itinerary help needed

"...were planning to drive Frankfort thru Werzburg to Rothenberg ob der Tauber and spend the first night there."

If arriving after a lengthy flight across several time zones, then driving this far through unfamiliar territory - driving at all, for that matter - could be unwise. Probably better to take the train that day or stay near Frankfurt on Day 1. It's only 1.5 - 2.5 hours to Würzburg depending on the trains you use. Driving through/past Würzburg means you'll miss out on some good sightseeing - you might take the train there first, check in, see the UNESCO World Heritage Residenz palace and Hofkirche; maybe you pick up a car the next day when you're ready to leave if you feel you need a car.
"Then for nights 2-5 hoping to head southof Munich to see some of Bavaria."
Würzburg, Rothenburg, and everything else between Würzburg and Munich is already Bavaria, actually.
In April the Alps can be pretty damp and unpleasant. If you're looking for smaller attractive Bavarian towns with beautiful countryside, you'll find many of them north of the Alps and Munich.

Marktbreit
Bamberg
Pappenheim
Iphofen

Regensburg is a very well-preserved ole-world city.

(BTW, Neuschwanstein is a late 19th-century palace with a fake castle exterior - not a castle.)

Würzburg is the northern terminus of the Romantic Road and Füssen is the southern terminus. Rothenburg and Augsburg are in between. It would be possible to drive the Romantic Road from Rothenburg odT to Füssen in a day, but the road itself is not that interesting; it's the towns along the way. But if you make the trip in a day, you won't have time to do the towns justice. I would suggest taking expressways from Rothenburg to Füssen. Then, according to ViaMichelin, it's a 2½ hour trip on the shortest route, through Ulm. If you go through Augsburg, it's 4 hours.

I've been in Reutte. I don't think you will find "evening action" for your 28 yo there. More likely in Garmisch-P, and it would make a good hub for Füssen, Oberammergau, and Mittenwald. PS, Neuschwanstein is only a few km outside Füssen. You can't "see" it from Garmisch, but it's close enough for a visit.

BTW, all of these places are accessible by train (and/or bus). If you go by car, be sure to rent on big enough for all four of you and your luggage.

Hint: learn to spell the names of these places (Frankf-u-rt, Rothenb-u-rg, W-ü-rzburg, Neu-schwan-stein). It might make it easier to find them.

I agree with Russ. DO NOT attempt to drive from Frankurt to Würzburg immediately after arriving from an international flight, especially if you have never driven in Germany before. The stretch of Autobahn you would need to take is A3, and between these two cities, it is one of the most heavily traveled roads in the entire Bundesrepublik. Don't attempt to drive this unless you have a full night of sleep first. I think Russ's idea of taking the train to Würzburg is much better. You could go directly to Rothenburg odT on the first night, but getting there by train is a little more complicated and time-consuming. Also... I know Rick Steves goes on and on about Rothenburg, but despite all the hoopla, it isn't as unique as advertised (with the exception of all the trinket shops and daily invasions of tour buses). It is scenic, but if time is tight, you could skip it and see similar things elsewhere.

Augsburg is on your direct route of travel, so if you have time, by all means, see it. Regensburg is not- it lies significantly to the east. With only 7 nights, I don't think you have enough time.

Also agree with the others that the attraction of the Romantic Road is the towns, not the drive itself. There's nothing wrong with the scenery, it just isn't any different from any other secondary route in that part of the country. Also, the Romantic Road is only one of about 100 officially designated 'Holiday Routes" that criss-cross the country. I personally think the Half-Timbered Road (Fachwerkstraße) is much more interesting, but it doesn't really follow your line of travel.

Another vote against Reutte. Why Rick Steves chose to concentrate on the most ho-hum town in a region full of extra-ordinary towns is beyond me.

Neuschwanstein is an easy one hour drive through Austria from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In the Alpine region of southern Bavaria, you'll probably find the most nightlife here for the younger crowd, but you'll be visiting just after the end of the ski season, so things might be a bit slow. There's plenty of outstanding hikes around GaP, but conditions usually aren't very good in April. You can probably find some hiking at low altitudes, but the gorgeous high-altitude hikes will still be snowed-in. Expect more damp and cloudy days than sunny and dry.

