German Tour for the Not so Near Future

[pachyderm pro]

So I'm currently in the (Very) beginning stages of planning a massive tour through Germany. It would ideally last about three weeks (And then some) and would be compromised of making a massive loop through the German landscape. However, the trip would neither start of end in Germany. An idea I had would be to start in the Netherlands and visit the three top facilities there, Rotterdam, Burgers and Apenheul. Then go through Germany and end my last few days in Switzerland and visit Basel, then go out with a bang in the form of Zurich.

Yes the plan will be incredibly pricey and there are certainly some errors or things that could and/or should be changed. I want to start with the ideal vision and slowly but surely edit it down to a final product. In a perfect world, it would go a little something like this.

Day 1: Fly into Rotterdam
Day 2: Rotterdam Zoo
Day 3: Apenheul Primate Park
Day 4: Burgers Zoo + Cross Over to Germany
Day 5: Cologne Zoo
Day 6: Zoo Duisburg
Day 7: ZOOM Erlebinswelt
Day 8: Zoo Hannover
Day 9: Tierpark Hagenbeck
Day 10: Zoo Rostock
Day 11: Welt Der Gifte
Day 12: Berlin Zoo (Part 1)
Day 13: Berlin Zoo (Part 2)
Day 14: Day off (No Zoo)
Day 15: Berlin Tierpark (Part 1)
Day 16: Berlin Tierpark (Part 2)
Day 17: Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg
Day 18: Zoo Leipzig
day 19: Zoo Frankfurt
Day 20: Wilhelma Zoo + Cross over to Switzerland
Day 21: Zoo Basel
Day 22: Zoo Zurich
Day 23: Fly Out of Zurich

Time to start saving!

I'm probably being a bit too optimistic and over ambitious with this itinerary, but might as well go big or go home. I'd be willing to cut Wilhelma, Rostock, Basel and maybe Zoom from the list if I had to, but I would still love to go to these places and they would make good places to fill up the circle.
Now its question time!

Can I get through most of these areas just using English and some German?
Can I travel exclusively through cabs and trains (Excluding air travel of course)?
Is the drive between Leipzig and Frankfurt worth it?
Do both Berlin parks need 2 days?
Is there any other zoo that is among this route that should replace a park I have listed?
Do zoochatters get free admission at Welt der Gifte )?

Of course when this trip does become a reality, you can bet that I'll be taking all of zoochat with me (Digitally of course)! I also am planning a week in Singapore. As there will soon be 5 parks all adjacent to one another and a hotel on site all in one general area. It would be unwise to start so ambitious with no previous experience outside of your home country. Is there any other trip that would be a good "Test" for myself?

 

[sooty mangabey]

Germany is one of the easiest countries in which to travel, and certainly you'll be able to get around without speaking any German.

Depending on your stamina, I'd possibly suggest that this is a rather over-ambitious expedition - especially if you are relying on public transport!

I think I would recommend having a base, or two, and using this as the starting point for trips. So, staying in Berlin, you can easily access Rostock Magdeburg, Leipzig (and others) by train.

Likewise, if you based yourself in, say, Dusseldorf, you could 'do' all the zoos of the Ruhr Valley very easily: Duisburg, Krefeld, Zoom, Dortmund, Wuppertal, Cologne (and others) - and striking out o longer journeys, to places like Frankfurt, would be straightforward too.

Basing yourself in the Netherlands, in somewhere like Utrecht, would make it very easy to see Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Arnhem and Apeldoorn (and others).

Personally, I would think that moving from place to place would lead to exhaustion and frustration - if you are having to lug your bags with you everywhere. Focussing on one or two (or three!) areas would be a much ore pleasant way of seeing some truly great zoos.

 

[agnmeln]

Well, I managed Arnhem, Rhenen, Cologne, Münster and Berlin (and plan to visit Basel imminently) with just English and no German at all (I had the opportunity to study either German, Mandarin or Russian and I chose Russian, which for me was an ideal choice considering I visited Russia 14 times in just 5 years) so I think you’ll be absolutely fine, you have no worries there!

