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Gold and a Pager posted:I need to go from Köln to Berlin in three weeks for just one day. Are there any good sites to look for deals on train tickets, etc.? I know about L'Tur, but you can only book a week in advance and I'd prefer to not leave it till that late. ICE tickets are looking to be €130-50 and taking a bus would take too long. Anywhere else I could be looking at or am I kind of poo poo out of luck? Due to Deutsche Bahn losing many customers to bus companies, they currently offer ICE tickets for 29€ on busliniensuche.de even when they're already sold out on their own page, but you can only order them seven days in advance. Honj Steak fucked around with this message at 11:07 on Sep 17, 2014 |
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Sep 17, 2014 11:01
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I'd plan with a lot of time buffer if I were you because the train driver union is getting ready to start a looong strike in two weeks. It might not happen but it's pretty likely, and it might end quickly but it also might not.
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Sep 17, 2014 12:03
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Honj Steak posted:Due to Deutsche Bahn losing many customers to bus companies, they currently offer ICE tickets for 29€ on busliniensuche.de even when they're already sold out on their own page, but you can only order them seven days in advance. Ooo, nice. I might wait and try this. My Lovely Horse posted:I'd plan with a lot of time buffer if I were you because the train driver union is getting ready to start a looong strike in two weeks. I forgot about that. Maybe I will just fly. Flights on Germanwings are €120.
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Sep 17, 2014 12:24
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Gold and a Pager posted:I forgot about that. Maybe I will just fly. Flights on Germanwings are €120. Cockpit has threatened to strike as well, though they canceled on of their limited ones earlier because apparently negotiations are going well.
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Sep 17, 2014 12:31
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Odd question for you guys. I'm headed back to Germany Monday, to Berlin this time. In the US we have salvage/junk yards for old cars where you can walk in and remove the parts you want from a car yourself. Does anything like this exist in Germany? I'm looking for some parts for one of my old cars and finding the parts would be a lot easier in Germany than the US. Also how is Oktoberfest in Berlin? I'll have two weekends and it looks like I'll be there during O'fest.
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Sep 20, 2014 18:41
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NitroSpazzz posted:Also how is Oktoberfest in Berlin? I'll have two weekends and it looks like I'll be there during O'fest. Oktoberfest is a Bavarian thing. There will be nothing happening in Berlin, with the possible exception of some exceptionally touristy "Bavarian" bars on Ku'damm that might have slightly more lederhosen than usual.
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Sep 20, 2014 18:59
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If you want to sound like a cool kid, it's called Wies'n in Muenchen.
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Sep 20, 2014 19:15
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NitroSpazzz posted:Odd question for you guys. I'm headed back to Germany Monday, to Berlin this time. In the US we have salvage/junk yards for old cars where you can walk in and remove the parts you want from a car yourself. Does anything like this exist in Germany? I'm looking for some parts for one of my old cars and finding the parts would be a lot easier in Germany than the US. Even talking about Oktoberfest in Berlin will make anyone who identifies as a Berliner look down on you, and god forbid you call it "O'fest" as that will probably make people think you're even worse. I don't even think we really have any kind of Volksfest in Berlin; which seems really kind of weird after living in Bavaria. If you want to drink there are a few beer gardens but really nothing special.
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Sep 20, 2014 20:54
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Ok, I'll stick to beer gardens then. Another question for you guys, I'm trying to figure out where this picture was taken. I believe it was somewhere near the Nürburgring. Sadly this is the highest resolution I have. 
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Sep 20, 2014 21:20
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It is amazing how far being able to say "sorry, my German is terrible" and "No, trust me, your English is better than my German" while drunk will get you. Also, a Texan accent is apparently recognizable anywhere. I'll be heading back to the madness tomorrow and the day after i reckon, with the rest of the week devoted to tourist-y and museum-y things. Any suggestions?
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Sep 20, 2014 21:42
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Landsknecht posted:I don't even think we really have any kind of Volksfest in Berlin
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Sep 20, 2014 22:06
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My Lovely Horse posted:Other than shutting down the Straße des 17. Juni if given half the chance, surely. Yeah, I've seen the following as valid reasons: - Football - More Football - Obama - SPD 150-Jahre - I think they did it for Silvester? - More Football This is opposed to Munich, where everyone simply gets really drunk in/around Marienplatz/Viktualienmarkt and there are dumb songs sung and whatnot. At least what happens in Munich does feel much more "Authentic" as there's usually some sort of catholic pretext as reasoning and everyone wears Tracht.
