Need help in planning trip May 2019

Honestly, most places are crowded with tourists. I have not been to Rothenberg, but I'm told that can be pretty crowded. It does look beautiful. I have been to Heidelberg (actually with a Viking Cruise) I thought it was interesting and very picturesque. I didn't feel it was any more crowded than the other places we visited. The views from the river and the castle are lovely. You can also get views of the castle from some spots in the city.

You will be in one of my favorite parts of Germany. In addition to Rothenburg, we like Würzburg, Bamberg and Regensburg - all with modest sized old town centers. All have vintages back through the middle ages with doses of Baroque that updated them a touch.

Rothenburg is pretty touristy around mid-day near the town square. It is a good time for a day trip to see some of the countryside. Ochsenfurt and Marktbreit would make nice visits. (We liked the Gasthof Greifen for a hotel in Rothenburg.)

I believe your cruise will stop at Regensburg for a day.
Other small historic towns not nearly as touristic as Rothenburg would be Dinkelsbuehl and Noerdlingen. Russ could list a dozen more of the top of his head.
If you want to rent a car, Nuremberg is your best bet to get one.

Rothenburg (actually Rothenburg ob der Tauber), not Rothenberg. There is a town called Rothenberg, but that's probably not where you want to end up.

If you want to rent a car, Nuremberg is your best bet to get one.

That is, if you want to rent a car. It's faster and less expensive to go from Nürnberg to Rothenburg by train, and you shouldn't need a car in Rothenburg.

I don't see any car rental places in Rothenburg, so depending on where you are going afterwards (Dinkelsbühl?), you might have to rent in Nürnberg, but you'll be wasting a lot of money. OTOH, if you are going on to Würzburg or Bamberg, you can do that by train, too.

In Rothenburg we stayed at Gasthaus Alter Keller. Great location just one block off the main square, but very quiet. They have a very good restaurant. Gasthaus Goldener Greifein is recommended by many on this site and is across the street, but on the main street in town. Their restaurant is good, too. Do the Nightwatchman’s Tour your first night to get your bearings and some history of the town. Get up early (6-7) one morning and wander the streets before the tour busses arrive. It’s wonderful. Count on it being crowded during the day, but you can get away from the crowds by wandering off the main streets. A car is a hassle within the walls, so rent one after leaving Rothenburg, if at all.

I know I am in the minority here, but I hated Rothenburg odT. I am not saying don't visit it, but know it was crowded and touristy. I knew it was going to be touristy going into it. We had done Vegas, and Gatlinburg and felt like we were prepared. Man oh man was I wrong. We actually went into a reverse culture shock. We had been in Germany for about 5 days and were so used to hearing German being spoken that all of the sudden hearing all the American voices was insane. I think the experience was ruined for us when we sat next to a loud American couple at lunch who was speaking to another couple and their "I"s were really close together. They even made their daughter get up and sing in front of the restaurant. I could not wait to get out of there. There were so many parking lots just for the tour buses it was insane and then there was a tour bus trying to navigate the streets inside the walls. No thank you. The saving grace of the city was being able to escape the crowds and walk the walls. Finally we had some quiet. I think the icing on the cake was getting a parking ticket from what looked like an open free parking lot. It wasn't. We didn't realize we needed to get a ticket to display in the window. For me driving in Germany isn't hard, it is all the differences in the parking from the States that trip me up.

I did a study abroad program one summer in college where we lived near Heidelberg. There are some parts that are a bit touristy, but it didn't bother me. There is a university there so it has a young, vibrant feel to it.

We really enjoyed Dinkeslbühl and Nördlingen. Much quieter. There is no train service to Dinkeslbühl, but there is bus service. There are some really nice shops there. Walking the streets near the walls was so peaceful. We got a sense of how every day Germans lived. Some of the gardens we saw were amazing. We climbed the to the top of the church in Nördlingen and the view was fantastic. We also met the cat that lives at the top of the tower. The city is built in almost a perfect circle. There is a museum there to the meteor that hit in the area a long time ago that is interesting. We have been to Aalen (for the Roman Limes museum). I know they are doing construction on it now, so double check if this is something that interests you. We also went to Geingen for the Steiff (Teddy Bear) Museum and both were really interesting.

