Neuschwanstein Castle and/or Rothenburg worth it in August?

Suggest taking the Romantic Road from Wurzburg to Fussen. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a key walled medieval town on the road, but there are other great medieval walled towns like Dinkelsbuhl, Donauwirth and more. Also, Augsbrug and Oberammergau (site of Passion Play).

Neuschwanstein is a bit of a tourist trap site, since the castle is not ancient, only about 200 years old, but still worth a visit, since the Disneyland castle was patterned after it.

Garmish is close to Fussen and you can take a cable car or cog train ride to the top of the mountain.

Salzburg and Berchtesgaden are with two or three days.

Go to the places that interest you. Then when you write your trip report about the beautiful towns you visited, people will be adding them to their trip list.
We’ve missed so many must see places along the way but have very rarely been disappointed with the places we did visit.
Enjoy your travels

What is it about Rothenburg that captivates people over the other
towns and is it worth it to brave the crowds? I'm also wondering the
same about Fussen

Like everyone else, you've probably seen pics of Neuschwanstein and this scene in Rothenburg a thousand times. It's no surprise that strangers to Germany define the country with these images. Escaping to a more romantic or adventuresome time or place is a big factor in travel decisions - and we go to what we know.

Movie makers especially help us define fantasy, romance and adventure... a look at Rothenburg's Wikipedia entry alone shows the influential hand of Hollywood. And when we go to plan our European escapes, we consult the works of travel guide writers and brochure designers who are there to seduce us - not with pictures of typical places, but with that small handful of the most prominent media images and destinations that our popular culture already associates with romance and adventure... Venetian canals, the Eiffel tower, anything (like Neuschwanstein) associated with Disney-told-fairytales or theme parks... places featured in WW II films or films like Braveheart, Harry Potter, Willy Wonka etc. that evoke those old familiar sentiments.

Neuschwanstein's fame is largely unearned. It's a fairly modern building - less than 150 years old, actually -- not a medieval castle. No historically important events ever took place there. No princesses ever cast their golden locks from its towers. Its owner, Ludwig II, died a tragic death about 6 months after moving.

Rothenburg has been around forever - 60% of it, anyway. 40% was destroyed in WW II and rebuilt. But it really does feel much like a "medieval theme park" (Rick Steves' words) since its inhabitants (or theme park employees) are overwhelmed by the visiting crowds. Rick recommends staying there and enjoying the quieter streets during the early morning hours or the late night hours. But there are other similar, less-touristy but still very romantic towns in Germany that you can enjoy at any hour that pleases you.

...trying to decide what to do in this gorgeous area in between...

Between Frankfurt and Nurenburg there are several places you might want to consider.

In Aschaffenburg there are several highlights that include a palace, several really nice gardens, and Pompeganum to list a few. Some also consider it the real start of the Romantic Road.

On the old road from there to Wurzburg there is Mespelbrunn Castle. Just outside Haibach which is just outside A'Burg. It's a fairy tale place with a moat that has been in the same family for hundreds of years.

Another place close to A'burg is Miltenberg. Many consider it to be better than Rothenburg as it has all the old world charm and buildings without the crowds.

In Wurzburg the Prince Bishop's Residenze is not to be missed. Especially the chapel on one end of the main building.

From there it's a short drive to R'burg.

You can google all of the above and see if they hold any interest for you.

Thanks everyone. I guess while doing research, the cute midievil towns with walls and a castle are all starting to blend together in my brain after the reading and videos, so I wasn't sure why everyone flocks to Rothenburg specifically and I'm looking for some insight there. Is it just the cutest of the cute? Are the people amazing? When new to a country, we are cool with a fair amount of touristy stuff but we also don't want to just hop from one cute town to the next without any real "reason" to be there other than "it's cute", if that makes sense. We typically look for towns with some interesting history or the "thing" that puts it on the map. We're not interested in just seeing a bunch of towns with half timbered homes, cafes and a castle day after day. So if I go to Rothenburg, should I just call it good there or is there any compelling reason to continue down the romantic road (other than to get to Fussen, which we may skip)? Again, we have a teen with us so this isn't a romantic getaway for my husband and I.

Other than the Fussen castles, are there any other must see castles on the Romantic Rd that you feel have that "wow" factor? It's so hard to tell from the RS book and videos. Thanks again!

