Munich to the Black Forest Itinerary

Posted by bibliophile1941 on 07/14/16 02:05 PM

Hello, I am planning a trip with four other people in early October to Germany. My question surrounds the Munich/Black Forest section of the trip. Our focuses are historical landmarks, scenery and culture. Here are my itinery ideas so far

Day 1: fly into Munich, do a walking tour and visit Dachau concentration camp memorial.
Day 2 and 3 more of Munich itself.
Day 4: rent a car and drive out to Neushwanstein, and In the afternoon head to Baden Baden, spend night there
Day 5: hike to the castle ruins near Baden baden, ️Explore the town, perhaps head to a spa in the evening.
Day 6: drive the Black Forest high road, and head back in the direction of Munich. (We'll then be catching a train from here to Prague).
My question is, is this too much time, enough, not enough, to enjoy the sights of Bavaria and the Black Forest along this road trip? Thank you

Posted by Nigel

Northamptonshire, England

07/14/16 05:05 PM

33775 posts

What is it about Baden Baden which calls to you? The reason I ask is that Baden Baden is not really representative of the Black Forest, and is a little bit north and west of where you may prefer, and you are coming from the east.

The town itself is small and clean, with nice streets. There are some high end hotels (I liked the Dorint) and a few lower ones - I didn't like the Holiday Inn - and the spas are nice.

But I have found many spas even nicer, for what I want, all over Germany. One huge one near Munich airport in Erding, a lovely curative one near Freiburg im Breisgau. And many more.

For the northern Black Forest I prefer Gengenbach, for the southern I prefer villages around the Königstuhl or Freiburg im Breisgau area. For both, as long as you don't stay in the city, you can have free transportation on the extremely scenic (more scenic to me than the road) railway which winds, twists, and climbs right through the heart of the Black Forest.

In my opinion, if you discover all the nooks and crannies that I have done, especially if you also want to look across the river Rhine at some of the incredibly beautiful villages of the Alsace (although Gengenbach will give most of them a real run for their money) you can easily eat up 5 to 7 days. I usually stay there at least 4 and I'm a repeat visitor, if you couldn't tell.

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

07/14/16 05:22 PM

19272 posts

I was not that impressed with Baden-Baden. It's too much like a big city for my tastes. And, to drive all the way from Füssen just to see it - not worth the round-trip drive in my opinion. Even Gengenbach, cute as it is, is still too long a drive. There are a lot of scenic and interesting place to see in southern Bavaria, and they would make more efficient use of your time.

Posted by Tom

Danville, VT

07/14/16 05:46 PM

12040 posts

If you're already in southern Bavaria, the Black Forest is not worth going out of your way to see. It has good name recognition, but it's just one of about 50 low forested mountain ranges that criss-cross southern and central Germany. If you want to see something like that, the Bavarian Forest is much closer to Munich. But all of these ranges pale in comparison to the Alps, which are right in Munich's backyard.

And I agree with Lee and Nigel...Baden-Baden isn't particularly special, and if you want the German spa bathing experience, go for Therme Erding, a mere 15 minute drive from Munich's airport.

Posted by bibliophile1941 OP

07/14/16 05:49 PM

2 posts

Hi Nigel,

I was interested in Baden baden because of the Black Forest High Road which is located quite close, and also because the hiking trail that leads out to the castle ruins. We wanted to do at least one nice half day hike into the forest, and I have not had much luck finding details on short hikes in the area besides that. Hiking for a couple of hours to some castle ruins seemed quite appealing. If anyone can suggest another area to stay in with details on some interesting hikes I would be open to those. Thanks to everyone who replied so far