Where's nice in Germany?

[sparkybabe]

Have been to Germany several times. I would like to take my 2 dses (13 and 15) over in the easter hols, as they are both doing german at school.

Been to Berlin, Cologne, Nuremberg, Detmold, Trier ... where can we go that is nice, easy to get to from Gatwick, preferably with something for teenage boys to do? (not nightclubs!)

Definitely Munich and Bavaria. Munich is one of my favourite cities ever.There;s lots to do there,and it's beautiful,clean and safe. A lovely city to walk around in.
I didn't have any problems navigating it,or speaking to the locals,and I'm far from being fluent in German.

lovechoc, I think you're right. So many Brits don't think of Germany as a 'normal' place to go, even ones who'd drive to France for example. Not sure if it's still a legacy of the war years. An English friend (as opposed to me who is Scottish!!)who moved to Munich a year or so back said to me 'People just don't go to Germany', in a bemused way. She was terribly grateful/surprised that I schlepped all the way there, I think.

CK, I don't know Hamburg, never been beyond the Hbf, but several people I know love it too. My ds1 went there a year or so ago, and praised it very highly. Happy to see a native speaker makes the same point as me above over lingo in south. I was wondering if I'm out of touch and biased.

My personal view of Berlin is that some of its Wall stuff is a bit tacky now, but deffo worth a visit.

Some of the smaller cities are grand IMO. We even visited Mannheim because my ds3 the budding maths geek wanted to see the unique grid system. Do a Wiki search. It's fascinating.

I love Germany. I want to leave DH and live in Germany again. He won't come with me :-( and doesn't 'get' abroad.

I love Germany. Live on the border with France and Luxembourg, on the French side, and Saarland and the Mosel valley are beautiful and accessible travel wise (ryanair to frankfurt hahn).

Oops see you've already been to Trier...

lovechoc I am outing myself here as a true Fischkopp, never having been to Munich (I know, I know), but if I ever went I wouldn't expect any trouble with the signs as written German should be the same everywhere?!?

Munich, masses to do. Swimming in pools and lakes, mountains, climbing walls, Olympia Park, BMW museum, science museum. It's fabulous!

nickelbarapasaurus!

Wow - i was almost expecting this to languish in the 'unanswered messages' bit!

So Munich and the south- i have been to munich and loved it. Never had a problem with the lingo (have rusty german) but ok, if it's going to confuse the GCSE student (exams straight after Easter, i don't want to throw in some coloquialisms!) maybe another time.

Never been to Hamburg, I have this impression of it being a bit industrial. I have a friend who lived there for 12 years, so will ask him.

Rugens Insel - I heard about that, North Sea i think? I think i've been told that they don't speak a lot of English there,which would be ideal - I do find that I try out my German and get answered in English .

I think a concentraition camp would be a good idea, they are old enough to take it in and relate it to their lives. Is there one in that area (Rugens, Hamburg?) I guess I should Google. I took ds2 to berlin for 2010 xmas markets, and we did the Checkpoint Charlie/Wall/Holocaust museum then. Moving, and useful for his history GCSE, brings it to life somewhat.

Also,I do find Germany not easy to gettoo, unlike say France or Spain. I live near Gatwick and the only airlines that fly there are Air Berlin and Lufthansa - unless you go Ryanair to Frankfurt, or Easyjet to Berlin. That's about it.

Easyjet goes to Munich. My friends take it back to the UK all the time.

Would you consider not flying then? if you are near London, you could get train to Harwich at teatime for night boat, be in NW germany by early afternoon after sleep on boat. Trains very good in northern Europe, Holland and Germany. Stenaline website for ferry & train deals. Just a thought. And, my impression is that flying to Germany qu expensive, so boat/train might not be dearer esp with no car.

Re camps in north, i think Belsen is your best bet. it's near the town of Celle, is on the Lueneberg Heath. I'm having a blank re name of other town nearby. So a bit westerly from Hamburg. I'm sure you could google to find a website for the memorial. Your nearest biggish place would be Bremen, i think, or Hanover. No idea if you can fly to Hanover??

I'd love to visit Ruegen and other Baltic islands. I think they are quite pricey, but maybe at Easter less so. I'd expect the sea would eb pretty parky though :-). There some pretty towns up that way, off the coast but close enough to travel, eg Greifswald.

Oo, I want, I want. I am waiting for hosp appt and can't book anything just now. This thread has got my Wanderlust whetted big time.

You can fly to Hamburg from Gatwick with EasyJet - we live in Hamburg and take that flight sometimes.

Hamburg is a really green city, I think, with a fantastic harbour, more bridges than Amsterdam or Venice (yes, really!), and two beautiful lakes. Easy to get around on bikes or with the underground system. The weather in March/April won't be hot, but there's a chance it won't be awful. This year was quite nice in April, as far as I can remember ... it's always too hot when you're nine months pregnant

There is also a concentration camp just outside the city, called Neuengamme, although I've never been. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuengamme_concentration_camp
Belsen, the camp Baskets is talking about, is just outside Bergen, near Celle. It's about an hour's easy drive south of Hamburg.

