<p>N Germany in not very interesting, lots of industry, cold people, mostly reconstructed. If you are willing to travel a bit farther afield, I would suggest the “romantic road” in Bavaria - Rotenburg ob der Tauber is one of them, but many (also reconstructed) cities dating from the middle ages. The people are friendly, and it is beautiful.</p>
<p>Northern Germany is very interesting and it isn’t all industrial and the people certainly aren’t cold, certainly they’re no less friendly than the French. Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Bremen, Lübeck and Aachen are all lovely cities and all worth a visit. The North Sea coast of Germany is also very nice.</p>
<p>nordi, it’s a question of taste, I suppose. I have always preferred S Germany, but then that is where I lived. Now I am in France and do not find the French difficult at all.</p>
<p>Bumping this thread up. It looks like I’ll be leaving the US on a Friday afternoon / evening, arriving on Sat morning in Dusseldorf, and then have to start my business on Monday morning there. Given that, is it worth flying to AMS instead, getting there Sat morn and then leaving Sun night for DUS? Or is it not worth it, and I should just stick to Dusseldorf and Cologne for the weekend? </p>
<p>I think your idea of flying in to Amsterdam is a good one, especially if you’ve never been to Amsterdam.</p>
<p>Sure, my question though is … is that worth it - to arrive in Amsterdam, just have the rest of Saturday and part of Sunday, and then train or fly to Dusseldorf … Is it the kind of thing where I’ll feel a) wow, I’ve gotten a feel for the city or b) I spent so much time in transit it wasn’t worth it? Is AMS worth it for one day?</p>
<p>My alternative being - just go to Dusseldorf, and spend the weekend doing Dusseldorf and / or Cologne. Are these “nice” cities, or just blah? </p>
<p>You could have a really good day in Amsterdam, but you’ll be frustrated by what you couldn’t fit in. VanGogh Musuem, Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank house are all must sees. You could probably do the Anne Frank House and one other thing (not all of it, but at least a taste.) If you go have a stroopwaffle on coffee.</p>
<p>To me, it would be too hectic. Arriving in Amsterdam leaving Sunday afternoon doesn’t make one full day. Dusseldorf has more international restaurants than any other german city. When I lived in Germany, I liked going to Dusseldorf to eat. Koln is worth visiting. There’s the cathedral and the cafe.</p>