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Itinerary Suggestion for 10/11 days?

We'll be arriving in Frankfurt 9am from the U.S. on Sept 30, departing _____ (deciding which city) Oct 11.

I've now overwhelmed myself with forums posts and can't quite figure out what itinerary makes the most sense. One thing to note is we do want to see Munich but have no interest in Oktoberfest activities aside from maybe viewing from afar...so would like to figure out where to stay outside Munich to avoid the high hotel prices.

We are much more interested in the smaller villages/Bavaria versus the modern day...we will hit Munich but will be skipping Berlin, etc. Love the green, the open fresh air, cute old villages, some castles...throw in a goat or two somewhere, maybe?

Given the below:

1) Is it even doable?
2) Does it make sense to use a car for any of this or is public the way to go?
3) What's the best order, noting arriving in Frankfurt and departing.....Munich??
4) Any idea for places to stay that fulfill any of the below but allow us avoid steep Oktoberfest Munich lodging prices?

Here is what's on my wish list:

Rhine Valley (where exactly? Not sure)
Moselle Valley (see Eltz Castle)
Rothenburg ob Tauber
Black Forest (perhaps stay in Tübingen? See Hohenzollerheim Castle)
Fussen (see Neuschwanstein Castle, St. Mary's Bridge, Tegelbergbahn maybe (?), Treetop walk, Zupgspite (maybe?))
Munich (see BMW museum, Dachau, all the other things)
Salzburg (Ice caves, salt mines)

Many, many thanks!

Posted by
2375 posts

Probably best to fly into Frankfurt and out of Munich unless the airfare difference is outrageous. You can do all that by train, I have. Tuebingen is not in the Black Forest. It is a nice place, I spent a week there in 2016. Hohenzollern is awkward to visit by train/bus. I would skip it if you are doing Neuschwanstein ( which I prefer ).

Posted by
8934 posts

Eltville is my favorite town on the Rhine and only an hour away from Frankfurt. You could stay here your first night. The near-by Eberbach Monastery is a must in my opinion, especially if you like wine. (take the bus and don't drive there)
https://www.eltville.de/tourismus/
https://kloster-eberbach.de/en/monastery/

Germany is filled with forests and small quaint towns. Consider a visit to Büdingen & Gelnhausen and Ronneburg Castle since you will have a car. No need to wait for the tour buses to leave to enjoy a medieval atmosphere from a walled town that has never been bombed.
http://www.burg-ronneburg.de/die-burg/
https://www.buedingen.info/en/
A nice cruise on the Rhine, from Rüdesheim up to St. Goar is a good way to spend a bit under 2 hours and you get to see a couple dozen castles.

Posted by
11294 posts

Remember that Oktoberfest only ends in October; it starts in September. The dates for 2018 are September 22 to October 7. So, if you leave Munich itself for last (easy to do if this is your departure airport), you'll miss it.

Posted by
6590 posts

We are much more interested in the smaller villages/Bavaria versus the
modern day...we will hit Munich but will be skipping Berlin, etc. Love
the green, the open fresh air, cute old villages, some castles...throw
in a goat or two somewhere, maybe?

You have a clear focus - good. You have 10 full days to explore your interests, not counting Sept. 30 and Oct. 11 (which are jet-lag, transit days.) You have a problem though - way too many destinations on your wish list, and thus way too much ground transportation time and too much packing/unpacking/checking out time. I suggest you pare the destinations down by streamlining your journeys...

  • Find a single base town for the Rhine/Mosel area for 3-4 days.

I suggest the town of Boppard on the Rhine - from there, both Eltz and Cochem (Mosel) are doable on a day trip, as is Marksburg Castle and the old-world towns of Bacharach and Oberwesel. (Boppard is a very good place to end your Rhine cruise as well.)

  • Use a single base town for your time in southern Bavaria (choose EITHER the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area east of Munich, OR the Füssen area to the southwest.

I suggest staying in/near Salzburg for a few days. Day trips to the alpine town of Berchtesgaden (salt mine) and the Eisreisenwelt (ice cave) are doable. So is a day trip (or a stopover of several hours) to what might be the best King Ludwig II "castle" of all - Herrenchiemsee Palace on an island in Chiemsee Lake next door to the town of Prien, which is half-way between Munich and Salzburg and right on the train line. This is a more relaxed experience and a superior trade-off over N'stein (a late 19th century palace as well, not a castle despite what it's called) and the tourist horde there.

  • Travel between the Rhine/Mosel and southern Bavaria EITHER via Rothenburg OR via the Black Forest/Tübingen.

Of these, I would probably choose Rothenburg combined with a stopover or a day trip in the Romantic Road town of Würzburg and/or the excellent Franconian Open-Air museum in Bad Windsheim. You might have 2 nights available for this area depending on how long you book in the others.

Munich and Dachau: Visit Dachau in the afternoon of Oct.9, overnight in Munich; sightsee and overnight in Munich on October 10 and catch the direct train to MUC airport the next morning.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks very much everyone!

Completely agree that we've made the common error of packing in too much. Really wanted to figure out SOMETHING so we could plan flights in/out, which we did last night. Arrive Frankfurt, depart Munich...so now onto planning the middle!

Thank you again!