And the language here is indeed much easier to understand than down in the south! I really struggle with the dialects from anywhere south of Hannover ...

Rügen is in the Baltic Sea off the northern coast and is really lovely. We went last November (it rained pretty much the whole time), but still liked it a lot. Beautiful cliff walks (but make adventurous teenage boys stick to the paths - can be dangerous).

Having said all that, I'm desperate to go to Bavaria and Munich now! Everyone's descriptions make it sound lovely :)

"Would you consider not flying then? if you are near London, you could get train to Harwich at teatime for night boat, be in NW germany by early afternoon after sleep on boat. Trains very good in northern Europe, Holland and Germany. Stenaline website for ferry & train deals. Just a thought. And, my impression is that flying to Germany qu expensive, so boat/train might not be dearer esp with no car."

Basket - I would never consider taking the ferry if it weren't for the need to bring a car over, it's just too much hassle (but then we live so far over to the East in Berlin - it's much quicker if you live in Düsseldorf or somewhere way west). Flying is generally cheaper (assuming you're going Air Berlin or EasyJet) and always quicker and more convenient. We're doing the drive over to Hoek next week and I'm dreading it.

sparky, Rügen and Usedom are on the Baltic Sea, not the North Sea.
Both islands ARE reasonably expensive because they rely on the fairly wealthy Berlin trade, but we often go at Easter and manage to rent a beautifully renovated self-catering apartment, 2-bed plus living room and kitchen, for 100 euros per night (and then save money by not eating out). I often find the redone flats in the former East are of a better standard than those in Bavaria, because it's all been renovated within the last 20 years. Yes, the sea at Easter is so parky we don't swim at all, but you can paddle. You rent one of those basket-like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=www.strandkorb-sued.de/abb/anfang.jpg&imgrefurl=www.strandkorb-sued.de/&h=343&w=500&sz=44&tbnid=qWG-fRRQ3MzegM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=131&prev=/search%3Fq%3DStrandkorb%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=Strandkorb&usg=__6Dgm_bAvUT4hbo7ZwwbCOyEVaek=&docid=3_B2NBMU6-RQNM&sa=X&ei=itoBUPm1C8WAhQey6dj3Bw&ved=0CKEBEPUBMAk&dur=509" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Strandkorb things to keep out the wind, and then turn it towards the sun and soak up the heat. It's wonderful when you're just coming out of a tough winter. And it's true that fewer people there speak English, which would force you to speak German.

The best way of getting to Rügen/Usedom/Hiddensee is by flying to Berlin and then taking the train up to the coast.

"I think a concentraition camp would be a good idea, they are old enough to take it in and relate it to their lives. Is there one in that area"
There's a small and not terribly famous women's camp in the Mecklenburg lake district called Ravensbrück - between Rügen and Berlin. There's also a camp just outside Berlin called Sachsenhausen, which is also interesting because it was used from 1945-1950 by the Russians to imprison its own political enemies - from one dictatorship to another, as it were. When I first visited in 1992 there was no mention of the Russian captivity because the documentation was still influenced by the Soviets, but it's all been redone now in a slightly more even-handed way.

I hope your DSs will be able to cope - I can't go to camps any more, it upsets me too much. My DDs are 13 and 10 and I haven't taken them yet, and won't for a while, but it's a compulsory part of German education that all teenagers visit at least one camp.

We go on our family summer holiday to Germany every year. We go to a different part every year and there's so much variety. Cities with lots of culture and history, mountains, lakes,beaches,forests. Excellent and easy transport, good food and best of all no crowds of British tourists.

I would echo all the recommendations for Munich. Also, hiring a strand korb on the beach. Another very beautiful car free island with clean sandy beaches is Baltrum.

The erzgebirge mountains in East Germany are very beautiful, especially in winter when you can ski. Visit the wooden toy making town of Seiffen which is like a fairy tale.

We go by train. Eurostar to brussels, then Cologne. Just as quick as flying and much more relaxed, and you get to see the scenery.

Hello everyone, I am long-time reader and follower, about the last 2 years, and THIS thread has actually inspired me to join.

I live in Hamburg and know quite a few places and regions in Germany, but I do travel on a regular basis to the UK, as I do love it there so much. So, this is the first time I come across some questions in regards to travelling to my country, and I would like to recommend visiting Hamburg.

They say it is the most "British German city". In fact it is the city with the most bridges in the world, this is also a Trivial Pursuit question, one of the greenest cities in Germany, if not THE greenest. It is not industrial at all, this is a port/harbour city, with the second largest harbour in Europe and one of the most important throughout the world.
Hamburg and Bremen were the major ports between Europe, North America, and South America.

