First trip in Germany, advice pls
- Thread starter Steve398
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Less of a problem these days but still good advice. A pre loaded card such as Monzo or Starling would be a good idea.
Didn’t use cash once last year
What are you into ? castles, museums, historic towns, mountain roads,r8ver routes , stunning coastlines ,wine routes....... Germany has it all in spades.
German national tourist website is a good start and every region, town have their own online tourist boards with everything from the area listed
German national tourist website is a good start and every region, town have their own online tourist boards with everything from the area listed
You forgot to mention beer, wine and whorehouses
. Herr Wapping has good knowledge of all of these......
The Turks do a good kebab in Germany. Around the main train station you will always find them.
But be aware and prepared for machete wielding nutters in any busy place.
But be aware and prepared for machete wielding nutters in any busy place.
When out and about, carry id all of the time and on your bike, carry all your docs all of the time.
The two big Technik Museums at Sinsheim and Speyer are worth it, and are in a nice region with Heidelberg a spit away
sinsheim.technik-museum.de
speyer.technik-museum.de
If heading to Munich, I usually stay here on the outskirts as it's a great little hotel, underground parking, basement swimming pool and sauna and part of the Schloss Oberschleisheim, so in the evening you and the wifey can take an enjoyable wander around the castle grounds and gardens.
www.kurfuerst-chalet.de
Within walking distance is also another museum of German Air Weaponry
www.deutsches-museum.de
For Hotels, I would also register for an account with NH Hotels. They are pretty good and booking direct I've found no ore expensive than B&B Hotels for example, Rooms are nicer, they all have parking, great breakfast even though they are a bit "Corporate". I got a junior suite in Dortmund Alt Stadt last week while away for 55 Euro with 10 Euro for Breakfast.
If you are heading south to Bavaria, the B308 between Sonthofen and Oberjoch is a little gem of a road. And if you want some gear and like Held stuff, the Held factory flagship store is in Sonthofen.
www.held-shop.de
Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer | Europas größte Privatmuseen
Geh mit uns auf Abenteuerreise: Werde Pilot, Rennfahrer oder Astronaut, erlebe Technik #fürfansvonfans und starte mit uns durch ► Wir freuen uns auf dich!
sinsheim.technik-museum.de
Technik Museen Sinsheim Speyer | Europe’s largest private museums
Join us on an adventure: become a pilot, racing driver or astronaut, experience technology #forfansbyfans & take off with us ► We look forward to seeing you!
speyer.technik-museum.de
If heading to Munich, I usually stay here on the outskirts as it's a great little hotel, underground parking, basement swimming pool and sauna and part of the Schloss Oberschleisheim, so in the evening you and the wifey can take an enjoyable wander around the castle grounds and gardens.
Hotel Chalet zum Kurfürst - Oberschleißheim bei München
Dein Hotel im Münchner Norden. Kostenfrei Parken, Schwimmbad, Sauna und Ladestationen für dein Elektroauto. Direkt am Schlosspark Schleißheim.
www.kurfuerst-chalet.de
Within walking distance is also another museum of German Air Weaponry
Startseite - Flugwerft Schleißheim - Deutsches Museum
Das Luftfahrtmuseum Flugwerft Schleißheim ist eine Außenstelle des Deutschen Museums und zeigt zahlreiche Exponate aus der Luftfahrt. Es befindet sich auf dem Sonderlandeplatz Schleißheim (EDNX), Kern des Museums sind historische Flugplatzgebäude aus der Pionierzeit der Fliegerei.
www.deutsches-museum.de
For Hotels, I would also register for an account with NH Hotels. They are pretty good and booking direct I've found no ore expensive than B&B Hotels for example, Rooms are nicer, they all have parking, great breakfast even though they are a bit "Corporate". I got a junior suite in Dortmund Alt Stadt last week while away for 55 Euro with 10 Euro for Breakfast.
