What cities in western Germany are worth a day visit (coming from Amsterdam)?

Question

I will be in Amsterdam for 10 days and I would like to travel around Germany for a few days, but I am not sure which places to go.

I hear that Cologne is a must! But I am not sure what others places could be interesting.

I will be travelling next month and with my 7 month old son! Any tips?

Answer 1

achen and cologne top my list...i am in the military and stationed in the netherlands and we go to these cities all the time. colgne has the mos amazing cathedral. achen has great shopping and great food. make sure to bring a dictionary with you though. unlike the netherlands the germans aren't so willing to help you by speaking english. good luck.

Answer 2

Definately Cologne, I'll be there May 24 and 25. Duesseldorf for shopping, then take a Rhine cruise and get off and go to Frankfurt, hop on the ICE to Wuerzburg, then take a slower one to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Munich is great, a short drive to Salzburg and then go on to Innsbruck. Have fun! Inquire about a Rail Pass!

Answer 3

go to Hamburg

Answer 4

If you head south you might take a day to visit Ulm, Germany. The birthplace of Albert Einstein, also you will be able to see and visit the worlds tallest church spire.

Ulm and Neu-Ulm are not as well known as some of the other areas but is located near Muchen, Augsburg, Stuttgart and the Alpine region and Black Forrest

Answer 5

Cologne is nice..a large cathedral.."The Dom" Most of the city is modern though..not an old world place really, Bonn isnt far either.  Towns along the Mosel River.  The Black Forest.  The Nurburgring - Nordschleife 70km from Cologne if it isnt covered in snow is always a big treat for the guys..a racetrack and a car museum. Monschau is near the Nurburgring and one of the pretty old world type towns. Heidelburg Castle is REALLY nice.  In the winter months here though,a lot of the castles and that sort are closed though so you will have to check.  Paris will be about a 6-7 hour drive from Cologne so not impossible to see also while you are here.  There is Disneyland Paris there.

Answer 6

You are right Cologne is nice, go to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt/M. they all in western Germany.

Answer 7

Hamburg definitely!!

Answer 8

Go with mattclapt. Best answer and I just spent 5 years there.

Answer 9

Frankfurt

Rothenburg

Munich

Heidelburg

Bad Kreuznach

there are just so many beautiful cities there, you really cant go wrong.

Answer 10

Keine. Berlin ist im Osten!!!!

Answer 11

Aachen, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Berlin - just remember, it is all Germany, not West or East anymore!

Answer 12

It has been funny to see many people's answers as thinking you meant West Germany (as in the country that existed until 90') and not simply western Germany! I know an ABSOLUTE INCREDIBLE city for you to go to...someone already mentioned it....AACHEN!

      I went to Aachen this summer with my family. One of the most beautiful, quaint, and relaxing town I have ever been to anywhere. Its Altstadt (oldtown) has Charlemagne's Cathedral, Prinzen (amazing ginergread) and lots of Old World cobblestone streets that are very fun to explore. They may have some horse races while you are there. The Hotel Benelux was a great place to saty that includes one of the best breakfasts I've ever had.

      One of the most relaxing and rejuvinating thing you can do is to bathe in mineral waters there that can be accessed through the unbelieveable spa called Carolus Thermen. The web site is in English and Deutsch it is:http://www.carolus-thermen.de. For the rest of your life you will judge how relaxed and content you are to how you will feel after spending a very affordable day here in paradise. And of course being in mellow Aachen will only add to the way most feel for several days after batheing in the healing waters. Don't miss this for the world! Germany is known for their incredible spas with healing water. If you don't go to Aachen at least go to Baden- Baden and bathe there. What better way to bless yo child in the healing waters of Germany.

Answer 13

Cologne and Duesseldorf are a must if you are so close. They are just an hour away from the dutch border. There is lots of stuff to see and to do in both cities, actually the whole region ....

I am trying to think what special thing you could do with a 7month old baby. There is the chocolate museum in Cologne which is fantastic. Shopping is great in both places.

Answer 14

Germany is no longer split between East and West. This ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Answer 15

I visited Bremen and Hamburg last year. They were both very nice.