The other part to keep in mind is May in Germany has a lot of Bank holidays that stores are closed, so if you want to shop plan accordingly.

@ Susan K....I was in Rothenburg od T once...ages ago. There are lots of places to go in Germany where you won't be turned off by American behaviour, I mean in North and eastern Germany, well out of the American comfort zone in Germany and tourist radar.

Towns/cities I suggest are Weimar, Lüneburg, Meissen, Halle, Leipzig, Jena, Celle, Husum, Minden, Soest, etc.

Lots of interesting, lovely cultural besides historic towns since you're versed in that already from your studying in Heidelberg to explore and visit where the only language you'll hear is German,...almost always. Was that college exchange program in Calif?

Check out 99% of the towns that are on the Half-Timbered Route if you would like to see an original, medieval, ancient town (Rothenburg was 40% destroyed in the war) and is a lot younger than many other cities in Germany. Even Frankfurt is a lot older.

https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

@Fred - You have hit on our main goal when we travel to Germany and thank you for the suggestions. We try to get away from normal tourist radar. I love being asked "You are American, where did you learn to speak German?" It makes me so giddy. I mean don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect German. But it is true when you don't use it you do lose it :)

The Rothenburg folly was a result of me feeling like I was missing out because everyone seems to want to go there. There were some redeeming qualities - walking the walls was awesome as was the double bridge outside of town.

Our last trip was to Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Stade, Cuxhaven, Bremen (for a family reunion), Bremerhaven. We got to do some amazing things like staying at the Hotel Kalifornia (we were hoping we could check out but never leave), seeing a WWI and WWII bunker, going through a Uboat, dipping our toes in the North Sea and Baltic, staying on a working farm that was built in the 1500s in the Lüneburge Heide, photograph a lighthouse at sunset with the colors bouncing off the mudflats and the immigration/emigration museum - all things you never hear about. So I hear you and appreciate your comments!!

Part of the study abroad program through Miami University (aka Miami of Ohio) was Heidelburg, with a weekend in Jena/Weimar, then the last two weeks Berlin.

I have a question to add to this discussion. We are maybe going to be going to Jena in the fall and am wondering if people generally at least know some English there. We have had exchange students from Germany who all spoke English. Just wondering if I am going to need some German lessons to get by over there.

@ SusanK...."...get way from normal tourist radar." Bravo! Very easily done, go to the eastern part and North Germany, where the tourists you'll encounter are German ones.

My compliments on the itinerary you listed, I've been to all except two, Stade, which I only saw from the train en route to Cuxhaven for a day trip. Obviously, I need to go back to both places, and Bremerhaven.

Kiel is very interesting, one the cities first places the British bombed starting in 1942 and repeatedly bombed. I see you went to Laboe, I went there in 1977. Both Stade and Lüneburg came through the war by 1945 unscathed. Lüneburg was quickly occupied by British troops once they crossed the lower Elbe at Lauenburg. I like going back to Kiel and Lüneburg, such a relaxing and tranquil place, even more so in the 1970s and '80s.

Taking the Kieler Hafenrundfahrt is relaxing and interesting, passes by Möltenort and Laboe, did it twice, both times I was the only foreigner/tourist on this tour. Both times the tour guide's narration was only in German, no audio phones either, just as in yesteryear.

@ SusanK...part 2 here.

If you're interested in seeing towns up north, culturally and historically, I heartily suggest these: Eutin/Holstein, Schleswig, Plön, Stralsund. Flensburg,

Including a week-end in Jena/Weimar, that's innovative!

@margiebren Use the search function at the top and fill in "English speaking traveler in Germany". You will find a very long thread on this topic.