If you are heading south to Bavaria, the B308 between Sonthofen and Oberjoch is a little gem of a road. And if you want some gear and like Held stuff, the Held factory flagship store is in Sonthofen.
Held Flagship-Store - Held
Herzlich Willkommen im Held Flagship-Store Sonthofen, der besten Adresse für Motorradbekleidung von Kopf bis Fuß.
www.held-shop.de
and cross into Austria, head to Plansee, back into Bavaria and to Oberammergau via the Ettaler Forest. Nice little cafe at Plansee.
Schloss Linderhof is in the Ettaler Forest, although we did not have time to visit last year https://maps.app.goo.gl/VFSfxMobq4jdyUX78
We did this from a base in Kempten using Hotel Der Furstenhof which is next to the Rathaus and has garage parking https://maps.app.goo.gl/j5DXUeucYB2ZpQGY9
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The Seyer Techniquemuseum is good as mentioned above
If you go to Munich visit BMW Welt and Dachau, you can also eat in Hitler’s favorite pub, the beer and food are good
An interesting hotel here with underground parking for the bike…...
Post in thread 'Bike friendly accommodation near Munich..?'
https://www.ukgser.com/community/threads/bike-friendly-accommodation-near-munich.383845/post-5399633
If you go to Munich visit BMW Welt and Dachau, you can also eat in Hitler’s favorite pub, the beer and food are good
An interesting hotel here with underground parking for the bike…...
Post in thread 'Bike friendly accommodation near Munich..?'
https://www.ukgser.com/community/threads/bike-friendly-accommodation-near-munich.383845/post-5399633
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OK, thank you. Now we are getting somewhere.
Experienced tourist.
Speaks no German. Don’t worry, lots of them speak no or very little English.
10 days, door to door in West Sussex, via the Chunnel, trains booked for early morning out and early evening home.
Riding time four to five hours a day, plus stops.
Wife likes to ‘see stuff’.
Now people will have a better idea as to what to propose.
To give you a rough idea about arriving at the edge of Germany ((just over the border from Belgium) from Calais, avoiding motorways, but taking regular D roads and some N roads.
I rode this last Thursday morning. It starts in St Omer, so add an hour if you do non-motorway or 30 minutes if you motorway between Calais and St Omer.
I was riding a Himalayan 450, so no great shakes in the power / speed department.
I left St Omer at 07:15. I arrived a bit beyond Cambrai at 09:30, where I stopped for a coffee and to buy a sandwich for lunch. That is 100 miles in a smidge over two hours. Call it 50 mph average; not bad I guess for mostly D roads.
I left the cafe at 10:00 and rode to my lunch stop at 12:45. The distance was 75 miles in two and three quarter hours but I stopped a few times to take a picture. Total distance so far 175 miles in a real time of five and half hours, including a coffee stop of 30 minutes and picture stops. Average speed 32 mph. It’s reducing because of the stops.
I left lunch at 13:15 (ie. a stop of an hour and a half).
I arrived in Trois Points (Belgian Ardennes, close to the German border) at 15:30. That is 230 miles from St Omer, in a real time of eight hours 15 minutes, including all the stops, including one of 20 minutes looking at a tank. 29 mph average, including the stops. Stops are the enemy of time and distance. Put simply, when you are stopped ‘I was only a minute’ you ain’t moving forwards.
I crossed the German border at 16:20 and arrived at my hotel in Simmerath at around 18:00, having fuelled up. Total distance St Omer to ‘Germany’ 270 miles, avoiding motorways and favouring D roads, in around 11 hours, including stops. 24 mph average but that includes all the stops.
You want to ride for four to five hours, plus stops. I’m not sure that you’d complete the distance I did. In other words you’d end up somewhere in France or Belgium….. One day out of your 10 gone and you are still not in Germany….. OR you’ll be using some motorways. There is nothing wrong with that.
Your thoughts, please.
PS I detailed all this, only in the hope of showing how difficult it is to create holidays for unknown people, over potentially 10 days and many, many miles.
