Trip to Germany

cindibutler80

Hey everybody! I'm planning my ultimate weight-loss goal and reward for about 1.5 yrs from now...a trip to Germany! I have never been overseas, not even on a plane, so I was wondering if anyone has any tips for me? And if anyone is from Germany or has traveled there, what are the best things to do, see, eat, etc? I hope to spend at least two weeks there. Starting the research and planning has gotten me more excited about losing the weight and getting fit. It's a long way off, but I would also like to learn as much German as I can. Is it difficult? What's the best way to learn the language? I appreciate your input and support!

katelynal

What an exciting goal to have! I visited Munich some years ago and absolutely loved it. I would go back there in a heartbeat I'm not much help regarding learning the language or any of that. I did take an English speaking bicycle tour of Munich and enjoyed it immensely. Also, there are bus tours that will let you visit castles in the region and also travel through the Alps. My stay was much too short as I was there for work.

kali31337

Just got back from a 3 week trip around Europe and was in Munich & Berlin for part of that trip. Both of those cities are pretty easy to get around by speaking English only. LEARN how to read the public transportation maps. I was in a group of 6 and was the only one who know how to get around. Do a little research if you are going to use the S & U trains and learn about validating your ticket. The restaurants all have English menus so don't hesitate to ask for one!

deedzzz

I love Germany, lived there for around 4.5 years!
It depends really where about in Germany you want to go?
Biggest cities are Berlin, Hamburg, Colon and Munich.
Berlin is a must see city, it has a lot of history and culture.
Hamburg is a gorgeous romantic city, a big port.
Colon is located in an agglomeration of cities such as Dusseldorf, Bonn.
Heidelberg is a small town but it supposed to be the prettiest city in Germany.
I have never been to Munich, but it should be very nice too.

Food-wise, you have to try the Wiener schnitzel (austrian but still!), street-food include turkish Doner Kebabs, Berlin's famous curry-wurst, bratwurst in the tiny bread bun! and beer, lotsa beer

deedzzz

and yes German is a difficult language! But you could get by with English almost everywhere! You need to learn street signs, train maps, how to read bus schedules, but it's not too hard. They are very good about being organized and clear! If you need any help or have questions, feel free to add me!

kathleennf

I flew 85000 miles last year and am on track to do the same this year.
Here are my two tips: take your pillow on the plane, and try to get a window seat on the way over. It;s your best shot of getting some sleep.
DON'T even think about drinking alcohol on the plane on the way over. You may think it will help you sleep. Instead, it will mess with your body's attempt to adjust to the time zone and, combined with the dehydration and pressure changes with flying, it will make you feel like doodoo when you get there- if you are lucky enough to not get a migraine.
Do those two things, and you will arrive in the morning feeling decent and have a great start to your trip. Enjoy it!

DesireeNL

It's spelled Cologne, not Colon ;-) Or in German: Köln. Beautiful city, it has a huge cathedral and it's a perfect place for shopping. Close to Cologne is Aachen, it's a bit smaller but also a very beautiful, historic town. Both cities have large Xmas markets in December.

Once you've narrowed down the must-sees, you can look into things to do in the area. There are some beautiful castles (Neuschwanstein in the southern region) of medieval and neogothic times. There are also places where you can find remains of the Roman Empire (several sites in Trier, large museum in Cologne)

You'll be fine speaking English, although obviously not everyone might be able to help you out. Not to discourage you, but if you really want to learn the language you'll have to get at it seriously. Study, practice, read, speak. Taking a real-life language course is the best approach, as German is quite difficult both in grammar and pronunciation. Personally I'd say, if it's just for a holiday, get a little phrasebook, or one of these simplified language courses, and just try to learn some very basic phrases and words.

cindibutler80

Thanks for the tips!

SwitzEngine

and yes German is a difficult language! But you could get by with English almost everywhere! You need to learn street signs, train maps, how to read bus schedules, but it's not too hard. They are very good about being organized and clear! If you need any help or have questions, feel free to add me!

I am from Switzerland (boarder to Germany) and have been there lots. Feel free to add me

Kirsten2304

I am from and live in Germany Feel free to add me and ask me anything

EvgeniZyntx

I live near Frankfurt and have lived in Munich.

If you want to learn the language - I would suggest you start with a one on one course or one of the cheaper language courses like Living Language or Michael Thomas - stay away from the Rosetta Stone program at first because it is just too expensive for what it gives until you are truly committed.

There are a lot of language resources for free - busuu.com is a good one, Deutsche-welle is excellent, as are the forums on how-to-learn-any-language.