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Sep 20, 2014 22:40
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NitroSpazzz posted:Odd question for you guys. I'm headed back to Germany Monday, to Berlin this time. In the US we have salvage/junk yards for old cars where you can walk in and remove the parts you want from a car yourself. Does anything like this exist in Germany? I'm looking for some parts for one of my old cars and finding the parts would be a lot easier in Germany than the US. You need to look for a "Autoverwertung" place like Autoverwertung Berk. Looks like they remove some parts and keep them inside, but also have the cars out the back that you can check out too. There seem to be a few around!
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Sep 21, 2014 10:33
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NitroSpazzz posted:Ok, I'll stick to beer gardens then. Luise in Dahlem if it's still open, and Hofbräuhaus near Alexanderplatz is OK, too.
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Sep 21, 2014 11:18
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There's another beer garden I went to in Zoogarten, dunno what native Berliners' verdicts are on that one though.
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Sep 22, 2014 01:30
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Zwille posted:Luise in Dahlem if it's still open, and Hofbräuhaus near Alexanderplatz is OK, too. I spent a few nights drinking at Luise last trip, usually after pizza at Piaggio around the corner. I'm not staying near it this time but the customer is close and likes heading there Friday afternoon. I'm a 10 minute walk from Alexanderplatz this visit, I'll check out the Hofbräuhaus.
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Sep 22, 2014 15:17
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NitroSpazzz posted:I spent a few nights drinking at Luise last trip, usually after pizza at Piaggio around the corner. I'm not staying near it this time but the customer is close and likes heading there Friday afternoon. An all around popular biergarten is the Pratergarten on casting allee, you can easily walk or take the u8.
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Sep 22, 2014 18:21
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Does Cologne have a law requiring a sex shop every two hundred feet or are y'all just weirdos?
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Oct 10, 2014 11:12
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Randler posted:Does Cologne have a law requiring a sex shop every two hundred feet or are y'all just weirdos? Let me guess, you went along the Venloer Str. in Ehrenfeld (in direction of Bickendorf maybe)? or the Eigelstein or the Severinsviertel (which also have a mass of 1 Euro shops and gambling dens)?  We're pretty weird though.
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Oct 10, 2014 11:54
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bignose posted:Let me guess, you went along the Venloer Str. in Ehrenfeld (in direction of Bickendorf maybe)? or the Eigelstein or the Severinsviertel (which also have a mass of 1 Euro shops and gambling dens)? Südliche Altstadt Richtung Luxemburger Straße. And I forgot about all those gambling dens. Only things that had open so early in the morning and through their open doors the smell of smoke and desparation escaped.
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Oct 10, 2014 14:25
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Randler posted:Südliche Altstadt Richtung Luxemburger Straße. And I forgot about all those gambling dens. Only things that had open so early in the morning and through their open doors the smell of smoke and desparation escaped. I never really thought there were that many sex shops here, though my favorite (based just on the name) is Mike Hunter's at Barbarossaplatz.
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Oct 10, 2014 15:28
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Randler posted:Südliche Altstadt Richtung Luxemburger Straße. And I forgot about all those gambling dens. Only things that had open so early in the morning and through their open doors the smell of smoke and desparation escaped. haha almost got it right, so close to Severinsviertel.
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Oct 10, 2014 16:40
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Randler posted:Does Cologne have a law requiring a sex shop every two hundred feet or are y'all just weirdos? Eh, even if it did it'd still pale in comparison to the
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Oct 11, 2014 02:20
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oh man the perfect thread, I was going to post about help with Germany then found this. Anyway I am coming from London on Sunday and looking to go to Germany on Monday and I have a bunch of questions. One was what's the best way to go to germany? I was thinking about taking the train from brussells to cologne but maybe flying is better? Also I don't know what cities to hit up in Germany. I was thinking berlin but I want to know the main cities to go to. Also I only have a week in Germany and was wondering how long to stay in each city.
