Itinerary Review

I think the mix itself is good to get various impressions on German regions and cultures.

Would cut Baden-Baden. Give yourself a day of "nothing" in the middle. Instead of 1 day Munich check Augsburg for example. Would spend 1 moe day in Nuremburg instead Rohenburg or in Bamberg (UNESCO old town).

Nuremberg 1 day - leave the next day for Rothenburg Rothenburg 2 days
- leave the second day at night to Munich

Berlin is being shortchanged by about 1 day.

Nuremberg and nearby (Bamberg, Iphofen, Wuerzburg, Bad Windsheim) ought to be under consideration for more of your time. Attempting to see Nuremberg on a single day that includes travel from Dresden - just that is unreasonably rushed - but I'd want at least 2 extra nights there because of the nice places to choose from nearby (easy to reach on short train trips from N'berg, an excellent rail base town.)

To get extra time there I suggest cutting a night from Fuessen, a night from Rothenburg (too much time IMHO,) and your Baden-Baden visit altogether. I might cut Dresden as well to eliminate the one-night stop (and just because I didn't find it all that marvelous.) Rothenburg is possible as a day trip from Nuremberg - the saved R'burg night could just be added to Nuremberg.

Rhine Valley 3 days - leave the last day towards Frankfurt for a
flight back to the US

If you must fly out in the morning... trains to FRA from the Rhine start pretty early. There are normally direct trains that take about an hour from certain Rhine towns to FRA in the morning - 3 of them between 6:45 and 7:45 am from Bingen which take 45 - 55 minutes, for example. I would just stay the final night there if possible. If that won't work for you, an overnight stay in Mainz (a shorter trip from the Rhine towns than Frankfurt is) will put you just 25 minutes from the airport (trains every 20-30 minutes starting around 3 am!) Mainz is a nice place for a final night.

I can't comment so much on your itinerary, but more on traveling with a 6-month old infant. 6 months seems to be a pretty good age for traveling, easier than a toddler in my opinion. They aren't very big themselves but require an unbelievable amount of stuff, so minimizing moving would be a good thing. We sometimes ended up carrying the baby and using the stroller as a luggage cart. You don't say how you are traveling, but maybe a car is a good idea? We found that train connections in Germany were tight - especially on the way to Rothenburg. You might have 3-5 minutes to exit a train, go down the platform then down stairs, across, then back upstairs and down the platform again. If you can pick one or two cities to use as a base and take day trips, that might be preferable. One other baby tip: you know why babies cry at takeoff and landing? Ear pressure. If they have a bottle to suck during the ascent and descent, it helps regulate their ear pressure and is easier on them. We were told this by our 4-year old, who took her baby brother's bottle of formula (gross) to suck on. It worked, and we never had crying babies on ascent and descent again.

All that said, I love Berlin for the WWII and Cold War history and plan to go back this fall for a week. There are so many museums there. Lots of art and history. We also loved Rothenburg, Salzburg and the castles near Fussen. There's a very steep hill climb up to Neuschwanstein. We took an itinerary of Rothenburg one night, Munich 4 nights with day trips to Dachau and Fussen, Salzburg two nights, Strasbourg 2 nights and Frankfurt one night with two 14 year old girls and we were all exhausted by the end of it. Try to pick one or two places and explore them. Moving is exhausting even with people who all carry their own stuff.

You might also want an apartment rather than hotel room for your accommodation. The extra space and laundry would be very useful to you, I think.

Disagree to Russ in one point.

Would not cut Berlin - you will need the time. Especially spend 3-4 hours in German History Museum to understand the rest of your journey better. :-)

We continued to travel when our daughter was young, and she loved having her grandparents come stay with her.
Our daughter first went with us to Europe when she was 11 years old, and she loved going to see the Anne Frank Haus. It was a perfect age.

MarkK - you and I agree on Berlin. "Berlin is being shortchanged" means that she needs more time there.

@MarkK thanks, I’ll give that a try

@Russ thanks, I haven’t thought of Rothenburg as a day trip instead. I’ll cut Baden Baden then and add more days around, maybe cut the Bavarian alps by a day as well.

@Margaret thanks so much! I have so many questions about traveling with a baby do you mind if I dm you?

Ok, so seems like this might work better for us. I forgot to mention the transport method.

Berlin 5 days - train to Dresden (is Postdam worth it knowing i will be visiting many other castles in other cities?)
Dresden 2 days - Train to Nuremberg
Nuremberg 2 days - Drive to Rothenburg and checkout town
Munich 4 days and a half - Drive to Salzburg
Salzburg 2 days and a half - leave for Fussen the last afternoon
Bavarian Alps (Fusen) 2 days and a half drive to Rhine Valley
Rhine Valley 3 days - drive to Frankfurt for a flight back to the US late afternoon

Does this look more reasonable?