Once you get going try ASSIMIL (my "go to" language source) and bilingual resources.

In a year and a half, if you give a little EVERY DAY, you will have a good B1/B2 level especially if you've learned languages before. But you have to do a little every day. Not once a week, not three times a week... Most people fail.

As to travel advice - get a Lonely Planet guide and surf the web for Travel Advisor stuff.

thebigcb

Ive been to Germany a good few time(Kiel and Hamburg).

Its a great country. Most Germans have a very good understanding of Engligh. Its cheap, clean.

Hamburg is really cool. The zoo is briolloaint to go and see

StripedSmoker

I'm German

If you want to visit the kind of Germany most foreingers imagine when hearing 'Germany', visit Bavaria. Stuff you have to eat: Currywurst mit Pommes (Curry sausage with fries) which you can get snack bars on the streets. Berlin is great but very crowded if you ask me, Leipzig is beautiful for example and less known to tourists. I'm from Hamburg. Feel free to add me and ask more.

lauradian

I went to Munich & loved it. Its very beautiful! I wouldnt worry about learning the language. We did just fine... I would however recommend taking a train (its about 2 hours from Munich) to Fussen to see the Neschwanstein (Im sure I spelled all that wrong) castle & others in that vicinity that sleeping beauty or one of those movies was based off of. We went in March & it was one of my favorite places that we visited on our Europe tour, going up that mountain when it was still freezing out, seeing all the beauty all the while it seemed as if we were IN a cloud. And the castles of course are amazing. So, I would def add that to your list!

zornig

I've never heard Germany described as cheap! Even the Germans think Germany is expensive. I'm American, but lived in Germany for a year, and have traveled there many additional times to boot.

Berlin is a very fun city, but not very "typically" German. I loved Hamburg--it has fantastic architecture and a thriving design/arts scene. People mostly talk about (and recommend) Western Germany, but I think Dresden and Leipzig are very cool. They are Eastern cities that were both badly damaged in WWII and then extensively rebuilt. Plus they are former GDR territory, so it gives you a different perspective Germany. Not all of it is dirndl and Oktoberfest. The former GDR had a really different experience and you can see it still in those towns. Plus they are very historically rich if you're interested in WWII history at all.

neandermagnon

Call me a paleoanthropology nerd if you will, but I'd pick the Neanderthal museum in Neandertal. My avatar lives there

Many years ago I went to the Oktoberfest in Munich. I went in September but the Germans really know how to hold a festival, it lasts more than a month AFAIK. You'd probably have to save up calories for a week to fit that in your macros though lol

There's loads of places to go and things to see there. Though what appeals the most (other than the Neanderthal museum) is going for walks in the countryside.... it's very hot, humid and dusty here in Bahrain... green hills and forests are really appealing right now.

My husband speaks German like a native so I'd let him handle all the language/translation stuff for me :flowerforyou:

anne2605

I'm currently living in Munich, been here for 5 years (from England) and I've never had a problem language wise. Even though I can speak German most locals speak excellent English, especially in the hotels/cafe/bars etc. I'd recommend you join http://www.toytowngermany.com/ which is an expat English speaking community. You'll get all the info you need on the best touristy places, bars, restaurants etc. There are many organised night outs. day trips etc you can take part in, doesn't matter if your only here for a day or a week, you'll be welcomed (as long as you drink beer :-))

As far as personal safety is concerned, I've not once felt threatened or unsafe as I make my way around the public transport system. Once you get your head around the ticketing system it's a very easy system to use. You can buy a week ticket for as little as 40 euro and it allows travel on all types of transport i.e. bus/tram/train/underground all day every day any time etc. Here's the website http://www.bahn.de/ it's in English too.

Food wise, so much choice, brilliant restaurants. Depending on which city you land and when, you may find lots of street sellers of local food etc. Sometimes you just have to not know what it is and just try it but that's the fun of experiencing new tastes.

You're going to have so much fun. It's never dull.

nyssa1231

we lived in barcelona for a year (came back late last year). we traveled around a lot that year. we visited berlin for a weekend. it was awesome!

pick up a lonely planet book and browse through it to see where you want to go. as far as learning the language fluenz has a program for learning german. i've found it to be the most effect language learning software. i used it to brush up on my spanish a little when we got to spain (but they speak catalan in barcelona!) and right now i'm learning french through that same software. it's awesome!

have fun!

