munich to Frankfurt trip

I wouldn't stay at the airport in Frankfurt. Do some sightseeing in this historic city and have a good meal at an applewine pub. Return your car and stay in the city. Hotels in the city are cheaper and the train only takes 11 min. to get to the airport.

You probably don't need a car in Mainz either. The trains are quick and easy and you can save on parking fees and wasting time sitting in traffic jams. You also can indulge in wine tasting if you don't have to drive. Do some sightseeing in Mainz too.

You don't usually want to pick up a car in Austria if you'll later drop it in Germany, due to extra fees. But after your time in Salzburg, you can take a local S-Bahn or regional train (10-15 minutes) to the German town of Freilassing, which has several major car rental agencies.

Where should we go after we go to Salzburg before Maintz for 2 nights??? there is so much to do I can't decide)... Black Forest, G-P area, or Regensburg area????

Nuremberg would be my choice: Lots of WWII history.

Salzburg is beautiful but small. You could do it as a day trip from Munich and rent the car in Munich, which would save you one day of rent and give you an additional day for the Munich - Mainz leg.

From Munich to Mainz you could take either the SW or the NE route:

SW: day one Garmisch (Zugspitze; or Ettal, Linderhof, and Oberammergau) or Füssen (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Tegelberg). Day two: Lindau and Lake Constance. Day three: Schwetzingen and Heidelberg; drive to Mainz.

NE: day one - Landshut - Regensburg - Nürnberg. day two: Nürnberg. day three: Bamberg or Würzburg - Aschaffenburg (Castle; Pompeianum) or another quaint town at or near the Main (e.g., Miltenberg; Amorbach); drive to Mainz.

There are many alternatives on both routes.

Thank you all for responses! I really appreciate the time you all invest into sharing your knowledge of Germany.

Lubitsch, you have great ideas. I have been on the fence about renting a car. But, my cousin, who lives outside of Munich, mentioned that renting a car is easy and allows you to see more of the countryside. I was also thinking it might be cheaper than having to buy 2 train tickets to every place we want to go. Do you disagree? I have been on the fence about renting a car and so I appreciate your thoughts on this matter. I also thought with a car that it doesn't matter so much if we stay in different hotels many of the nights because we can store our stuff in the car.

Thank you!

I'm not clear exactly what your itinerary is at this point but gathering up the suggestions I think it's something like this...

• Munich - 2 nights, Salzburg - 2 nights... OR Munich 4 nights w/ day trips to Regensburg, Salzburg
• Somewhere between Salzburg and Mainz - 2 nights (maybe Würzburg w/ day trip to Rothenburg)
• Mainz - 2 nights (w/ day trip along the Rhine)

Except for the Rhine, you are spending most of your limited time in cities, all of which are served nicely by train. But the Rhine is also well served by the rail system - trains run hourly or better along both river banks. Your cousin says, "...renting a car is easy and allows you to see more of the countryside." That could make sense for a more leisurely trip. But your travel pace is swift, and it's a very big stretch to imagine yourselves roaming at will over hill and dale when you're covering so much territory in 8 days. In fact, you will spend extra time looking for (and paying for) parking, picking up and dropping off the car, gassing up, making potty stops, driving in sometimes-heavy city traffic, obtaining environmental stickers and vignettes...

So on the way to Salzburg, or to Rothenburg, for example, will you see more countryside from your car window, or from the train window?

Train prices for 2 adults:

Munich-Regensburg-Munich: Servus ticket (day pass) €26
Munich-Salzburg-Munich: Bayern ticket (day pass) €31
Munich-Würzburg: pre-purchased saver fare for long-distance trains €48
Würzburg-Mainz (only 1:49 travel time by direct IC train): pre-purchased saver fare €38 (I checked June 5-8 for the 10:29 journey.) Regional trains take 2:35, cost more (€52.)
Mainz-Middle Rhine Valley-Mainz: Rhineland-Palatinate ticket (day pass) €29 (also covers certain ferry crossings.)
Mainz-FRA airport: €10

Plus you have a local MUC to Munich fare. That's roughly €200 total for two. I think you will find that gas alone for the same journeys will price out at around €130. Then you have rental fees, insurance, parking fees, stickers and vignettes.

There are cases when a car makes very good sense, but I don't see yours as one of them.

Check out the Hotel Royal in Munich. We've stayed there twice now, and really enjoy it. It's within walking distance from both the main train station, as well as the Marienplatz area. Very convenient. Rooms are clean and comfortable. There is a very nice breakfast every morning, which is included in the price. Rates are very reasonable.