at some point in the next couple of years, to give the boys chance to practise their language. But he's distinctly unimpressed by the proposition.

I lived in Germany for about 8 years. Next to the US it is the country I would most like to live in, love it there.

My only concerns would be the school system, which I have heard is somewhat rigid and I have a ds with ASD so not sure what provisions are made for special needs.

We went to the Eiffel area of Germany last year in January. Just three hours drove from where I live. It was stunning, beautiful little white houses against dark evergreen forests. We walked around some very pretty volcanic lakes, some of which were iced over. Good bakeries too.