I find the Deutsche Bahn to be extremely convenient and also very cheap. Just have a play on their website to plan your routes, but I did Berlin - Münster - Cologne exceptionally easily. For taxis, Uber and mytaxi should be easy to pick up in most cities in Germany. Transport in The Netherlands is just so convenient and affordable; both buses and trains.

It totally depends what you’re into, but I loved Münster Allwetterzoo which is close to Cologne and even closer to Duisburg. Also Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen is close to Burgers’ Arnhem so if you have time, you’re already in the local areas so could give these a go.

Also, I think how long you need in Berlin Zoo and Berlin Tierpark is entirely personal. There’s no way I could ever imagine anybody getting all the way around Berlin Tierpark in one day, though. But I managed to shift myself around Berlin Zoo in one day, although this was not including the Aquarium as I didn’t buy a ticket for this. So if you’re looking to make sure that you have time to see everything, I would suggest a day and a half perhaps? But it all depends on you, everybody visits slightly differently.

It sounds like a wonderful adventure! My 7 zoos in 9 days trip to Czech Republic in April will be my first major zoo trek (up until now, 4 zoos in 5 days is the most I’ve done) and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I think this would be a very interesting trip!

 

[TZDugong]

A very ambitious schedule! I'd advise to maybe cut 1 or 2 zoos out and maybe spend a day or two seeing non-zoo things as you could get zoo fatigue by the end of your trip.

 

[Giant Panda]

Hi pachyderm pro.

This sounds like a wonderful trip. If you haven't done anything like it before, it would probably be sensible to follow other posters' advice and aim for something less hectic. If you have, however, then go for it. This is exactly the sort of thing I'd plan if I were visiting Europe for the first time.

Depending on how long-term your plan is, these answers may change, but hopefully they're of some use.

Can I get through most of these areas just using English and some German?
Easily. English is widely spoken in all these places. Efforts at Dutch and German are always appreciated, though.

Can I travel exclusively through cabs and trains (Excluding air travel of course)?
You can, but cab fares especially will come to an extortionate amount. If cost is any sort of an issue, look into long-distance buses and explore local transport options.

Is the drive between Leipzig and Frankfurt worth it?
It is to get to Zurich, in my opinion. If you're concerned about the journey, though, an alternative would be to head east from Leipzig and hit Prague, Plzen, Zlin, Vienna, and Budapest.

Do both Berlin parks need 2 days?
I don't think there's any harm budgeting two days for each and using any leftover time to explore one of the world's great cities. This would be a good time for a pit-stop anyway. A spare half-day could also be used to sneak in the odd extra zoological attraction, most obviously the AquaDom.

Is there any other zoo that is among this route that should replace a park I have listed?
Tough to say. At first glance, I'd be tempted to cut Magdeburg and ZOOM, do Frankfurt as a day from Cologne, and use the two extra to go south via Nuremberg and Munich. Walsrode is another obvious addition, which you could slot in between Hannover and Hamburg, and Antwerp is so easy from Rotterdam I think it would be a shame not to pop into Belgium.

To really maximize your itinerary, you could even look into doing Sea Life Hannover with Hannover Zoo, WdG with Rostock, Opel-Zoo with Frankfurt (pushing it), and Lange Erlen with Basel. I'm not sure further bulking is advisable, but the option's there.

Really, it depends what you're interested in and why you chose the zoos you did.

Do zoochatters get free admission at Welt der Gifte ?
If you can afford Swiss prices and taxis around central Europe, I don't think a donation would go amiss . That said, I was so engrossed I forgot and had to sort it out afterwards.

 

[lintworm]

Can I travel exclusively through cabs and trains (Excluding air travel of course)?

Nobody your age in Europe takes a cab (except when very drunk and late at night). In Germany and the surrounding countries there is something like functional public transport, that will get you basically anywhere you want.

Day 1: Fly into Rotterdam

You'd better fly to Amsterdam, finding flights to Rotterdam from across the pond will be rather tough . But as it is only half an hour by train from Amsterdam Airport to Rotterdam, for an American it is probably the same .