SleeplessinBerlin

I live in Berlin and will reply later, but if you want to start learning German in one of the most pleasant ways possible, try "Coffee Break German" - you will find it online as podcasts that you can download or listen to directly, each lesson lasts app 15 minutes.

Are you more into nature or big cities?

hellokathy

I live in Duisburg, NRW. While there's not a lot I'd recomment about my hometown, there are many interesting and gorgeous little towns nearby and by the Dutch border, such as Xanten or Moers. In Xanten, you can see a lot of old buildings and ruins from the Roman times. They even have a whole park dedicated to it where they have a Roman temple, circus, etc. If you're into that, of course.

digitalbill

Germany is wonderful.
I lived in Augsburg for about four years and I loved it.
I don't know how much time you have alloted but, if I only had a week or so, there are a few things I would not miss

(in no particular order)
1: Checkpoint Charlie. It is a cold war icon and defined the era.
2: Neuschwanstein Castle. This is sometimes called the "Cinderella Castle" and supposedly is the model that Walt Disney used.
3: The Black Forest: It's just really cool and you can get an authentic coo coo clock.

Other then that, just have fun.
If you are into mountin biking, you can spend the day at Berchtesgaden. When I was there, the lifts ran almost year round. During the winter they took the skiiers and snowboarders up and during the sumer they took the mountian bikers up.

cindibutler80

I live in Berlin and will reply later, but if you want to start learning German in one of the most pleasant ways possible, try "Coffee Break German" - you will find it online as podcasts that you can download or listen to directly, each lesson lasts app 15 minutes.

Are you more into nature or big cities?

Thanks everyone for the advice! I love the old country, medieval type stuff. I'm not big on crowds so I want to try and plan not-so-tourist-like activities. I'm thinking I would love to hike then because that's what I'm losing weight for. I really don't want to go to the big cities like Berlin because of it being so crowded. I love the castles and culture. I really would like to stay in bed and breakfasts that are family owned so I can learn more about the culture.

I want to visit places like Rothenburg and the castles but I also know those are major tourist hotspots and get crowded quickly. I want to feel like a local, go where locals love to go, speak the language, and connect with people.

tmm_0127

Aaahhh, glücklich!

I would pick up a travel book and an easy phrase book. No one will be looking for you to be fluent, a lot of people over there will know English, but knowing some simple things to get around is always useful. A travel book will also help you see what you're in for and what's around, it's important to personalize your trip. I would personally love to go hit up all of the historical sites because I'm a history buff, but not everyone's into that kinda thing so I don't really know what to suggest.

For the plane ride, you should maybe check out some audio books (if you have a compatible audio player like an ipod or zune or something, or you can get them on your phone). It's not a horribly long flight unless you have layovers, but I always find it easier to deal with audio books than lugging around physical copies. Just bring the travel and phrase book in your carry-on so you can review them and get super excited on your way over!

EvgeniZyntx

I live in Berlin and will reply later, but if you want to start learning German in one of the most pleasant ways possible, try "Coffee Break German" - you will find it online as podcasts that you can download or listen to directly, each lesson lasts app 15 minutes.

Are you more into nature or big cities?

Thanks everyone for the advice! I love the old country, medieval type stuff. I'm not big on crowds so I want to try and plan not-so-tourist-like activities. I'm thinking I would love to hike then because that's what I'm losing weight for. I really don't want to go to the big cities like Berlin because of it being so crowded. I love the castles and culture. I really would like to stay in bed and breakfasts that are family owned so I can learn more about the culture.

I want to visit places like Rothenburg and the castles but I also know those are major tourist hotspots and get crowded quickly. I want to feel like a local, go where locals love to go, speak the language, and connect with people.

Berlin isn't particularly crowded.

But if you want to hike - all of Germany has something to offer. Especially the Bayern (Munich) area with the Alps and pre-alps. Also conisder that Germany is a biking paradise and you can ride everywhere - especially in those regions.

Unfortunately you will never be a local, even the "locals" from Hessen, don't speak or fit perfectly in Bayersich areas, but you have the right attitude so just enjoy the difference while fitting in as much as possible.

A great hiking resource is the DAV - the German Hiking Association - I'm a member and have used them for guides, campsite and material...

http://www.alpenverein.de/

Also, if you want to learn more and ask questions about Germany - do not hesitate to join toytowngermany.com - the expat community in Germany site. BUT BEWARE THE SNARK IS HEAVY there. :drinker: :laugh:

romyd84

I am German too, feel free to add me. I live close to Munich (Octoberfest):)

c_tap77

I think somebody mentioned Leipzig (which is beautiful and if you're a music buff you can visit the Thomaskirche which is where Bach worked and wrote a huge portion of his music--his remains are also there).