I’m pretty sure we can create you something for Germany but, to complete the background information, please advise:
A. Distance you want to cover in any one day (based on four to five hours of riding)
B. Are you averse to using motorways? Some here are, or at least pretend to be. I’m sure they sneak some in when they think nobody is looking.
C. What ‘stuff’ does your wife enjoy looking at?
D. Do you want a complete day off, off the bike? Or, if so, more than one?
I rode this last Thursday morning. It starts in St Omer, so add an hour if you do non-motorway or 30 minutes if you motorway between Calais and St Omer.
I was riding a Himalayan 450, so no great shakes in the power / speed department.
I left St Omer at 07:15. I arrived a bit beyond Cambrai at 09:30, where I stopped for a coffee and to buy a sandwich for lunch. That is 100 miles in a smidge over two hours. Call it 50 mph average; not bad I guess for mostly D roads.
I left the cafe at 10:00 and rode to my lunch stop at 12:45. The distance was 75 miles in two and three quarter hours but I stopped a few times to take a picture. Total distance so far 175 miles in a real time of five and half hours, including a coffee stop of 30 minutes and picture stops. Average speed 32 mph. It’s reducing because of the stops.
I left lunch at 13:15 (ie. a stop of an hour and a half).
I arrived in Trois Points (Belgian Ardennes, close to the German border) at 15:30. That is 230 miles from St Omer, in a real time of eight hours 15 minutes, including all the stops, including one of 20 minutes looking at a tank. 29 mph average, including the stops. Stops are the enemy of time and distance. Put simply, when you are stopped ‘I was only a minute’ you ain’t moving forwards.
I crossed the German border at 16:20 and arrived at my hotel in Simmerath at around 18:00, having fuelled up. Total distance St Omer to ‘Germany’ 270 miles, avoiding motorways and favouring D roads, in around 11 hours, including stops. 24 mph average but that includes all the stops.
You want to ride for four to five hours, plus stops. I’m not sure that you’d complete the distance I did. In other words you’d end up somewhere in France or Belgium….. One day out of your 10 gone and you are still not in Germany….. OR you’ll be using some motorways. There is nothing wrong with that.
Your thoughts, please.
PS I detailed all this, only in the hope of showing how difficult it is to create holidays for unknown people, over potentially 10 days and many, many miles.
I’m pretty sure we can create you something for Germany but, to complete the background information, please advise:
A. Distance you want to cover in any one day (based on four to five hours of riding)
B. Are you averse to using motorways? Some here are, or at least pretend to be. I’m sure they sneak some in when they think nobody is looking.
C. What ‘stuff’ does your wife enjoy looking at?
D. Do you want a complete day off, off the bike? Or, if so, more than one?
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Thanks Wapping, I appreciate the difficulties and also your help and experience.
I have no problem with motorways per se. We were travelling across Italy one time and the motorway route was 2.5 hours but that was too short, but on checking found that non-motorway was 11 hours.. we went motorway and had an extended lunch.
I have no problem with motorways per se. We were travelling across Italy one time and the motorway route was 2.5 hours but that was too short, but on checking found that non-motorway was 11 hours.. we went motorway and had an extended lunch.
Italy is very much like that. But you are off to Germany and will have no such worries. It helps to familiarise yourself with a little German though. Wappings route/advice is worth following though.
OK and the answers to the questions are?
I speak German with the fluency of an average 2 year old (German) but have never had any issues in even the old East German area, although I can struggle when trying to deal with regional accents especially in Austria (and when I have had a drink) .
Even in smaller villages in Germany menus often have an English translation and most youngsters will be able to speak English
A. I’d guess at around the 200-250 mile mark.
B. Already answered
C. Palaces/churches/monuments/not particularly WW1 or 2 sites.
D. No
B. Already answered
C. Palaces/churches/monuments/not particularly WW1 or 2 sites.
D. No
Nevertheless, it is nice to make an effort. We Brits have a terrible reputation for expecting others to speak English......
