8 Day Driving Trip starting and ending in Munich October 2017

"I am interested in seeing the beautiful geography on the drives and experiencing the unique personality and culture of the cities I am visiting..."

The part that's difficult to tell you: Your itinerary covers too many miles. Your travel plan is largely out of sync with your goals. The distances you cover between your arrival on Saturday and the sunrise on Wednesday morning are already huge. Rather than riding the rails with Germans and locals, using the car for such a road trip means quality time with yourself (yourselves.) The Nightwatchman tour is a chance to rub shoulders with your fellow international tourists; it's the same generally speaking for the rest of Rothenburg, and for Neuschwanstein (a late 19th-century palace with a fake castle exterior) as well:

http://www.dw.com/en/is-neuschwanstein-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/a-17887035

You obviously need to be in Freiburg and in Munich. I can maybe see getting as far as the Middle Rhine, obviously one of Germany's most scenic regions. I'm going to suggest that, in addition to those first two cities, you look into a FARM STAY (maybe in the Black Forest near Freiburg?) of 2-3 days and a WINERY STAY (Rhine? Mosel?) of 2-3 days where you can get a peek at everyday life. The old-world wine towns on these 2 rivers, with their half-timbered exteriors, look very much like some of the fairytale towns you have in mind. Then head back to Munich. The Rhine has castles - real ones, like Marksburg.

See links below.

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/

http://www.weingut-rademacher.de/en/
http://www.heiliggrab.de/default.htm

http://www.marksburg.de/en/

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I was concerned I was covering too many miles and was piecing together ideas from different sources. I like the farm and winery ideas, thank you for the links. I will look into all. In your opinion Rothenberg may not be worth the time? The photo of the watchman tour really looks uninteresting, not sure how I pictured it. From what I've read the trail of towns and castles inspiring the fairy tales sounds very pretty but if it isn't as special as it sounds and other towns are at least equally interesting maybe we'd be better sticking south of Cologne. I'm going to return to the drawing board. Thank you for your time.

" In your opinion Rothenberg may not be worth the time?"

It's not that Rothenburg isn't worth seeing. It's extremely cute, and it's no crime to stop there. It's just that you have articulated an admirably noble concept for the week, one that would put you in places where you hope to get a handle on local culture in some way - but your itinerary seems to be informed a bit heavily by guidebooks that spotlight tourist hot spots and attract international tourists. In Rothenburg, tourists are really the only game in town. It might be wise to focus first on places where you might have a chance for some better cultural contact.

You did a good job of setting out some clues for what you have in mind with the pastry/cooking/beer tour ideas... the farm/winery stay might help - farm folks sometimes offer a closer look at their operation, sometimes participation. The type of accommodations you choose does matter. Staying in any small, family-run B & B or inn sometimes means breakfast in the family dining room, sometimes with the host/hostess or other local guests. (If you choose places that are NOT in the Rick Steves guidebooks, your chances of meeting some fellow travelers that are German are much improved.) I have never stayed at a bakery/inn, but I have one on my bucket list in the town of Bullay on the Mosel River. The Cafe Görgen in Bullay tosses out some amazing aromas in the morning - and offers upstairs rooms as well - and someday I want to wake up on the floor above to all that. (They have rooms in an annexed building as well.) I doubt you'll get any baking lessons but maybe someone could be schmoozed into letting a friendly foreign guest like you have a look at their operation briefly. This place in Bingen (Rhine town) is also on my list and available on booking.com. NOT that you need to book these rooms or these towns but just to suggest that you might find something similar in a place you choose to visit.

Local festivals that are open to visitors can be interesting too. You might get some suggestions if you provide your dates. You tossed out museums, but what about a non-traditional museum, like the Vogtsbauernhof open-land museum in the Black Forest town of Gutach? It's for tourists, but it's all about culture, and lots of German tourists go there to learn about their own local past as well. There are usually demonstrations you can attend which impart the old ways, and it's open through Nov. 5. Gutach itself has accommodations with lots of traditional color but there are many nice towns where you might stay in the Black Forest. Gutach is one of 100+ towns that offer the KONUS card for free rail travel throughout the Black Forest. Note also that the Rothaus Brewery is in the Black Forest.

