Advice on quick trip to Germany please...

Hamburg and Berlin are definitely worth the visit if you have the time. Will you be based in Frankfurt or Kassel? Hamburg and Berlin might be too far with small kids in the car if you are based in Frankfurt.

Personally, we love the North and East Frisian Islands but obviously for more than a day or 2 and only if the weather is good. We seem to be lucky every year in autumn with the sun, even if the air temperature is not the highest at that time of year

You could head west into Holland or Belgium. Maastricht is a very pretty town with good history, eating and shopping. Heading east to Nuremberg, also a very beautiful, historic city.

Enjoy your trip.

 

Do you seriously think the Oktoberfest is child-friendly !

 

I lived in Mainz for 20 years. Must see is the Rhein valley region, especially coming from Texas. If you're into wine, Riesling, old castles etc it sure is worth a trip. The Rheingau is no more than 20-30 minutes from Frankfurt airport. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me, happy to help Max

 

If you decide to go to Hamburg you should not miss the Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg
It's the largest model railway in the world. Even if you are not interested in model railways, the scenery is fantastic.
How old are your children? They should be older than ten.
A boat tour through the harbour is also quite nice.
Oktoberfest with children? 100000 drunken people, not so much fun for children

 

think of distances in a car with small children !

Frankfurt-Kassel-Hamburg-Berlin-Munich-Frankfurt is easily a +1000 miles trip
even without any additional tours at the different locations

 

I completely agree with this. So many good places in Germany, why travel the major distances? Great excuse to come back!

For 10 days I would pick Kassel and surrounds for a couple of days and then 1 other region. Couple of suggestions.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a wonderful town, completely intact from the middle ages. 2 1/2 drive from Kassel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber

Ferrari dealer Eberlein is worth a visit in Kassel.

For scenery you can try the Thüringerwald and surrounds. 2 hr drive. Thuringia Tourism - holiday (vacation) and travel in Thuringia

Another option is to a little further south and west for a couple of days, close to France. Konstanz is a great town. The Bugatti museum in Mulhouse (France) is amazing. 4 1/2 hr drive from Kassel.

In about 3 hours you can get to the Nürburgring from Kassel, you can check the website if there are public driving days. Great part of Germany, from which you can pop into beautiful Roman town Trier, or France or Belgium. When we visit the track we usually rent a house at a holiday park (Roompot at Cochem, nice little town is Cochem). Cheap but very nice for a couple of days.

Anyway, way too many options to mention, I think you need to be more specific than say "what is there to do in Germany?".

Have a great time.


Onno

 

just something to add to Michael's post. We often visit local friends in Germany and can stay there overnight. Making such a trip will cost you a day whether it is 600 or 1000 miles. So your trip will take at least 2 days for only saying hi to nanny. Go to Berlin for a day, which is not enough , there is a lot to do and see. What I am trying to say is that Europe is a nice cruising continent, but it takes decades to see it all and enjoy it. All I can say take your time. Sitting only your the rental is not the nicest thing here. Staying put and explore some places is

20 Things to Do in Berlin ? Essential Attractions, Sights and Activities ? Time Out Berlin

No offence, forget about The Netherlands when you have kids onboard, it is too far away if you are only staying for 10 days.

Enjoy your stay and have fun!

All the best
Tijn

 

May I suggest you to use the train when you are going to visit towns.
Big towns have a good public transportation system. You would not need a car in Hamburg, Berlin or Munich. You will most probably get stuck in traffic jams or spend time to park your car. Check Willkommen auf der Konzernwebsite der Deutschen Bahn | DB Konzern (German railway) for prices. (under the red bar you will find an icon to switch the site to English)
For e.g. Berlin you can get the information here:Welcome - BVG.de

 

it still is
skip the weekend !
go there from monday through friday during the day and you and your family will enjoy it

this !
and - depending on time of booking - travel might also be a lot cheaper and stressless

 

Hello Vivek,
I just returned from Hamburg - 50th birthday of a good friend.
We took the train. 600km by car on a Friday afternoon after work would be no fun.
We stayed in this hotel: Hotel Hafen Hamburg: Hanseatic Hotel in Hamburg
I would highly recommend it. You have a nice view across the river Elbe (the harbour).
For a harbour tour you just have to walk down the stairs and the subway station is just across the street.
Apperantly the hotel is very popular amoung tourist. I doubt you can book a room last minute.