Visit Germany in 10-12 days

We are a Canadian couple with one 12 yr old boy, haven't been to Europe twice but not Germany.
The kid will have a school break from Dec 21 2012 to Jan 13 2013, I know it is the best time to go but that's life :-)
We would like to tour Germany in 12 days including flight time.

Because the kid, we would like to have a laid-back vacation/sightseeing and enjoy the culture there.

My wife is NOT interested in WII history(so no labour camp visits) and we may not have much time for museums.(maybe one or two at max). We are interested in castle, German architecture. I love to see the canal and boat tour.

I've done some research and realize we simple cannot visit the entire Germany, so I would like to get your pro opionion on:
1)Which part of Germany to go. I think the Southern part, skip Berlin/Hamburg

2)Which town/site are considered the most important of the 12 day trip (actually it is 10 day deduct the flight time. I would appreciate if you can break it down by priority.


3)Should we drive the romantic road? I know train is the best, I would like to experience the autobahn but have concerns since it is winter as I don't want to drive on snow/black ice. But being winter, maybe driving is a better option to beat the cold?

4)Any suggested route? We will arrive/depart from Frankfurt as this is the only direct flight from Seattle. I'm thinking start from Frankfurt, visit along romantic road and all the way to Munich, fly/train back to Frankfurt.

5)Is Black Forest worth seeing? We love nature but prefer not see any scnery similar to Canada (We have Banff, the rocky mountian and you are welcome to visit )

thanks for your help.

Peter Reply to this

Why do you want to skip Berlin and Hamburg? Are you looking for a smaller, less hectic city to visit?
Berlin and Hamburg are usually the cities that I recommend people to visit, since they are very cosmopolitan, vibrant and fun.

Alternatively you could visit Heidelberg. It is a quiet university town surrounded by beautiful scenery. Heidelberg castle is a popular tourist attraction. Heidelberg is less mountainous than the south, so it won't be similar to Canada. The surrounding towns are very pretty too. Since you are there just before Christmas I am sure your family will enjoy the Christmas markets. If you fly into Frankfurt it may be worth your while staying for a couple of days, since Frankfurt's Christmas market shouldn't be missed.

I hope this helps! Reply to this