I think I'll also mention Würzburg, a Main River university town near Rothenburg with a UNESCO World Heritage palace and guided walking tours in English (which would be somewhat more informational and less entertainment-oriented than the Nightwatchman business.) You might pass through Würzburg as you return to Munich airport from the Rhine or elsewhere.

http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/visitors/guided-walking-tours/index.html
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/wunderbares-wuerzburg

Bamberg, another university town with UNESCO status, is really impressive as well. And its beer culture is intense.
https://www.europeanbeerguide.net

Russ, thank you so very much for all the valuable information you shared, it is appreciated. I am revising my itinerary and will keep many of your suggestions in mind. I will not cover as many miles as my first draft but, I feel I will see more and enjoy myself more. I like the open air museum in Gutach and will do my best to add that in before leaving Freiburg. The winery in Cochem is also appealing and offers a variety of experiences, even a chairlift for great views. I would also like to check out Bamberg, it looks like an amazing city and one I wouldn't have thought of. I think it also offers something unique to the rest of my trip. I will work on mapping things out and keeping the distance shorter. You are correct that, I was using various guide books and google because it was available. Oh I want to mention that, I am definitely not opposed to museums and have been to and enjoyed many in my life. I only meant that this is not a very long trip and on this trip, it is not my focus. Thanks!!

If you're two "musts" are Munich and Freiburg, I'd stick to the south. Your initial itinerary had you zig-zagging around, so try to build an itinerary that makes sense and flows naturally and not spending the bulk of your time in transit.

Between Bavaria (lake district, alps, etc), Lake Constance (Lindau, Meersburg, Mainau flower island, etc), the Swabian Alb region (castles, spas, cute little country towns) and the Black Forest there's plenty to do and see without spending hours in a car every day.

Hi Sarah, Thank you so much for your input. I agree my first draft was all over the place and covering too large a region. It is just hard to decide which amazing things to see. Our flights are set for this October arriving in Munich on a Saturday and departing in Munich the following Sunday. We do need to be in Freiburg on Monday.

I have modified our schedule to stay the first 2 nights in Munich and the next 2 nights in Freiburg. While in Freiburg I thought we could make day trips to visit towns in the Black Forest. Russ suggested a visit to the Open Air Museum in Gutach and I think it looks very interesting. I would also like to go to Triburg and check out cuckoo clocks and walk or take the train to the waterfalls, depending on the weather. Again depending on the weather and if our outdoor time is cut short, I thought maybe a visit to Gegenbach or Schiltach. Wednesday I was planning on heading to Sankt Goar where we we love to do a Rhine River day cruise and maybe stop off at a couple of river towns. I am still stuck at this point. Bamberg looks very interesting but, again it is a bit of a drive. I also think Dinkelbuhl looks like a good alternative to Rothenberg. I had planned on choosing one and staying Friday night before heading back to stay our final night in Munich. Based on your suggestion, I am now looking at the Swabian alb region and Lake Constance and both are really beautiful. Mainau Island looks lovely and several of the towns along the Swabian alb region look tempting as well. (Engstingen, Heidenheim, Lautingen, Bad Urach) Do you have favorite towns or drives? In your opinion, if I had to choose between the Swabian alb region, Lake Constance, Bamberg or Dinkelsbuhl do you have an opinion on must-see vs. can wait or is too similar to other sites on my list? Thank you so very much!

"Bamberg looks very interesting but, again it is a bit of a drive."

Not sure what route you are considering between St. Goar and Munich. Viamichelin.com shows 3 routing options from St. Goar to Munich Airport, all 3 just under 5 hours for the whole trip. The northernmost route takes you via the A3, which narrowly by passes Bamberg at one point at the rough mid-point of your journey (around 2.5 hours.)

There are other options apart from Bamberg along the A3 route and the other routes too. I already mentioned Würzburg (where the A3 passes just south of town) but just south of the A3 on the Main River are some more really lovely old-world towns - Sommerhausen, Ochsenfurt and Marktbreit. Germans make up the bulk of the visitors here (whereas international tourists unwittingly drive right by on their way to the few towns mentioned in their English-language guidebooks.) I'm pretty sure you'll like these places:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLUgpoQIFHI

Hi Karen,

I'm going to stay straight out that while I like Freiburg a lot, I have been consistently underwhelmed by Black Forest villages in general. I don't know why. I've lived within a 30-90 minute drive of Black Forest sights for 7 years and it's not a place I think about visiting much and I don't understand why Rick hypes it so much. When I think "Freiburg" I think "Yay I'm close to Alsace!" not "Yay I can tour the Black Forest!"

