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Itinerary Rotherburg ob Der Tauber, Bacharach, and Berlin

Second Part
Does this plan make sense? Is there any additional sights/restaurant that I should book/try?

GERMANY
ROMANTIC ROAD DRIVE TO ROTHERBURG OB DER TAUBER
-Stop for lunch at NORDINGEN
-Check in the hotel at ROTHERBURG OB DER TAUBER
-Dinner at ZUR HALL
-8 PM NIGHT WATCHMAN WALK

MAY 27
- ROTHERBURG OB DER TAUBER town walk - about one hour
- Walk the Wall
- TOWN HALL TOWER CLIMB
- MEDIEVAL CRIME AND PUNISHMENT MUSEUM
- AROUND 3 PM DRIVE TO DINKELSBUHL
- DINKELSBUHL WALK AROUND
-Visit ST GEORG’S CATHEDRAL
-HAUS DER GESCICHTE
-ROTHERBERGER TOR
-SEGRINGER TOR
- DINNER AT ALDEUTSCHES 6 PM

MAY 28 BACHARACH
Leave ROTHENBURG AT 10 AM
-BACHARACH town walk
-Biking along the river
-Dinner at STUBERS RESTAURANT @6:30
-Wine tasting at WEINGUT KARL HEIDRICH (Need to call and reserve) at 8:30

MAY 29
-EARLY DRIVE TO BURG ELTZ
-TOUR BURG ELTZ
-LUNCH AT SANKT GOAR – PANORAMA RESTAURANT LORELEY
-VISIT THE RHEINFELS CASTLE
-BACK TO BACHARACH – MORE BIKING?
-DINNER CHOICES: LUZ DE MARAHRHIEIN
RESTAURANT ZEUS
ALTERHAUS

MAY 30
-LEAVE HOTEL TO HEAD TO FRANKFURT (DROP OFF RENTAL CAR)
-TRAIN TO BERLIN (will arrive at 3 pm)
- CHECK IN HOTEL
-BERLIN WALL MEMORIAL
-6:30 DINNER AT HACKETHALS (still need to reserve)
-AFTER DINNER HEAD TO
-BRANDENBURGER TOR S BAHN STATION
-UNTER DEN LINDEN
-WILHELMSTRASSE
-SITE OF HILTER’S BUNKER
-MEMORIAL TO MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE
-PARISER PLATZ AND HOTEL ADLON
-BRANDENBURG GATE
-REICHSTAG (NEED TO BOOK TICKETS)

MAY 31
-ALEXANDERPLATZ/TV TOWER/WORLD CLOCK
-TRANENPALAST (PALACE OF TEARS)
-HACKESCHER MARKET
-EAST SIDE GALLERY
-MARKETHALLE NEUN FOR LUNCH
-CHECKPOINT CHARLIE
-TOPOGRAPHY OF TERROR
-KADEWE AND FOOD COURT
-DINNER AT GASTHAUS KROMBACK

JUNE 1
-MAUERPARK RUMMAGE MARKET
-TRODELMARKT “JUNK MARKET”
-BEBELPLATZ
-NEUE WACHE
-MUSEUM ISLAND (NEUE MUSEUM)
-BERLIN CATHEDRAL
-BIKE RIDE TO TIERGARTEN PARK
-GEMALDE GALERIE (CLOSE AT 6)
-DINNER AT 7 PM AT HAVELI

JUNE 2
-GERMAN HISTORY MUSEUM
-DDR MUSEUM
-MALL OF BERLIN AND SHOPPING AROUND
-PACKING
JUNE 3RD
-FLIGHT OUT OF BER AT 7 AM

Posted by
1724 posts

Romantic road drive to RodT from where? Because Nordlingen is a minimum 2.5 hours from Munich, and just as long to RodT. And if you're coming from the airport in, say Frankfurt, Nordlingen is a minimum 6 hour drive, most of that on 2 lane roads.

Likewise, leaving RodT at 3pm to go to Dinkelsbuhl puts you in that town after 4pm. You'll never do much of anything on your list at that time of day. You just can't walk the whole town in the hour you have between arrival and your dinner reservation.

I have to add this: if you do not know these roads you need to seriously consider your driving plans. You're planning on driving narrow country roads at night in a place you do not know. The locals travel these roads at speeds up to 65 MPH, you won't.

The drive from Bacharach to Burg Eltz is, at least, 2 hours each way. Probably slower, because, again, these are 2 lane roads, and in May you'll have heavy traffic to include trucks and campers all along the river. and traffic slows to 30 kph in every town. And there are speed cameras that love tourists. And Burg Eltz is a 3-4 hours long visit, minimum. There will be tour groups there in May. Even if you make the first tour you'll be eating lunch in St Goar around 2 pm or later.

