Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Prague: 2000
Please share any ways we can improve or fix this guidebook. Are there recommendations in this book that disappointed you? Do you have any new experiences or new places we should consider? Any warnings or tips? Here's what you thought in 2000:
We used Rick's book on a driving trip through Germany last year. His
book is the best! My only complaint is the lack of help for those of us
who choose to drive. Each section has wealth of information for train
travelers, but very little information for travels by car.
Alisa
Longview, TX USA 12/29/00
I have a great "Back-Door" type place for anyone visiting Munich: the
Hotel Strobl in Baierbrunn, which is a 30-min. subway ride from central
Munich. Baierbrunn is a sleepy but charming little town. We were the only
Americans staying at the hotel. It seemed quite popular with the locals.
The hotel is very clean and quiet with nice rooms. A great breakfast is
included in the rate along with a free minibar! (See http://www.munich-info.de/hotel-strobl/)
Satish
Phoenix, AZ USA 12/29/00
As avid RS followers, we believe we have found a quiet gem of a retreat,
which we highly recommend. Just 1 hour from Salzburg, this peaceful B&B
is in a small quaint village, offering green pastures in summer and lots
of snow in the winter! The 9-room, 300-year-old restored farmhouse has
a bilingual owner who tends to guests with care and warmth. Typical furnishings,
great food, lots to do in the surrounding areas — all for an unbelievably
low price, approx. US$20-35! I would like to see this on your list, and
would suggest you phone Mrs. Teresa at +43.6242 232. Happy travels!
morgan c.
San Diego, , CA USA 12/25/00
Before meeting our husbands for a "couples trip" through Bavaria, the Salzburg area and the Black Forest, my girlfriend and I had 8 days on our own. Since we'd been to Germany before and were not quite ready to launch into museums, we headed (on Rick's advice!) to Baden-Baden. And what a great time we had at the Roman-Irish bath. The town itself is lovely, but the baths...! I'd never had so much as a back rub and there I stood with only the locker key around my wrist... It was wonderful — even the cold water plunge.
We spent 4 days touring Buda and Pest. We stayed at the Hilton on Castle Hill — actually too up-street for us, but the location was good. Later saw the Hotel Opera on the Pest side — looks more along the "Rick-traveler" style. We walked across the bridges after realizing how relatively close the sights were.
The opera house is spectacular — saw both an opera and ballet there; tickets very reasonable. St. Matthias church on castle hill has music in the evenings; the interior surfaces are beautiful — every inch covered in Hungarian art deco designs. We found some Hungarians to be very outgoing and friendly (even though couldn't understand anything the other said!) — but for the most part the people seemed a little guarded. Gerberaud Cafe is wonderful. The huge food/shopping halls at the south end of Pest were fun. We loved the outdoor vendors along the Danube (Pest side), especially the young man who spoke wonderful English and sold the most beautiful handmade books.
We next had three days in Vienna. Yes-yes — do get standing-room tickets for the opera...and the opera house is a stone's throw from the Hotel Sacher and its wonderful desserts! Our opera tickets were so cheap — we could have spent four times what we did if we had been convinced by one of the many "Mozarts" hawking concert tickets. Schonnbrun is a must — the grounds spectacular and the maze is impossible; even with the map we had a hard (but fun) time getting to the middle.
We trained to Rothenberg to meet our husbands. Rothenberg is truly a fairytale village. But avoid (as Rick advises, but we bought them anyhow) those hard, bad-tasting schneeball pastries. But doesn't every tourist try them anyway? We spent two days in Rothenberg — seemed just the perfect amount of time.
We headed to Ulm (about an hour's train ride to Munich) next — because we couldn't find rooms in Munich during Oktoberfest. And we thought Oktoberfest was horrific — the worst of New Year's Eve, Mardi Gras, a bad frat party, Taste of Chicago, Wisconsin State Fair all rolled into one. Too many drunk teenagers, and broken glass everywhere. We spent one hour on the site before retreating to a beer garden back "downtown."
In Salzburg, we loved the Panorama Sound of Music Tour though we were on a bus of boring people — we were the only four who bought the beer the tour guide was selling and the only ones who sang. (I'm sure the boring ones are still talking about those weird loud people from Chicago.) The great thing about the tour: it got us out into the lake regions we would not have seen and we had a nice amount of time in Mondsee — wonderful photo op with the brightly colored stucco buildings. The tour guide's best tip was Augustiner Beer Hall back in Salzburg — what a great evening.
For the next part of the trip we drove. The Black Forest towns were charming, but some quite touristy as Rick says (Triberg for one). We found ourselves stuck in lots of traffic (we picked up the car in Munich) headed out of Munich because it was a holiday. That's when we really appreciated how effortless train travel is, but you really need a car to get into all those nooks and crannies of the Black Forest. Of course, when the guys found out how close we were to Baden Baden, we went back again! (Now my husband and I are planning a March trip to Ireland — are there any Roman-Irish baths there?!)
In all cities we looked for charms for our souvenir charm bracelets.
There were no charms to be had in Hungary but we made do with a Hapsburg-like
crown found in Vienna. On a previous longer trip (Rick's 21 day Europe
swing) we made charm necklaces for ourselves. By focusing on looking for
charms I find I'm not so tempted to buy lots of other heavy stuff, and
since we backpack, charms are easy to carry. Of course I did buy 2 books
from the Hungarian bookbinder, well, a few wooden boxes, some lace, paprika...ornaments
in Rothenberg...but no cuckoo clock!
Joan
USA 12/20/00
My ex-wife and I used two-week DB passes on our honeymoon in Baden-Baden, Munich and Heidelberg in 1998 (don't ask why she's now my ex, please!).
- You are right about cars being unnecessary, although we used ours
for some cool side trips.
- Baden Baden is the best way to start a honeymoon (the spas, dining).
- Heidelberg is a good base if you want to travel on the train to other
spots like the upper Rhine and Bavaria, and the downtown area is fun.
But: Lots of big American and Japanese tour groups in major hotels.
Baden-Baden: Cool and relaxing! Not having a reservation the first night we drove straight to Baden-Baden, checked out the Deutscher Kaiser, got a great room, and immediately hit the Freidrichsbad spa....what a great way to recover from an all-night flight!
Heidelberg: After a day or so we were bored with all the Texans and chain-smoking Japanese guys leering at my wife, so we traveled. We kept the room but did several one-day trips.
We found the Rhine cruise nice, but I would either drive or take the
train next time. I found the villages themselves more interesting than
the sights from the river. Another couple took the cruise north, debarked
with bikes, and took two days to head south on the west bank, carrying
all they needed with light backpacks. Great idea!
Dave Tolbert
Arlington, VA USA 12/08/00
I enjoyed reading comments from people who have traveled to Germany and the surrounding countries. My family and I have been living near Munich for about 2-1/2 months, and I want to comment on the several remarks about being treated "rudely" by Germans.
Our experience is that Germans are incredibly helpful, try their best to communicate in English and generally make an effort to help out us non-German-speakers. I can give numerous examples of complete strangers and casual acquaintances going out of their way for us.
However, coming from Seattle, we did find certain behavioral differences that would appear rude. The main example is people's assertiveness in crowds and lines. I have never been shoved and pushed aside so much in crowds as I have here. The main thing is to not take it personally and to realize that it is similiar to big cities in the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Also, we've realized in hindsight that WE have sometimes been the rude ones. My insistence on finding ice at the small hotel we stayed at when we first arrived makes me cringe now that I understand that no one here uses ice in beverages! Again, I can find numerous examples of our ignorance making the locals seem "rude."
I have traveled to several cities in Europe (business and pleasure)
and have found people to be incredibly welcoming and very tolerant of
my inability in any language except English. I think the key is to not
compare people and experiences but to rather enjoy each experience as
it comes. Appreciate the people you meet for who they are and the uniqueness
they bring to your experience in Europe.
Sheryl
Munich, DE 11/19/00
I am British living in Zurich, Switzerland, one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland. Not knowing much German isn't a problem as 90% of the people I have met speak English very well. Visitors to Switzerland shouldn't have any worries about not speaking German.
The Bahnhoffstrasse is ideal for shopping, although expensive, and many pubs around there are "English"-type pubs - Nelson, Pickwicks and Red Lion to name a few. As for touristy things to do, there are boat trips, the Landes Museum, China Gardens, Uetliberg, Poly Bahn...the list is endless.
Any time you visit is a good time, though try and coincide with one
of the street parades like Fashnacht if you like the party atmosphere.
Mark
Zurich, CH 11/16/00
On our recent trip to Rothenburg, Germany we arrived to find the Hotel Klosterstueble full. However, the manager was nice enough to find us a reservation at another hotel, and even drove us there with our luggage.
The hotel was Hotel-Garni Hornburg, run by the amicable Martin and his lovely wife Gabiele. It was the nicest and most spacious room we experienced in Germany, and the breakfast was easily the best of the entire trip. In addition, if you were thirsty after a day of sightseeing, you merely had to go to the fridge on the second floor which was nicley stocked with very good German beer, wine, and soda, all available for a very reasonable price.
We would highly recommend the Hotel-Garni Hornburg and the wonderful
and helpful people that run it. They are on the web at: www.hotelhornburg.rothenburg.de,
or e-mail them at: hotelhornburg@t-online.de
Don Wick
bend, OR USA 11/14/00
The loveliest town in Germany is Rothenburg. We stayed 4 nights there
in late September. Of course there are many tourists, but at 4 PM, when
all the tour buses go, you have the city to yourself. The first day we
stayed at the "Goldene Rose" mentioned by Rick. It was not bad, but we
moved to the nicest gasthaus in Rothenburg, Gasthaus"Am Siebersturm" (www.siebersturm.de).
We had one of the nicest rooms there with a view to the valley and the
most delicious breakfast (served by the mother of the owner) we have ever
seen. The rooms are very clean and reasonable (100DM). The food is excellent
and cheap. Oktay, the owner, speaks English very well.