Shelley,

As several have advised, do not try to drive the route you described after an intercontinental flight. There is absolutely no reason to ruin a perfectly good trip on the first day.

I lived in Aschaffenburg and Wurzburg and here is a suggestion since you will be driving. First, take the train to Aschaffenburg (only 50 miles or so and trains are frequent) 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) you will find the village of Messpelbrun. It has a fairy tale moated castle that has been in the same family for 5-600 years and can be toured. In W'burg when you 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, Dinkelsbhule (sp?), Heidelberg and other points south. You should be able to google all of these and see what you think. Hope this helps.

I think the recommendation of not driving that first day after arriving in Frankfurt is overly cautious. I have flown into FRA many times and picked up a rental car and drove north to Hamburg or south east to Munich without any jet lag issue. Then of course, you have to drive like a German on the autobahn, which can be daunting for the first time. I did not have any issue with their speed as I am a fast driver anyway. You will save a night's stay if you drive that fist day, which depends on how you hold up after an overnight flight from the USA. If you plan on renting a car I suggest you compare costs of renting at the airport and at the main train station, hauptbahnhof. Because you will not be paying the airport tax, longer term rental costs less at the train station and nearby. Take the S8 or S9 from terminal 1. Copied/Pasted The easiest way to travel between Frankfurt Airport and the city is the S-Bahn. The commuter railway lines S8 and S9 leave from ‘Regionalbahnhof’ at Terminal 1 in the direction of Offenbach Ost and Hanau. The S-Bahn brings you in 11 minutes to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (tief), from here you can transfer to trains heading for other parts of Germany. If you need to be in Frankfurt’s city centre it is advised to get off at station Frankfurt Hauptwache after approximately 15 minutes. A ticket costs € 4.35 for adults and € 2.60 for children; tickets can be purchased at the ticket machines on the stations. The S-Bahn departs every 15 minutes in both directions.

I think the recommendation of not driving that first day after arriving in Frankfurt is overly cautious.

The regional news program for Hessen, Maintower had a item a few years ago about just this issue: jet-lagged travelers getting into accidents on A3 (and to a lesser extent, A5) after picking up a rental car at Frankfurt International Airport. The Landespolizei were trying to institute an education campaign to discourage people from driving in this circumstance, but it apparently didn't go very far. Also, based on studies done on airline pilots, we know that in terms of reaction times, being jet-lagged is the same as being drunk.

So, no, this isn't being overly cautious, this warning is based on real data.

Thank you for the driving cautions, I assure you we will be extremely mindful of this issue.
I have looked on map and the cluster of towns (markbreit, Bamberg Pappenheim and Iphofen,Nuremburg) are all very close to Rothenburg. Does this warrant a longer stay in the area? Would Rothenburg be the logical hub? (figuring we will be gone most of the day and back for dinner....hate super touristy places and I KNOW R is just that, just thinking that in late April will be less crowded?
How much time would you recommend...can we see several of these towns in a day?

We also have some beer lovers with us...are any of the above particularly known for this?

It seems like some are discouraging us from going to the alps in late April. Other than Garmish where would we find some nice hiking?

Is there a place you would recommend staying that might be preferable to Garmish for light hiking,a bit of nightlife, AND touring the area? it seems like our best choices are Oberammergau, Garmish, Fussen?

thoughts? How much time should we allow for this area if we want to poke around and see the Palaces etc. 2? 3 days?

My husband and I are in the midst of planning a 24 night trip to Europe in May 2016- we also fly into FRA and will spend first portion of our time in Germany. We have both travelled to other European locations but this will be our first trip to Germany together. I have received so much good advice and great suggestions from this forum and just wanted to share 2 things that helped me sort out our itinerary.

Don’t limit yourself to just the locations that RS books tell you to visit.
Don't rent a car on arrival. Give yourself a day/night to get over jet lag and then rent a car as you leave a major city- get rid of the car before returning to a major city- you won’t need car in Munich.

