Would it be odd to go on a family holiday to Germany? I have never been and I would like to go ...

[bibbitybobbityhat]

And I am aware it is a big country so recommendations for places to visit would be very welcome ...

Yes, they are all freaks over there.

There are some beautiful places in Germany.

A couple of years ago we went to the Eifel region, and stayed in Centre Parks Heilbachsee. It's a very pretty area for walking, even in January when we went, with beautiful volcanic lakes.

why would it be odd? i recommend teh baltic coast, great beaches and they have great little bench/hut things that you can hire.

hamberg, berlin are great cities.

bavaria is v. pretty

dh really want to go to the black forest but i don't for some reason - possibly due to gateaux related isshoos

Odd? Well, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met anyone who has been on holiday to Germany. France, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isles of Scilly, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Egypt, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Austria, Denmark, Russia, Czech Republic, Italy, Andorra, Belgium, Sicily, Crete, Corsica, Canary Islands, Balearics, South Africa - Yes. But Germany? No.

what is the weather like on the baltic coast? I got all excited about it then DH said it would be cold. I was assuming similar to East Anglia?

btw we both dislike hot sunshine, but don't really enjoy icy winds blowing sand about either. Temperate climates are perfect.

and is it child-friendly for rather picky vegetarian children? ie adults can generally find something they'll eat, but will DCs have to live on bread for a week?

weather was fine, it can get hotish in summer but it can rain i suppose.

i was vegetarian and don't remember being particularily deprived.

i've been to germany, the black forest. it was lovely. we are thinking of going to ardeche (or is it ardennes? some pate place anyway) in belgium in january.

I've lived in Berlin for 18 years and one of our favourite holiday places in Germany is the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast. It used to be in the East (a small part of the island is actually in Poland) and has since been beautifully renovated with some wonderful 19th century holiday flats built for tourists 120 years ago. But the sand on the beaches is the most gorgeous I've ever seen. It's very relaxing.

If your dh is a nerdy engineer type you can visit the museum where the v2 bombs were built (I know, contain your excitement...).

The one disadvantage you might encounter is that there are virtually no English tourists, so nothing is translated and not everyone speaks English.

If you want something a bit more 'traditionally German' and user friendly, then you can't beat Bavaria and Neuschwanstein.

Berlin is great for a weekend break but it's not really suited to a family holiday if you don't speak the language.

Isn't there a playmobil park over there somewhere too? Great for younger ones I would have thought!
Germany is definately on our 'to do' list. Both DH & I travelled around Germany on school trips in the 80's and had a fantastic time! My favourite area was Bodensee...

I would think it odd to go on a family holiday to germany unless you had friends or family there.

My sister went on homeymoon there. I was like this , not knowing if she was joking

usedom looks lovely!

I love Germany - lived there and au paired there.

Depends how old your kids are but my parents took us when I was about 12, my sisters were 9 and 7. We had a great time.

The Rhine castles are fabulous - or the whole Bavaria/Neuschwannstein mountains and castles thing is great. I love Munich and there is a super Science Museum there which I remember being fascinated by as a kid - even though I spoke not a owrd of German back then.

The North Sea islands are reputedly lovely - Sylt and the like - though I haven't been.

Berlin is awesome - you'd need to pick and choose what you looked at - and again depends on the age of the kids. The Musuem at Checkpoint CHarlie, the new(ish) Jewish Museum are superb - and I defy anyone of any age not to be overawed by the Pergamon Museum.

We'll be going when the girls are old enough. Enjoy!

Munster is lovely. I'd go to Germany on holiday.

I spent all my childhood holidays in Germany. I loved it, fantastic scenery and loads to do, we nearly always went to the area around the black forest.
Looking forward to taking DC there in the future

what is so great about teh black forest?

Dreadful place, awful for family holiday, there are no volcanos to swim in, it never gets up to 30 degrees, the accomodation is not cheap, you'll hate it, just make sure that when you get off the ferry you go in the direction of France instead.

We went last summer and had a terrible time and are never going back (hides Norfolk line ticket booked for August and nudges DD in the ribs so she can't tell how I'm making her learn German)

I see, Wynken. So where exactly was this terrible part of Germany you went to? Just so I can make sure I never go there of course ...

go to bavaria gods country imo

I am worried about the sweet wine [shallow] and men in leather shorts.

Nice lakes South of Munich

Its as odd as going to England on holiday

I love Germany and think so many of the stereotypes are OTT. I lived there for a year (in Cologne, great city, beautiful cathedral, lots to do - they have a chocolate factory that the kids will love and a little train that you can hop on to take you round some of the sights, boat trips on the Rhein.... highly recommend it) I have also been to several other areas. Bavaria and Berlin are well worth a visit. The Isle of Rugen in the North is lovely too. The Christmas markets in Cologne are great if you go around this time of year. Eating out not too expensive, very clean place, affordable & reliable public transport too.

Oh I'm getting homesick for Germany now. Can't afford to go on holiday though this year, otherwise I'd be there like a shot.

Rhotenburg is a really lovely walled in city and very child friendly. There are lots of cute little towns along the Romantische strasse if you'd like something quite touristy and traditionally German. I love Germany. There are some lovely little villiages and towns in southwest Germany. My best friend is German. I have found the western part to be nicer than the eastern part - don't know why. I speak German and can understand those in the western part better, too.

Also would recommend going to the Alps in Austria.

Total bliss.

Where Belgo went, Eifel, the Nurburgring is there. But my Mum (who is German) has banned me from telling people so my mouth is firmly closed

One downside that DD found was not being able to speak the language, there really are very few English tourists, we saw about 4 uk reg plates the whole time. I'd kind of expected her to be able to find a way to communicate with the german children who were staying at the farm but she was really self concious and didn't. DS who is a few years younger than her (6) was far more chilled out and didn't give a monkeys as he was much too busy doing all the stuff on the farm we were staying.