Karen Graham
Tallahasse, USA 11/09/00
Thanks, Rick, for adding Prague to your Austria/Germany guidebook. We loved it! Taking a tip from you, we checked in at the AVE counter in the main rail station to find a room with a local.
The first one didn't work out — the owner never showed up; we stayed the night anyway and the hot water gave out.
The next day, back to AVE, they gave us a partial refund and physically drove us to another site.
Both were just one tram stop from the main subway interchange, and transportation was great. Both places we stayed were large rooms in someone's apartment in wonderful old buildings.
Some of the best food we had in two months in Europe was in Prague.
The Art Nouveau art and architecture were fabulous. We spent eight days
there and still didn't do all we wanted. Caution: Events aren't always
when they are posted, but don't worry, there's always something else to
do!
Susan Fitz
Portland, OR USA 11/06/00
Just completed a short trip through Austria. As usual every place we slept said, "God bless Rick Steves."
In Stein/Krems Melanie Stasny and her helpful husband said "hello." They were wonderful. They gave us a lift in their car to the train station for free (otherwise we would have had to wait 2 hrs!). One note was that if any of us had allergies it would not have been a good place to stay. It's way too friendly for European smokers — they even have ashtrays in the bathrooms.
In Vienna Pension Pertschy was quite a treat. We felt like Habsburg royalty, or at least poor relations. It's a much better deal than Pension Nossek around the corner (for just a bit more).
I disappointed my two little girls by not knowing the schedule of the Lippizaner horses. A museum worker said that the ONLY months you can guarantee that the horses are not travelling are April, May, June and Sept. (We were there in Oct).
As we live in Munich, we tend to travel around and use your books. Earlier in Oct we took a trip to Switz. In the Appenzell region, please add Gasthaus Roessli, in Bruelisau. Four of us stayed in a spotless room w/bath for 180SF. It also was very family-friendly with a great playground and trampoline for the kids.
In Murten, Switz, I wouldn't say that Hotel Murtenhof was worth the splurge. We tend to use your more expensive listings as we are travelling with small kids (& aren't students anymore).. but Hotel Murtenhof felt more like a ripoff than a splurge.
Thanks for all of the tips. You've made our life over here much more
enjoyable and educational!
Melanie McMurtry
Muenchen, Germany 11/06/00
I just returned from Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic traveling by backpack and train with a friend. What a wonderful trip in October with the fall colors.
The Hotel Klosterstruble in Rotheburg earns the rave reviews it receives on this site. Jutta is genuinely friendly and helpful, the room was gorgeous and the food was excellent. The location is central, but very quiet, on a side street.
The Gasthof Simony in Hallstatt is a jewel and was my favorite. Great dinner, breakfast, rooms, really nice folks and an atmosphere for kicking back and meeting other travelers after dinner over a few beers.
Rick also scored on the Golden Ente in Salzburg (best food — try the deer) and the Pension Neuer Markt in Vienna. The Neuer Markt looks strange at first: up a cage elevator to a set of doors that open automatically, a la James Bond, into a parlor that looks like a bordello with the screaming red carpet. But the staff was friendly, efficient and very helpful and the breakfast is great. The room was spotless — the whole place was, everyday. It is close to everything.
I was disappointed in the Hotel Kurcafe in Fussen. The room was big with filthy carpet, the food was good, but the flies were bad, and the front desk guy was consescending and indifferent. Too bad. It had a great location and the bakery had the most incredible croissants. The only semi-negative experience in almost three weeks. It was too much "hotel" for me.
My traveling companion and I got a phone card and made reservations
at all the places we stayed a day or two before and gave a credit card
number. No problems whatsoever.
Ellen
Springfield, MO USA 11/01/00
Hi Rick, a friend a I just spent almost three weeks in Europe with your book. We met a lot of "Stevies," as we called ourselves.
All of your accommodation recommendations were fantastic — the Golden Ente in Salzburg (we couldn't get the discount but did not care, the place and food were great); the Hotel Julian in Prague (very helpful); Hotel Klosterstuble in Rothenburg (really nice folks); Gasthof Simony in Hallstat(my favorite); Pension Neuer Markt in Vienna (with the wierdo James Bond automatic door and the red carpeting, it looks like a whorehouse but the staff was wonderful).
The Hotel Kurcafe in Fussen had unfriendliest fellow I ever met at the front desk. He was there the whole time and was awful to everyone, but the regular staff was great.
But our BIGGEST TIP and one I think your readers will appreciate, is about going to the opera in Vienna. We got the standing-room tickets and were in line but had no SCARVES! A very kind local lady explained it to us: The locals tie a scarf to the banister next to their standing-room spot, and leave to drink coffee and wine during the long and boring stretches and no one invades their "spot" at any time. That is why so many wear scarves to the opera. Sure enough, the doors opened and there was a rush, but we had no scarf to tie to the railing, so we were pretty much dumb tourists standing in the aisle. Coats and such are not allowed as alternatives and we did not try, and a big German lady did, but it is considered extremely rude by the locals. In fact, some of the tourists were so loud in moving around, the locals actually hissed at them as in SSSSSS! Wagner has almost a cult following in Vienna. We stood like statues and moved oh-so-quietly like mice. We ended up standing in the aisle for an hour, which was enough Wagner for us, but real opera buffs will be disappionted if they do not have the scarf to tie around the rail to get and keep their spot.
Our trip was fantastic and we met a lot of wonderful people. Your neglecting
to mention the "scarf trick" is the ONLY gripe we had with your wonderful
book.
Ellen
Springfield, MO USA 10/31/00
Our 10-day tour of Germany was mostly designed with Rick's book. Not one suggestion of yours missed the mark. THANKS!
The Goldene Ente in Salzburg was worth finding (tough to locate driving yourself).
The Kings Hotel in Munich was excellent. They also have a new (Open Oct. 1) sister hotel that is slightly less expensive, not as quaint, but VERY nice, right around the corner. It should be added to your next addition.
The Hotel Kurcafe in Fuessen was fabulous.
A couple of added "musts" to your guide: The King Ludwig musical at the theater in Fussen was absolutely the perfect way to finish the day after touring Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein.
The Gasthof Zur Sonne in Rothenberg was fabulous and very affordable. Ask for the rooms on the top floor.
The SchlossHotel Hirschhorn (in Hirschhorn, about 20km up the Neckar river from Heidelberg) was unbelievable and the food was out of this world, expecially the Chateaubriand.
Thanks also for your phrase book. I was wondering how we would ever
use the phrase "Hat jemand Gefurtz?" (did someone fart?), but as we were
riding the horse carriage up to Neuschwanstein the horse in front of us
had a terrible case of gas and when I said that, the driver almost fell
off his seat. Thanks so much for helping to make our trip so much more
enjoyable!
Jim Meyer
Arlington, TX USA 10/25/00
We spent most of June touring Central Europe by car. I think we wore out Rick's book. We are on the same wavelength and our wonderful vacation could not have been any better. I checked out the Swisspanorama each morning at work just to see what I am missing.
The Hotel Hornburg in Rothenburg (just outside the wall) was probably our favorite hotel on the trip.
Four days in the Alps based in Lauterbrunnen - what can I say, except
it was beautiful.
scott
stanhope, ia USA 10/23/00
We stayed at the Goldenen Ente in Salzburg for a Saturday night in September. We had seen the hotel and the restaurant in one of your shows and were looking forward to staying in the 600-year-old house. But, the restaurant is closed on the weekend so we never could enjoy a meal there.
The owner waited for us to come in that Saturday afternoon and she was in such a hurry to leave she just gave us our key to the room, showed us the elevator and we never saw her again. There wasn't a soul to ask any questions of.
The magic of Salzburg barely showed because it was hosting the Mozart Festival that weekend. Maybe without the crowds...
Of course we saw some of the Sound of Music sites and we really enjoyed
the tour of the salt mine at Hallein.
In Vienna we stayed at the Hotel Altstadt and Petra was a wonderful hostess.
She was one of the few people who spoke English and was helpful to us
while in Austria. We found more people who spoke English in Prague and
Budapest that in Vienna and Salzburg (ironic, right?).
Maggie
Miami, FL USA 10/15/00
We stayed at the Hotel Julian in Prague in September and are very happy to say our stay was wonderful. Eva was very professional and helpful and the hotel offers very good rooms at a moderate price. Also, the taxi rides from the airport to the hotel and to and from restaurants at night were very reasonable.
I would like to recommend the Triton restaurant on Wenceslas Square.
The dinner and the service were equal to a 5-star restaurant in the US
yet it only cost us $45 per couple and that included aperitif, appetizer,
entree, dessert and coffee. We loved Prague!
Maggie
Miami, FL USA 10/15/00
We just returned from our belated honeymoon to Europe. Thanks to Rick Steves it was a success. Here are our thoughts:
Murren, Switzerland was the best part of our trip. The views were wonderful! It wasn't expensive. The people were friendly, helpful and spoke English. The food and pastries were the best on our trip. We highly recommend eating at the Eiger. It's the first resturant you see as you leave the tram station. The food is EXCELLENT and the owner, his wife and staff are very friendly.
Munich was very nice but for us five days was too long a stay. We also found that the Germans were sometimes rude and weren't as helpful. We very much enjoyed the bus tour to the two castles. The scenery was beautiful.
We highly recommend the Gasthaus Sagerwart (behind the St. Paul's Cathedral on St. Paul Strasse) for dinner. The Heisse Lieb (Hot Love) dessert is wonderful.
We walked through the Neue Pinekotek but found after visiting the Louvre that it doesn't compare. The Deutsches Museum was overwhelming and since only some displays were translated to English, it was frustrating.
Englischer Garden offered pleasant scenery. The Marienplatz wasn't that exciting but we did enjoy the musicians who played and a couple of the churches Rick mentions.
We decided at the last minute to take a day trip to Salzburg. We didn't enjoy the Sound of Music tour. You never tour anything, only stop and view, then get back on the bus. The highlight was the luge ride. There was some nice scenery outside of town but we didn't stop so you had to take pictures from inside the bus. Mirabell Garden was very nice. Deutschmarks are accepted in Salzburg.
