Car Rental Question

I'd return it in Freilassing, just over the border from Salzburg. Then take the bus or train into S.

How long are you staying in Munich?

our plan is to go from Fussen to Salzburg and then end in Munich (flying home from Munich). We're spending two nights in each location.

sla019 -- can we make that work? seems like there are different auto companies in different towns... Oh! yes, we CAN make it work, thank you! But I see that's quite a long drive... is it just a whole lot easier to navigate in a smaller town?

Both Europecar and Sixt have rental locations close to both Baden-Baden and Freilassing train stations.

Green Bay -- I looked at Sixt and didn't see it when I plugged in the info. Can you possibly provide the websites, as I may be looking in the wrong places?

I had a look at an April post of yours to put your current ideas in context... From a Baden-Baden base, you planned to day trip by rental car north to Worms and back...

"...to visit a small town that's not far from Worms to explore a few family roots."

(Worms is well to the north of Baden-Baden, roughly 2/3 of the way to FRA airport - a round-trip drive of 3 hours.)

In that thread, you shared plans to also visit the Technik museum and Speyer (Jewish family history) on that same day - correct? This will indeed be a long day.

On the NEXT day, your plan - even though you use the phrase "day trip" - is to take a one-way journey, leaving B-B for good and visiting Black Forest places that "...are south and east of Baden Baden" and continuing east via Lake Constance "(making it a longish day trip)" and finally landing in Füssen. This is the "scenic route" you speak of in the current thread, correct?

"...it looks like we'd be best off with a car on the way to Fussen if we want to go the scenic route."

So whether by car or by train, this is indeed another VERY long one-day journey, one that I would try to avoid myself, especially if I planned on some nice visits on the way (Gengenbach? The Black Forest Museum in Gutach, maybe? Triberg? Schiltach? Villingen? Donaueschingen?)

Have you considered doing a one-nighter on Lake Constance instead? Meersburg? Lindau?

The TRAIN route from Baden-Baden to Lake Constance is known as the BLACK FOREST RAILWAY and passes through many nice Black Forest destinations; it is one of Germany's most scenic rides. So I will assume you have good reasons - other than scenery - like the stops you plan to make? - for keeping the car on this day.

LINDAU isn't just a pretty face - it's where Europcar, Hertz and Sixt (All 3 work with Autoeurope) are located and could be just the spot to drop your car.

The next morning, you ride the train from Lindau to Füssen. Because this trip is entirely within BAVARIA, the BAVARIA ticket (€34/2 adults) will get you to Füssen.

Do spend a night on Lake Constance. Meersburg is a nice town with a. excellent castle, nearby is the Lake Dweller Open Air Museum ( Pfahlbauten ) in Unteruhldingen and the Birnau baroque church

Hello Russ! and thank you SO MUCH for this info!

We are so used to 3 hour round trips around here that it really isn't an issue... we are on Cape Cod, so it's easily an hour and a half every time we visit Boston or Providence... in fact, it takes nearly that long to get to the airport! So that Baden-Baden-Speyer-and back again trip doesn't really faze us.

We then have a full day with a car to explore Triborg and that area (3 nights in Baden Baden).

After that, we wanted to head to Fussen -- and I didn't know anything about the train routes you suggested! They sound ideal with the one caveat that I currently have a two-night reservation at the Hotel Hirsch in Fussen which sounds awfully nice... But maybe we can drive as far as Lindau and drop the car there? Or maybe it's worth making a change, as we still have time.

"So that Baden-Baden-Speyer-and back again trip doesn't really faze us."

My primary concern was not specifically about the drive time, but the aggregate time that's involved with that drive PLUS 1) your genealogical adventure, 2) the Technik Museum (not a place your husband will be eager to leave,) AND 3) all the Jewish historical sites in Worms and Speyer that you seemed pretty interested in. To make matters worse (better, in other words!) Worms and Speyer both have outstanding Romanesque cathedrals.

My secondary concern was that next day. In the rush to reach Füssen that same day, I couldn't imagine bypassing the Vogtsbauernhof Open-Air museum in Gutach - where you WILL actually get a feel for what the Black Forest is and has been all about with a visit of 2-3 hrs. Triberg can actually be a shorter stop. The Black Forest Museum there is quite good, or stop in at the Hubert Herr Cuckoo Clock shop - he makes them right there. (Baden-Baden is a world apart from such places as these and the other worthwhile small towns where you have a shot at experiencing a more authentic Black Forest vibe. Give the area a little of your time and you'll get back more in return.)

Russ I think you’re misunderstanding. We arrive in Baden Baden on the first afternoon, pick up the car, and spend the evening there. Second day is devoted to the roots/ Speyer trip (we decided against worms!). Third day is triborg and vicinity. THEN we are spending a full day traveling from Baden Baden to fussen via lake constanz. So not as crazy as I think it may have sounded!

So Day 1 & 2 were clear to me. But what you're saying is that Day 3 involves a drive from B-B into the Black Forest (to Triberg, or possibly further) then backtracking to B-B for Night 3. Then on Day 4 you backtrack into the Black Forest once again on the way to Lake Constance (or possibly Füssen) as the end destination. Maybe that's why I struggled to understand your plan in the first place - using Baden-Baden for a 3rd night when you've already driven roughly half way to Lake Constance on Day 3 doesn't seem reasonable. If you just continued that day on to, say, Meersburg, or to Lindau, you'd spare yourselves about 3 hours of what appears to be unnecessary backtracking time, altogether.

So my advice would be to keep the BB digs for 2 nights, then visit the BF on Day 3 as planned, but sleep Night 3 either in the Black Forest , or in Meersburg or Lindau, or elsewhere near the lake. Then your Day 4 drive (or the train ride I suggested) to Füssen is pretty much a snap.

Thank you! I will look into that option!