Help! Self Guided 13 Night Rental Car Tour - First Trip to Germany

Nine overnight stops out of 12 nights - 6 one night stops. Unless you are a really experience traveler, adept at quickly unpacking and packing, don't try it.

At least your venues are fairly close together, so travel times are short, but by the time you pack, check out, get to the station, travel, get to your next hotel, check in, and unpack you still will not have much time to see each town.

You have only four days without travel (out of 13) - 2 days in Munich and one day each in Salzburg and Gengenbach.\

You have a five hour (at least) drive from Salzburg to Hohenschangau, one night in Hohenschwangau, then another 5 hour drive to Gengenbach. When are ;you planning to see the castles?

Have you taken into account that driving and especially parking can be a nightmare in larger cities?

Is there a special reason for you to stay in Gunzenhausen, a rather insignificant town? If I'd stay in that region I'd do so either in Weissenburg or Eichstätt (20 / 40 km south of GUN, nice little medieval / baroque town) or in one of the small villages around lake Brombachsee (Enderndorf or Spalt), which is much lovelier than the rather dull Altmuehlsee in the flatlands near Gunzenhausen.

You could easily day trip from one city to your first four destinations. Any reason you want to have to hotel-hop for four nights? I'd at least divide it into two two-night stays instead of four one-night stays.

Have you taken into account that driving and especially parking can be a nightmare in larger cities?

Agree. Although it's not a problem to find a parking lot in Würzburg or Nürnberg, it's expensive and a car is useful for the last leg, Salzburg to Frankfurt, only (rent in Freilassing to avoid "foreign country fees"). I'd do the other legs by train.

3 of your destinations are within the VGN (Greater Nuremberg Transit District), so spending 4 nights there is indicated. You can get a direct train there right from the airport. There are frequent trains and they take about 2 1/2 hours.
The VGN Tages Ticket + covers up to 2 adults and up to 4 children traveling together for the day on regional trains and buses for 19.10 EUR.
Nuremberg to Rothenburg in about 1 1/2 hours.
Nurmberg to Gunzenhausen in about 1 hour.

Using a Bayern Ticket, 25 EUR for the first person and 6 EUR for each additional person up to 5 traveling together, after 9 weekdays.
Nuremberg to Wuerzburg in about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Nuremberg to Munich in about 2 hours.
Munich to Salzburg in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Then rent a car in Freilassing for the rest of the trip.

We need to be in Wurzburg to visit our daughter who will be studying there for a semester. We also need to visit our son who is staying in Gunzenhausen for the summer. We are flexible on the other locations. Being our first time in Germany we want to experience the most we can in the 13 nights we have. We would also like to tour around Bavaria on this trip to see where my husband's family comes from. The kids really want to go to Salzburg with us too.

I like the idea of not moving to a new hotel every night. It would give a more relaxed time. So any suggests itineraries?

"We would also like to tour around Bavaria on this trip..."

? Except for Gengenbach, your entire trip is in Bavaria.

"I like the idea of not moving to a new hotel every night. It would give a more relaxed time. So any suggests itineraries?"
I like Gengenbach but it pulls you off your route to Frankfurt. Hohenschwangau does the same; why not visit the Bavarian Alps near Salzburg? Here's a suggested travel plan with only one one-night stop. You'd have 2 evenings/nights in each of your children's new hometowns.

• Day 1: Fly into Frankfurt - hotel in Wurzburg (2 nights)

• Day 2: Day trip to Rothenburg and back

• Day 3: Check out; travel to the Franconian Freilandmuseum in Bad Windsheim, continue to Gunzenhausen for afternoon/evening (2 nights)

• Day 4: Day trip to Nuremberg, return to Gunzenhausen

• Days 5-6: Check out. Travel to Munich (2 nights)

• Day 8-10: Morning sightseeing in Munich; travel in afternoon to Salzburg. 3 nights, w/ 1 daytrip into Alps around Berchtesgaden, Königssee

• Day 11: Check out. Travel to Herrenchiemsee Palace (King Ludwig Palace between Salzburg and Munich.) Continue to a town of your choice (Ulm? 1 night)

• Day 12-13: Check out. Travel to Mainz (near FRA, 2 nights.) Day 13: day trip to wine towns and a river cruise in the Rhine River Valley; medieval castles include Rheinfels and Marksburg.

• Day 14: Check out. 20-min direct train ride to FRA airport terminal (or drive.)

So after much needed a assistance we decided to not jump from hotel to hotel too much. We are planning the following;

• 7-23 -Fly into Frankfurt airport about 9:20 am
• stain wurzburg with daughter -1 night
• drive ti Gunzenhausen to visits - 3 niightds
• While there go to duachau and tour the city
• then we will go for 2 nights to Salzburg Austria.
  

• then we could go to zig spits. And do some hiking

• and then on to neuschwen - stay one night

Our next stop is a toss up. We have to be at the frankfurt airport by 8 am 8/5/18

So the question is what do we do with out remaining time?
Husband is interested in the Black Forest
I hear wonderful things the Rhine value is too..
Any suggestions for our 13days?

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You might want to reconsider renting a car right away. Jet lag (no matter how well handled), lack of sleep, and not being familiar with the local road system can all be a problem. There are some that are not bothered by any of those things. Others think they are ok but are really driving somewhat impaired without realizing it. And some folks are complete zombies and should never drive on the day they arrive.

I lived in Aschaffenburg and Wurzburg and here is a suggestion since you will be doing some driving. First, take the train to Aschaffenburg and rent the car there. In Aschaffenburg there is a lovely castle named Johannesburg (sp?). There is also Pompeiigean (sp?) which is a replica a villa in Pompeii. If you drive the old road (not the autobahn) between A'burg and W'burg, just south of Haibach which is just south of A'burg is the village of Messpelbrun. It has a fairy tale moated castle that has been in the same family for 5-600 years. Google it and see what you think.

Or you could take the train to W'burg and rent the car there. In W'burg visit the Prince Bishop's Residence. Be sure to see the Hofkirche on one end of the Residenze. Easy to miss if you are not looking for it. The Marienberg Fortress is ok but if time is tight skip it. The view of it from the town is more impressive that the view of the town from the fortress.

From W'burg it is a short drive from Rothenburg and then you can head to Gunzenhausen. Just food for thought.

You might want to reconsider renting a car right away.

I agree completely. Not only do you avoid the problems with jet lag, but it's very easy and economical to get to Würzburg by train. Buy a local metro (RMV) single trip ticket to Kahl am Main and a Bayern-Ticket. Kahl is the first stop in Bavaria (before you get to Aschaffenburg). The RMV ticket gets you to Kahl and the Bayern-Ticket is good from there to Würzburg. Take the S-Bahn to Frankfurt Hbf and then the hourly RE from Frankfurt Hbf to Würzburg Hbf. The Bayern-Ticket will also be valid for any local transit in Würzburg, so you can get to your hotel and sightsee in Würzburg that day.

I would prefer the Marienburg fortress, across the river, to the Residenz. I saw both in one day. I thought the Marienburg was interesting and particularly liked the museum in one of the side buildings. It has a model of Würzburg after it was destroyed by bombing near the end of WWII. The Residenz, to me, was garish; an over-the-top opulent home, inappropriate for someone who took a vow of poverty.