Great news! Since Salzburg is a border town you don't need to add Austria
to your railpass if that's the only place in Austria that you're visiting.
That saved us a lot of money and wasn't in Rick's book.
Jane Nettz
Champlin, MN USA 10/14/00
We visited Prague and Vienna in September. The shopping in Prague is so enjoyable because items are inexpensive and the merchandise generally is local and "craft-oriented" - cute wooden toys and ornaments, painted eggs, puppets, crystal/glass, etc.
We saw a Mozart/Bach concert in Prague. Don't necessarily buy concert tickets from the first flier or ticket seller you see. Shop around and find the concert that most interests you, and look for one of the more impressive churches or halls (e.g., Rudolfiniumm).
Vienna is a fabulous world-class city. Unfortunately, the Kunsthistoriches art museum was closed for 3 days while a major exhibition was being dismantled, so we missed it. We were very good about researching opening and closing hours of most places, but we missed this one, and should have checked the museum's web site before we finalized our itinerary.
Also, be aware that the Opera often has no performances on Monday evenings, so be there on another evening if you want to get standing room tickets.
Definitely see Schonbrunn Palace, the Graben and Stephansdom area, the Prunksaal library at the Hofburg, and Belvedere palace.
We highly recommend Pension Mariahilf (Fax 43-1-586-1781-22), also listed
in Rick Steves' book, as a clean hotel on an interesting and lively commercial
street, right above a U-Bahn (Metro) entrance. The owner, Dr. Ender, is
extremely polite and welcoming.
Kevin
El Cerrito, CA USA 10/11/00
My husband and I just got back from Germany & Austria. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Loved Rothenburg! Yes it is touristy, but it is a beautiful town. Walk the wall in the morning and you'll have it all to yourself.
2. Fussen, Germany: We were disappointed at how rude the staff was at Gasthof Krone. Our two-night stay was shortened to one.
3. Reutte: Thanks to our short visit in Fussen, we stayed at Pension Hehenrainer. The rooms were wonderful and our balcony looked out to the Ehrenberg Castle ruins. Couldn't have asked for more.
4. Stayed at Frau Gassner's Zimmer (on Moosstrasse) in Salzburg. It was wonderful and she was extremely helpful (speaks perfect English). Bus stop a few steps from her house goes directly into the city center.
5. Burg Eltz: If you are in the area, plan to go. It is a beautiful castle. Enjoyable tour.
6. We went on the Salzburg Panorama Tours' Sound of Music Tour. It was
absolutly wonderful, and well worth the money. The highlight of our trip.
It was 4 hours long, and it included going to Mondsee and Lake Wolfgang.
We wouldn't have gone to these places otherwise, and it was beautiful.
Be sure and ask for the tour guide Peter. His is incredibly funny, and
made the tour a great time. You won't regret taking this tour.
Amy
Oklahoma City, OK USA 10/10/00
Have read comments in this site about Rothenburg. It is touristy, but
I am wondering how many people actually take time to stay overnight? My
wife and I spent 4 nights there in May. We tended to take our rental cars
to other towns during the day, and spent the early mornings and evenings
touring Rothenburg. The tourists were generally out of town by 4PM thereby
leaving a most wonderful town almost empty. We loved it.
Ken
USA 10/09/00
1. Gasthaus Schluxen near Reutte is awesome, with beautiful scenery, nice rooms. Hermann, his sister and the rest of the staff are really friendly and hospitible. Hermann even let me check my e-mail.
2. Mike's Bike tours in Munich are a riot. The guides are knowledgeable and very entertaining. Just don't have too many beers at the beer garden and don't mention Radler!
3. The Hofbrauhaus is a fun place to hang out with other tourists and do the oompah band.
4. If you go to Oktoberfest, get to the bigger beer tents early and bring a big thirst. The only size available is "ein mass" (one liter).
5. The new ticketing system at Neuschwanstein is very helpful and limits
your standing in line, but the tours seemed even more abbreviated than
in the past. BTW, the multimedia display after the tour is pretty lame.
fred
kenmore, wa USA 10/06/00
Just got back from a trip to Prague, Budapest, and Austria.
Prague and Budapest are BEAUTIFUL! If you make it as far as Vienna, you should try to fit at least one of this cities in your itinerary. I used Lonely Planet Prague, and LP Budapest mostly, and their maps are very useful. LP Budapest just came out in August 2000.
On the night train from Prague to Budapest, the conductor did not collect the passports. We were waken up FOUR times that night for passport control: leaving Czech Rep., entering Slovakia, leaving Slovakia, and entering Hungary! What a painful experience.
In Budapest, I stayed at Baross Panzio. It is right by the main train station (Keleti), and it is newly renovated. Check out the web site at www.budapestpensions.hu. It's a bit expensive by Budapest standard, but everything is so new and the breakfast has so many selections! Best place we stayed.
On the Budapest Subway, staff check your subway tickets. Some types of ticket do not allow transfers. You have to use a new ticket when changing train or bus. It should not be a problem, since the cost is so cheap. We bought the ten-ticket pack and used one ticket every time we got on a subway or bus.
Zell am See is worth visiting — I like it better than Hallstatt. The bus ride to Grossglockner is a thrill. We also took the steam engine train to Krimml. It is supposed to be the oldest steam engine in Europe. It runs only on Sunday in the summer season.
Werfen is also a worthy side trip from Salzburg. The walk up to the ice cave gives you a very good view. The falcon show in the castle is also very interesting.
Hallstatt is nice, but not as good as I expected. Maybe I read too much from Rick Steves. It is still worth going. A very nice town, and that train and boat connection is cute. But a day trip is all you need.
Salzburg does not even compare to Prague or Budapest. It's a big tourist trap. The only memorable moment was the Marionette Theatre.
Did the Danube cruise from Melk to Krems. The Melk abbey should be a MUST SEE! It was so grand when it first came into view while the train was approaching Melk. They have two boat docks in Melk. The scheduled cruise leaves from the "canal." We went to the wrong pier and wasted about half an hour. The ticket office is not open all the time, at least not while we were there. Store your luggage at the train if you plan to visit the town first.
We did not spend enough time in Vienna. Would recommend getting the 24-hour transit pass. The bus/subway system is so good, and with the pass, you can hop on and off at any bus/tram/train station. Call or e-mail ahead to get the Vienna city map. It has useful bus routes on it.
It's interesting that a lot of visitors on this site claim that they
follow Rick's book for the entire trip. Shouldn't travelling be exploring,
rather then following others' steps? See the world through your own eyes,
not Rick's or anyone else's. Happy travelling.
Derek
Ottawa, ON Canada 10/05/00
We just returned from a driving tour mostly in Germany and Austria. We relied heavily on Rick's book and we have few if any complaints. We did typical touristy things like Neuschwanstein, Hohenscwangau and Rothenburg and enjoyed them all. But we may have enjoyed even more some of Rick's more obscure recommendations.
Do not miss the church at Wies, Germany if you are anywhere near it. I've been to Versailles and many other beautiful places, but the interior of this church affected me like no other. Amazing!
Appenzel, Switzerland is a cute town in a lovely setting. We especially enjoyed the trip up to Ebelnalp and the hike to the hotel that's built into the mountain. What Rick didn't say is that the restaurant has the best hashbrowns any of us have ever eaten. Get them with Appenzeller cheese mixed in for a special treat.
As others have mentioned, Alpe De Suisi is spectacular. It's a beautiful drive up there, and it's just breathtaking mountain scenery. Well worth the trip, especially if the weather is clear.
We also loved the luge ride near Reutte, Austria. It was a blast! The ride up on the ski lift is pleasant, and the luge ride is quite an experience.
We stayed several nights at Gasthos zum Schluxen near Fussen and it was as Rick described it. Hermann is helpful. It's great for those looking for some peace and quiet. The loudest thing was the cowbells.
We had reservations at the Gerberhaus hotel in Rothenburg, but they had a mixup with the reservations and one member of our party had to stay at a different hotel. But the staff was very helpful in finding them a room just down the street and it worked out fine.
Regarding Rothenburg, it is very touristy, but the night watchman's tour was easily one of the highlights of our trip. Also, just for the record, we all agreed with Rick on the schneeballen. None of us could find any that was better than mediocre. Not worth the time and calories. Ditto with the gingerbread.
I would not recommend is Nordlingen. We stayed there one night because we could not find a room in Rothenburg or Dinkelsbuhl. It is not in Rick's book, but Frommer's book (sorry Rick) made it sound like a really nice place. All I can say is, score another one for Rick.
Rick's book and this website helped us a bunch. I hope everyone else's
trip goes as nicely as ours did. Good luck!
Mike
Kingwood, TX USA 10/04/00
One place we stayed (not in Rick Steves' book) was Hotel Roter Hahn, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. We had booked with them through the Internet several weeks prior to the trip. We arrived at the hotel at 8:30 P.M. and they held the room for us without us calling ahead to say we would be late. With Oktoberfest going on in Munich they said they were fully booked and had to say no to others who came in to get a room.
We were so happy with it. It is walking distance to the train station.
The room (with shower and w/c) was very comfortable, especially after
a long day of traveling, and the price was right. It had a lovely balcony
where in the morning we could see the Alps. It is run by a lovely young
couple. The breakfast was delicious, served in a sunny room. I just wanted
others to know how happy we were with it.
miller
fl USA 10/04/00
I recently returned from Europe. Most of the rooms I had were very nice, with the following exceptions:
The National Hotel in Bern was highly overpriced, the people rude, and my bed was a rollaway bed with a piece of plywood screwed onto the end. It was the worst - and most expensive - bed I had on my whole trip. And the listing for Bonn, Germany had a bed whose mattress sagged below the side rails.
The people who run the Hotel Helvetica in Munich were very nice. The breakfast isn't worth eating, but they were friendly and it is located near the train station.