Early in our planning we had thought to take train to Wurzburg on arrival for a night or 2 then pick up car and drive to RoT and on to Fussen/Garmisch etc. But after researching a bit more we decided Heidelberg looked like the kind of town we would like- RS pooh poohs it but that is his opinion and not actually shared by a lot of people. I would think the younger couple in your party would find it a fun place to spend first evening- it is a university town, has a walkable alstadt, pretty river/bridges scenery and a castle to tour.

Anyway we plan to do this:
Arrive FRA- take “Lufthansa” bus to Heidelberg for 2 nights
http://www.transcontinental-group.com/en/frankfurt-airport-shuttles/
(direct from FRA to Heidelberg center- inexpensive- about 50 min)

We will pick up car as we leave Heidelberg and head out of town following Neckar Valley/Castle Road and over to RoT
From RoT we will drive down to Fussen/Garmisch for a few nights before dropping car in Garmisch and taking train into Munich.

Since you have just 7 days you might consider this:
Arrive FRA- bus to Heidelberg- 1 night
Pick up car- scenic drive to RoT- 1 night
Drive to Garmisch- 2 or 3 nights
(I think a GP might be better choice than Fussen for your group- more central to the sights--Zugspitze, Oberammergau- just 2 "castles" are closer to Fussen and GP should be livelier at night)
Drop car in Garmisch- train to Munich for 2-3 nights.

Hope that helps- obviously I have not visited any of these locations…yet.

Bamberg is known for its "smoky beer"

The area of Franconia with the towns Bamberg, Kulmbach, Coburg, Kronach are all good for beer / sausage lovers

Shelleybelljones writes, "...the cluster of towns (markbreit, Bamberg Pappenheim and Iphofen,Nuremburg) are all very close to Rothenburg. Does this warrant a longer stay in the area?"

Yes. Bamberg and Nuremberg will require 1 - 2 days each, perhaps, depending on what you choose to see and do. Bamberg is a beer mecca and UNESCO World Heritage site because of its well-preserved old town zone. Nuremberg is good for pubs too.

NUREMBERG PUBS
BAMBERG PUBS
BAMBERG, UNESCO WH SITE

Nuremberg is a good deal larger than Bamberg with a little more to see and do. Iphofen is a wine town with very few international tourists - half a day should be fine. Marktbreit and Ochsenfurt can both be explored easily in one day.

BAD WINDSHEIM is a nice town too. The main goal there is the amazing Franconian Open-Land Museum. It requires half a day. What a great experience though.

"Would Rothenburg be the logical hub?"
I have used Würzburg, Nuremberg, and Neustadt-an-der-Aisch (much smaller town in between) to do day trips to the other places. Rothenburg is off to the west and particularly weak as a base for outings by train but the others above work out great for train users. I suspect Rothenburg isn't very central to these places for car users, however. I do all my travel by train now for reasons of convenience, safety, and savings.

If you use a car you can choose a base based on travel times; smaller towns are easier to enter/exit of course. Use this site to compute travel times and distances.

"Other than Garmish where would we find some nice hiking?"
Germany is a country that loves hiking and hikers. Nearly any place outside the major cities has nearby hiking opportunities. The same is true for biking.

BAMBERG HIKING INFO

Other than Garmish where would we find some nice hiking?"
Germany is a country that loves hiking and hikers. Nearly any place outside the major cities has nearby hiking opportunities. The same is true for biking.

Yes again to Russ's statement (we seem to be agreeing on quite a bit today, nein Herr Russ?). The region to the south and east of Bamberg is known as Fränkische Schweiz (Franconian Switzerland). I'm not sure who exactly thought it looked like Switzerland (it resembles it not at all), but the region does have an abundance of scenic rock formations, castles and attractive villages. It sort of serves as a rustic weekend getaway for resident of the greater Nürnburg metropolitan area. Hiking opportunities abound, and the conditions should prove much more favorable in April than the Alps.

And you asked about beer. Proportionally, Bavaria as a whole tends to make little more Hefweizen than any other Bundesland, but for something really different, you need to go to Bamberg for the Rauchbier (smoked beer). This isn't just a matter of sampling the product in it's natural environment, Rauchbier is very hard to find outside of Bamberg and it's immediate vicinity.