1. Fly direct to Frankfurt Hahn airport from Dublin with Ryanair. Our flights were super cheap!
2. Rent a car from Hertz to kick start the road trip. Tip! Make sure to request Sat Nav. We would of been totally lost without it! (Pardon the pun).
3. First stop- Cochem. From Hahn airport, it was roughly a 40 minute drive. We stayed at the hotel Vila Vinum. Such a gorgeous spot with a view of cochem castle from our room & just a 7 minute walk into the lovely little village. We ate lunch in Emily's cafe (ham and cheese toasted baguette) and dinner that evening at Restaurant San Christobal. The food was Mexican tapas & it was delicious! The cocktails here were gorgeous too. Cochem is a beautiful little village and small enough to get around by foot. This time of year was quiet for tourism so most of the time we were the only people around :)
4. Second stop- Geierlay suspension bridge. From Cochem it's just a 30 minute drive and an absolute must see! Geierlay is Germany's longest suspension bridge and the views are insane! I was completely terrified, I'm not going to lie, but I had to walk across for some photos of course. We were at the bridge by 10am and based on other travel blogs, the earlier you get there the better in order to beat the crowds. I think this is super important during the Summer months but again, it was definitely a quiet season for tourists & we only shared the bridge with a handful of people. At one stage we had it completely to ourselves :) Nice!
5. Third stop- Eltz Castle. Not many things have taken my breath away but driving up to the view point of this castle was definitely one of them. I couldn't quite believe my eyes! From Geierlay it was just a 45 minute drive and quite possibly the highlight of the trip for both myself and John. I've never seen anything so beautiful and Disney like in real life. Once again, we had the area totally to ourselves. As you can imagine, it was an absolute breeze taking photographs with no one around.
6. Fourth stop- Frankfurt (1 hour and 45 minutes from Eltz castle) was one of the coolest cities I've ever visited. The perfect mix between old and new. Medieval towers located next to skyscraper buildings, it was so unusual to see. Frankfurt, of course, being a main city was the busiest for nightlife, shops and restaurants. Much like any big city in Europe, Frankfurt is equipped with all of the main fashion and food chains. I was very happy to see a Zara, Primark and one of my favourite Italian restaurants, Vapiano! Best pasta ever :) We also headed out for the most AMAZING cocktails to a Mexican bar called SAUSALITOS. Happy hour cocktails are a must here and the food is gorgeous too. Perfect for a casual bite. We stayed in the Victoria Hotel for 2 nights and it was FAB! We had a balcony over looking the city which was just a 10 minute walk away. The room was super modern, spacious and affordable too. Sight seeing for the day? Be sure to visit the 'Main Tower' skyscraper which offers the highest viewing point of Frankfurt city. Entrance is just €7 and a definite must see! On checking out, we wanted to grab a light bite of breakfast and luckily enough, right next door to our hotel was the most beautiful Cafe, Kaiser. Hands down the most delicious pain au chocolate I've ever had!
7. Fifth and final stop- Mainz. One of the most picturesque places I've ever been! So many pretty pink buildings, it looked like a village straight out of a Disney movie. We ate lunch in a super cute cafe called Wilma Wunder which I would definitely recommend. They had a full English menu and the interiors were dreamy! In the warmer weather this place would be amazing as they have a gorgeous terrace balcony overlooking the main square.
I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and maybe taken a little inspiration to head off on your own road trip. It was honestly one of the best trips I've ever been on and I would do it again in a heart beat. Germany is such a gorgeous country and I'm so happy we researched and found all these places before we left. Research is a huge part of my travels and I never leave for the airport without a bucket list to tick off. That would be my biggest travel tip; always prepare! Pinterest, Instagram, travel blogs everything you can find in relation to the city or country you are visiting :)
Don't forget to check out my travel hashtag on Instagram, 'lovelaurenexplores', where you'll find all the places I've been to over the past few years & hopefully pick up a recommendation or 2.
Ciao for now!
Lauren.