Most of my good hotels I found on my own through word of mouth or the
internet. My favorite hotel in Interlaken I found on the hotel boards
they have in Switzerland. In the train stations are boards with pictures
of the hotels. Press the picture, and the location lights up on the map.
Dial the number under the picture on the phone provided and you are connected
with the hotel without any fee whatsoever. Very nice. Leave it to the
Swiss to be so efficient!
Dodie
USA 10/03/00
We stayed in Reutte, as Rick recommended, for our home base while in
Bavaria. Our stay at the Pension Hohenrainer there was one of the highlights
of the trip. You can't go wrong with this place and this is coming from
a true miser when it comes to traveling. Great place all around — a winner.
Thanks for the opportunity to share.
Jim Woehl
savannah, mo USA 10/01/00
I appreciate Rick's books, but perhaps he should list more than a couple hotels or guest houses in Hallstatt. Believe it, there are more. There's a pretty good website on Hallstatt with a complete list of accommodation (hotels, inns, private rooms and holiday apartments): http://www.hallstatt.net/visitor. Check it out!
Earlier on somebody else had complained about the town being "dead"
before May. Well, if they're expecting discos and the like that's absolutely
right. (But they won't find discos any other time of the year either!)
True, about half of the restaurants are closed from November to around
Easter, but that still leaves the other half open to cater to your basic
needs (like eating and drinking, ...). People DO live here, remember?
(We might hibernate, but we do not move away until May!) Off-season is
the perfect time to avoid the crowds and really enjoy Hallstatt and nature
at its best. Get to know the real Hallstatt and its people - it could
be quite an experience! All you need is an open mind. Come and find out
for yourself. See y'all in Hallstatt soon!
Ingrid
Hallstatt Austria 09/28/00
My husband and I traveled for 3 weeks in Europe in July and only had reservations in Paris. Because we had car in Switzerland, Austria and Italy, we found it easy to stop when we were ready to, pick a likely place to stay, go in and ask about prices and to see a room. We had good luck doing it this way even in a busy summer.
Between Reutte and Fussen, in Austria, try Hotel Schloss Fernsteinsee,
outside Nassereith (tel. 0043-5265-5210 and fax 0043-5265-52174). We used
it as our base to drive up to Neuschwanstein. Huge buffet breakfast included
in room price. Great restaurant.
Mary Rankin
San Anselmo, Calif., USA 09/26/00
The Kleine Scheidigg hike that Rick describes in his Gimmelwald section
was one of the highlights of our 5-week trip. The first part is great
for people traveling with young children or older folks; it's paved and
easy until the town. If you want a little more of a mountaineering feel,
follow the hike, going right at the town and up the hill. We visited on
a weekend in late July and it was still just us and the cows. We also
thoroughly loved staying with Walter, and even though it's expensive to
get there and back, his place is so affordable that it's worth it.
S. Smith
Kansas City, KS USA 09/23/00
I recently came home from Germany. We used Rick's book every day. The
maps of the cities are an excellent source to refer to. We were given
discounts at hotels and resturants. We had a wonderful time and I would
recommend this book to anyone traveling to Europe. It really helped us
map out our time and directions. Thanks Rick!
Courtney Bitting
chicago, Il USA 09/23/00
Dear Rick, I brought your guidebook on my trip earlier this month. It's a lifesaver! My husband and I followed your suggested routes closely and had a wonderful time. Almost all people we encountered who were from the United States used your book!
We stayed at ALTSTADTHOTEL ZUM HECHTEN at Fussen, Germany as it's one of your recommendations. Our first choice was Suzanne's B&B (for its nonsmoking policy) but there was no vacancy when we arrived.
To our dismay, we were kept awake most of the night the first night
because the clock from the church right above the hotel strikes every
quarter of the hour throughout the entire night! The next day we tried
to ask the receptionist to change us to a room not facing the street but
she couldn't comply. If this little piece of information was included
in your book, I don't think we'd have booked this particular hotel.
Ping Chen
Ellicott City, MD USA 09/20/00
First, I would like to say that every one of Rick's suggestions for hotels and meals were right on the money — in terms of description and prices. I know that I can trust his recommendations.
However, having lived in Heidelberg, I can respectfully say that I totally disgree with Rick's opinion of this beautiful city. True, it is very clean and tourist-friendly, but it is much less of a tourist trap than Rothenberg. Heidelberg has much cheaper dining, and is more scenic. There are many Americans and other tourists there, but they were much less noticeable and annoying than in Rothenberg. You could at least promote it to one page of coverage, Rick. Being only 45-60 minutes from Frankfurt by train, clean, safe, and friendly to non-German-speakers, with a beautiful castle which is only the icing on the cake of a beautifully preserved medieval city, I think it is a great destination to begin your tour of Germany after getting off the plane.
In ending, I must say that I used several of Rick's books, and have
never been led astray. I like that he doesn't list everything, since sometimes
"Let's Go" gives you pages of mediocre to downright terrible listings.
Keep up the good work, Rick! (I love your humor, too!)
Tom Zimmerman
Deer Park, NY USA 09/18/00
Looking for the town with the church from the Sound of Music? It's Mondsee.
It is, if I recall, about 1/2 hr from Salzburg. Very pretty little town.
If you have time take a walk near the Lake (Lake Mondsee) and take note
of the onion-dome church you can see from the path between the SoM church
and the lake. Just for fun I called home from the phone booth outside
the SoM church and woke up my mom to tell her where I was. :)
Callie
St.Louis , Mo USA 09/12/00
Went through Bavaria last week of August. Wurzburg is very underrated. The Residenz is impressive, there is a fortress on a hill (didn't get to it), and the city is full of medieval sites. Also check out the statues across the Main river bridge.
Rothenburg was a little too "cutesy," which, along with the crowds, kind of denigrates the true character of the city and its offerings.
Munich was a great place to spend an evening - but don't try to use a credit card unless you pay over $50 DM at the Hofbrauhaus. A good hostel in Munich is 4UMunchen.
Fussen/Neuschwanstein, etc. are all very cool and the hikes in the mountains
are a good respite from cities if you need it.
Jeff
IA USA 09/11/00
Fourth day in Europe, we LOST OUR RICK STEVES BOOK! German Rail did everything possible to locate it, but we were on our way to Prague with no idea where to stay, what to do, or how to get anywhere!
Fortunately an angel intervened in the form of a fellow tourist in the Munich subway station, whom we overheard saying "Rick Steves..." and gathered up the nerve to ask to see his book. On the way to Dachau we scribbled everything we could into our notebooks. He kept joking that if we tried to bolt from the train with his book, he would pull the emergency stop lever.
We had already bought a competitor's book (couldn't find Rick's anywhere)
that had a decent pension recommendation. In the end, we talked to more
people than we would have and got tips from them. Perhaps there was some
good in our loss after all.
Michael
Dallas, TX USA 09/10/00
Spent August in Austria, Switzerland, & Germany. Loved most of Rick Steves' recommendations except Pension Seibel in Munich. If you have a car, forget it. The location is difficult to drive to and parking is miserable. The beds squeaked very loudly (we ended up putting the mattresses directly on the floor) and the room was stifling hot — we were there during the heat-wave and having the window open made no difference except to add street noise. Rooms a bit grubby. Nice managers but would not stay or recommend.
Loved Gasthof Simony in Hallstatt and loved Hotel Stechelberg in Stechelberg.
Both places easy with a car.
Kate
Phoenix, az USA 09/06/00
Rick, we just returned from Switzerland. You need to include Lucern
and Engelberg. On second thought, we were the only Americans we found
in Engelberg — don't tell anyone about it!
Marcus & Jane
Columbus, GA USA 09/04/00
I just got back from Muerren. We stayed at the Hotel Alpina, 150SWF
for a double with shower and toilet. The room was just sorta ordinary
but we had a big picture window and a balcony looking out at beautiful
mountains! I recommend asking for a corner room as they have bigger balconies.
The people there were very nice. I'd stay there again, no question.
Paige
Munich, Germany 08/16/00
My wife and I went to Gimmelwald as per Rick's suggestion. We were a little disappointed because it was quite expensive to get there from Interlaken (28 SF/each). Actually most things in Gimmelwald and the Bernese Oberland are much more expensive than elsewhere in Europe.
Once we got to Gimmelwald, we were surrounded by Americans holding Rick's
book. Walter's was full so we stayed in the "Sleep in the Straw." During
the day, the flies are intense, but thankfully Esther, who runs the place,
is equally intense. She seemed to really love the tourists and was very
open with sharing her life and her culture with us. The weather was cold
and rainy (early July) so we left early, but I would recommend to anyone
who is going to Gimmelwald to stay in the straw! A great experience you
can't have in the States. Esther is great!
Mike Kruger
Renton, WA USA 08/15/00
Don't believe Rick when he says you don't need to see Innsbruck if you've seen Vienna and Salzburg. The mountain setting is stunning, and if you like folk art, the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum makes Innsbruck is worth the trip in itself. We didn't have time to see for ourselves, but the locals say the cable car ride overlooking the city at night is the best in Austria - it could very well be true.
And stay in Natters, not Hall. Based on a referral from our B&B in Salzburg (Blobergerhof — also recommended!), we made reservations in May at Pension Steffi (http://www.interchild.at/pensionsteffi/index_en.htm) and were thrilled by our good luck. Natters is high on the mountain above Innsbruck (behind the Olympic ski jump). This would be a good base for walking/hiking; just outside Pension Steffi is a huge map showing the routes of a wide variety of walks, long and short, strenuous and easy. Our sunset walk up the road to Mutters was one of the highlights of our trip.
Pension Steffi is run by a charming woman who speaks flawless English. There's a bakery in the same building, and an ATM and a Tabak (for stamps, phone cards, etc.) across the street. We loved Pension Steffi, but if they're booked, Natters is full of nice-looking B&Bs. The tram ride into Innsbruck is a gorgeous 20/25 minute ride. The only downside is that trains run only once an hour or so, but trains run on time, so this is not a big deal. DO allow time to figure out how to use the ticket machines; even knowing some German, it took us 10 minutes to coax tickets out of the machine, which also stumped several locals we asked. Buying tickets was a minor challenge throughout Austria, as many places have machines only (no attendant) and each fare system and machine has its own twists.
