Germany, Austria, Switzerland road trip advice

If you haven't seen the thread running currently in the Austria Forum on Vignettes and toll roads it is worth reading.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/austria-vignette-97bcbea6-f8d6-4007-9cdd-e87f0fdd8ea8

I have not yet been to Switzerland, so can only speak about Germany and Austria. What is drawing you to the Romantic Road? After driving through the gorgeous area around Salzburg (Berchtesgaden, Hallstatt, Werfen) the Romantic Road was disappointing. If you’re looking for spectacular mountain scenery, head for the Garmisch Partenkirchen area in Germany. Then on to the Salzburg areas listed above. Werfen has a great castle/fortress if that’s what your interested in.

I’m sure there are gorgeous places in Switzerland closer to Zurich that others will advise on.

Thank you for the suggestions thus far, i really appreciate it. The reason we are drawn to the romantic road in Germany is that we want to go to Rotenberg (i hope that is spelled correctly) and have heard that the romantic road is a beautiful way to get there. We would love to see a lot of medieval castles and fortresses and beautiful scenery. We are also steering away from spending more time in Switzerland due to how expensive things in Switzerland are. We are open to any suggestions or ideas. Thanks again.

Oh, and yes we will definitely check out your suggestion of the Garmisch Partenkirchen area in Germany, that sounds exactly what we are looking for:)

There is nothing disappointing about the Romantic Road, its Medieval walled cities aren't surrounded by mountains, but so what.

Check out the Romantic Road
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com
It's not too hard to see the reason for the popularity - despite the modern roots of the idea, the tour combines the historic cities of Würzburg and Augsburg with the three medieval walled towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, and then finishes off with the tourist highlights of Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alps.

Switzerland is great, but more expensive than Austria or Germany. In Switzerland, consider Interlakken and Lucerne.

Salzburg, Innsbruck and Vienna top the list in Austria. Munich, Berchtesgaden, Chemsee, Fussen/Garmisch for Bavaria.

After a dozen trips to Europe, driving the GrossGlockner High Alpine Road (https://www.grossglockner.at/gg/de/index) last September stands out as a highlight. We based ourselves in Zell am See and drove as far Heiligenblut and returned to Zell. One can also make it a one-way trip. Have a great trip!

Google maps will be your friend. But time is not, given the nearness of your trip and the need for booking accommodations. Small towns and villages are great but there are soooo many.

If I may suggest:
Day 1- get used to being in Europe - See the Marc Chagall windows in the Fraumunster in downtown Zurich.

Day 2: Head north to Rothenburg first. 4 hour+ drive. Stay overnight.

Day 3-4-5: On your way back south hit the smaller city Romantic Road stops you identify that you want to see, end in Augsburg/Munich. Traffic in Munich/parking may be hard, so talk to your hotel about what to do.

Day 6: at least two nights in Munich to get a full day of touring. Or use the full day to head down to the famous castles (which admittedly don't do much for me). Andechs Cloister south of Munich is great but book a hotel there if you go since it has a famous brewery and you don't want too sample and drive.

Day 7-8: Drive to Salzburg and stay two nights. 1 1/2 days of touring.

Day 9-13: Drive west from Salzburg through Austria - Berchtesgaden - Innsbruck - maybe pop north back into Germany at Garnish-Partenkirchen - back south to St Anton (great ski area BUT also brilliant Alpine scenery with gondolas to get up) - Leichtenstein -back to Zurich.

Have a great trip.

While google maps is helpful, a better routing and informational tool is on viamichelin.com. As mentioned previously (I think because I can't see while responding) a vignette sticker is required when driving in Austria. If one is not left on your rental car by chance then it must be purchased immediately when crossing into Austria. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a nice little town and quite a bit further north. If you go, it is best to stay inside the walled city because it is a different feel in the evening when most of the day trippers have left. The night watchman tour is great as is the crime & punishment museum. If you are heading down into Bavaria then Nueschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles are worth a visit . Walk up to the Marian bridge at Nueschwanstein or further up the trail for a different view of the castle. Visit the church in Wies to see an example of Rococo style. I second G-P. While in the area you can take a gondola up the Zugspitze and a train (cogwheel?) down or vice-versa. While the Romantic Road is nice, you may accomplish the same experience driving around Bavaria. We prefer to stay on the secondaries and seeing the towns we pass through or stop for a bite to eat. We only use the Autobahn when wishing to get somewhere quickly. If I think of anything else, I will pop back in.

Thank you for all of the suggestions, we will definitely use the good advice, we are getting very excited!!

Sorry have to totally disagree with NickB. The only sight he recommends in Switzerland is the Chagal window in Zurich!! Switzerland is stunning and only having two weeks I can't imagine wandering far from Switzerland itself. At the very least spend a week in Switzerland. Zurich is a financial capital. I'd recommend visiting Lucerne or travelling directly to the Jungfrau region and staying awhile in one of the car free villages of Murren or Wengen. You'd also have time to visit Broc (chocolate factory) and Gruyeres (cheese factor and fantastic medieval town). If travelling to Lucerne (its only an hour away from Zurich) you could also visit Mount Pilatus to get that mountain experience without heading to a few days in Jungfrau area. I have a family blog that talks about Lucerne and Pilatus if you'd like more info on those areas. https://sunsetsandrollercoasters.com/one-day-lucerne-switzerland-walking-guide/ Related posts on the bottom will bring you to Pilatus as well as the Rheinfall (largest waterfall in Europe) and Basel (our favourite city in Switzerland ... far more interesting and beautiful than Zurich)

Garmisch for sure. We spent three days here last year and felt it was perfect. The hiking around there is wonderful.

Munich for at least a day. Have to have a beer at the Hofbrau House.

Innsbruck is a nice mid-afternoon stop on the way east from Garmisch.

Still have not done Salzburg or Hallstatt but I think that should be very high on the list, especially since you have a car and all of the recommendations here are so positive for it.

Thx again for all of the wonderful advice. One more question, we have decided to visit Munich during the trip and also Innsbruck later in the trip. My question is, would it be easier to visit Neuschwanstein, and Zugspitze from the German side coming down from Munich or see those things while we are near Innsbruck and traveling up to those areas? Any advice would be great!! Thank you all!!

There are of course lots of great places in Switzerland but you asked mostly about Germany/Austria. With respect to the last question, . Neuschwanstein Is much easier from the North side of the Alps. You would be seriously backtracking to go to Innsbruck first. Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Zugspitze are 90 minutes north of Innsbruck so that is less backtracking if you want to do N then Salzburg then back to Innsbruck and to Switzerland.