Next year my wife and I both celebrate our 60th birthdays and also our 40th wedding aniversary!
We would like to go to Germany, I have traced my ancestor to Bavaria in 1730.

Does anyone have any advice to give for a trip to Germany and maybe Italy and France? Two weeks? Best time to travel? Best Place to stay? Limited funds.

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Limited funds?

Don't go in Summer or Xmas (High Season).
Don't go to Europe ($ exchange rate is at all time low
A Space-A hop to Germany or Italy (depending on where you are leaving CONUS from).

Hope this helps....

I've been there several times and was stationed there. When you do go, use the Internet to find a hotel.

Don't stay in Rome, stay in Florence instead and commute, it is approx an hour or two by frequent 155 mph train. If you don't like that option there is a hotel in Rome at the bottom of this post.

Stayed at the Hotel City in Florence in 1999, it was nice then and I setup our reservations via Email.

http://www.hotelcity.net/

Can't remember where we stayed in Munich but I think it was the Holiday Inn. 3 Star hotels are both nice and cheap but your travel agent will want to book you in 4 and 5 star hotels because they have a higher commission.

If you take an overnight train to Rome and get a sleeping compartment YOU SHOULD specify how many people you want it for OR you will be sharing it with strangers. Also use the routing via Switzerland. Swiss sleepers are nicer, you get better food and the crews are nicer. Lets see for the rail I requested a train schedule from Rail Europe:

http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index...mEqY4CFVB1OAod0lOzaA

Laid out in MS-Excel when I needed a train and to where and then called them to make reservations (they call the European lines). Remember if you want a sleeper to specify that.
I purchased the Rail Pass for Germany with one add on country (Italy).....it was cheaper then two add on countries and for the short distance across Switzerland (it is considered a transit country unless you have a prolonged stop) just pay the regular fare.

So that should cover rail and hotel. If you don't like the commute between Rome and Florence then you can get a hotel in Rome.

I stayed at the Hotel Portamaggiore last in 1985. It was good then. It's by a old Roman gate of the same name.

http://www.romeby.com/portamaggiore/index.html

Accor Hotels (Formula1, Etap, Ibis, Mercure, Novotel and Sofitel) are big in Europe. Their prices generally start low (F1) and end up higher (Sofitel). Their prices from my experience tend to be lower than US chain hotel brands. I would stick with the Ibis/Mercure brands if you are on a budget, but the Novotels sometimes have good deals. F1 and Etap are really low end (F1 hotels do not have bathroom/shower facilities in the rooms)

Regarding limited funds, go to www.ricksteves.com or www.smarttravels.com and check out everything possible. Rick originally had “Europe Through the Back Door.” His shows play on our PBS-type stations on Saturdays. He is high value on a low budget.

We lived in Germany 3 years 88-91 & I was back in 2000 . . . if you only have 2 weeks, make sure it is well planned as to exactly what you want to see, where you’ll spend each night (planned or unplanned, reservations or not depends on time of year -- have reservations for US forces rec center in Garmisch - do research) and what you’ll do each day. Get a country map. Go to the library and check out photo books. Go to a bookstore like Barnes & Noble and look at/buy a book or two and mark all things you’d like to see on the map & then see if you can piece together your 2- weeks circle drive that way. If you just want a few big cities (if it was Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, etc.), maybe a train “could be” economical, but check out round-trip in-country air fare which is now less costly & saves on time (about $100 per person Frankfurt/Berlin, or $150 Frankfurt/Rome for me this Dec. 2007), but I’m used to the freedom of driving if it's sightseeing thru the country, so . . .

If you do a driving route and are a gold member with AAA, maps and books are free, or you can buy them. Definitely have your maps with you PRIOR to going. And especially for any large city you want to go to. Also, I wouldn't be without an international driving license from AAA.

Here’s one idea you might want to build on for a real fairytale-type circle drive (which means a rental car & book it before leaving the States. It’s more expensive if you get it there. You can not rent from on base unless you have a valid USAFE driver’s license, & you get that only if you’re stationed there. Also, use a platinum or gold credit card & check with the company because they usually cover you for the extra insurance & that will save you another $300-500.)

Gas is now around $7.00 a gallon, but Bx/Pxs used to sell discount pre-paid gas coupons (for fill-up at designated gas stations [get a map/list with the coupons] and with a military active duty or retired ID, in 2000 I could still buy them). Check with a German BX/PX in your planning. On bases around the world at Clothing & Sales there used to be a book titled "Temporary Military Lodging Around the World" which gives you base contact info and you would use it to set up lodging at bases before you go if you plan a schedule. See if it’s still published.

Flying into Frankfurt, going south east to Rothenberg o der Tauber for Day 2 (off of Highway 7) either by way of Wurzburg or Heidelberg (Castle ruins), depending on what you plan to see (castles, stately homes, churches/abbeys, etc.) Heidelberg or Mannheim base could be a possible advance military lodging reservation for your first night. If you’re into history, maybe you want to go to Worms on the way.