We did stop in Hall on the way to Innsbruck and were surprised to find more of a city than we expected, and we weren't sorry we had committed to Natters. Natters, by contrast, is a scenic, tranquil village, yet it's super-easy to get to from the highway, and there are no parking hassles. It's a quick and easy trip through the Brenner Pass to Italy.
Note that a dip into Italy is not quite as easy as it should be; while
it's true that Austrian schillings are accepted in shops on the border,
parking was a problem because every lot we came across had (you guessed
it!) machines (again, no attendants) that accepted only lira. So unless
you want to change money, finding a place to park can be difficult.
T. Wells
Germantown, MD USA 08/10/00
In Munich the Hotel Europlaischer Hof right near the railstation is a lot more money than is quoted in the book. A single with bath was 204DM for one night and 280DM for the second. And the place is a bit rundown at that, with tiny showers that don't drain, and the one elevator takes forever, so don't get a room higher than you want to walk up to.
In Prague the Hotel Esprit next to the recommended Hotel Central is about $15 more a night but is easily worth it. It is a 4-star place and has high quality, marble-lined big rooms. The Hotel U Klenotika (sp?) has great food. The chicken with kiwi is great.
People said St. Petersburg, Russia is dangerous and I did not see any signs of crime, and I also had to take a cab from the airport and even though it was expensive, I got to my hotel safely. Same thing in Prague, I did not see the hoards of room touts and pickpockets I was led to believe existed.
Slovenia has nice countryside, but Lyubjana is not worth the trip to get there. It is small and not much to do.
The directions to Dachau and the advice to stay and see the movie are spot on. It seemed a lot more real after seeing the movie.
Lufthansa airlines seem to take off late and not care if you don't make
the connections, with no offers of compensation. There are over 1,000
employees of Lufthansa at the Frankfurt Airport and each one is willing
to hand you over to the next one if you have a problem.
Dana Robert Ross
Tarzana, Ca USA 08/07/00
Nice and inexpensive place to stay in St Moritz, especially if you are
a group of adults traveling together: Hotel Sonne, on the opposite side
of the lake from the Bahnhof. Our family (2 adults, 2 young kids) spent
200SF a night for a 4-bed room including a solid breakfast. At about $120
a night, it was a good deal for us and would be a fabulous deal for a
group of friends. Nice clean room (though a little smoky) and great bathrooms
down the hall. The breakfast was 15 SF if you weren't staying at the hotel,
and it was really worth it.
Tracey Brookshier
Capitola, CA USA 08/01/00
We stayed in two hotels from Rick Steves' book and would highly recommend
both. The Hotel Bristol in Munich is 1/2 block from both the underground
and the tram (take the tram) at Sendlinger Tor and offers a breakfast
that will fill you up for the day. The hallways are a little shabby but
the rooms are fine and the location, within walking distance of the Marianplatz,
is great. You get Rick Steves' rate but have to pay 5 percent more if
you use a credit card, but still a deal.
Nancy English
Eugene, OR USA 07/27/00
Avoid the wine gardens outside of Vienna: thought it was a romantic
idea, but overrun with tour buses and almost unfriendly service. Terrific
restaurants inside city that are now a value given exchange rates.
MN USA 07/26/00
We, 3 women travelers, just have returned from Europe, carrying Rick Steves' guidebooks most of the way. So many things were right on: the second entrance at the Louvre (although without me pointing to my book, the two men there might have pointed out to the long line!), and the wonderful Albergo Guerrato hotel just off the Rialto Bridge in Venice (talk about accommodating people!).
But where we had a wonderful experience was at Berchtesgaden, Germany, an hour's train ride from Salzburg. After going on the saltmine tour there (in German, but still very interesting), we paid to go on a tour of Eagle's Nest ($30 US included bunkers, elevator, bus ride). David, a "EuroAmerican" and one of the owners of Berchtesgaden Mini Bus Tours (www.eagles-nest-tours.com), gave us a trip to remember. He gave us the history of the area, of Hitler, the Nazis' takeover of the bunkers area, and the Eagles' Nest Tearoom. The 4-hour tour was excellent even though when we got to the top we could not see out. His group also does a Sound of Music tour Mon-Sat. (I've been on the SOM tour from Salzburg, which we enjoyed, but would not have gone on again.) Call ahead - he usually takes a van that carries 9, although he got a bus that day since there were 19 of us that had called.
The other delightful part of our stay there was the Hotel Wittelsbach
(E-mail Hotel Wittelsbach@T/Online.de, Ph. 08652/96380). Petra, the owner,
went way beyond. She made reservations for the next day, did a load of
laundry for 10 marks, and insisted we go back up to the wonderful buffet
and make a sandwich to take along on the train our last day. Taxi to her
hotel, ask for a balcony (overlooking the beautiful hills). Close to a
pedestrian street and bus. We paid 180 marks for the 3 of us. What a treat!
Thanks for all the help Rick!
Rita Deetz
Portland, OR USA 07/22/00
I found a hotel in Salzburg
that I loved and wanted to share with others. They found a triple room
for me at the Bed & Breakfast Park Pension Kasern in the north of Salzburg.
It was near a bus stop that went to the city and that it was not far from
the center. The pension has been run by the same family for 4 generations.
It is a three-star hotel but cost us only around 90$ a night for the three
of us. When we got there they ended up giving us 2 rooms instead of 1
for the same price, which certainly was fine with us. The people were
nice, the location quiet and nice, and the rooms were big and sunny and
comfy. The bathrooms were large, modern, and very clean. There were tvs
in each room but no phone; no big deal since there is a pay phone downstairs.
The people who live there have a big black dog and 2 friendly cats. If
you wanted them to they were very friendly and we even coaxed one into
our room for a kitty visit! The breakfast buffet was great also. The bus
trip from Kasern (our stop) to say Mirabelplatz was 15 minutes or so.
A taxi ride from the Linzer Gasse area or Mirabel cost around 10$ at night
if you don't want to wait for and/or take a bus. We absolutely did not
want to pack up and leave our cozy little rooms on our last day there!
Leah
MA USA 07/21/00
I want to add my comments about Gasthaus zur Goldenen Ente. We were there a few years ago and (against Rick's advice) we put our money belts in the room safe. My money belt had my second credit card in it which we saved for emergencies (and never used). We had some problem with the key to the safe, so we asked the hotel manager to help us, which she did.
When we returned to the hotel after dinner, something in the room looked different, but all of our items were in the safe so everything seemed fine.
When we returned home, we had a $400 charge on our emergency credit card from Gasthaus zur Goldenen Ente. We had charged our hotel stay on the regular card so we couldn't figure out what it was for. When we disputed the charge, the credit card issuer told us that the hotel had presented them a signed imprint of our card. We asked for a copy and it was indeed an imprint of our card but with someone else's signature. It wasn't even my name signed.
We argued with the credit card issuer for 4 months and finally they
gave us a credit, but the hotel refused to cooperate. We later figured
out that while we were out someone had gotten into the safe, swiped the
card and returned it to the safe. By the time we found out about it, it
was too late to do anything about it. The moral of the story is to never
leave anything in the safe and to never, ever stay at Gasthaus zur Goldenen
Ente.
SFTraveler
San Francisco, CA USA 07/20/00
This June we stayed at the Hotel-Pension Bergland in Salzburg and highly recommend it. We had stayed there 17 years ago on our honeymoon trip (it has been remodeled and is even more comfortable now). Peter Kuhn speaks fluent English and is a wonderful host. From 5:30 to 9pm his music room/bar is open where we visited with other guests, chatted with Peter, had a drink and checked our e-mail (for a nominal 20 schillings). A wonderful buffet breakfast allows you to serve yourself from a generous assortment of breads, cereals, juices, fruit, etc.
We walked from the train station to the hotel in 15 minutes (or taxi 90 shillings), and it's only a 10-minute walk to most points of interest. There is a beer garden a couple of blocks down the street and a coin-op laundry about a 5-min. walk away (we opted to prepay, leaving our clothes to be washed/dried/folded in the morning and picking them up in late afternoon).
There is an elevator, and all rooms are non-smoking, with baths, TV's
and phones. Ours was a spacious, very comfortable triple for 1110 shillings/nite
(about $89) including breakfast. Check Peter's webpage at www.sol.at/bergland/
or e-mail him at pkuhn@berglandhotel.at
Sam Wilson
Houston, TX USA 07/20/00
If you have an early flight out of Munich, and don't want to pay over
$200 for a room at the Kampinski Hotel adjacent to the airport, there
are a number of alternatives. We found Hotel Isar (Isarstrasse 4, 83356
Freissing, Tel. 081/61 8650) to be clean, comfortable, and affordable.
They provide shuttle service to and from the airport - got us there at
0500. Restaurant is only open for breakfast, but Chinese restaurant in
same building was great. Menu is in German, Chinese, and English.
Joan & Phil Bannan
USA 07/12/00
Spent 8 days in Switzerland early June using great Swiss Pass. Nice weather, no crowds.
Several times we sent our suitcases on for only 10SF, $6 and kept a small rolling backpack for the next day or 2, using lockers.
Many RR stations have replaced toilets/showers with the chain Mr. Clean Pissoir, so you have to pay 1-1.5F, $1, to pee. Wait for train if possible.
Took Glacier Express for third time. Trains are located outside the front of the station in Brig; have to reserve if want non-smoking windows, although 1/3 of reserved seats were unoccupied.
Our favorite place to eat was at the Manora resturant chain, outside the RR station (Spitalgasse exit) in Bern — cafeteria style, good prices.
In Bern stayed at hostel which has been renovated to include private rooms and now you must take breakfast; SF23 member price/night, was a lot cheaper before. Also the funicular down to the hostel closes at 9pm.