Wittenberg is also really cool and you can visit the Castle Church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis.

I also loved Berlin. I would definitely recommend Checkpoint Charlie (as someone else metioned as well) and the Holocaust Memorial which is within walking distance from the Brandenburg Gate (also a must-see). You can also see sections of the Berlin wall which are covered in painted scenes now. Most of the wall is now gone but there are bricks in the street that serve as a marker for where the wall once stood.

As an American, the funniest part of my experience (and most interesting) were how the tour guides would describe some of the places we visited. The would say things like "this church is only 600 years old" and I would laugh thinking that's more than twice as old as our country!!!!!

Definitely take sturdy shoes!!!! I was touring with my university choir and wore my black flats everywhere for 2 weeks, and all of the streets are cobblestone!!!!! I had the worst leg and foot pain of my life by the second week and it lasted for a couple weeks after I came back to the states!


Don't skip over the smaller towns. I was lucky enough to visit several all over the country because we performed almost every night in a new place! Everywhere we went was beautiful and there's so much history.

I had taken 3 semesters of German before the trip, but everyone we met was so helpful and more than willing to correct German or talk to me in English. I would recommend getting a guide book with some basic phrases and you'll definitely want to learn some of the food so you can read a menu.

I hope you have so much fun!!! The two weeks I spent there were probably some of the most memorable of my life!!!!

cindibutler80

I think somebody mentioned Leipzig (which is beautiful and if you're a music buff you can visit the Thomaskirche which is where Bach worked and wrote a huge portion of his music--his remains are also there).

Leipzig sounds awesome! I do love music and didn't even know that was there! When I research online for travel spots, I mostly get the "tourist" destinations like the castles and big cities and of course Oktoberfest. I'm so glad I asked on here for information! Thanks so much!

digitalbill

I think somebody mentioned Leipzig (which is beautiful and if you're a music buff you can visit the Thomaskirche which is where Bach worked and wrote a huge portion of his music--his remains are also there).

Leipzig sounds awesome! I do love music and didn't even know that was there! When I research online for travel spots, I mostly get the "tourist" destinations like the castles and big cities and of course Oktoberfest. I'm so glad I asked on here for information! Thanks so much!

It might be helpful to find out where the American Army Kaserns are located.
Over in Germany, the American Army does not have massive bases like we do here in the States.
They are closer to little communities then small towns.
Typically the Soldiers will venture out on the town very similar to what the locals will do.
Maybe you can meet up with a small group and hang out or something?

belgerian

Most Germans speak english (required in school) they may not let you know that. I spent 4 years courtesy of US Army. Theres several monestarys that make there own beer and are bueatiful. I would say get a europass if your just free lancing it can go anywere in europe for xdollars. (assuming they still have them). But German is acutally fairly close to English. Course driving on the autoband is always a thrill slow lane at 80mph and theres 4 lanes of traffic got passed by a Lamborgini once that thing was gone before I even realized what it was. I just rememberd the monestary we went to several times it was outside of wildfleckend called kruezberg. On top of a wont call it a mountain but bueatiful view and bueatiful churck.

View from top of hill im getting jelouse I would love to go back

nicola1141

I love Germany! And it's such a great place to visit. Especially as a "novice" traveller. Everything is signed very well, a lot (most?) Germans speak at least some English, the people are extremely friendly, clean, safe, wonderful! I remember when I first went to Munich and was standing on the corner with my friend with our backpacks on, looking at our map. People literally were leaning out the windows of their car and pointing down the street to direct us to the hostel.

I love Munich, I could easily live there. Augsburg is also very pretty. I agree with everybody's recommendation of Neuschwanstein (sp?). Berlin is great, and completely different from Bavaria. Fascinating, urban, hip and especially great if you have any interest in WWII (if you do, Dachau is also worth the trip, although obviously very sobering).

While I agree that gramtically German is difficult to become good at. I think it's actually rather easy to learn the basics. A lot of the words have similarities to English, and once you learn that you literally pronounce every letter - the big long words that look scary, aren't really. There's a great logic to German that makes it relatively easy to "get by" with. The language (not necessarily grammar, but vocabulary) is very intuitive. Once you know some German, you can often make a very good educated guess at what some of the other words are, because they're often compounds of lots of smaller words that you are familiar with.

Mmmmm, and eat spatzle (sp??).

cindibutler80

Thanks for all the awesome information! I'm taking notes!