Planning on arriving in Frankfurt Friday April 2020 and renting a car. I’m having trouble putting together what I want to do logistically. We want to spent 1st night in Frankfurt relaxing
Day 2 Saturday driving the Romantic Road making it a leisurely day so we can make as many stops as we want. Thinking of ending the day in Hohenschwangau area.
Day 3 Sunday King Ludwigs castles and this is where I need help. What else can we do that day.
Day 4 Monday I was going to move on to the Baden Baden area and visit the Black Forest. Is this an all day event?
Days 5/6 Tuesday and Wednesday I want to see the Rhine Valley area and any other suggestions? Do I stay in the Baden Baden area? How far is that from Baden
On the last day we will take an early train back to London as we have a flight the following day.
Side note of disappointment I discovered The Eagles Nest is closed in April
Any driving lodging planning suggestions would be a major help.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32745 posts
Where is your train to England from?
It makes more sense to me to do the middle Rhine after arriving in Frankfurt since it is so close, then make your way south.
Baden Baden is nowhere near.
If you know where you will be dropping the car and getting the train the other answers can be much easier.
Posted by
OP
Miami Florida
16 posts
The return back to England is still in the planning stages. We are picking up the rental car in Frankfurt upon arrival in Germany so I’m assuming we have to return it there?
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11178 posts
Looking at this and your other post for Italy, I have a hard time finding where you will be 'relaxing'.
You can probably return the car you pick up in Frankfurt anywhere in Germany for little or no added cost compared to going back to Frankfurt. Its when you rent in one country and drop in another that huge one way fees are added.
Posted by
Atlanta
4827 posts
Since you want to drive the Romantic Road consider this -- time for your other stops permitting of course. Go to Aschaffenburg where some say The Road really starts. It has a neat castle and a replica of a Pompeiian (sp?) estate house. Just south of there on the old road to Wurzburg is the town of Haibach and just south of there is the village of Mespelbrun. There is a castle there that has been in the same family for four or five centuries. It's still lived in and is surrounded by a moat. A real fairy tale place and tours are usually available. Then it's an easy drive to Wurzburg (perhaps an overnight?), Rothenburg, and the rest of The Road. Do a google search for Aschaffenburg, Mespelbrun, and Wurzburg and see what you think.
Posted by
OP
Miami Florida
16 posts
So helpful and kind. Thank you
Posted by
Southeast US
3845 posts
Welcome to the Forum! Your trip through Germany moves faster than I typically go, but if you have done that pace previously and liked it, I defer to your judgement. I agree that it might be worth starting your trip at Frankfurt and perhaps ending the German leg of your trip in Munich, where you could fly back to London (flights in April pricing as low as 56 euro per adult -- though that price depends on what kind of luggage your are carrying).
For your current plans: The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is a little over an hour from Frankfurt, so perhaps it would be worth picking up your car on arrival and then heading there. Spend 2 nights there and then head down the Romantic Road, perhaps making a stop along the way for an overnight, and then spending 2 nights at Füssen. You can check out the Füssen tourism website for other things to do in the town while there:
https://en.fuessen.de/
Baden-Baden is pretty far out of the way. The two big reasons to go there are because you really like spas and/or you really like casinos. It lies outside the Black Forest, which I don't think has enough to offer (especially in comparison to the Alps) to draw you there.
For your consideration: The Upper Middle Rhine area has excellent castles. I particularly like Marksburg, which has a really nice medieval feel to it. The ruins of Burg Rheinfels in St Goar are fun to explore. The nearby Mosel Valley offers Burg Eltz, Rick Steves' favorite castle in Germany. If that satisfies your need to see castles, you may choose a destination other than Füssen to explore in the Alps -- Mittenwald, Oberammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, etc.