My husband is taking me for my 50th birthday.I like to see the countryside,maybe switzerland germany and france. I will have 10 days and if anyone knows of a really good travel agency on line. thanks
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For the first timer, an organized tour by a company like %26quot;Cosmos%26quot; might be the easiest way to go. The planning on your part would be minimal. You can pick up some free brochures at your local travel agency and see if any of the tours fit the bill.
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You could also do this on your own quite easily and inexpensively. The German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg borders both Switzerland and France (Alsace), is one of Germany%26#39;s premiere tourist destinations, and there are many inexpensive holiday accomodations. As you want to see the countryside, a car would be perfect to allow access to pleasant small towns and other sights. Map #16 in the Shell regional map series of Germany shows hundreds or thousands of places to visit, and the sights are accurately rated and covers most of this area. Some useful websites for the area:
Baden-Wuerttemberg tourism- www.tourismus-bw.de they may also be able to help you with an organized tour
the excellent castles, palaces, medieval monasteries and gardens operated by this state- www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de
Black Forest- www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info
Lake Constance- www-bodensee-tourismus.com
Swabian Alb- low limestone mountains with lots of castles and caves and excellent xcliffside scenery (my favorite place in Germany)- www.schwaebischealb.de
Uper Swabia with Germany%26#39;s highest concentration of beautiful Baroque churches, palaces and monasteries (my next favorite place in Germany)- www.oberschwaben-tourismus.de only in German
the Barock Road- www.barockstrasse.org only in German
Stuttgart- www.stuttgart-tourist.de
the old college town of Tuebingen with its hilly cobblestone streets, castle, half-timbered houses, interesting shops, and one of Europe%26#39;s oldest universities- www.tuebingen.de
two excellent fairytale-like castles- Burg Hohenzollern ( www.burg-hohenzollern.com ) and Schloss Lichtenstein ( www.schloss-lichtenstein.de only in German)
two excellent castle (fortress ruins) Hohenneuffen and Hohentwiel- www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de
three excellent medieval monasteries: Bebenhausen, Comburg, and Maulbronn- all in www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de
Ulm with its cathedral with the world%26#39;s tallest church spire, which can be climbed if desired- www.ulm.de
Heidelberg- www.heidelberg.de
the spa town of Baden Baden- www.badenbaden.de
for a nice birthday celebration, Traube-Tonbach in Baiersbronn in the Black Forest. Besides being Germany%26#39;s best restaurant, there are two other excellent Michelin-starred restaurtants in this village, plus spa facilities. www.baiersbronn.de
That%26#39;s just a start, but probably already over a month%26#39;s worth of things to see and do. And the nice thing is that all these places are excellent to visit, but are not over run by foreign tourists such as some other places in Germany, so you can have an enjoyable %26quot;German%26quot; experience.
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The Baden Baden website should be www.baden-baden.de .
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I%26#39;d just book the flights and rent a car. Then check the web for possible places to visit and make the bookings for the %26#39;must%26#39; places. Gives you a nice amount of flexibility.
Good place to start is Frankfurt. Good connections from the US and centrally located.
Germany is OK and so is France, Switzerland is extremely expensive and there are very nice Alpine scenery in Tyrolia as well, ie German Austrian border.
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First you have to limit your goals. Three countries in 10 days would be very difficult if you really wanted to get a feel for any of them. You could fly into Stuttgart that Marco has so well described, visit the Black Forest and then take a train to Paris for a few days before flying out of there.
I think that you have to get some travel books (library?) and see what appeals to you. Travel seems best based on one%26#39;s dreams rather than the advice of others. Others can help with advice about the details.
Regards, Gary
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