German Trip Help

[AndrewH]

Me and a few friends were looking into going to Germany to do a few theme parks and a bit of sight seeing between the end of school and starting uni. We will all be 17 so realistically we will not be able to drive. Is it possible to get around Germany on public transport (and possibly the occasional taxi but we need to keep costs to a minimum)? If so what parks are convenient to get to?

I found a European rail card online which would make train the best option for getting around. We would also need to keep this to a minimal cost so any suggestions on hotels or hostels near by would be great.

The only park I definitely want to visit is europa park but also looked at phantasialand, eftling and possibly holiday park.

Generally I have heard that you need about 3 days to do europa is this right? And do they offer a 3 day ticket? And how much is it?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated but if you don't think it is possible then please just say as it will save me a lot of time.

Thanks

 

[Martin]

Public transport in Germany is very cheap in my experience, as if flying city to city tbh. If you're doing multiple parks, Phantasia is a must. It's also relatively easy to get to, from Cologne airport you can get the train to Bruhl for about €4, changing at the main station (which is in the city centre, opposite the stunning cathedral, well worth going for a look around if that's your sort of thing), and from there there's a free shuttle bus. If you're doing it next summer, depending on when you start uni, get yourself to Munich in September for Oktoberfest. It's something everyone should experience, you'll be old enough to drink the beer (drinking age in Germany is 16), plus the fairground is fantastic and you'll get to ride Olympia Looping, Alpina Bahn, and Hollenblitz, as well as some great flats.

 

[Rojo]

I agree with Martin that Phantasia land is a great park and Cologne is worth a day on its own just to explore. However the only other park that is easy and cheap to get to is Movie Park and maybe Tripsdrill dependent on whether you want a 4 hour bus/train journey. Oktoberfest is also one of the best things I have ever done that, even travelling 23hours by coach each way was worth it, so again I would echo Martin's recommendation on this if you can get there.

Another option I would look at doing is Stuttgart. Here you can easily reach Europa, Tripsdrill and (possibly) Holiday Park. As well as some alpine coasters (Erpfingen seems the closest), Triburg Waterfalls and of course Stuttgart itself . I'm basing this on theory as I haven't done myself but I am looking into this next year. I have looked at driving here myself based on proximity, so you may need to look up prices and public transport to see if it works out for you.

Good luck and let us know what you find and book