WOW castles:

Rick's personal preferences guide his recommendations. He tells his followers that his materials are not intended to be comprehensive - so it's not surprising that someone with just 7 days for Germany is advised to spend nearly every moment in Bavaria:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/itinerary

The one place outside Bavaria that makes his 7-day list is "The Rhine Valley", by which he is referring mainly to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (between Koblenz and Bingen, basically) with his mention of the Rhine Cruise, St. Goar, Bacharach, the Loreley, and Marksburg Castle.

Since you value Rick's advice, generally, and since you have 16 nights in Germany altogether, I will direct you to some of his other pages in that area which address Burg Rheinfels (a set of castle ruins and Museum on the Rhine) and Burg Eltz (a fully intact castle near Cochem on the nearby Mosel River)

Rheinfels and Burg Eltz: https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/three-castles-eltz-rheinfels-and-neuschwanstein/

Burg Eltz and the Mosel: https://classroom.ricksteves.com/videos/germany-s-mosel-river-eltz-castle-and-feudalism

I think Rick does not have anything on MARKSBURG, which he mentions as a highlight (which it indeed is!) So here instead are outside links and a fellow forum member's review from last summer:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/marksburg-castle-on-the-rhine-loved-it

https://www.marksburg.de/en/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g642094-d268085-Reviews-Marksburg-Braubach_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

The Romantic Road is quite shy on impressive castles. Your current plan is to start in FRANKFURT airport, which is VERY close to the really impressive castles in Germany's Rhineland - and that's the best place to go for WOW castles. This map shows how close it is to the airport:

https://www.554-kran.rheinhotel.biz/pictures/lageplan-bacharach-600-7.gif

I would return to Rothenburg just to take the Nightwatchman’s tour. It is very information, interesting and Fun! Pair that with the crime an punishment museum the next day and you will be very Happy you live in the 21st century.
PS - the museum is very well done, they don’t go for the shock factor like other museums of this nature.

PSS - we visited both cities and I would return to Rothenburg, not Fussen.

Russ - THANK YOU for all this. You've def influenced our thinking to take another look at the Rhine area. I'd love to find a river cruise for the day that stops at some of the sites. I think we will replace Fussen with this. It sounds like Rothenburg is a must. Now if we could only fit in Eagles Nest and the Salt Mines before heading to Munich for our final stop and flight home.

Appreciate everyone's comments so much. I love that this community exists and is so passionate about helping others have a great experience.

It's actually refreshing to hear folks remove Neuschwanstein from the Germany "bucket list". It's a beautiful building in a beautiful setting, but when you consider the time to travel there, only to get rushed through a "meh" tour is, IMO, just disproportionate to the travel "value". If you do decide to visit Füssen, I'd say that the other family castles/residences are much more interesting.

I agree with considering the Rhine / Mosel. You could spend a wonderful day biking the Rhine or Mosel, or a hike to Burg Eltz. Rheinfells Castle.

I have been to Rothenburg 4 times and are going again this December. There is just something magical about it to me. I think partly because the center is so compact. Walking the walls is fun and it has a few really good small museums. If you want a really unique experience stay at either hotel Altfraenkische Weinstube or Gausthas Raidel. Both very small, but in very old buildings and very unique.

I'd love to find a river cruise for the day that stops at some of the
sites.

If you are considering only one day for the Rhine, you should reconsider. You mentioned Night #1 in Frankfurt. If you are thinking about a day trip from Frankfurt to the Rhine and back for a minimal cruise to St. Goar, Rheinfels ruins/museum, and a meal or two, that alone will take close to a full day. 1 or 2 nights here will be needed to see the more impressive (IMHO) Burg Eltz and/or Marksburg castles and make a stop in Cochem, to take the chairlift ride in Boppard to Gedonseck lookout or the cable car ride in Koblenz, to walk the Rhine Castle trail, to do a walk through Bacharach or follow Oberwesel's old town wall.

If the first night in Frankfurt is just for the purpose of not going anywhere, staying in Bingen, the gateway town to the Rhine Gorge, is worth considering. There are direct trains to Bingen (50 minutes or so) that pick you up right at the airport's regional train station and deposit you in this scenically-located riverfront town where the cruises begin. That move alone will save you some time over traveling eastward to Frankfurt, then backtracking the next morning westward toward the Rhine. St Goar, Bacharach, and Oberwesel share the same train line with Bingen, making it easy to get home after a cruise and/or an outing.

We have stayed at the nh Bingen, located on the riverfront promenade where the boats dock and at a walkable distance from the station. The views there are quite good. We'd gladly stay there again sometime.