I can't comment much on the rest of your itinerary; it's been too long since I was in Berlin last, but it seems very ambitious. But I really know the areas in the first part of your trip and it needs rethinking.

Posted by
27 posts

Thank you for your input!
we will be leaving Fussen in the morning to go to Rotherburg.

I tried to google map my routes and Bacharach to Burg Eltz is a little less than one hour.

Posted by
2653 posts

Visit Dinkelsbuhl on the way to RodT.

Bacharach - eat at Bistro Cafe Noy

Posted by
586 posts

The previous comment about driving along the Rhine is spot on. These particular roads are impossible to make any time on and rightfully so. The driver will also want to rubberneck. Add that to the constant speed zone changes and it does take forever to get from one place to another. If you decide to climb up the valley and use parallel roads, there are fabulous views and amazing drives, but make sure that you have your best Piloti driving shoes on. These roads are well suited for a high-performance car or motorcycle.
I cannot understand the May 30th plan. Are you visiting these places at night? Not to say I have not done the same, but I know my way around and have been to all of these places before. I'm looking at your list of activities (May 31st) in Berlin and it certainly checks a lot of good boxes. I just think it's too ambitious. The day you go to Alexander Platz....I recall doing about half of that recently and feeling like it had been a busy day. June 1st looks like more of the same.
You should consider prioritizing your list and try scheduling the must do's first. The rest might become no can do's.....Or, you need more time. Personally, I always recommend the gedächtniskirche. After the display we had here yesterday, maybe more people should see this. As a Berliner, that is a proper place to absorb. I also like to visit the zoo for a beer and Potsdam is a nice way to spend a day. Less tempo, more time.

Posted by
7220 posts

"Is there any additional sights/restaurant that I should book/try?"

Here's my Cliff's Notes guess at what your plans are.

6/26 Füssen > Noerdlingen + Rothenburg
6/27 Rothenburg + Dinkelsbühl
6/28 Rothenburg > Bacharach
6/29 Bacharach > Burg Eltz > Rheinfels > Bacharach
6/30 Bacharach > FRA airport (drop car) > Berlin (by train)
6/30 - 7/2 in Berlin

I realize that prior to this you have checked off Munich (2 days) Austria (2 days) and the Bavarian Alps (2 days.) My general impression: You are attempting too much ground travel in one week with the Romantic Road + Bacharach stay + Berlin.

Additional restaurants: It looks like those are all pre-planned, perhaps even reserved?? So without additional days, you probably cannot add any more meals or restaurants.

Additional sights: Same issue. There are thousands of other things to see and do in Germany that you have not included. You can DROP some of the destinations, sights, and tours that you have on paper (which is probably wise anyway with the breakneck pace you are keeping) but adding things seems next to impossible.

So... there seems to be a bit of FOMO in your question. "Are we missing out on something?" Well, this packed and detailed itinerary indicates that you have adopted Rick Steves' most strongly-recommended travel suggestions for Germany already. So sure, I could suggest some things in the neighborhood of Bacharach, for example... I could tell you to tour Germany's most-visited landmark, the Cologne Cathedral, to visit Trier, Germany's oldest city, or to spend a day walking from town to town along the Rhine Castle trail, or to take a 2-hour river cruise on the Mosel River, or to visit the Rheinland-Pfalz Open-Air Museum in Bad Sobernheim. But I don't see the point of that since there is no spare time in this trip and since I don't have any idea what kinds of travel experiences interest you most.

I will just suggest that you review some additional travel resources (travel websites, guidebooks) that are specific to Germany and go beyond Rick Steves' limited suggestions to improve your view of what Germany has to offer. If you are able to share the kinds of travel experiences your family prefers, or tell us you have more days to play with, you may get some better suggestions here. Right now, the only way I can see of freeing up a little time for something different would be to drop Berlin (and fly out of FRA after the Bacharach stop) or drop the Bacharach stop (and fly out of Berlin; Rothenburg > Berlin, without Bacharach, Eltz, etc. would shed some travel time. And generally speaking, there are some very good destinations that lie directly on the train route you might use to reach Berlin.)

Posted by
3475 posts

GERMAN HISTORY MUSEUM is closed - replacement only.

SITE OF HILTER’S BUNKER - nothing to see. Today just a parking lot.

Also some sorting needed - example: Bebelplatz is at Unter den Linden.

In Berlin be flexible about the weather: TV tower makes most sense at days with clear sky.

Do not underestimate the size of Berlin and the travel times with public transport.