Germany trip upcoming in June

Enjoy the Frankfurt airport!

 

If you haven't yet, get a copy of the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich by Hawthorne. Very helpful.

Where are you staying in Munich?

Also -- Bamberg is more than Schlenkerla... even thought that's a good segment.

 

So you arrive in Frankfurt at 8 am, and you might get out by 9 (9:30-10 is more realistic), then it's a 2 hour drive to Köln. That works out great if you can hit the ground running. If you don't have a hotel yet I'd book one if I were you.

"Any cities/suggestions along the way from Dusseldorf to Rust?" - Well it's always what you make it. I don't have a suggestion but I'll just say that I've always had a great time just touring around Deutchland. Du sprichst deutsch, ja?

I'm sure you'll have some altbiers in Dusseldorf, and I'd suggest you stop in Bonn on your way to Rust, and then perhaps Mannheim and Heidelberg. It's a long trip so you'll have to break it up.

From Rust to München there are two basic routes, northern or southern. The northern takes you near Stuttgart and then near Augsburg. The southern route is the more beautiful and leads you through Freiburg and later Memmingen (I forget what I liked about Memmingen...? It's just a small town.), but finally, with a little detour, Klosterbrau Andechs. I'd say the southern route is preferable to me.

The rest is simple. There are so many places in München I won't even bother, but I'll try to post later some of the interesting places I hit outside of Bamberg that make for a great little road trip.

 

My wife and I flew out of this airport on our return trip. We arrived late afternoon for a flight the next morning and stayed at the hotel that connects with the terminal. We walked over to the terminal to get in a practice run at finding where to check in, security, etc. for the early morning flight and I'm glad we did. It's a very confusing place!

OP - Maibocks hopefully will still be available during your trip. If they are a favorite style for you, search them out.

 

Hit Mahrs in Bamberg and Cafe Abseits. In Dusseldorf, gotta go to the Alstaad and drink some altbier at Uerige!

 

Spezial also makes Rauchbier, good food. Fässla is across the street.

If you go to Mahr's, Keesman is almost across the street, the Herren Pils is super.

 

I fly in/out of Frankfurt airport several times a year for business. There are a few things that can be confusing, but I don't mind it at all, especially when compared to a dump like LAX. When you arrive you'll have a bit of a walk to get your rental car. If you have good status at the rental company, I believe you can walk straight to the pick-up area, which is in the adjoining parking structure. Otherwise, you need to find your way to the rental counters in the terminal, which are through a good portion of the airport and past an area with quite a few stores (and maybe downstairs, I forget). Once you're ready to actually get your car, there's a long hallway, then elevator, walk to the structure, etc. Not really any different than other big European airports though - I'm sure it made sense when they built it. If you get a car with GPS, make sure to check that it's set to English before you leave so you can ask an attendant to decipher the settings if it isn't.

When you return, I highly recommend staying at one of the hotels attached to the airport. I usually stay at one of the two Hiltons inside the big shiny jellybean building - it's just so convenient to drop your car off, have your hotel, and be able to walk to the terminal all without having to even go outside again. Pay attention to which drop off point to need to take the rental car back to - there are two (A and B, 1 and 2, something like that). Also, the attendants can be notoriously nitpicky about inspecting the car when you drop it off. Like 15+ minutes, squinting and scowling at every little blemish while muttering under their breath. It can take so long that you might be tempted to just say "screw it, give me the form to sign, I have a flight to catch", but I'd suggest taking photos of the car when you pick it up and drop it off - my company (including myself personally) has later received several charges for "damage". The most recent was $500 for a new windshield.

I've been perfectly happy with the airport after that. The hotels are nice (if a bit expensive for the convenience), there's a major train station attached, a small grocery store, and several restaurants in the main hallway. I was pleasantly surprised by the food at the Paulaner restaurant - very tasty pork knuckle. To catch your flight, just follow the signs to the correct terminal. There's a good duty-free store, but keep in mind that there's not much in the way of services after security. The best you can hope for is more of a to-go type place, so eat in one of sit-down places before security if you want a sit down meal.

 

No real suggestions -- I've always stayed at smaller hotels. But If I knew where you were going to base camp I could recommend near-by beer venues -- then again, it is Munich.

 

We flew into Frankfurt in Nov. We took the train from there. I really suggest not having a car until you absolutely need it as it's another expense for parking and the train is so easy. If you can plan the car need for a straight stretch, use it and lose it. Driving cuts into your drinking. I have used Sixt with good luck but I always take pix before and after due to the rental stories. Cars might be cheaper away from the Flug.

Mühlen was my fav place to eat and most fun place in Köln but I liked Peters the best for beer. You can hit 6 or 7 Kölsch places just walking from the Haupbahnhof to Mühlen. If your there for tradition, those are great places. I would only avoid Sion - sitting near the tap you see how little the waiters wash the glassware..single wash, no rinse.

Along the river in Köln there are several smaller hotels, some of them brewery locations. Mühlen has a hotel but it's a bit spendy.

Don't forget Huber in Freising, they have a much better Dunkle Weisse than the 1040 place - the food is better too. Munchen-Bamberg is really fast on an ICE. the DB app can be a real friend and Lander tix are a great way to save.

Munchen will be the biggest challenge with a car due to parking. Again, I suggest you only have the car for when a train doesn't work, which is rare. Walk off breakfast at Weisses then find a 'garten, 5,000 friends are waiting. So many places, so little time...

 

Forgot about Keesman! Herrin Pils is an all-time favorite and you can't beat fresh from the source!

 

I agree that having a car can be a complete pain in a big European city when trying to navigate a confusing snarl of narrow streets with a manual transmission and potential lack of parking. Having said that, I much prefer having a car anyway, even if it curtails my drinking. Although the European train system is excellent, there are still places that it doesn't go, and some (most) of my favorite experiences have been the off the beaten track, random discovery types. Parking the car on the side of the road and hiking through the woods in Belgium to see the now torn-down ruins of Chateau Miranda, talking to a photographer at a scenic viewpoint outside of Munich and being directed to a beautiful little storybook town that I'd never heard of. Following the glow of lights in a small town in the German Alps to find a local semi-pro soccer match, then sitting in the stands with a beer and watching people go insane. And, it's a ton easier to carry that case of Westy 12 or Cantillon to the car parked 50 yards away than it is to haul it around by hand. Guess it's just a preference on how I prefer to travel though.

 

Can’t believe nobody has recommended Lommerzheim.

It’s THE place to visit in Koln.