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Oct 12, 2014 23:13
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lurkdawg posted:oh man the perfect thread, I was going to post about help with Germany then found this. Anyway I am coming from London on Sunday and looking to go to Germany on Monday and I have a bunch of questions. One was what's the best way to go to germany? I was thinking about taking the train from brussells to cologne but maybe flying is better? Also I don't know what cities to hit up in Germany. I was thinking berlin but I want to know the main cities to go to. Also I only have a week in Germany and was wondering how long to stay in each city. Transit: whatever is cheapest, although the train is pretty cool if you get a good deal Cities: Munich (I know, it's in Bavaria, not Germany) How long in each city?: 1 week Although really, my favorite country in Europe was Belgium, so maybe just stay in Brussels/Leuven/Antwerp/Brugge all week instead. posh spaz fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Oct 12, 2014 |
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Oct 12, 2014 23:37
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One thing about Munich (and the rest of Southern Germany) is that they require significant amounts of travel times if you come from the West or the North. (~6-8 hours depending on the routes) So if you want to see different German cities in a week, you might want to consider staying in the borders of 1867 ( ). That way you could probably spend some time in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin which are three large German cities with enough to do while only having minor travel times between them.
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Oct 12, 2014 23:41
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Randler posted:Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin which are three large German cities with enough to do while only having minor travel times between them. If you go to Cologne, definitely get some Sauerbraten. For beer go to Braustelle and Brauerei Päffgen. Steer clear of any of the Haus Kölscher Brautradition brands, and Früh Kölsch. Gaffel is OK, I guess, if you have to drink one of the big brands while you're there. The cathedral is also amazing, but it's a pretty small town. I mean, it's big as far as Germany goes, but if you're coming from London it'll feel like a village with a metro. Just FYI, all the awesome stereotypical "German" stuff is actually Bavarian. Like Lederhosen and Bier and Brezen and Bierhalls. If you take the train from Brussels to Munich, you'll pass through Cologne. You could do a day or two there to see the cathedral. Munich has a lot of history and wasn't as completely demolished during the war as Cologne was. Munich has Schloss Nymphenburg and the Hofbräuhaus. It was Hitler's local! They had a commemorative plaque and everything up into the '70s, I believe. posh spaz fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 12, 2014 23:48
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I dunno, I never really liked Munich as a city - it feels more like a random amalgamation of cities and villages that have grown into a vast mass of one-family houses surrounding an uninspired bit of neo-classical 19th century architecture. There are some great beer gardens of course, some top notch museums (go to the Deutsches Museum if you're even a little bit interested in technology in stuff, but expect spendng a lot of time there - it's vast) and some spots around the Isar are genuinely nice. But the city itself? Meh. Personally, city-wise I prefer other spots in the south. Augsburg is a great city - Germany's second oldest - which always gives me the feeling that the past hasn't been musealised like many other cities have. Children using ancient Roman stone slabs as football goalposts next to the 1,000 year old cathedral is a completely normal sight and nobody will bat an eye. Regensburg has an amazing Altstadt. Passau can be stunningly beautiful as well, especially during summer. Nuremberg has a lot to offer as well. I can't say too much about Stuttgart, but Freiburg is amazing, too - a beautiful little town surrounded by the Black Forest to the east and the Rhine valley to the west. And if you want to feel super Bavarian, there's the world's largest Weißwurst breakfast every Thursday morning in the village of Baindlkirch, near Augsburg
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Oct 13, 2014 10:30
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posh spaz posted:Like Lederhosen and Bier and Brezen and Bierhalls. No trip to Cologne is complete without trying some koelsch (the local type of beer unique to Cologne). Edit: honestly I'd just stay in the Ruhrgebiet if you've only got a week to burn. There are like 5 major cities and a handful of smaller, more culturally significant ones all within 2 hours of each other, and you can see everything from the super-modern to the well-preserved old German towns. Duesseldorf is a great city only about 30 minutes from Cologne, well-known for its shopping and the "longest beer stand in the world" (the old town is basically filled with bars, and the architecture there is neat). Drone fucked around with this message at 10:43 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 13, 2014 10:39
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Go to Bamberg, tour around AN historic downtown that has been left all but untouched from WW2 bombings, enjoy the best beer from the Did I mention there's beer? Bockbeer, even. 'tis the season.
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Oct 13, 2014 10:41
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so if I do take the train from brussels to cologne do I have to pay each time I go to a city or can I get a deal for unlimited travel for the week
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Oct 13, 2014 17:59
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Duzzy Funlop posted:Go to Bamberg, tour around AN historic downtown that has been left all but untouched from WW2 bombings, enjoy the best beer from the Shame it's a bit too late to enjoy an evening with the view over the city from Spezikeller. But yeah, Bamberg is worth a visit.