 

[pachyderm pro]

Thank you all for these insightful bits of info.

I only know a slight amount of German, only the important stuff (i.e, Tier=Animal, Vogel=Bird ) so I'm glad to hear I can get around with just English. Perhaps I should learn some more German anyway just to be safe.

I do intend on taking a at least one day off, between the two berlin facilities. Berlin is a beautiful city and it would feel like a waste not to give it the light of day besides it's zoos. Weather or not I'll be taking another day off is up in the air right now. I do intend on doing a slight amount of sightseeing in the evenings however.

Now for myself I must apologize, I can't believe I forgot about Walsrode! Besides Jurong it has to be one of the best of its kind. How long does Rostock and Welt Der Gifte take to tour? I would gladly slot both of them into the same day to make room for Walsrode. Also a question to @Batto, I was snooping around on google maps and it lists two animal parks nearly adjacent to your location. Mind explaining what those are exactly?

As much as I want to see the Grzimek house, Frankfurt wil have to wait. I made the decision to cut it from the trip as it simply does not fit in to the rest of the schedule. I'm also considering removing Wilhelma for similar reasons, though I may put something else in its place. Perhaps putting Munich or nuremberg in its place. Any other places that would fit the bill?

I like sooty's idea of having several "bases" for this trip. I currently have 6 main bases for this excursion

Base 1, The Netherlands - Rotterdam, Apenhuel and Burgers

Base 2, Dusseldorf - Cologne, Duisburg and ZOOM

Base 3, Hannover - Hannover, Walsrode and Hagenback

Base 4, Greifswald - Rostock and Welt der Gifte (+ Maybe those two animal parks in the area)

Base 5, Berlin - Berlin Parks, Magdeburg and Leipzig

Base 6, Zurich - Basel and Zurich

I know I tweaked the idea just a little but I want to maximize my zoo and animal coverage to as much as possible. This would minimize me having to lug bags of stuff around everyday and will save me some money that could be used going to zoos.

 

[CGSwans]

PM me for some help on planning the financial side of things, as this is something I have spent quite some time studying in recent years. . I probably won't get to it all that quickly (perhaps the weekend) but you're not going in the near future anyway.

 

[Batto]

@pachyderm pro: like many other large cities, Berlin is interesting to visit - but beautiful? Not really.
Two animal parks? There's an animal food store and a cat shelter closeby. The next true zoo is Tierpark Greifswald, a lovely little zoo with a rather average collection but a very charming presentation (among others, a walkthrough capybara exhibit). Then there's Stralsund Zoo and the two aquaria in Stralsund, including the Ozeaneum, Germany's largest public aquarium, that can be reached by car from WdG in 30-40 min. And in between there's Gristow's Heimattierpark, which mostly showcases domestic animals.
Rostock Zoo is a well-sized zoo, so if you want to truly enjoy it, you should plan in a few hours. The walkthrough aviary, the old ungulate stable, the tree kangaroo exhibits and the Darwineum are among its highlights.
An average guided WdG tour takes 1,5h, but given my past experience with visiting ZooChatters, it might take a tad bit longer .

 

[pachyderm pro]

@Batto The place I was looking at was a cat shelter adjacent to the pet supply store. The other zoo I saw was indeed Tierpark Greifswald. Would it be possible to squeeze Rostock in the morning, and then the tierpark and WdG later in the day? Have you ever thought about offering a "Nature Combo Pack" with the local tierpark and the botanical garden? I know they aren't the Berlin behemoths but some tourists could appreciate the three in one deal. Thank you for the info on other nearby attractions.

@CGSwans I'll take you up on that offer as soon as I have the time. And I must say that reading your massive European expedition was one of my inspirations for this concept. Thank you for the thrilling read and the assistance with my own .

 

[Batto]

Would it be possible to squeeze Rostock in the morning, and then the tierpark and WdG later in the day? Have you ever thought about offering a "Nature Combo Pack" with the local tierpark and the botanical garden?

If you hurry through, then yes, you can do all three in one day.

