Car or train Nuremberg to Munich help with itinerary....

Oh... I luvvv Holualoa.

Let's say you have 2 nights in or near Rothenburg and 2 in Stuttgart. Then a final night in Munich or at MUC.

Rothenburg is a bit funky as a train base town if you plan to see anything else in the area and it would make the trip to Stuttgart longer, pricier, and more complex. Suggest you consider train hub and Romantic Road destination Würzburg for 2 nights instead. It's about 70 minutes away from Nuremberg and has some wonderful sights if you want to see them. From there you can do your daytrip to Rothenburg (also about 70 minutes away.) For two adults, you'll pay €27 each day for one daypass called the Bayern Ticket.

From Würzburg Stuttgart is easy - 2 hours by direct Regional Express train from Würzburg through very attractive countryside most of the way. Cost is very low too - again, €27, this time on a Baden-Württemberg ticket.

The above trips with daypasses use regional and local trains; IC, ICE and EC high speed trains are taboo.

Stuttgart-Freising (near airport.) To keep the travel time down, look for a savings fare on the high speed trains at the DB itinerary page for the date in question. You can probably find something under €100 for two. Freising should be convenient to the airport - a direct bus takes less than 20 minutes - and it's an attractive place.

Nürnberg, Rothenburg, Stuttgart, Munich: all good towns to see, connected with an efficient network of train lines. Overall, I would say that the scenery between them, whether by train or car, is pretty mundane - attractive, but nothing special. Use the trains to efficiently get from place to place.

Several times I have spent the last night before flying out of MUC in Freising. The most notable thing in Freising is Weihenstephan, the oldest operation brewery in the world. Spend your last night in Germany enjoying their fresh beer under the shade of the trees in their beergarden.

In the morning, their is a bus from the train station to the airport. It takes about 20 minutes and cost 2,60€/person.

You can find places to stay in Freising on the town website, www.freising.de. Some people here have stayed at Hotel zur Gred and recommend it.

If you decide to stay in Rothenburg, and we like to, there is your best chance for a quaint hotel. We like both the Gasthof Greifen and Gästehaus Raidel.

Stuttgart was heavily damaged during the war. I am not sure about a quaint old hotel. We have stayed at the City Hotel twice. It is easy walking distance to the Altstadt and the Bohnenviertal (local district known for atmospheric wine restaurants) with good public transportation options. It was recommended by an area resident. It has a good breakfast and a helpful staff but the rooms are small.

We have stayed in Freising several times. We liked the Hotel zur Gred already mentioned and the Hotel Bayerischer Hof which is just completing a renovation. There is an good early breakfast at the Bayerischer Hof, which is handy before you leave for the airport. Weißbräu Huber is great for a very good, atmospheric supper the night before you leave.

http://www.huberweisse.de

In Freising both the Domberg (cathedral on the hill) and the Weihenstephan Brewery grounds are pleasant to visit.

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Travel/Freising-April-06/1402301_pTGGtq

We were stationed in Germany and traveled by car; that worked fine. Now that we are returning for visits, we prefer train travel. For us it is easier and has led to some interesting interactions.

Thank you for all the wonderful advice.

Landshut isn't too far away from the airport and it's a beautiful town. I visited there a week before seeing Salzburg, and I can honestly say that if I had to pick between the two well-preserved Baroque towns, I think I would give Landshut a slight advantage. Another option, particularly if you have kids, is Erding, mainly for the fabulous Therme Erding. But maybe this wouldn't be so impressive to someone from Hawaii...

I'm fairly neutral in the car vs. train debate, but Munich is one city where I definately would avoid driving, if possible. The inner city is hard to navigate, even with a GPS, and parking is meager.

We just stayed in Landshut in April, our first nights after arriving at the Munich airport. It is not as close as Freising to the Munich Airport but not too bad. I believe there is a dedicated bus from Landshut to the airport. The tourist office would be able to give you the details. I am certain that you can get a fairly simple train-bus transfer (55 minutes) to the airport through Freising.

I agree with Tom that it is a beautiful town. We stayed at the Cafe Himmel right on the Isar River - nice folks, room and atmosphere. Good meals at the Hofbräuhaus and Augustiner an der St. Martins Kirche - both with a friendly Gasthaus atmosphere.

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Other-2/April-2014-Landshut/38726799_vsK4kd

Thanks again for the great updates. I think I am leaning towards a car, I can't get my suitcase down to a carry on for a month in several different climates.(Maybe someday I can figure out how to do that..)

I think we re going to drive to Rothenburg, love the hotel suggestions and then I would love some suggestions on a quaint town & hotel just outside of Stuttgart that we can drive from to get to the Porsche museum and the " Stuttgart Brewfest. ?

Love the two suggestions of Freising and Landshut, both look amazing, so will see where I can get reservations..

Thanks so much....