How To Edit Bavaria (plus Salzburg)?

Something to keep in mind - Stores/Shops (except for very tourist places) will be closed on Sunday. Museums are typically open. I am not sure how Easter will play into things being open.

Esslingen, while awesome at Christmastime, seems like a bit of an outlier. Is there something specific you wanted to see there?

We had a whole day in Salzburg and there was still a lot we didn't see. Granted most of the day we were on a Sound of Music Tour. I almost feel like you should drop that as well. As of right now you have 3 hours from Füssen to Salzburg, and then it is another 2 hours from Salzburg to Friesing. That is a lot of time on the road vs time spent seeing things.

You have a good cluster in Northern Bavaria/Baden-Württemberg That makes sense, but maybe pick a spot and do day trips instead of moving each day.

I would put all these places in a list an rank them in order of importance, things to see/do, etc. Then edit from there.

Your day-by day peters out at the end... Is it...

Th night Esslingen
Fr night Füssen
Sa night Salzburg
Su night Freising
????

It's possible to drive past these places and take a few pictures at this place but not to really see/experience much of anything.

Maybe we can pare this down with some additional help from you. Can you be more specific about the architecture/history/scenery that interests you? Germany is blessed with magnificent churches, castles, half-timbered buildings, stuff from from a variety of periods... medieval Gothic, Baroque, etc.

Have a look here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Germany

Half-timbered buildings are all over Germany. In Bavaria, the "FRANKEN" sector of the half-timbered house road might interest you. Bad Windsheim is one of the stops; click on Franken on the map:

https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

The German Castle Road (Burgenstrasse) hits castles and palaces on an east-west route that included northern Bavaria... Bamberg, Coburg and Kronach are featured below:

https://www.dw.com/en/german-castle-road-a-scenic-route-to-the-past/g-57775372

Map: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Karte-Burgenstra%C3%9Fe-2021.jpg

I am not suggesting that you must drive these routes. Maybe that will be what you choose, or maybe you'd drive some particular segment. But perhaps some towns/castles will stick out more than others or are near enough to your other must-sees that they could be visited from a common base town. Part of your itinerary problem is the nightly change of accommodations. I'd like to see you stay at least 2-3 nights in a single place and venture out from your 2-3 base towns to other destinations that are nearby. Bad Windsheim, for example, because of its location, could be a good base for spending time in Rothenburg, and on another day, more time in Nuremberg (more to see/do there.)

Thank you for the replies! Our main interest in Germany is to see as much medieval and baroque towns/architecture as we can. I knew my trip plan was overloaded and needed some insight into what towns to take out or substitute. I suffer greatly from traveler's FOMO! Usually when we travel we pick one city and don't leave it so this is quite different for us.

I'll nix Esslingen. It was an inspired idea from a pretty Pinterest post but it is a bit out of the way. Nurnberg was a stop only because it was on the way to the Frankonian Museum and I didn't think we would have enough time to see that and Regensberg in the same day. And then we included Salzburg because it would be fun to say we've been to Austria and we wanted to see the Alps.

But after crossing some stuff off I'll definitely check out the Castle Road! Ultimately I'm hoping to develop a road trip that covers a lot of towns, but also doesn't overwhelm us. Awe inspiring scenery with a picturesque, non-touristy town every half hour, no crazy crowds and ideal weather! Perfect, right?!

Yes, too much. I think you are massively underestimating the time it takes to get around. I don't know where to begin to give you specific advice because your itinerary has so many different things in it. You mention the Night Watchman Tour. Besides that, what are some of the memories that you want to make? What are some things that you want to do.

And please consider slowing down and spending time at particular places rather than in a car. Your prospective itinerary has you skipping around changing hotels 6? times in 7 nights.... with teenagers... with jet lag.

My advice....Take a pause and replan your a much tighter trip that puts you on the ground seeing the things you want

You will probably want to bookmark these two stunning places:

Near Bamberg: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1085586-d7784380-Reviews-Basilica_of_the_Fourteen_Holy_Helpers-Staffelstein_Upper_Franconia_Franconia_Bav.html

In Bayreuth: https://www.bayreuth-tourismus.de/en/the-margravial-opera-house/

Thank you Russ- Both of those suggestions look amazing! It’s great to have a forum that helps a trip planner venture out past the “Top 20 Must See’s”!

I’m making a list of all the places, including those you have mentioned, that we want to see. Then I’ll find two or three centrally located towns and stay there for two nights each. I don’t love changing hotels but we aren’t the type of family that enjoys sitting & people watching or having a two hour lunch. Seeing three towns in a day, or three castles/churches/museums, may be hectic for some but it’s our idea of a good trip.

Speak to someone who is wise and caring, they'll talk you out of your FOMO.

On your arrival day, head straight to Salzburg by rail. Salzburg is worth a couple of days.
https://www.salzburg.info/en

A couple of good day trips from there, depending on the weather. By bus or rail. It's going to get dark early.

1) St Gilgen/ST Wolgang. Wolfgangsee ferry and cog train. https://www.5schaetze.at/en/wolfgangseeschifffahrt.html

2) Hallein salt mine on the way to Werfen Castle (great visit) and Ice Caves.

Back to Munich, also worth couple of days at least, probably three: https://www.munich.travel/en

If you must visit Füssen and the castles nearby, leave early. Füssen is a small, pretty town but best to go to the castles first. Spend some time wandering around the castle area. Alpsee is a nice hike, weather permitting.

When I'm in Hohenschawangau I always make a point of eating at Hotel Müller (ha).
There's a good brewpub at the bottom of the hill in Schwangau https://www.schlossbrauhaus.de/

I've not been to either but Regensburg and Landshut are worthwhile visits by many accounts on here. Both are on the same regional line and can be visited on the same day.

My first choice for an out of town trip from Munich would be Herrininsel and Fraueninsel on Chiemsee. Train to Prien.