I think two nights in Freiburg plus the open air museum is a good strategy but can't comment on any of the villages mentioned aside from Triberg which I found to be an uninteresting tourist trap. If you're into beer or interesting churches/monasteries I can definitely recommend Alpirsbach which in addition to being charming and on the way back west offers the best beer in the entire state of Baden-Wurttemberg (IMO).

I don't want to dissuade you from doing the Rhine, which is glorious, but it's a long drive up north from Freiburg. If I were you (and I'm obviously not) I would leave behind the Rhine this time, as it's too much of a geographic outlier for this trip IMO. If you're receptive to leaving it out, I can tell you a gazillion places to stop at between Freiburg and the Romantic Road (Dinkelsbuhl is better than Rothtenberg IMO but my favorite is Noerdlingen) for beautiful villages, spa towns, castles, etc. But if you're committed to the Rhine (which is fine - it's just a lot of driving for my tastes) I certainly wouldn't consider Bamberg even though I love it. It's yet another outlier. Go to Nuremberg instead, or follow the Romantic Road down to Fuessen to see the famous castles (which I think are worth it if you have the right expectations).

The thing about Germany that no one tells you is that there's amazing, quaint, beautiful sights all over the country, there is little reason to follow a prescripted "this is what I must see because it's in a guidebook" itinerary. I'm still discovering places all the time! I've missed out on a lot of great places by speeding past them in a car because a guidebook told me to. Right now I'm worried that your trip will be a bit more of the same.

That said the section of the Rhine you're planning on going to is beautiful and impressive so I don't blame you for wanting to try to squeeze it in either! Decisions are hard when traveling.

wSarah, thank you so much for all of your wonderful suggestions. I really do appreciate your thoughtfulness. I would like to finish with making reservations soon since the trip is around the corner but, it is so very difficult to choose when I have so many amazing options. I am happy you mentioned the town of Alpirsbach and the fact that, it has a great brewery and monstery. I have begun looking into this town as an alternative to Triberg etc. It looks like it will meet some items on my list and I will be content to put Bamberg on the list for the next trip. The person I am traveling with has the Rhine River and a cruise on his must list, so we will make the trip up there. I am now considering spending one night in Freiburg and on the way to Alpisbach, visit the Open Air Museum in Gutach in the morning. Instead of going back to Frieburg for the night, maybe stay in Alpirsbach and try to get in an afternoon brewery/monastery tour/visit. The next day head to Sankt Goar for 2 nights. And rather than heading further away from Munich, go instead to Dinkelsbugh or Nordlingen for the night and then the next day back to Munich for our final night. I think with this itinerary, we will enjoy everything we do and see and we will be busy but not racing. I realize there are many spectacular places to see in Germany and I will be missing out on so many but, in a week, I can only see so much.

Hi Karen,

I think your current itinerary makes more sense. Freiburg is lovely but can be seen in one night unless you're planning to base there to see other Black Forest sights - which again, I think are somewhat overrated. I kind of regret bringing up Alspirsbach - it doesn't make sense to go there if you're set on the Rhine so consider this itinerary:

Monday: Depart Munich early for Freiburg early. Stop for lunch in Lindau on Lake Constance or in Meersburg. Arrive late afternoon in Freiburg, explore the town, then go to your show.

Tuesday: Explore more of Freiburg in the morning, then drive to Sankt Goar. Lunch in Worms, Speyer, or Mainz with a quick walk around the altstadt of either city, all very enjoyable.

Wednesday: Rhine stuff

Thursday: Move on to the Romantic Road - Noerdlingen or Dinkelsbuehl one night.

Friday: Fuessen for the castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau)

Saturday: Back to Munich, drop off car

It's a bit more driving than I'd prefer but if you're used to driving in the US it's doable.