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Oct 13, 2014 18:10
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lurkdawg posted:so if I do take the train from brussels to cologne do I have to pay each time I go to a city Yes. Unless you buy a eurail pass before you come. That said, high speed train tickets can be had for as low as 29 euros one-way if you're flexible on when you leave and buy either well in advance or very last minute. Total Confusion fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Oct 13, 2014 |
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Oct 13, 2014 18:40
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lurkdawg posted:so if I do take the train from brussels to cologne do I have to pay each time I go to a city or can I get a deal for unlimited travel for the week As far as I know, if you buy a ticket on bahn.de, you can enter at least one Zwischenhalt (intermediate stop) in the advanced options, and it lets you specify how long you want to spend there. I'm not sure how long it's allowed to be and how many stops there can be, but it should be good for a one day stop at least. This seems to be especially profitable on trips involving 2 countries.
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Oct 13, 2014 22:55
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Tickets are valid for two days. You can go to your first destination, spend the rest of the day and the night there and move on to your second destination in the morning no problem. When my girlfriend and I were long-distance and wanted to visit friends in a third town we'd do it all the time. Just make sure the travel route leads through destination 1.
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Oct 14, 2014 09:31
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Word of warning, though, the train conductors are currently negotiating so there might be railroad strikes occuring during your time in Germany. (The next one having been announced today for tomorrow going from 14:00 until 04:00 in the night.)
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Oct 14, 2014 18:00
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I will be in Frankfurt for a couple of days next week and then I am taking a train to Cologne, other than the usual sites in these two cities, are there any goon-recommended sites that my girlfriend and I should see? Also, depending on the weather, we are interested in cycling around a bit, how accessible are these two cities for cyclists?
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Oct 14, 2014 21:37
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jet sanchEz posted:I will be in Frankfurt for a couple of days next week and then I am taking a train to Cologne, other than the usual sites in these two cities, are there any goon-recommended sites that my girlfriend and I should see? Also, depending on the weather, we are interested in cycling around a bit, how accessible are these two cities for cyclists? The Geldmuseum at the Bundesbank in Frankfurt is pretty cool! ninja edit: aw man I looked for a link for you and apparently it's closed for renovation until like two years from now 
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Oct 14, 2014 22:47
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jet sanchEz posted:I will be in Frankfurt for a couple of days next week and then I am taking a train to Cologne, other than the usual sites in these two cities, are there any goon-recommended sites that my girlfriend and I should see? Also, depending on the weather, we are interested in cycling around a bit, how accessible are these two cities for cyclists? Climbing the stairs of Cologne's cathedral is cool and all, but if you really want to have an awesome and unobstructed 360° view of the city I recommend you to go to KölnTriangle right across the other side of the Rhine and pay the €3 fee per person to take the elevator up to the viewing platform. Museum Ludwig is a pretty neat place if you're into modern art. I only recommend visiting the Roman-German museum if you're into history, as the presentation is kind of old school. The chocolate museum isn't really worth a visit, but if you want to stock up on fancy chocolate you can access their store without having to pay for the tickets. Are you students / in your 20s? If yes, check out the bars at Zülpicher Strasse. If you're not cash-strapped you can find fancier places at Hohenzollernring. The Rheinpark is also neat. There's a gondola lift that crosses from there to the other side of the Rhine where both the Zoo and (free) botanical garden ("Flora") are located. Cologne is pretty accessible for cyclists - hell, I ride my bike 4km to uni everyday on designated bicycle lanes. You can check out recommended bicycle tours designed by the city here, where you can also find downloadable gps data. Or you can just follow the Rhine down towards Düsseldorf or up towards Bonn (preferably with the river on your left-hand side on either way).
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Oct 16, 2014 17:09
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Schisser posted:Climbing the stairs of Cologne's cathedral is cool and all, but if you really want to have an awesome and unobstructed 360° view of the city I recommend you to go to KölnTriangle right across the other side of the Rhine and pay the €3 fee per person to take the elevator up to the viewing platform. The Belgische Viertel and Ehrenfeld are better to go out in than Zülpicherstr. and the Ring  Another museum worth checking out is the Kolumba. The art inside is all religious, but the space/building itself it awesome. The sculpture park is also nice Seconding taking the gondola over the Rhein. You can go to the Claudius Therme and get your sauna on afterwards. Here's a map of Cologne with some bars, restaurants, museums, etc. mapped out: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/edit?mid=zLul1woFvJJc.kr0Eg9Ie8tFM Red - Restaurants / Cafés Blue - Bars Yellow - Party Brown - Cinema Purple - Museums Green - Shopping Total Confusion fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Oct 16, 2014 |
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Oct 16, 2014 21:13
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