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Heilbronn Wine Festival

When I lived in south-west Germany I was always a little bit sad when the long evenings of summer were coming an end, as they are now - but September brings an event that cheers me up a lot. And it’s all about wine.

There are wine festivals all over Germany at this time of year, but my favourite is in my husband’s hometown of Heilbronn. Since Heilbronn is not a famous tourist town, but is surrounded by vineyards, it’s a great place to experience a really genuine German wine festival.

Known as the Heilbronner Weindorf (a German link, if you know the language), this year the “Heilbronn Wine Village” will run from 11 to 19 September. The centre of the city is completely taken over by small wooden stalls run by various local vineyards, along with a few other stands specialising in snacks like Zwiebelkuchen (”onion cake”) or Bretzel (the local variation on pretzels). The centre of Weindorf is on the square in front of the Town Hall, on the main street.

During the week of the Weindorf, I’m sure everybody in the whole region spends at least two or three evenings there. You can get small tastings of different wines for a low price (this year they’ll be 1.30 Euro for 100mL) and the bonus is that they’re served in attractive glasses decorated with the winery’s logo, and you get to keep them! You can also buy a bottle and share it amongst your friends.

The most important thing to remember about Weindorf is that you definitely shouldn’t drive home - so if you have a rental car, leave it at your hotel and either walk (many hotels are close to the centre) or get a taxi. And have a drink for me, since I won’t make it there this year. If you’re visiting another part of Germany, ask about a similar wine festival there.

Image from Heilbronn Marketing

Generally speaking, there is more than enough to keep a tourist busy in a major city. Sometimes though, it’s nice to get out of the big smoke and see the smaller towns and sites in another country.

This can be tough when you’ve just flown straight in, don’t have a car (nor want to shell out for the rental and petrol prices) and the trains seem to be just that bit too pricey. Which is why it’s great that the German train system (Deutsche Bahn) have the Happy Weekend Ticket (Schönes-Wochenende Ticket).

Berlin Hauptbahnhof by Matthias M

For 35€ up to five people can travel anywhere on the regional train network. The ticket is valid from midnight to 3am the following day, but only available for Saturday or Sunday hence the happiness of the weekend. It also covers the S-bahns within those cities that have them. You don’t have to reserve seats and you can use it as many times as you want anywhere in the country for the entire day.

There are a few important points though:

-This ticket can only be used on the regional trains, ones designated by an RB, IRE or RE. These are generally the red ones. Don’t get on an ICE (Inter City Express)! Those are prettier and faster, but the conductor is not going to let you get away with a happy weekend if you do that.

-If you want to be a bit more adventurous you can get to Poland on this ticket via a few routes: Grambow – (Grambow Grenze(Border)) – Szczecin Gl; Tantow – (Tantow Grenze) – Szczecin Gl; Forst Grenze – Zasieki; Frankfurt (Oder) Grenze - Slubice; Görlitz – (Zgorzelec Grenze) – Zgorzelec

-These are the slow trains. They stop a lot at very small towns, go in somewhat circuitous routes and can take a long time to get somewhere. Make sure your destination is achievable.

German Train by dayvidday

You can buy the ticket directly from the website, but the web-shop itself is, unfortunately, in German and there is a 3.50€ charge for postage. Otherwise it can be purchased at train stations, either from the travel center (DB ReiseZentrum), or from the DB ticket machines. You can also buy them on the trains, directly from the conductor, but you will be charged an extra 10% and you cannot purchase it on S-bahn trains.

The Happy Weekend is a great way to get out of the large cities and into the smaller towns. It is even a very inexpensive way of getting between major cities, but it can take twice as long as the fast trains. But for 7€ per person if travelling in a group, I don’t think you’ll find a cheaper way.

Could this be a crowd pulling addition to Cologne’s reputation as an art city? The Ford factory in Cologne has metamorphosised into the Love Factory with a colourful paint job to celebrate the launch of the new Fiesta.

The Love Factory, Cologne

Well visitors are always looking for something different to do, so why not an art tour of an industrial estate? The adjacent factories and their employees will be feeling very dowdy and forlorn and demanding that their premises be loved up too.

