Hi,
Planning a trip this summer--flying into Frankfurt, renting car, then 2 nights Rothenburg ob der Tauber, 2 nights Fussen, 3 nights Salzburg, 2-3 nights Vienna, then back to Frankfurt (over 2 nights/3 days) to fly home. Can anyone recommend small towns/places to stay between Vienna and Frankfurt? Regensberg? Nurnberg? I'm thinking at this point we'll be tired and not up to rushing around a big city (after Vienna)--we have school-aged kids.
Thanks!!
You're going to be covering a lot of miles on your intended itinerary.
I've traveled in that region extensively, and I love spending about 3 nights in Munich then renting a car and driving a circle southwest thru Bavaria into Western Tirol, to Innsbruck and back up to Salzburg. We just love to ramble from town to town on the back roads in the Alps. We don't visit Rothenburg as it's north of Munich and out of the area.
I'd suggest returning the rental car in the first town in Germany west of Salzburg and taking a train (thru Munich) back to the Frankfurt Airport. Vienna is the music city of Europe and one of our favorites.
I would caution you on the initial part of your plan. If you are flying into Frankfurt from North America, please rethink immediately driving to Rothenburg. Even if you don't feel it, the effects of jetlag will significantly impact your reaction time, and you will need to drive on A3, one of the busiest routes on the Autobahn network. Several years ago, there was an item on a local news program about the disproportionate number of accidents caused by jetlagged travelers on this route, since it's the main artery to Bavaria, the most popular destination for most North American visitors. If you absolutely must rent a car right away, consider staying the first night in either nearby Büdingen or Seligenstadt. Both offer much of the same kind of attractive old buildings as Rothenburg, and Büdingen also retains it's defensive wall. For all the attention it gets, Rothenburg really isn't as unique as advertised, except for all the trinket shops.
Although it's a fairly large city, Nürnberg might be a good place to stop, especially with kids. If you need a day to let the kids run feral, Playmobile Park is nearby, or if you want to experience one of Germany's better indoor waterparks/spas (there are many of these!), you could take them to Krystal Palm Beach in the suburb of Stein. Nürnberg's probably too far to drive in one day from Vienna, so perhaps Passau, Landshut or Burghausen could offer a convenient and pleasent night stay.
Let's see. Frankfurt. Rothenburg odT. Füssen. Salzburg. Vienna. The thing these towns have in common is they all have rail stations and they are all linked together. Have you considered taking the train instead of renting a car? If your kids are 14 or younger, they travel for free with you (at least in Germany).
If you are thinking of stopping in Nürnberg on the way back to Frankfurt anyway, why not skip Rothenburg on the way and stop there on the way back. It's just over an hour by train from Nürnberg, slightly longer by car.