Day 2 is Rothenberg & an overnight there. This is a HUGE tour bus destination city of Germany, but do NOT miss it . . . the best preserved olde-world, medieval town. Huge Kathe Wolfhart Christmas stores, but check the museums, churches, too.

Day 3 begins a drive south down the Romantic Highway which is through fairytale-like towns. South of east-west Hwy. 6 you veer off to Dinkelsbuhl & research what road is the Romantic Hwy . . I’ve forgotten.

Maybe you want to go to Dachau (WWII concentration camp) northwest of Munich? Find out the visiting times & you should be able to get there on Day 3 & then stay overnight in the area or push on a bit.

Munich - yes? no? Personally, I'd skip it with you driving. A lot depends on whether you know German and have a very detailed city map, know exactly where you want to go, etc. Otherwise, from a smaller outside town you'd take a bus/train into the huge city & maneuver from there. But if you're on a minimal budget, skip this this time, UNLESS your trip is built around just 2-3-4 major cities & no country excursions as I'm presenting for a car.

Day 4 have the days/times known when they're open & drive to the ferry town to go the island to see Herrenchiemsee with an English-speaking guide/tour group (Ludwig’s castle - Hall of Mirrors patterned after Versailles & I actually like this better than Versailles, which is outside Paris). Wear good walking shoes . . . 1/2 mile from shore to castle.

Maybe you want a day or two in Salzburg?? Maybe you want to drive down to the used-to-be U.S. Armed Forces rec area Berchtesgaden for a day (salt mines, Hitler's Eagle, scenic beauty,etc.).

Day - drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, through Bad Tolz on Hwy 472, and ask if the church on top of the hill (south side of the main street) is open, hike the high hill & see it. Have a reservation, made even 3 or more?? months before you leave home, at the Garmisch armed forces lodging if you want.

(NOTE: Already for 2008, March 6-16th, they are full [$2400 a couple] for a retirees' vacation package with pickup from Munich airport.) You might want to get on the list and go to Germany when that is available???

Day - Will you spend the day in Innsbruck, Austria, or around Garmisch & the Zugspitze? Otherwise after breakfast & taking dozens of photos of the painted buildings, you’re headed toward Oberammergau (wood carving city & the Passion Play every 5 or 10 years), and then Schloss Neuschwanstein (Disneyland Castle). Make sure you’re on top of the time this day because of the time it’ll take to drive here, then to walk the long path/road up to the castle, and get an English-speaking tour inside before closing (all need-to-know ahead of time). Maybe there won't be much time to stroll in Garmisch & Oberammergau, or you might plan a day just to get to the castle! Schloss Linderhof (Castle) is on the way.

Now ........ your destination is Colmar, France, just west of Freiburg which is in the Black Forest region. Check for abbeys, monasteries, or fabulous jewel-box churches along the way or worth a side venture. Depending on your research, you’ll determine what you’re seeing along the way. Use Rick Steve’s material for possible places to stay, and if you’re familiar with Youth Hostels & any have a room for two, that will help on the budget if you’re o.k. with one step up from camping. You can even reserve these ahead today on the computer. Pack a pillowcase/sheet if you plan to sleep in Youth Hostels if they have rooms for 2 (otherwise it’s dorm style of males & female & this is your anniversary . . not single & back in college).

The small town just south of Colmar, Kaisersberg, is concentric - very different & was birthplace of Albert Schweitzer. You definitely want to see the altar screen in the church in Colmar (world famous) & read about anything else to see. The people in the Tourist Information will speak English & help find a place to stay. It’s then the two towns north of Colmar (Riqueville and Ribeauville) that are right out of the 13th Century Medieval world. Then it’s either go up to Strasbourg & get back into Germany, or better yet, back to Colmar, into Germany, & wind your way north through places to see in the Black Forest. Check for monasteries and churches. Plan the rest of your days on your own from here.

You might have your last night at Darmstadt or Wiesbaden if you want military lodging closest to the airport. Again, have your city maps with you for directions. A museum in Mainz has the Gutenburg printing press. West of Weisbaden is Rudesheim, another "olde world" atmosphere town. There's the drive north along the Rhein with fairytale-type towns, make sure you know in German, “Arrival” and “Departure.” Rental car drop off must be real easy because I did it in 2000. Almost all signs are German and English at places like the airport. And if you do drive, study all the international driving signs and German words/directions for driving before you go & have a picture guide with you. Take a pocket dictionary with you.