Desperate for a weekend getaway to get some peace and quiet, a colleague of mine suggested Aachen. Aachen, I said? Where? As it turns out, this quaint getaway – perched precariously on the German, Dutch, and Belgian borders – was once the political centre of an empire and more recently caught in the crossfire of World War II. Today it’s a sleepy German village with some wonderful and inexpensive sightseeing. My favourites include:

• Cathedrals: lavish furnishings and geometric stained glass reflect the storied history of Aachen; the main cathedral was the first German building to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Cathedral stained glass window copyright Andrew Hayes

• Public Art: the city is dotted with a number of public art installations and fountains, from the whimsical to the bizarre. Try walking the city centre and see how many you can find.

Public Art Scene in Aachen copyright Andrew Hayes

• Baths: the Romans bathed here, and so can you. There are a number of spas located in or near the city, each with various types of spa offerings. I chose the Carolus Therme with its multitude of themed sauna rooms, indoor/outdoor pools, and sunbathing garden. It is an excellent way to spend a morning or afternoon. Be forewarned: most spas have nude-only areas!

Aachen is easily accessible via car or train from nearby cities Maastricht, Dusseldorf, Cologne, or Liege. Whether it’s just for a relaxing weekend or a stopping point, it is definitely worth a closer look. Find out more about Aachen on the city’s website.

One of the nicest places to be in south-west Germany during summer is out on the river. There are plenty of rivers to choose from but my favourite is to mingle with the local German tourists on a ferry cruising up and down the Neckar River, south of Heidelberg and north of Stuttgart. The Stumpf family operates two boats that cruise to different schedules throughout the summer and on into autumn.

There are lots of boarding points between Heilbronn and Gundelsheim but my recommendation is that you must make your stopover at Bad Wimpfen. It’s by far the most scenic village in this region and approaching it by boat gives you an unrivalled view of the Blue Tower and the churches from below. You can have lunch in Bad Wimpfen, look around the old buildings, even have a good beer, then stumble back down the hill to catch the boat back in the afternoon. It’s a relaxed day trip to see parts of Germany that usually only Germans see.

Written by Amanda Kendle

Good - right next to S Bahn, tram and bus stops, good continental buffet breakfast, clean shared bathroom facilities, reasonable prices

Bad - noisy, mainly from banging fire and room doors but also surprisingly from housekeeping staff starting work early and talking loudly to each other

Rating - 7 out of 10

I choose the Generator Hostel for a stay of 4 nights during my attendance at the Berlin Travel Trade Fair in March 2008. Prices had rocketed at any accommodation close to the Fairground in the west of Berlin, so opted for this hostel, a converted factory, in the east of the city. I’d booked a twin room as I initially thought my husband might come over for a couple of nights. In any case I didn’t want to sleep in a dorm. It cost 213 US dollars for the 4 nights for a twin room including breakfast, booked through a third party, after searching for the best price on the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

On check in I was upgraded to a four bedded room which was more spacious and told jokingly by the receptionist I could have a different bed for every night of my stay. The room was clean, apart from some stains on the carpet and had a small sink. The issue of stained carpets is being addresses as laminate flooring was being laid in the rooms during my stay.

I never had any problems with access to the bathroom facilities which were always clean but the toilet paper was more like kitchen roll.

The breakfast was pretty good, fresh white rolls and sliced rye bread, a selection of cereals, yoghurt, cheese, jams and salami. The coffee from the machine was very good.

My only problem, serious to me, was not being able to sleep. There was a certain level of noise made by other residents from the adjacent rooms, the corridor and slamming doors but I was awakened every morning from around 06.30 by housekeeping staff banging away and talking very loudly to each other.

I have been disturbed by noise from other residents in more expensive accommodation on some occasions and I acknowledge that I am a light sleeper but the experience has really put me off staying in hostels in the future.

New Berlin offer free walking tours. I saw the leaflet in the Generator hostel where I was stayiang and there was a daily pick up at the hostel, so I and decided to give it a try. Normally I wouldn’t go on a tour, my preference would be to explore at my own pace. However I only had one day free in Berlin, as I was mainly there to attend the Travel Trade Fair. It does explain in the leaflet that the tours operate on a tips basis, you decide on the amount at the end of the tour.

Our guide was Nikolai, who was born in Bulgaria but moved to the States as a child. He’s lived in Berlin since 2005 and is an actor (very useful as a tour guide). He did explain about the tips again and said that the average tip per participant for the three and a half hour tour was 7 euros but we should feel free to tip according to ability to pay. There was no more mention of tips after this.