Lots of parks, museums, concerts, festivals, a great (also world-famous) zoo. And we are very close to great cities and towns on the North and the Baltic sea, and only 1 1/2 hours to Berlin and less than 4 hours to Copenhagen, Denmark.
The language/dialect is great for pupils. The National news are broadcasted from here. Lots of up-scale neighbourhoods, as well as trendy ones, left-wing alternative, very green and organic focused, politically more left-wing, very tolerant and open-minded.

So much to do and so much to see. Not as out there like Munich, for example, cause Hamburg and its citizens are known for their understatement, love of tennis, sailing, hockey, fencing, polo, racecourses and grounds for horses, rowing, and Barbour jackets lol.

So, I'd say go and give Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein plus Bremen a try :-)

Don't forget Switzerland if you want a change.

If you want to speak German there is also Austria. You can fly to Salzburg from Gatwick. Beautiful city, lots to do, great food too. Have fun.

I would second Switzerland and Austria, for their beauty and wealth of history and culture.

I would recommend Rugen Island strongly! Very nice around Easter, sandy beaches with little fisher villages...they do speak English but are reluctant to do so (as they are shy about making mistakes in English). I was born there (east german times tho and lots of many has been pumped into that area to refurbish and redevelop the county). Lots of museums and things to do there too

Rügen is really great, so is as mentioned before the lake-district part of Mechlenburg-Vorpommern, The Mecklenburger Seenplatte, and worth to visit their cities Schwerin, Rostock, and Wismar.
Also, because it is the former DDR, or East Germany, and yet very similar and almost undistinguishable from Schleswig-Holstein, and Bremen, it makes a nice way of learning about history, geography and politics hands-on.
Cause their way of speaking German, their manners and typical food dishes are very similar to those other towns and places mentioned above.

Most Germans travel here up North for their holidays, should they chose not to go to some other country.
And Hamburg has constantly the most German tourists as well.

Think of Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, many parts of Ireland...

Think of thatched cottages, tearooms, coast, lighthouses, beaches, sand dunes, sheep, sea food, and, and, and........plus all the museums, festivals, family events, and lots of other fun....and no Bavarian rumtumtum unless you like it, we are the land of the Shanty choirs here.....but I'll shut up and say no more.

While Hamburg is nice, it is nowhere near as nice as Bremen.

I would second the suggestion somebody made re. going on a biking holiday, especially if you stay in the North where it is nice and flat! You can buy special maps with long distance cycle paths. Great fun!

Welcome worldcitizen - I'm honoured that you chose my thread to dive in!

So it's likely to be Hamburg either for the xmas markets or for Easter, ...or maybe Rugens for Easter, so Munich?

Either way, it's clear that Germany is very neglected by holidaymakers in the UK - easyjet do fly gatwick-Hamburg and -Munich, my mistake.

Interesting to hear of a concentration camp near Celle - i used to live there (dad in the Army base there) and never knew that! (I was under 10 at the time tho) Also my mum was born in Mecklenberg (Rostock I think) so a trip there might be interesting.

Baskets45 - you obviously love Germany !

Thanks for the welcome.

Bremen is nice and beautiful, but of course cannot hold a candle to the much larger and more cosmopolitan Hamburg...I would put a smiley face in here, but not sure how to do that, yet.
Both towns would also have something to offer, in case there is an interest in football, so go and visit Werder Bremen and HSV (both Champions league teams) even though I am a FC. St.Pauli fan lol.

Sparkybabe, as much as the North is great, I would NOT recommend coming here during X-mas. The weather is shite, excuse my language, we do not have reliable winters as in reliably snowy plus blue sky and sun...eh no, more dark, grey, cloudy, muddy, maybe snow or maybe not, all sort of wet and cold-wet, and that's the time when most German holidaymakers flock down to the South, mostly Austria and Bavaria, places such as Garmisch-Patenkirchen and Berchtesgaden etc.
Of course, the coastal parts then also could have quite rough weather and lots of places and venues would be closed down and many ferry services might be shut down partially or completely for some time, depending on the weather (storm) circumstances.
Also, due to the majority being Catholic down there in Bavaria and Austria, the X-mas time is more festive and it is great to enjoy all their food which is rich and truly warms you up.

Easter and spring holidays are great up North, I would recommend to compare it with German school holiday season and see, if you could arrive or leave a day or two later, that would save trip costs.

Ah, but Bremen can hold a whole candelabra to Hamburg!

Yeah, actually when I come to think about it...it is an entire candle wholesale....hahahaha

Ooh, I spent my year abroad in Saarbrücken in the Saarland. It's not got the most going for it though there's some beautiful scenery.

I think when our boys are a little older (currently 2 and 5) a rail holiday around Germany would be a great thing to do. I'm currently really wishing we could go right now though...