MAIN DRIVING LAWS for the Short Term:
***If you’re on a road with double/triple, etc. lanes in your direction, you absolutely can NEVER NEVER pass on the right unless you’re in a city with multiple lanes and bunched up traffic. Driving on the interstate back in the U.S. is r-e-a-l nerve-wracking after years of no-passing-on-the-right. ALSO, you must always drive in the right most lane for your speed. So if you want to pass, when you start make sure you see NO ONE behind you in the left lane, get into it, get past the car you’re passing, and as soon as possible, get back in the right hand lane. Drivers in Germany going speed limit, or over, or whatever on stretches where there are no speed limits, do NOT plan to brake for any cars passing in a left hand lane! It is up to you to stay OUT of that left hand lane and keep it clear for the fast drivers. That’s why if you need it to pass, get in & out of it safely and as fast as possible. You can not imagine how fast a car can come up on you if you’re only going the posted speed limit (140 kph, multiply x 6 = 84 mph) & they’re at the 110+ speed.

***The zipper law .......... someone has their signal lights on....it is MANDATORY that you let them in. I almost created a huge lorrie (semi-truck) accident when I was on an autobahn entrance lane without a signal, so traffic was going at speed limit, & then I put on my blinkers to enter onto a lane “when it was clear of traffic, according to my American driving mind” & the lorrie driver slammed on his brakes the minute he saw my blinker! Never again did I turn on my signal until the lane was clear to enter!!

***And if you’re on an autobahn and you see cars flashing their double lights ahead of you (because traffic is slower than normal), OR you see that the speed of cars ahead of you is less than the regular driving speed for that road, it is MANDATORY that you immediately put on your double blinkers/flashers/signal-emergency lights so that the cars behind you will immediately brake from their possible 84-100-110-120 mph speed and NOT crash. International Driving is fabulous for the defensive driving laws. I loved it.

***The minute it begins to sprinkle/rain, it is mandatory to put on your headlights (low beam).

***And if you see zigzag lines painted at crosswalks (especially in the smaller country towns), think “military” and you must stop to let pedestrians cross.

***And the other main driving law is that in areas with intersecting streets and none have stop or other yield, etc. signs, (especially in housing areas where we lived in Wiesbaden) and even though it may seem as if one is a primary “main” road vs. a secondary intersecting road . . . when there are no signs, the vehicle on the right ALWAYS has the right of way, no matter what! I almost got killed one day forgetting this law & Germans drove right out in front of me and never slowed down, looked to their left, or anything because they knew they had the right-of-way!!

If you’re into history & you’re not sure about ever getting to Germany again, see about flying on an in-country airline (suggestion from an American civilian friend living there right now for me this Dec. & is about $100 round trip per person) Frankfurt to Berlin for a few days. You’d drop the rental car off at the Frankfurt airport in conjunction with the flight to Berlin (you might want to put the major luggage in a locker OR there is a person-managed storage room at the airport, and just make sure you don’t lose your claim ticket or it’s mega-big-bucks to get it back). You can use public transportation in Berlin. Be in condition to walk a mile with your 3-4-day carry bag luggage/back pack if need be, or have it on wheels. Tons of luggage means things like taxis (more costs). You could do the same if you fly to Rome or Paris because you can use public transportation to get around. Less is best when you have no car.

In the old west Berlin is one of the reportedly 3 best Egyptian museums (the others are in Cairo & the British Museum in London ..... been to all, but I’d also say the exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is top notch with the other three!!! - - maybe not as much stuff, but grand, nevertheless if you never get across the ocean). Then if you know your history, you want to go to the island of museums in old east Berlin - - Pergamon Museum to see the Pergamon collection (Turkey) & the Babylonian Walls and Ishtar Gate (Book of Daniel, 6th-7th BC, present day Iraq). Pergamon is one of the 7 churches in the Bible in Turkey, but only has ruins today at Bergamo, just north of Izmir. You’ve got the Checkpoint Charlie / Berlin Wall stuff and whatever else you research for Berlin for however much time you have. Skip their reported "best in world aquarium." Coordinate your flight back to Frankfurt with the flight back to the U.S.

You might want to buy the excellent "DK" travel book on Germany/Europe.
You can read up on all this stuff (once you know what you’re looking for) on the internet, with photos and all.
If you're traveling by car & you begin by a military base, think about buying some food, drinks, etc. at American prices for some meals on the road.
At least 3 months before you go, get in walking condition if you're not used to a lot of walking.

Time of year to go - - higher airline prices during summer, but maybe o.k. in May. Fall would be good. Usually better airline prices if you leave on a Wed-Thurs-Fri., but didn't matter coming back when I recently priced out 32 days from Dec. 13 - Jan 20th. Do all that on something like Expedia. The Christkindlmarkts are in city centers Dec. till Christmas. Temps can be mild to snowy-freezing, but an entirely different, fabulous atmospheric trip, but less sunlight - shorter days. Then add in Nuremberg.

And last of all, check out organized packaged group tours. It might be the most economical and still give you a huge value of stuff for your money.

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