Frankfurt to Munich and in between itinerary help

JR - try to include day trips to the towns of Regensburg, and Ingolstadt if you can on the itinerarry. Both are beautiful towns. Good choice on Rothernburg and Nuremberg. Rent a car if you can for travel flexibility.

Thanks for the suggestion on Inglostadt! Looking at the pics it looks really nice.

Is this a hard itinerary for trains?

Everyplace on your list is easily accessible by train. I've visited all of them and I've never traveled in Germany using anything but trains and buses. If your friends have never been to Germany, the efficient rail system in Germany is something they should definitely experience. You can't do that at home.

I'm not sure I would do Garmisch (unless you just have to say you were there). Other than being at the foot of Germany's highest mountain (a mere 9700'), I don't think Garmisch is much of an Alpine experience. I would at least do Mittenwald. For a good Alpine experience, go to Oberstdorf, in the Iller valley, and nearby Austrian Kleinwalsertal. Oberstdorf is about 2½ hours by train from Munich (doable with a Bayern-Ticket - 46€/day for all four of you).

Are you saying you want to go from Rothenburg - Bamberg - Nuremberg - Fussen - Garmisch in one day on public transportation?

The last thing I would want to do after a 9-10 flight would be to wait around the airport for a train and then sit on that train for a few more hours. EEK!
Stay in Frankfurt overnight, do some sightseeing here as there is plenty to see, then head off to Munich the next morning. You can get your cheap tickets soon, but won't have to stress about plane delays cause you are using them the day after arrival.
My recommendation would be to go to Büdingen though instead of Rothenburg. It is all original, (no bombings) has a massive stone wall and towers and looks almost the same. It is also only an hour outside of Frankfurt.
https://www.buedingen.info/en/

Finding it hard to believe you think Nuremberg and Bamberg may to look like Rothenburg or each other. None of these cities look anything alike.

'Finding it hard to believe you think Nuremberg and Bamberg may to look like Rothenburg or each other. None of these cities look anything alike."

Considering I have never been there I might have that assumption based on peoples descriptions of the cities. Asked because I know we can't do it all and need to narrow our choices down. I have been to Rothenburg, and while touristy, it was charming. If I can find the same in other cities that doesn't require 3 train changes and 2 1/2 hrs. that would be awesome. I want my friends to be able to experience some of the charm before hitting Munich.

As for Garmisch, it's a thought at the moment. Possible just a day trip from Munich and yes, we would go to Mittenwald. So open for suggestions here - if I knew the answers, I wouldn't be asking!

Some really good suggestions here - thanks!

Lee - thanks for the info on Oberstdorf - it looks really pretty and think it may replace Garmisch.

With the suggestions here, I will probably recommend we skip Rothenburg and maybe do one town before heading to Munich where we will base and do day trips.

The internet is full of photos of cities and information about what is in those cities to see and do as well as their history. It isn't like you have to choose where to travel only on hearsay.

I agree that it's probably not worth a long trip upon arrival. One or more of you may be a little jetlagged and it's not worth pushing yourselves. You may just need a little down time at your hotel, and a few hours to do some easy sightseeing and strolling.

For a charming place that "doesn't require 3 train changes and 2 1/2 hrs.," you might consider Mainz - which is about 20-25 minutes by direct train from FRA. NO, it's not "the same" as Rothenburg. But it's a snap to get there and it's charming as H in the old town zone. Scroll through some of these pages for photos of the numerous fine old buildings and architectural elements that you'll come across on a walk around the pedestrianized zone.

The Augustinerkirche is on the main pedestrian artery - the Augustinerstrasse.

Mainz' Dom (Duomo, cathedral) is one of Germany's most prized Romanesque examples and is located in the old town.

Mainz has regular market days in this part of town. Lots of handsome wine spots, nice eateries, and a brew pub or two as well. The pretty Stadtpark is a close walk from the old town and overlooks the Rhine in spots - also has a Biergarten.

The Mainz Römisches Theater train station is closest to the old town. An unearthed Roman theater lies just behind it. I'd look for a room in/near that part of town. Mainz' main station is a major train hub - you can head off to anywhere you like from there the next morning.

Thanks Russ - good info - definitely will look in to this

Are you saying you want to go from Rothenburg - Bamberg - Nuremberg -
Fussen - Garmisch in one day on public transportation?

Public transportation has nothing to do with it. Even with Scotty beaming you between towns, Bamberg, Nürnberg, and Füssen would require more than one day to see adequately. Trying to see them in one day would be too rushed. And, comparing the time estimate from Rothenburg to Füssen by car on ViaMichelin to the Bahn schedule, a car would be less than an hour faster for that route (plus on the train you never have to interrupt the trip because some one has to use the bathroom). Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen would be about a half hour longer by public transportation than by car.

Lee, no we weren't trying to do that all in one day and we probably worded it wrong. It was more or less a route plan at best. Now am thinking we will do our first night somewhere near Frankfurt, then from there go to Garmisch for a couple of nights and do Mittenwald, perhaps Ettal, or any other suggestions then on the Munich for 4 nights and just do day trips from there. Perhaps Bamburgh or Nuremberg one day, then consider all the suggestions, and plan from there. How does that sound?

Now am thinking we will do our first night somewhere near Frankfurt

I've been thinking about your plan, and I think that you should spend the first night, or maybe two, in Bacharach. Bacharach would certainly give them a nice German experience and the opportunity to recover in a nice setting. Bacharach is only about an hour from FRA, and every two hours there is a direct (no change), 57 minute connection. You could stop on the way in Bingen and take the KD boat from there to Bacharach, or you could go directly to Bacharach and do a Rhein cruise the next day.

BTW, I did exactly this in fall of 2017. I went to St. Goar for two nights, did a Rhein cruise the next day, then went to a small town near Füssen the third day using a train specific Saving Fare ticket when I knew I could make the train.

Another thought was to go the first day to Lohr am Main, a small town on the Main river, in the heart of the Spessart, about a half hour from Würzburg. There is nothing all that significant about Lohr, but it is a very pleasant town with a pedestrian only main street lined with Fachwerk buildings and shops. A nice place to recover from jetlag. Lohr is just over an hour and a half from FRA using the S-Bahn to Frankfurt Hbf and the hourly RE to Würzburg. What's more, it's in the direction you want to go, only 2 hours from Rothenburg, and it's in Bavaria, so you can use a Bayern-Ticket to get to Rothenburg or on to other parts of Bavaria.

I would recommend staying here. We didn't; we stayed in a nearby apartment, but we ate a Küferstube one night, and the food was excellent. It's about a ½ mile walk (1.1 km) from the Bahnhof, but there is a bus from Bahnhof Nord (opposite side of the tracks, through the tunnel from the station) that goes right by Küferstube. From the stube, it's about 4/10 mile walk to the pedestrian main street in town.

Wow - great suggestions - looking at it all now - so much to do and see it gets overwhelming, as I have never been to any of the suggested places, so that is going to make this trip a little more exciting for me. Thanks!!