Yes, dsauna, you are welcome to dm me. I hope I can help.

Depending on cost and hassle, you might turn in your car when you arrive in Munich and then rent one when you leave

You don't need more than a day to see Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Also, if you do the Romantic road you can visit some of the other less traveled but still medieval towns like Dinkelsbuhl.

You include Baden Baden, which is way out of your way. Skip it.

Nuremberg 2 days - Drive to Rothenburg and checkout town

There is an hourly train connection between Nürnberg and Rothenburg. A VGN day ticket for two (valid in the entire VGN area) is €20.30

There is an hourly train connection between Nürnberg and Rothenburg. A VGN day ticket for two (valid in the entire VGN area) is €20.30

Would train be better than renting a car for this route?

Would driving from Nuremberg to Rothenburg > romantic rontic road > Munich be worth it in my itinerary in one day?

Or would just taking a train from Nuremberg to Munich make more sense and maybe do daytrips from either?

Would train be better than renting a car for this route? (Nuremberg > Rothenburg > Nuremberg)

viamichelin indicates that the gas alone costs you 18 Euros round trip, so the VGN Tagesticket fare of 20.30 Euros will no doubt be cheaper that gas + car rental + parking + insurance, etc. etc.

Would driving from Nuremberg to Rothenburg > romantic rontic road > Munich be worth it in my itinerary in one day?
Or would just taking a train from Nuremberg to Munich make more sense and maybe do daytrips from either?

If you actually have a full day for sightseeing, there are certainly options...

1.) the RR route by car

2.) direct train to, and spend the day in, Munich - train takes about 1 hr. or 2 hrs. depending on train type.

3.) day trip to Bamberg (UNESCO World Heritage status old town) or other nice town with extra night in Nuremberg (previously suggested)

4.) an extra day in Nuremberg - with an extra night in Nuremberg (previously suggested)

5.) train to Munich with a stopover in Regensburg (also UNESCO WH status old town, use lockers for bags)

6.) train to Munich with a later day trip by train to Regensburg, or Landsberg (Romantic Road town,) or Landshut - all nice towns not too far from Munich.

The thing about the car is this... it's not normally necessary for reaching Fuessen or along the Rhine or for the long journey in between, or to get to FRA airport at the end. Having a car in Nuremberg or Munich is not advantageous. The only thing for which it's obviously helpful is driving the Romantic Road (there isn't one train line that connects all the towns.) The RR is actually a tourism marketing tool - the towns pay a membership fee and get promotion through the concept. But think about it - how is it that ALL the nice towns line up neatly along the north-south Romantic Road? That's right - they don't. The UNESCO towns I mentioned and many other places in Bavaria can be just as charming.

I would consider trains for the entire journey. Advance sale tickets, at least for the longer train trips, or perhaps a German Rail pass ought to be on your list of things to check into.

5.) train to Munich with a stopover in Regensburg (also UNESCO WH status old town, use lockers for bags)

Thanks I think this is what I'll end up doing, I'll take half a day from Munich and half a day from Nuremberg, so I would just take trains all the way. I'll look into what the best option is for trains.

I'd look into the 5-day GRP Twin pass flexi version (5 days in 30) which is will cover you all for €306. That's about €30 each per travel day. Sample fares each for 5 journeys are listed below if you were to pay full fare at the counter and use the same fast long-distance trains (where available) as you would with the rail pass:

Berlin - Dresden (38)
Dresden - Nuremberg (97)
Nuremberg - Regensburg - Munich (41)
Salzburg - Fuessen (52)
Fuessen - Boppard (good Rhine base town) (106)

That's €334 each total ( €67/travel day) or €668 total. Ouch.)

Saver fares for some of these trips MIGHT be cheaper per person on a given day than the rail pass. But... you have to buy them individually, you have to ride specific trains at times you predetermine at the time of purchase (which should be ASAP for the best price as the cost goes up as tickets sell) and any changes would incur a refund fee. With the rail pass, YOU decide which days you use it as well as any changes in hours or destinations; you can make any same-day detours or additional trips on any travel day you use. (I see this as an especially big advantage for anyone with an infant - or for the elderly - whose plans might need to change.) Day passes could be a bit cheaper per day in some cases too - but they come with travel hours restrictions and are usable only on local/regional trains - step on at the wrong time or on the wrong train type, and you get a hefty fine.

