Amsterdam or Frankfurt???

PaxThoreau

PaxThoreau

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I will go to Germany this September. I plan to meet a friend in Hamburg, and then visit Berlin, my ancestral town in Oberfranken and Munich in time for the Oktoberfest. I need to buy a R/T ticket soon, but I am not sure where I should fly to...Amsterdam or Frankfurt. Frankfurt seems to be the hub of many international flights; hence more good deals. Amsterdam is a little closer to Hamburg and I have always wanted to see the city, even for a short time. Has any one of you been to Amsterdam or Frankfurt, if not both? Please advise. Vielen Dank!
 
why not u go to amsterdam and do ur things, then go Frankfurt and go back home?
 
The Schiphol Airport is a great airport. The train station is right under the main terminal, and you can easily buy a ticket there. The train only takes 10 minutes or so into the Centraal Station in A'dam. I really like A'dam because it is a place full of interestanting history and things. For example, the Anne Frank house, the flower markets, Rijksmuseum (sp), the Dam, all the canals everywhere, Vogelpark, etc... They also have a funny red light district there, and an active nightlife at Rembrandtsplein and Leidensplein.

Are you going to take a train from FFM or A'dam to Hamburg? If you can read German, you can check the following link http://www.bahn.de/pv/index.shtml for train information. From A'dam to Hamburg, it will be longer ride, naturally.

Or, are you going to do what I did back in 1999, purchase multiple destination tickets? I purchased a roundtrip ticket originating from Newark to Schiphol in A'dam, then continuing to Munich. 2 weeks later, I would fly from Paris CDG to Schiphol, then spend 24 hours in Schiphol, and fly back to Newark. It only cost 380$ roundtrip. It is worth looking into.

Frankfurt is accessible from the airport by S-8 train, and it takes about 11 minutes to the Hauptbahnhof from the airport. Frankfurt is not really as exciting as Amsterdam, but FFM does have some great museums. There is a deaf centre at the northeast of Frankfurt. If it was up to me, I would rather to go to A'dam.
 
Much obliged. I am leaning toward Amsterdam. Your info is valuable. Now I feel much better knowing that it is easy to get to the city from the airport. :D Even though I live in DC, I plan to leave from Newark. It is closer to where my mom lives; she will assume her role as a granny to my babies (dogs). Also, Newark has many direct flights to Eurpoe, I believe. My dates for this weekend are Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and maybe Priceline.

I was planning to purchase an Eurail pass, but I just found out that my friend prefers to rent a car. All of our destinations are accessible by the rail system in Germany. Did you drive in Germany? If you did, was it difficult to drive and park there? Autobahn? :shock:

Obiviously, you have been to Germany and Amsterdam. How was the trip, if not more than one? What was the most memorable aspect? During my lunch break yesterday, I read Frommer's Amsterdam. Wow...there are many things I want to see and do. I want to rent a bike to explore the city. I want to see the Anne Frankhuis, Van Gogh Museum, Rijkmuseum, a couple of old churches where my ancestors attended and the Bloemenmarkt. There are more places I wish to see, but I will not have enough time. I am positive that it will not be my last visit. I will go back to see the rest of the country someday. The Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden, Delft...

From the info you shared, it is evident that you are a seasoned traveler. Again, I appreciate your help. If you need to know anything about DC, please feel free to ask me. :D This also goes for anyone who is interested in DC.
 
For information on Schiphol airport, you can go to http://www.schiphol.nl/ and click the English button. If you click on the map, and check the terminal map, they have a great shockwave map showing you the train stop underneath the station.

If you happen to meet deafies, you can prepare yourself learning a bit NGT (Dutch SL) through this webpage: http://www.effathaguyot.nl/index.php?stab=1 (in Dutch only...)

I wish you luck in finding a cheap airplane ticket. In September, it might be after the high season of summer travel, so you might get lucky and find a cheap fare. The best way to get cheapest is to travel on Tuesday to Thursday only. Like, fly there Thursday night, and arrive back Tuesday. Red-eye flights are also cheaper, and you can sleep on the way, arriving early morning in Europe.

Yes I have driven in Germany. The prices for petrol are very high, as they sell by litres. It can be like 1 euro per litre, and if you fill up like 40 litres, you can easily blow 40 euros away (about 50$) on one tank of petrol. You need to think about that. How far are you driving, how long, etc... Granted, with cars, you have much more flexiblity and freedom, but there is a price to pay for that. With trains, it can be done but you would have to follow a programme.