Nikolai in action at the Jewish memorial

I thought that the tour was excellent, mainly down to Nikolai’s presentation and personality. I studied quite bit of German history at school and he did an excellent summary to put things in context. We covered the main sites and the commentary was of a consistently high standard. It was funny, entertaining, full of facts. and objective.

There was a half hour lunch stop, where I assume New Berlin receive some commission for taking so many customers but the food was fine, it cost 6 euros for a soft drink and a small pizza. The only problem was there was only one ladies toilet, leading to a long queue.

There was some promotion of the other paid tours offered by New Berlin but no hard sell.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the tour and was fortunate that the weather remained dry throughout as there had been snow and rain earlier that week in Berlin.

This post was featured in the Carnival of Cities on March 12 2008 and the Carnival of Travel Guide on March 16 2008.

When I arrived in Berlin the day before the start of the Travel Bloggers Summit at the Berlin Travel Fair, I discovered that there was a public transport strike starting the next day. The S Bahn, city trains. were still running but there were no buses, trams or underground. Fortunately my hostel was right next to an S Bahn station. I had visions of a nightmare crowded journey to the fairground but I had a seat and the train wasn’t that busy. So far so good.

My admission pass to the Fair had not arrived in the mail, so I’d been told to pick it up at Hall 7. There was a Fair entrance a few minutes walk from the S Bahn station but they wouldn’t let me in there as I’d no pass. I was advised to walk round the perimeter of the fair ground to reach Hall 7. It had snowed earlier that morning and this snow had been compacted into ice on the pavements by this stage. Luckily I had on sensible boots but I can’t imagine that half mile walk in high heels.

Snowy Berlin ITB 08 by TList2008

I arrived at Hall 7 already late for the first session and there was no pass waiting for me, so I’d to wait another 15 minutes until this was sorted out. Then I couldn’t find the room in which the meeting was being held. I arrived one hour late feeling pretty harassed which must explain the expression on my face at the session. Thanks to Vicky of Highland Business Research for capturing that moment! Vicky, you could have chosen a more flattering picture of me. Prize for best caption of why I look so hacked off, it’s been suggested that I was gutted because I’d just heard that Darren of Travel Rants missed his flight.

Passions stirred at the CEO briefing

I was one of the lucky ones, two attendees had experienced a bumpy landing on the Air Berlin flight from London that morning, others were staying a distance from a S Bahn station.

However a prize for the Happy Hotelier who was the first to arrive and locate the meeting room.

I’ve been looking for budget accommodation in Berlin for my attendance at the Travel Bloggers Summit. I’ll be out most of the time so I really just need a basic, clean place to sleep for the night. Ideally l’d like to be near the venue but there is nothing reasonably priced as the Berlin Travel Fair is on. I decided I’d just have to be prepared to travel a bit to and from the venue. I read up on the Generator Hostel in east Berlin. It’s a converted factory. The reviews were fairly positive. I have to admit I’m hoping I get a quiet room and I know hostels can be a bit noisy but I can’t imagine early March is peak season for party goers.

The Generator Hostel

I visited the HotelsCombined price comparison site and found a twin (no singles available) with shared bathroom facilities for 4 nights for £120 with Reserveahotelonline.com, a twin ensuite cost £163 through Hotel-Board.com. I decided to go for the cheaper option with shared bathroom. When I visited the Generator Hostel website there were only twin ensuite rooms available and the price was £239. That’s quite a difference a saving of £76 or around 30% by booking with Hotel-Board found by HotelsCombined.

The cancellation fees vary greatly between supplier. With Reserveahotelonline I had to pay the total amount upfront for my twin room and the cancellation fees are rather punitive, you lose 50% if you cancel between 30 - 41 days before arrival, 75% if it’s 15 - 25 days and 100% if it’s within 14 days. With Hotel-Board.com the policy wasn’t very clear, it said normally 7 days notice with no penalty but 21 days in peak periods. With the Generator Hostel you pay no deposit and can cancel with no penalty up to 48 hours before arrival.

You can use the search below to find the best price at the Generator Hostel.

Well according to PhocusWright who’ve invited me to attend the PhocusWright Bloggers Summit in Berlin 5 - 6 March as a qualified travel industry blogger. The Summit is a wonderful opportunity for me to meet other travel bloggers, exchange ideas and examine the influence of blogging on travel businesses.

Berlin: Haus der Kultur der Weld by medienfrech

I’m also looking forward to seeing Berlin and doing some research for guide to Berlin for my site.