In Montreux ate lunch at Francy's Bakery, Ave de ALpes~#27 and took boat trip from Lausanne to Chillon, rent deck chairs uptop for 3SF. The boat leaves from the circular resturant building down to the left from the Metro stop. Chateau d'Oex has a nice museum open 2-430pm and Le Chalet resturant has a cheesemaker daily, but it is warm and cheesy smelling inside, with a doll exhibit upstairs, just below the COOP market.
In Sannen, we liked the main Mauritius church, real cool on a hot day.
In Interlaken area, Wildeswil tourist office is a hike from the train and maybe closed; get maps of area beforehand (ask for Interlaken area apt. rentals brochure with many area maps).
Nice castle home to visit was Schloss Hunegg, by boat/bus to Hilterfingen, just up to left from ferry.
Mt. Rigi outside Lucerne was beautiful on a clear day, spend 30 min to 1 hr here.
My favorite place to go is Murren for every Swiss trip. Stayed at Villa Sonnenhof in Interlaken, nice 80SF double with breakast, good location reserve with breakfast and kitchen, internet 5SF for 20 mins. Nice hike above Murren: take Allmen. funicular up and walk down, nice to stop at Pen. Sonnenberg for lunch but pricey, soup SF10. I got sunburn using SPF15, so watch out (altitude). In Interlaken Pizpaz good for fresh pasta, Pizza Mercato for pizza.
St. Moritz good value in hostel — quiet, only couple on floor, great value for bkft and dinner. SF 106 for dbl with 2 meals/night.
Enjoyed horse carriage ride to Valle Rosegg in Pontresina (book thru tourist office/net): 1 hr out, two hours to walk back thru forest.
Off Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano, get off at Morteratsch
(no lockers entire route, send big bags ahead), take walk toward glacier
(leave small pack above umbrella stand in hotel/rest.). Also get off at
Diavolezza (lockers behind cashier, but NO SIGNS!) for funicular to mt.
top for great snow. Okay for lunch stop. Nice views at Miralago (lake)
toward Tirano.
lorre
Phoenix, AZ USA 07/11/00
I just returned from a driving tour with my family of five and we had no problem driving to Prague. We just drove in and stopped at a booking agent on the edge of town. Our host came over and led us back to his pension. We booked a three-room suite in the suburbs with a pool, locked car park, breakfast and 2 little bars stocked with champane, beer(.5L pilsner Urquell $.75!) and mineral water, near the streetcar station for $80/night for all five of us. It was quiet and just a few German families there. We booked through AISA Tourist Service, V Holesovickach 33, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic, Tel: 004202/6890272. We stayed at pension Hanzel, tel 004202/6890596.
From the north, Hazmburk is a great castle in ruins in the Bohemian highlands. See http://www.revicom.cz/spool/hazmbu_a.htm for more info. Close to that is the Terezin concentration camp. It is worth a side trip. It is chilling, very accessible and well perserved. See http://www.siscr.cz/ascii/terezin/index.htm or just look up terezin in any search engine.
Prague was filled with tourists along the main streets but you could quickly leave them all behind by just walking a couple of blocks. Prague is beautiful and cheap and our 3 days there were the highlight of our trip.
Rothenburg was a tourist trap. Not my idea of a backdoor to Europe — more of a shop window to Europe. Dinklesbuhl was more like it.
My new backdoor would be Quedlinburg. It is on the Unesco list of historic sites and is known for its 1200 half-timbered buildings. Hardly anyone spoke English and there were very few tourists. There was a great market day complete with a little military parade and super friendly natives.
We leased from Europe by Car and had great service and rates. We saw some vans from other rental agencies that were emblazoned with huge logos like our U-Hauls are in the US. Europe by Car leased us a new Peugot van for about 1250 US for the 18 days all inclusive. No logos, just a French plate.
Thanks, Rick. Haarlem, Brugge, St Goar, the Berner Oberland, and Praha
were great.
Chuck Ward
Caledonia, MI USA 07/10/00
In June, my wife and I took Rick's advice and visited Burg Eltz in Moselkern, Germany. When you see it you understand why it's Ricks favorite castle in all of Europe! Burg Eltz is a definite MUST-see. We were lucky enough to fall into an English speaking tour which made it even better.
Driving to the castle was not a problem. Rick's directions were right
on the money. We used his map in the guidebook and drove right up to the
parking lot. The walk from the parking lot is mostly down and was much
easier than the hike from the train station. We arrived early (about 9:00
AM) and as we walked to the castle we heard cuckoos in the woods. Burg
Eltz was one of the high points of our trip.
Keith Altazin
Baton Rouge, LA USA 07/10/00
My husband and I recently returned from Europe. All was wonderful, but
our best find was a delightful guesthouse located in Kochel am See, a
small village in the Bavarian Alps. We stayed at Gastezimmer, a lovely
old guesthouse owned and operated by Kathy Kreuser-Klement (an American),
so English is not a problem. Kathy is a charming hostess and her rooms
are spotless and comfortable. Her delicious and ample breakfast of fresh
rolls, pretzels, cheeses and sausages is set out in a warm and cozy breakfast
room. For an enjoyable experience while visiting Bavaria, contact Kathleen
Kreuser-Klement, Gastezimmer, Alte StraBe 9, D-82431 Kochel am See, Tel:
08851/1570. The view from the balcony is spectacular — that alone is worth
the trip!
Susan Walker
Wilmington, NC USA 07/06/00
Just returned from Germany and Austria. All was great but the major
disappointment and waste of time and money was the Hellbrunn Castle near
Salzburg. The trick fountain garden was neither clever nor funny and the
guide knew nothing of the Sound of Music Gazebo located in the gardens.
By the way, if you want to see the gazebo, you do not need to take the
tour of the castle. Just park (not free) and enter the gardens which are
free.
Pete Matonis
Idaho Falls, ID USA 07/04/00
One of the best side trips to take from the Interlaken, Switzerland area is to the Ballenberg open-air museum. This museum consists of 90 rural houses and utility buildings from practically all regions of Switzerland. These structures were re-erected on this site, which covers 66 hectares.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the museum. There are all kinds of demonstrations and lots of animals, and the houses are grouped in pleasant settings. Children will especially enjoy this. The staff members are wonderful and allow guests to touch the animals. One staff person offered us two duck eggs he had just taken from a nest, while another invited our daughter to milk a cow. In one house sausage is being smoked, in another a person is making bobbin lace. All of these products are for sale.
We got a special deal which made the trip especially worthwhile. We rode the train from the Interlaken Ost station to the town of Brienz, and then caught a bus to Ballenberg. Enquire at the station in Interlaken about specials to the museum. The cost of the entire trip from Interlaken was approximately $13.00 USD. Our children were free since they had a Swiss Railrod half-price card.
By the way, the half-price card for a chilld is an excellent value if
one will be traveling on Swiss public transportation (including trains,
buses and trams). For only 20 Swiss Francs, a child can ride for free
with an adult paid passenger, or half-price if traveling alone. Just purchase
a "Junior-Karte" at any railroad ticket office. It is valid for one year.
A passport number is required for getting the pass. We found this to be
one of the best values in Switzerland.
Richard Swindle
Indianapolis, IN USA 07/02/00
If staying in Murren, Switzerland, I highly recommend Hotel Eidelweiss. Very affordable and balconies that look out toward the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Beautiful view!
I also recommend that you stay AWAY from the Hotel Jungfrau in Murren;
staff and manager were incredibly rude when we went to meet one of their
guests there.
MConnolly
austin, TX USA 07/02/00
Our recent trip began on the Mosel River. Rick's advice was excellent, as usual. We discovered a very small town just outside of Cochem called Ernst. If you are driving give it a try. The town is loaded with guesthouses and wine cellars. We stayed at Gasthaus Bleser and had a free wine tasting in our host's wine cellar. Be aware that very little English is spoken in the town.
In Bacharach we stayed at Pension Lettie, and it was terrific. Lettie
is a great hostess and her rooms are comfortable and clean. Her breakfast
was the best we had on our trip.
Keith Altazin
Baton Rouge, LA USA 07/01/00
I cannot recommend more highly the Euraide "2 Castle Tour" of Neuschwenstein
and Linderhof plus the Weiskirche. It was well-organized, informative,
affordable and thoroughly enjoyable. This itinerary is impossible in one
day without a car. The tour leaves at 7:30 a.m. from the Munich train
station every Wednesday during the summer. TAKE IT!
Jennifer H.
Somerville, ma USA 06/26/00
Well, Rick, you've been right about almost everything. Walter's in Gimmelwald was the best 2 days I've spent anywhere in Europe. I loved it! He is an incredible individual. You failed to mention that he donates part of his profit to charity in Ecuador. I asked him about it and he said that it ws the only way he could spend his money. The location of the hotel is just wow!
We did, however, run into trouble in Munich. We stayed at "The Tent"
and it was absolutely miserable. The mattress you talked about was a quarter
of an inch thick, and they did not have any beds of any type. They did
give lots of extra blankets, but you need to note that "no curfew" also
means no enforced quiet hours...which translates to little to no sleep.
I did not mind sleeping on the ground — I thought of it as an adventure,
but it is not a place I would recommend to anyone.
Julie Rasmussen
Gastonia, nc USA 06/26/00
I know of a nice town/cluster of towns in southern Austria. It's Spittal an der Drau, and it's a great stop on the way to Italy, about 45 minutes from the border. Not a tourist town, but has great surroundings and small-town charm. It's near a couple lakes, Millstatersee namely. Seeboden and Millstat are slightly touristy towns but the lake itself is nice, and you can get a decent dose of history in Millstat, and in Spittal at the Burg Porcia (the castle in the middle of town). As for art, Millstat is dotted w/ nice sculptures in all of the lakefront parks.