Rail passes may see a price increase or not - hard to say. Buy now or later, whatever sounds convenient.

You need additional tickets of course. These you can work out inexpensively right at the station in Germany.

The day pass from Nuremberg (VGN tagesticket plus) to Rothenburg is ideal: €20/2, any hours you like, on the regional trains.

Munich - Salzburg: Bayern Ticket day pass (observe travel hours restrictions on weekdays, regional trains only, €34/2 at a ticket machine.

Day trips on the Rhine: If you stay in Boppard you get a free Guest Ticket for the VRM area, a train/bus travel pass which gets you to Marksburg Castle, Rheinfels Castle, Burg Eltz castle, and several towns on the regional trains at any hour. (You will need a suitable baby pouch or backpack device for the walk up to the castles and any hiking you do, btw.) Local fares and day passes are available for supplemental travel segments at the station for any destinations you can't reach with the free pass alone.

Day trips on the Rhine: If you stay in Boppard you get a free Guest Ticket for the VRM area, a train/bus travel pass which gets you to Marksburg Castle, Rheinfels Castle, Burg Eltz castle, and several towns on the regional trains at any hour. (You will need a suitable baby pouch or backpack device for the walk up to the castles and any hiking you do, btw.) Local fares and day passes are available for supplemental travel segments at the station for any destinations you can't reach with the free pass alone.

Thanks so much. I really needed that! it's gonna be very useful.

Do you feel Boppard is a better base than Baccarat?

Boppard vs. Bacharach... Rick Steves promotes Bacharach over the other towns, most forum members stay there when they visit the Rhine, or so it seems, and most seem happy that they stayed there. I've made several visits to the Rhine over about 4 decades and booked rooms or apartments in different towns - Bacharach, St. Goar, Bingen, Oberwesel, Braubach, Koblenz and Osterspai - and it's these stays that I refer to in the comparison below.

Boppard:

• More central for visiting the 3 most often-visited castles I mentioned than Bacharach (St. Goar is very good too.)

• Closer to the Mosel River (Cochem)

• More convenient for crossing the river (has a ferry crossing - so does St. Goar)

• Offers the free VRM Guest Ticket for free local transport to all guests in all accommodations (the only local town that does, though some hoteliers choose to offer it to their guests in other towns; Bacharach is outside the VRM and cannot participate.)

• Has better river scenery than Bacharach and the other towns (except for St. Goar.) Also has hotels and restaurants situated on the Rheinpromenade (riverside walk) - Bacharach is set well back from the River behind the railway.

• Livelier as a rule than Bacharach and other towns with the exception of Ruedesheim (which is too lively at times - often overrun by tour bus crowds) and Koblenz (which is much larger.)

• Minimal noise from the railway in the old town (not so in Bacharach.)

• Has more lodging and dining choices.

• Has a somewhat thrilling chairlift ride to a cliffside lookout with a great view, some hiking trails, and a nice terrace-restaurant, Gedeonseck. (Ruedesheim has one too, as does Koblenz.)

Bacharach:

• Somewhat more interesting and consistent architecture - several very pretty blocks. But Boppard's is still pretty nice.

• Closer to Mainz and FRA airport than Boppard by about 20 minutes

Bacharach is worth visiting - and not difficult to visit - if you stay in Boppard.

Thanks so much Russ, is a car still not necessary in Boppard?

You don't need a car in Boppard unless you are staying out of town somewhere. You may want to pick an apartment or room that's not on the edge of town. Frequent trains leave the town both north and south.

This is a page with links to accommodations and a description of the free Guest Ticket program:

https://www.boppard-tourismus.de/2-1-Gastgeber.html

You can use the Guest Ticket on the local/regional trains for free to the towns within the light-green VRM zone on this train line map:

https://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data/pdf/2018/VRM-Schienennetzplan_2018.pdf

If you want to visit Bacharach from Boppard... use your Guest ticket to Oberwesel - and have a ticket for Oberwesel > Bacharach in your pocket to cover the stretch of track not covered by the Guest Ticket (2.70 each in each direction - buy it in Boppard from a trackside ticket machine before boarding.)

Rhine train routes cover both sides of the river: http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/walking-hiking.php
The map shows ferry crossings as well.

Burg Eltz Castle is not near a train station, but it's common for people to make the walk. Not hard, just long - like an hour each way - and through the forest. Not sure if you are going there or not but that's about the only place I can think of that's such a long walk. On weekends you can catch a bus to Eltz from one of the train stations on the Mosel (Hatzenport I think) but on weekdays, it's on foot or by car or taxi.