I have been reading through the many trip reports and travel tips on this site which has helped immensely with a rough itinerary but I'm strugggling with the most efficient route. Any help or suggestions from the generous contributors here would be greatly appreciated. We will have 18 days on the ground including day of arrival at 7:20 a.m. We plan to only use trains or other public transportation. We are there to primarily enjoy the Christmas Markets, enjoy the festive atmosphere and attend a few music venues. We have traveled extensively in Europe so museums and castles are not high on our list for this trip. If given a choice we tend to prefer smaller towns to the big cities but we don't want to sacrifice the access to convenient transportation options. With 18 days i know Im probably missing out on another convenient must-see base for exploring but i'm having trouble with the logistics. We are not opposed to spending 2 nights in a location just want to avoid any one night stays.
Hotel and restaurant recommendations also greatly appreciated. Would like to stay under $200.00 USD per night,( I realize it will be difficult in some locations) breakfast not important as we enjoy lunch. Not opposed to staying walking distance or short bus ride from center.
We arrive into Frankfurt on December 5th at 7:20 a.m. and fly out of Munich on December 23rd.
This is the rough draft I've penciled out so far:
Frankfurt Dec. 5-8 3 nights - day trips Nuremberg, Cologne, Rothenburg OR stay in Cologne or Wurzburg
Strasbourg Dec. 8-11 3 nights - day trip Colmar, Riquewihr, Overran, Ribeauville and Kayersberg
Stuttgart Dec. 11- 14 3 nights - day trip Esslingen, Hohenzollern Castle (if open), Tubingen
Salzburg Dec. 14-16 2 nights - Mozart Concert & Wolfgansee boat tour
Vienna Dec. 16- 18 2 nights - Considering as we have a friend there but would also love to see the markets and attend a music concert
Munich Dec. 18-23 4 nights - day trip Regensburg, Landshut
Should I add a night on to one of these bases or elsewhere?
I had hoped to get to Ravenna Gorge but it seems a huge time and travel commitment to only have 2 hours at the market.
Thank you to all who take the time to respond to the questions posted and write trip reports it is helpful to so many.