Hang out at some of the pubs: Pub a la pub is nice for pool and table soccer, while Petzlbrau is great for cheap drinks in high quality. K & K is great for mid-afternoon snacks and a quiet atmosphere. And the Joker is nice, and well known for their monthly special costing only 20AS. The town is small enough to find them w/out trouble; everything is less than 15 minutes' walk from the train station.
Other neat things in the same state (Carinthia/Karnten): Burg Hochosterwitz,
a great fortress that kids will love; and Maria Worth, tourist town on
the Worthersee near the state capital of Klagenfurt.
Andrea
San Diego, CA USA 06/26/00
High marks for Hotel Ambiente in Munich! It's only a block or two from
the train station, so getting there is easy. The rooms are very nice and
the breakfast room is nothing short of elegant!
Marcia
Spokane, WA USA 06/25/00
I recommend Hotel Fenger in Walldorf near the Frankfurt airport. Their
breakfast buffet was incredible and included in price of room (quite large
room w/ a/c and big bathroom). All in all, Rick's books made this a wonderful
trip. Thanks!
Debbie McDaniel
Columbia, SC USA 06/24/00
We stayed at the Hotel am Markt in Baden-Baden and upon checkin were
a little concerned at how far away from our room the shower was. No need
to worry! Who needs a shower when the Roman Irish Baths are just down
the street? Our second day at the Baths I even took along my shampoo.
DonnaS
Sunnyvale, CA USA 06/23/00
In Switzerland, eat at the Hotel Lauterbrunnen. It is one of the best
places we tried anywhere! Also if it's a rainy day go on the autobahn
past Bern (from the Jungfrau) and stop at the Migros mall — they have a
great cafeteria, grocery and other shops. Great for souvenirs. We really
had fun!
SB
Fl USA 06/22/00
I am very thankful I had the Rick Steves guidebooks. All the hotel and
restaurant recommendations were very good and reasonable. However, I must
disagree on the Sound of Music Tour. It was torture. Consider another
Panorama tour that brings you to the lakes region, or go with one of Rick's
other recommendations for the Lakes. Don't do the SOM tour - you will
be disappointed. The tour to Ludwig's castles, on the other hand, was
very well done.
Lisa
OH USA 06/19/00
Rick's itineray concerning Switzerland is great, the Jungfrau region being one of my favorite places to vist. However, I am a little disappointed that he doesn't mention much about the areas surrounding Lake Geneva. I have lived in Montreux (near Vivey, Lausanne, Geneva) on the lake for quite some time now and have found it to be just as beautiful as any other place, if not more interesting with more activities.
Some of my other favorite places include Gruyeres (an absolute MUST-see
in the shoulder seasons — too crowded during peak times), Lugano, Martigny
(near St. Bernard pass), and Avenches (for lovers of Roman architecture).
But most of all, I have loved inn-to-inn treks. Find a nice base town
and just hike up the mountains where small villages will give you the
true essence of Swiss culture. Gimmelwald/Murren are fabulous too!
Brett Raymond
Montreux, CH 06/16/00
The hidden gem in Germany is Bamburg. Rick mentions it in passing as one of the places people look for as a non-touristy Rothenburg alternative. It is my favorite place in Germany.
I started a German-style brewery in the U.S. and purchased my brewhouse from Kaspar Schulz in Bamburg (they have been making breweries since 1670). The town is great! It is off the beaten path, the architecture is great (never bombed), it used to be a major ecclesiastical center (lots of great old churches) and it has 10 breweries for its 60,000 inhabitants. (If you are into breweries per capita, go to Hallendorf - 6 for 3,000). But don't think it is just about the beer - Bamburg is the place!
Also, if you are into Europe through the back door, forget Oktoberfest,
try the Volksfest in Stuttgart, or better yet a more local festival like
Forcheim's Anna Fest. Prost!
Scott Henderson
Huntington Woods, MI USA 06/09/00
We traveled last summer in Europe the "Rick" way, and had a great time. Rick's pricey picks are usually about as rustic as I want to go, but we had great experiences.
The Pension in Gimmelwald is very nice, and an easier trek than Walter's. Be sure to meet him, though.
Our other most memorable characters were Frau Gassner in Salzburg (a
great, cheap place, and wonderful Austrian lady). She called ahead for
us to Frau Hilde Wolf in Vienna, whose rooms are BEAUTIFUL in a large
downtown building in Vienna, just blocks from the opera house. Highly
recommended. I have to say Frau Wolfe is a little sketchy on advance reservations
- best to call ahead a day in advance.
Karla Stahl
Odessa, FL 06/09/00
My family (me, husband and two college-age sons) returned from a May jaunt to Paris & Germany — our first trip to Europe. We wanted rooms with private baths but cheap because we are paying tuition, too. I am very glad I spent all the time I did researching web sites and reading Rick's and a few other travel books.
In Munich we enjoyed the Hotel Kurpfalz (www.munich-hotels.com).
In Rothenburg, where all of Rick's recommendations were already filled, we stayed just outside the gate near the train station at the Gastehaus Eberlein where the owners couldn't have been nicer (see the Rothenburg home page).
35 km from Frankfurt was another Hotel Kurpfalz in a small town named Oppenheim (a real gem worth a vist) with a wonderful chef and charming hosts (www.hotel-oppenheim-rhein.com).
And last but not least, we were able to get a room at the Hotel Maximilian
in Ruette, Austria as recommended by Rick. This place is the most charming
hotel we have ever visited, and Rick is right, Gabe Koch is a wonderful
hostess who is also fluent in English - great chef here, also (maxhotel@netway.com).
Also, this place is a short drive from Fussen and Neuschwansteine, and
with Oberammergau this year, much less expensive than over the border
in Germany.
n. regan
Pittsburgh, PA USA 06/06/00
We never had any trouble getting seats in any of the Oktoberfest beer
tents without reservations. Keep in mind, though, that we were there at
the end of opening weekend, on Sunday and Monday. I'm told the 'fest gets
more and more crowded as it progresses, and that weekend nights are, logically,
the most mobbed. People told us to get there by 3 pm and stake out a seat
for the night. We didn't, getting there well after 6 pm the first night
and about 4 or 5 on Monday. Seats at tables were no trouble at all, and
we were often invited to join groups of people. It's my understanding
that you can't reserve table spaces unless you have a group of a certain
size — not sure what the size is, though.
Gina
Washington, DC USA 06/05/00
If travelling along the danube and if you wish to get away from the
ice-water-demanding Americans in Melk (I wanted to crawl inside a hole!),
consider staying at the Hotel Alte Post in Krems. Neat, clean and on the
edge of the pedestrian zone. Great inner courtyard and only Germans/Austrians
at the hotel.
Gerry Schmitz
Milwaukee, WI USA 06/03/00
We live in Germany and just got back from a weekend trip to Cologne,
the Middle Rhein and Heidelberg. Rick Steves slams Heidelberg but we thought
it was a nice, quaint town, although there were lots of Americans. He
mentions Cologne like it's a worthy place to go, but we didn't find it
very interesting. Granted we live in Munich, but still. Bacharach is a
great place to stay! It's tiny but very old and quaint.
expate
Munich, Germany 05/29/00
I love Switzerland. Everything about it seems to be postcard-perfect. We recently had the fortune of being loaned a condo in Interlaken. Interlaken is referred to as a touristy, pricey town. However, I noted some pretty reasonable hotels. And it is so central: We took the train up to Murren (nobody there in May), Lauterbrunnen and then up to Wengen for some walking and great scenery. The next day hopped the train to explore Fribourg and on the way back had dinner in Thun. Another day took the train to a wonderful little town about half an hour from Interlaken called Meiringen. Walked for hours, with mountains all around, church bells as well as cow bells ringing in our ears. You can walk to Brienz in a couple of hours or take the train, then take the boat from Brienz back to Interlaken, or get off at any of the small towns the boat stops at. The boat is covered on the rail pass.
Before we left for the day we stopped at the store and bought cheese (the Fort Emmentaler was wonderful), meat and bread so we could have a sandwich on the train or in a park. We did not find food as expensive as we thought. If you watch where you eat you can eat quite well on a reasonable budget even in Interlaken.
We have seen nearly all of Switzerland on our three trips, but I think
the Bernese Oberland has more to offer beyond the Gimmelwald experience.
But we had fantastic sunny weather at the end of April, beginning of May
which certainly helped our sightseeing along!
Shari
Vancouver, BC Canada 05/27/00
Re: Hotel Am Markt. There is a way to go without stairs but it is a
steep hill and out of the way. We had no trouble with the four flights
of stairs, but then again we only had backpacks.
DonnaS
Sunnyvale, CA USA 05/26/00
I stayed in Murren, Switzerland 2 years ago. I was there during the shoulder season between skiing and summer hiking, around the first week of May. During the shoulder season, Murren was deserted and only Hotel Alpenruh was open. It was great though. The path down to Gimmelwald was closed for 3 days due to avalanche. The only way to Gimmelwald was by the Stechelberg lift. Murren has a little grocery and an ATM machine. Hotel Alpenruh also has a restaurant. The views from anywhere were spectacular. If you plan to take the Jungfrau train or do any kind of hiking, you will have to go back down to Lauterbrunnen.
The funicular tickets or lift tickets can add up in a hurry. Wengen
seemed to have more people and more touristy shops. Murren is strictly
for the skiing crowd I think. All the Japanese tour groups hang out at
Grindelwald.
Louis N
Dallas, TX USA 05/17/00
Re: the Hotel Am Markt in Baden-Baden. We just returned from there and found the people as friendly as the book says, however, I did want to warn persons who take the bus from the bahnhof that there are about four flights of stairs to go up to get to the hotel. The only way to avoid the stairs is to walk out of the way and come up the way the cars do. It is not easy with heavy luggage. If you are going to come with a lot of luggage, make sure to take a taxi!
P.S. It is a beautiful town. Make sure to ask at the restaurants, especially
the Lowenbrau beer garden mentioned in the book, if they have an English
menu. It really helped.