Visiting the botanical garden is for free, and the three of us are managed by totally different institutions (university / city council/ privately). Therefore, the suggested combo isn't really feasible. However, we're on good personal terms with one another and collaborate well.

 

[lintworm]

Base 1, The Netherlands - Rotterdam, Apenhuel and Burgers

These are indeed the 3 must-see zoos, but make sure you allow enough time to get used to your new time zone. If you are a morning person, flying east might not matter (then you will get jetlagged when flying home ), but if you are not a morning person, you will have problems sleeping for the first days in Europe

Base 2, Dusseldorf - Cologne, Duisburg and ZOOM

Personally I would ditch ZOOM Gelsenkirchen from this one, it is not really a that interesting zoo and from Dusseldorf it is much nicer to go to Wuppertal and also Frankfurt is only 1 hour away by train (but 3 by bus).

Base 6, Zurich - Basel and Zurich

If you are in Switzerland anyway, you should try to spend a day in Bern as well, which is the most beautiful big city in Switzerland and it has a relatively small but very high quality zoo with mostly European species. You should also think of visiting Nurnberg and Stuttgart on your way south from Leipzig to Switzerland, these are two completely different zoos, but they are being rated highly by many zoochatters.

For cheap transport look at these buses:
Bus travel through Europe | FlixBus

 

[agnmeln]

These are indeed the 3 must-see zoos, but make sure you allow enough time to get used to your new time zone. If you are a morning person, flying east might not matter (then you will get jetlagged when flying home ), but if you are not a morning person, you will have problems sleeping for the first days in Europe

This is such a good point, actually! I always get jet lagged when flying East, but never when flying West. It’s funny how it affects different people in different ways. I can imagine how awful it would be to have a really great trip planned and then to have depleted energy resources which would stop you from being able to make the most of it and enjoy it fully. Very valid consideration.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

Bern is in no way a big city , but it is very very beautiful.

My advice, based on my own German trip, and slightly contrary to Sooty's, is that if you pack aggressively light you can use a day sack as your everything bag and be comfortable carrying it around zoos. That way you don't need to be tied to bases, which can save you a lot of travel time, although I still totally recommend several days in the bigger cities, for cultural and laundry purposes!

I'd seriously look at adding more non-zoo days, as you may burn out, and one day you may look back and wish you had seen some things which weren't animal related. CGSwans can work wonders with your budget, and if cost is the limiting factor not time then probably you should add at least another week to this itinerary.

 

[agnmeln]

It depends what you are into, but I would say a day off in Berlin would be interesting and easily filled with plenty of other things. When I went, I spent some time shopping in the city, exploring the Alexanderplatz Christmas market which was conveniently right outside my hotel and also did some of the typical tourist stuff too like visiting Checkpoint Charlie.

 

[pachyderm pro]

After contemplating with some other members, I'm seriously considering completely dropping Switzerland (And Wilhelma) from the plan. I have been advised that it would be better to go East to do Prague and Plzen, then on the rebound back in Germany to do Munich and Nurnberg. Does anyone want to give their 2 cents?

However, I also decided to add the Belgium duo of Antwerp and Plackendael, because of its close proximity to other locations. There is also a good possibility I will take around 3 - 5 more days to explore without any zoos or animals.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

When is the actual timeframe for this?

 

[pachyderm pro]

When is the actual timeframe for this?

A few years down the line. I have plenty of time to mix and match. I simply started this thread as a way to gauge how I should go by this. I want to do a great big trip, but if I want to do a great big trip, the best way to start would be talking to other folks who have taken great big trips and building up from there. This is why I stated at the beginning "(Very) Beginning stages".

 

[Hyak_II]

I would very strongly recommend Nurnberg. They have an absolutely AMAZING bottlenose dolphin and California sea lion mixed exhibit. It's arguably one of the best such habitats in the entire EU.

 

[agnmeln]

I would very strongly recommend Nurnberg. They have an absolutely AMAZING bottlenose dolphin and California sea lion mixed exhibit. It's arguably one of the best such habitats in the entire EU.

I haven’t yet seen a mixed exhibit like this, but I would be very keen to! So much about this intrigues me.