We are family of 4, 2 adults and 2 older teens, traveling from Fussen to do Rhine river tour at Bingen. I am looking for a smallish less touristy, medieval town, on the way, where we could spend 2 nights, between Fussen and Bingen, and then drive to Rhine for afternoon on ferry.
I am looking at Dinkelsbuhl, Bad Wimpfen, Tubingen, Schiltach, Nordlingen. We like rustic lodging.
Thanks for any advice,
Ruth
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen are both nice little towns with lots of Fachwerk buildings. Of the two, I would prefer Nördlingen for it's wall. But both are a little too far east.
Another town, not so medieval, but quaint is Alpirsbach, in the Black Forest. When I was there, it definitely was not touristy. (ever heard of it?).
Tübingen is nice, as is closeby Herrenberg.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
All the ones you have noted are good options. I particularly like Bad Wimpfen, mainly because to follow on to the Rhine, you would need to travel through the scenic Neckar river valley (unless you drove the more boring Autobahn route).
Schwäbisch Hall is also another good option.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thanks for responding even tho I posted in all caps which I guess is a no no ( I saw that after.)
I found a cute lodging in the medieval wall in Bad Wimpfen so maybe I will go with that and spend a day exploring the neckar as many people seem to think it is beautiful and less touristy. Tubingen still tempting me but the lodging I see looks uninteresting.
I appreciate your help!
Ruth
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Tübingen is a cute little University down on the Neckar river, nice to visit for a few hours but I thought available accommodations were a little pricey. Not to far away is the town of Herrenberg. It has a town square filled with Fachwerk buildings and remnant of the old town wall. We stayed here, right above the Marktplatz, a decade ago. The hostess, Karin, is very gracious and speaks excellent English.
Posted by
Deep South, USA
139 posts
We used Bad Wimpfen as a base for 3 nights in mid-May and really enjoyed the town and the hotel.
The Sunday afternoon we arrived we walked from our hotel (which was on the North side of town) along a paved walkway on the edge of the bluff looking over the Neckar to the 'Red' Tower and then spent some time in the area between the 'Red' Tower and the 'Blue' Tower just taking in the old town. It was lovely and intriguing - Why don't all those crooked half-timbered buildings fall down!? We got there at the very end of some sort of historical re-enactment - check with the local Tourist Info office, there might be something going on during your visit.
There were an assortment of restaurants and shops within easy walking distance of the Towers.
The drive along the Neckar to Heidelberg (on your way to Bingen) was just as attractive as the Rhine IMO, maybe more so. The Neckar Valley is more wooded and smaller, the towns along the way are charming and there are a number of castles if you are interested in stopping/shopping. We did the drive on a Sunday and there were bunches of Germans enjoying it - that tells me something.
The hotel we stayed at was a popular place for bicycle riders - the people who run the hotel organize biking tours and even have all of the equipment available (for rent I would imagine) - Hotel Neckarblick. If you and your teens are interested give their website a look - you don't have to stay at the hotel to do the bike tours. They have a trailer to take people/bikes to various locations and then bring them back at the end of the day.