Ursula
Topeka, KS USA 05/16/00
Update on bus from Cochem to Burg Eltz: We are traveling to Germany
in June with our four children and really want to see Burg Eltz but were
not too sure about the hike from Moselkern. I have been communicating
with a very helpful woman from Cochem's tourist office. She informs me
that a bus runs to Burg Eltz on Mondays and Thursdays, leaving Cochem
at 9:30 and leaving Burg Eltz at 12:30 (minimum 6 people, 15 DM per person).
Since we will be in Cochem on a Friday, I asked if we could make a reservation
and she immediately replied that she had reserved the bus for our family
and would be faxing me a confirmation voucher.
Trish
Moraga, CA USA 05/15/00
I've found some neat Web Cameras, and have been doing some desktop traveling while waiting for our next chance to go to Germany. Most update themselves; others you have to refresh yourself. You can tell by the URL where these are located:
http://www.rotabene.de/webcam/index_e.html
http://www.bamberg.de/webcam.htm
http://www.oberammergau.de/webcam/ehome.htm
Happy travels! And thank you Rick for being such a good travel guide
and an even better person!
Pete Sawyer
Kearny, NJ USA 05/11/00
I like the book, but is everyone aware that Germany does not stop at Frankfurt?! There are many wonderful cities in northern Germany. I know, most people want to see the cute Bavarian towns and people, but I think they are missing what the true Germany is all about.
Other than that, I would have to say the book was THE BEST I have seen.
Even though I have been to Germany many times and am visiting friends
who are native Germans, I still will take it with me!
Krista
USA 05/06/00
Rick left off the most wonderful ice cream store in Vienna, just a block
from St. Steph, called Zanoni & Zamoni. For only 20AS you get 3 (small)
scoops of the most flavorful ice cream. The raspberry is worth killing
over.
John Pezzano
Atlanta, GA USA 05/05/00
We are returning to Staufen and staying at Gasthaus Krone which,
as a previous poster noted, has incredible food. My husband and I keep
saying we can't wait to eat there again. The portions are huge and reasonably
priced. Last time we learned to ask for the meals for a "kleine hunger" (small appetite) which were even less in price.
Donna
Sunnyvale, CA USA 05/03/00
Rick's recommendations were right on the money. In Munich, the Hotel Uhland was a very comfortable, reasonably priced hotel. Brigitte Herzenberger was extremely friendly and helpful.
Staufen is an absolutely beautiful village — the Hotel Hirschen was top-notch and the Krone Gasthaus across the street had probably the best meal we ate in two weeks.
The Waldrast in Reutte was not only spacious and comfy but served the
BEST coffee we've ever tasted. Gerd's personal tour of his family's 400-year-old
mill behind the Gasthaus was a welcome slice of "real life."
Scott and Kathie Barnes
Midlothian, VA USA 04/28/00
Recently returned from a wonderful 2-week vacation in Germany and Austria.
The highlight of our trip was definitely our stay at Guesthouse DiNunzio
in Bad Wiessee, Germany. Bad Wiessee is a great base for several day trips — Munich
is only 40 minutes away and Herrenchiemsee (a castle equally as spectacular
but less crowded than Neuschwanstein) is about an hour and fifteen minutes
away. The Guesthouse DiNunzio is run by a charming couple who will do
anything in their power to make your stay pleasant. The rooms are spacious,
clean, and comfortable. The rate is only $50US per night or $60 per night
with private bath. It includes a huge breakfast of fruit, eggs, meats
and cheeses, breads, juices and other special surprises each day. Michael
and Marianne are two of the nicest people we have ever met and they will
spend hours telling you stories. They kept us laughing and in good spirits
for the 3 nights that we were there (we had planned to stay 2 nights but
were having such a great time, we extended our stay). E-mail Michael at
MDiNunzio@t-online.de And if you're really lucky, Marianne will share
some of her homemade apple streudel with you — served warm with vanilla
ice cream, it's heaven on earth! Have a great trip.
M.J. Brasington
Atlanta, GA USA 04/07/00
Regarding Schloss Schonbrunn in Vienna: Rick advises telephoning ahead
to reserve tickets. You can also reserve tickets in advance via the internet
at www.schoenbrunn.at/
Marcia
Spokane, WA USA 03/29/00
Other guidebooks never mention the Hotel Bristol in Munich, but our
stay there in March was absolutely perfect. The rates are reasonable (if
you pay cash), the free breakfast was the best we had in all of our German
stays, and above all, the location can't be beat: walking distance to
Marienplatz via the elegant Sendlinger Strasse. The hotel staff without
fail was friendly, and spoke perfect English. This was a superb recommendation!
Steve Beste
Cambridge, MN USA 03/17/00
We watch "Travels in Europe" religiously and feel that Rick Steves has the right idea with avoiding tourist-packed areas. Granted we did hit a few of them just to satisfy my own curiosity. Our best times during our trip though happened in small towns where we met locals who were just as interested in Canada as we were in their little towns. Thankfully my wife speaks German so she helped both sides out we stumbled our way through the language barrier.
Places to avoid: Rothenburg — wow, it was like visiting Niagara Falls. It was packed with tourists and prices were obscene. Go to Dinklsbuhl instead — sure, it's smaller but the atmosphere is much more relaxed and prices are much more reasonable.
Ok, go see Neuschwanstein. It is truly spectacular, but once you've seen that go to Schoss Lichtenstein. It is much smaller but the view from it is awesome considering it was built on a cliff top.
I also want to mention one small town to visit: Check out Meersburg
on the Bodensee. What a beautifull little place. The atmosphere is relaxed
with little wine shops dotting the place and the view of the Swiss Alps
in the distance from the Boardwalk is one best enjoyed while having a
cup of coffee, drinking a beer or sampling the local wines.
David P. Mooney
London, Ontario, Canada 03/15/00
When staying in Interlaken, we found a place which our four kids just
loved called Sunny Days. Very convenient to the train station and very
affordable. It was the favorite lodging of the whole European trip. It
was a bit too early in the year to stay up in Gimmelwald, but this turned
out to work out great for us.
Greg L
Santa Rosa, CA USA 03/15/00
In Murren, Switzerland, a village that sits on a cliff above the Lauterbrunnen
Valley, is the Hotel Alpina. It has the most fabulous views you'll ever
experience. Stay on the third floor facing the valley and mountains. You'll
love it!
Marc Carlson
Longmont, Colorado USA 03/08/00
Please pay attention to Rick's advice about the accomodation agency
in Vienna's Westbahnhof. Go into Vienna to the TI office if you need a
room. Foolishly, I thought I'd save time by using the office in the train
station. BIG MISTAKE. I ended up in a pit 5 stops out on the Sbahn. Scary
room (I slept w/the light on), even scarier bathroom, shower was locked.
Even though I'd reserved 4 nights, I was out of there after 1 & waiting
for the TI office to open at 9am.
Jennifer
Seattle, WA USA 03/03/00
I lived in Heidelberg in 1998. I was shocked by Rick's comments about Heidelberg in one of his books!
Heidelberg's Hauptstrasse is beautiful and is a vital part of daily life in the city. The town has a wide variety of citizens stemming from the U.S. Army and the local university, widely known for its large international population and is one of the first in Germany. The best views in town come from the castle ruins (awesome and inexpensive tours) and from the tower of the Heiligeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church).
My favorite hotel/restaraunt is the Hotel Rose, located in the Rohrbach section of town right off the #3 Strassenbahn (steetcar). The hotel can accomodate everything from singles to large families (ask for room 25).
There are also many other points of interest near the city itself, including the palace in Schwetzingten. After that, drive down the Neckar river valley where there are more castles than you can count (see the ruins dating back to the 1100's south of Neckargemund). The drive along the river itself is spectacular, right along the water in the middle of the valley. There's also lots of small town charm sprinkled along the river all the way to Heilbronn, with plenty of places to stop over. Some of my best memories.
As for the commercialism of which Rick speaks, Heidelberg definitely
has a tourism market, but I visited Rothenberg twice and found the commercialism
to be much, much worse there, and although pretty, it is much more of
a tourist trap than Heidelberg, which is a real city with real people
and lots to do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Jason Thompson
Virginia Beach, VA USA 02/24/00
We just returned from a week in Germany. The Hotel Amsterdam (www.hotelamsterdam.de) in Hamburg was excellent and very reasonably priced: under 200 DM with bath and a light breakfast. It is in a great location, three minutes from Dammtor train station which is an ICE stop and a good S-Bahn stop. In about ten minutes, you can walk to the Rathaus and the pedestrian center.
Cafe Meyer, S-Bahn to Nierdorff-Markt, just outside the pedestrian area,
has incredible pastries and very friendly staff. Frau Meyer speaks fluent
English. Cafe Meyer is worth the trip.
David O. Desmarais
Virginia Beach, VA USA 02/15/00
Please add Miltenberg (am Main) to your itinerary in Germany. Near Frankfurt,
it is a gorgeous way to start a trip to Germany after landing at FFT.
The town is not well known in American travel circles and is seldom overcrowded,
even in high season. Near Miltenberg in Grossheubach is the famed Engelberg
monastary where you can climb the 600 steps to the top of the hill and
some of the best dark beer in northern Bavaria. Great pub nearby is Petra's
Pilstube and her mother's hotel down the block.
CJ Courtney
USA 02/06/00
For a fun afternoon along the Mosel River, leave your backpacks in your
hotel or zimmer, and catch the train to the Moselkern station near Burg
Eltz. You'll walk about 3 miles to the magnificent castle, and, believe
me, you won't regret it. The trail winds its way along a small stream
through a "Sherwood-esque" forest. It was clearly one of the major high
points of our trip to Germany this past summer. On your way there, you'll
pass through Moselkern village. Grab a picnic lunch at the town's small
grocery store, which has very nice prices, and get on your way. I have
read posts about the castle not being easily accessible and I just laugh
at them because getting there is most of the fun. This is definitely an
experience my wife and I will never forget and always look back upon with
fond memories. Happy travels!
Chad Potratz
Cedar Falls, Ia USA 01/12/00