Southern Germany Trip Planning

[max105]

My gf and I are planning a road trip around southern Germany. Our rough itinerary so far is roughly based on Rick Steve's "best 3-week trip by car" itinerary. My gf and I will only be traveling 2 weeks together via rental. I will stay an extra week in Europe (either to see Normandy or anything else interesting someone can suggest).

Dates: 4/28/2010 - 5/12/2010
Departure City: San Francisco
Destination: Frankfurt or Munich (fly into one and out the other)
Interests: (Mine) WWII sites, autobahn/Alpine roads, nature/landscape; (Hers) cobble stone roads, cozy/romantic towns, half-timbered houses, etc.

Rough itinerary so far:
2 days Munich
2 days Salzburg (includes day trip to Berchesgarten)
2 days Rothenburg (includes side trips to Wurzburg and Nuremburg)
2 days Reutte/Fussen (includes day trip to Neuschwanstein castle)
2 days Baden-Baden, Black Forest
2 days Bacharach, Rhine Valley
~roughly 12 days so far with about 2 "flex" days to allow for changes

Questions:

1. Would it be best travel from Frankfurt to Munich, vice versa, or on advantage either way?
2. What cities/areas should we focus on? I've given the above towns equal weight so far but I'm sure there's some places we should spend more time on and others less time on.
3. Are there any other "must see" cities around southern Germany I may have missed?

[Eagle]

max105,

First of all, welcome to the Boards! I have a few comments to get the discussion started.

One thing that stands out in your proposed Itinerary, is that there doesn't appear to be any time alloted for travel times between destinations? It's a good idea to build those in.

My preference would be something like this:

> Day 1: Flight to Frankfurt (you'll lose the first day in flight times and time zone changes - from SFO your flight will probably be at least 10-12 hours - a non-stop flight would be better, if possible).

> Day 2: Arrive in Frankfurt; train to Rothenburg ODT (there's a rail station at FRA and also a ticket office, so that's fairly easy - you'll likely have to change trains in Wurzburg and Steinach - it will be a long day and you'll probably be too jet-lagged to do much touring - try to stay awake until normal bed time and then start touring the next day)

> Day 3: Rothenburg - touring - be sure to take the Night Watchman's Tour, as it's very entertaining - there's enough to see in the Rothenburg area, so I'm not sure you'll have time for day trips to Wurzburg and Nuremburg?

> Day 4: Train to Salzburg (probably via Munich) - trip will probably be at least half a day

> Day 5: Salzburg and Berchtesgaden - you might have a look at Bob's Special Tours in Salzburg, as they provide a convenient day tour to Bercthesgaden, where you'll be able to tour Salt Mines or the Documentation Centre and Bunkers above town - one important note is that at that time of year, trips to the Eagle's Nest may or may not be possible, depending on how much snow there is - the road to the entrances is very treacherous, so tours are unable to get up there until the snow melts - you'll probably also want to see the large Fortress above Salzburg

> Day 6: Salzburg

> Day 7: Train to Munich - I'd suggest using this for a "home base" and visiting Reutte & Fussen from there - you might have a look at Radius Tours in Munich, as they offer one day tours of the Castles. I'm not sure about visiting Reutte?

> Day 8: Munich - As you're interested in "WWII sites", you may also want to visit Dachau. While it's not as "intense" as Auschwitz, it's still a very moving site to visit. Radius also offers day tours to Dachau.

> Day 9: Munich - you may want to visit the Deutches Museum (16 kM of exhibits) which has some interesting WWII items such as a V2, planes, etc. There's also the Hofbrauhaus, where Nazi rallies were conducted (the Swastikas have been painted over) and Radius also offers a Third Reich walking tour that covers the origins of the Nazi party.

> Day 10: Train to Baden-Baden and the Black Forest

> Day 11: Baden-Baden

> Day 12: Train to Bacharach and the Rhine Valley - from there you can tour the Rhine & Mosel areas

> Day 13: Bacharach and the Rhine Valley

> Day 14: Train to FRA for the flight home

To answer your question No. 3, there are LOTS of other areas to see around Southern Germany however I'm not sure you'll have time for them?

Although you've specified "rental car", I suggested train as it will be much quicker and a more efficient way to travel with such a short time frame. Keep in mind that the Rick Steves "Best 3-Week Trip by Car" can be done under ideal conditions, but I find travel by train (especially fast trains) a much quicker and more efficient way to get around. Be sure to get the FULL CDW when you rent the car, an International Driver's Permit would be a good idea (even if it's not compulsory) and pay careful attention to parking regulations! A GPS along with a good Map (Michelin?) would also be a good idea! Will you be taking Rick's Germany 2010 Guidebook along on the trip - I usually do!

Were you planning to travel by train to Normandy? If you need information on touring in that area, post another note.

Happy travels!

[herrbert]

If you have a rental car, you could opt to drive fron North to South on the Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse), that runs between Würzburg, and Füssen.

From Füssen it a 2 hour drive (over the Fernpass) to Innsbruck, which might be a nice destination too. From there you could head to Salzburg. (or vice versa, if that fits better.) A on touristic way to do that is to not follow the A12 highway, but the National roads, in the Inn valley, drive into the Zillertal, and take the Gerlospass, from there you enter the province of Salzburg, and you can follow the Valley of the Salzach until Salzburg. For a long time, you will be driving on the northern side of the mainridge of the Alps. (from the Gerlos pass, you will have a nice view on the famous waterfalls of Krimml.)

the last tips, can be found in the song, get out of town by Admiral Freebee ;D

There are five rules of how to be a cruiser
Five rules of how to be a highway man

Number one
You travel alone

Number two
Never use the fast line
Never travel by high speed

Number three
Take some tapes along the way
Of your favorite music and your favorite bands

Number four
Take the road as it comes 'cause it comes so slow
Take the road as it comes 'cause it comes so slow

Five
Get out of town!