As for parking, I really didn't have problems parking my car. If you see jagged lines ( |\/\/\/\/\/\/| ) on the side of road, that means parking is prohibited there. Also, if you see a red sign with a X over blue field, that also means parking is prohibitied there. For more road information, go to this website:
http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/autobahn.htm and
http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/zeichen.htm

Indeed, Autobahn doesn't have a speed limit. The best rule is to keep to the right as possible, and pass only when you have to pass. Don't stay on the passing lane just for the hell of it. A lot of ppl will be driving about 200 (125) to 250 kph (155 mph) and will flash their headlights very far behind you. You might think that they are just getting on your nerves, but the warning is real. They cruise at 250 kph, so they will arrive very fast behind you. Also, NEVER pass on the right side of a car. You will be ticketed automatically if a police catches you doing that.

Absolutely, I plan to go back to the Netherlands one day and visit more of the country. Same goes for Belgium. I have been to Europe 5 times, and my first time was as an exchange student in Germany. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask me.
 
Thanks for the links. I have bookmarked them. You have been to Europe five times! I don't think I have met anyone who went there that many times. Awesome!

Today I purchased a nonstop roundtrip ticket, from Newark to Amsterdam. I will have two full days in Amsterdam, about four days in Hamburg (a friend's wedding), 3 days in Berlin, 3 days in Kronach and Bamberg and 3 days in Munich. I am looking forward to the Oktoberfest in Munich. I went to many "Oktoberfests" in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia. Munich's Oktoberfest is the real McCoy.

I have a lot of planning to do. I always like to study beforehand, so travel guides will be my bibles for the next two months. At work, I have access to thousands of travel guides and I already borrow a dozen of them. Which travel guides do you prefer? I find that each guide is different, yet useful in its way. I LOVE Dorling Kindersley travel guides. They are fun to read. I like Frommer's and Let's Go for their excellent summaries. Time Out is also cool. There is a new line called Moon or something like that. It has blue cover and seems informative. When traveling, I like to carry only the most beneficial guide with clips and notes from other guides.

Which maps would you recommend? I already have many maps for Oberfranken. I collect them for my genealogical research. I need to buy city maps for Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. Michelin and AAA maps are good for road trips. I am looking for pedestrian-friendly maps that are easy to read. I didn't find any at Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Again, thank you for your generous help. You make a great travel consultant. Informative, friendly, right to the point.
 
I went to Europe on my Spring Breaks and Xmas holidays instead of joining partying kids in Florida. I don't regret it a bit at all!!!
Lucky for you, you'll be going to the Oktoberfest in München. Party time, they'll start drinking beer before noon! *lach*

Yes, I also absolutely LOVE DK guides, so much pictures in detail and interesting stuff to read. Knopf Guides are also similar to DK and have great pictures in details as well. I usually use "Let's Go" and "Lonely Planet" for budgeting stuff, so that it helps me to save more money. The others, I really don't look into.

Do not bother to buy maps. You can buy a general atlas of Europe with all the highway numbers and cities' names on it. But for city maps, you can easily find one for free at a tourist information centre in each city. It would be crazy to buy all the fancy maps because if you are backpacking, it will end up being wrinkled or folded, etc... So just use the free maps from the tourist information centres.

Thanks for your kind words. I love travelling, and always want to have ppl tell me what is good and what isn't, to share ideas and feedback. So I guess it's my turn to help out too :P
 
I envy you guys....travelling to Europe has always been a dream of mine for years. I know I have yet made it a reality, but I am sure it will one day in the near future. :)
Right now, I've been living in Australia for almost 5 years after being born and raised in good ole California, USA. I'm enjoying my life here (and married one as well. :P). Hopefully, hubby and I will be able to travel to some countries we've expressed interest in travelling to such as: Japan (my ancestors are from there) and Germany (more ancestors from there)....
BTW, I'm a mixed mutt of Japanese, Hawaiian, Dutch, German, and Irish. Have had at least half tell me I look Mexican (grrrrr) or American Indian due to my black hair and olive skin.

Hooroo/Cheers,
Or shall I say Arriverderci? ;)

Goldie
 
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