Jill and Russ - Thank you!
I actually think we’d spend several days in Rhine. We can never make it through the entire first day after travel from Seattle so it’s always an early night. We’d basically arrive in Munich in the evening, stay the night and head to Rhine. I’m just not sure where to stay. If we don’t do the river cruise (I’m learning there isn’t really a hop on hop off option), it seems similar to cinque Terre with trains but then I guess we have to decide which side of the river to tour.

We are excited about Rothenburg!

I forgot your son is a daredevil. Maybe this Rhine attraction in Boppard would appeal to him:

https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/a-mittelrhein-klettersteig-boppard

Never looked into it myself...

Boppard is on the same riverbank and train line as St. Goar, Oberwesel, Bingen, Bacharach... Map:

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/walking-hiking.php

The red symbols are ferry crossings.

To visit Marksburg in Braubach, you could use the train (or cruise boat) to St. Goar, ferry across, and catch the train from there to Braubach. OR... Train to Koblenz, change there for a short train ride to Braubach.

Russ! You're amazing! Thank you SO much. A week ago I was directed to stay in Bacharach and we found it "meh" as a home base and couldn't get excited about the area. Your suggestions have us very intrigued now. Isn't it funny how that can happen with a new place? It pays to keep asking to get the right person. :)

I really enjoyed Rothenburg and the Night Watchman's Tour and the Crime and Punishment museum was also interesting. I thought Neuschvanstein Castle was a waste of time except seeing it meant that we spent two nights in Fussen, which I loved.

Cala - What did you love about Fussen? We're trying to decide if it's worth the trek that far south. We could probably squeeze it in after Rhine and Rothenberg. We live in the foothills of the Pacific Northwest Cascades and will have just had a trip up to Whistler Canada and the Canadian Rockies, so we don't need a mountain or lake fix while in Germany.

I actually think we’d spend several days in Rhine.

I suggested Bingen previously as a Rhine location that's quick to reach from FRA airport.

For a stay of several days, I'd be looking more at St. Goar (small) or Boppard (larger, more hotels and dining choices.) These towns are better situated for the typical outings one might want to do in this area. Both also have ferry crossings with train stations on the opposite riverbank (for visiting Rüdesheim, or Marksburg Castle, for example.)

If you might be touring Burg Eltz or visiting Cochem on the Mosel, Boppard is better located than St. Goar.

Any Boppard stay comes with a big perk - free local train trips for all guests, no matter which hotel or apartment they book, with the VRM Guest Ticket:

https://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/leisure-tickets/vrm-guest-ticket/

The same guest ticket is available in other towns - but not all innkeepers participate... more like a handful in each town.

Boppard's chairlift ride is very cool.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g198627-d3306006-Reviews-Sesselbahn_in_Boppard-Boppard_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

Another Rhineland option for thrill-seekers:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g7777559-d8736275-Reviews-Hangeseilbrucke_Geierlay-Moersdorf_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

If touring the places up the Rhine between Rudesheim and Koblenz is what you want to do I'd consider either Bingen or Koblenz as a base, preferably Bingen. You can easily catch a ferry over to the other bank and it's bigger and cheaper than Rudesheim. And from Bingen you can take a train up to Koblenz; they stop in every town on the SW bank. They run every half hour.

You could also rent a bike (regular or ebike) in Bingen, put it on the train, and then get off and ride along the river to the next town, and then get back on the train. That's what I do (with my own bike).

Thank you everyone for your wonderful suggestions. KGC - This is a great idea too. We've been studying Rhine and admittedly aren't sure where to base ourselves from. Of course we want accessibility (we will have a car) but it will be our very first Bavarian town to see and we want it to be special. The first time we flew in to Italy we arrived in Venice and it was like a dream. Now I know I'm not going to get that in Frankfurt our first night sleeping, but hoping the next destination has that special something about it.

Also, debate going on in my family about switching out Rhine for Salzburg/Salt Mines/Eagles next excursion. We can't do both. So I fear it's a choice between castles and the cool stuff Austria has to offer close by. Never again will we try to plan a trip somewhere new in less than 6 months!

This was a great thread to look at since I'm planning a trip in August very similar to yours, flying into Frankfurt and departing from Munich. We're going to do a clockwise loop from Frankfurt to Berlin down to Dresden and then Munich. I had Neuschwanstein Castle as a day trip but after researching and looking at these forums decided to take that off and go with a daytrip to Salzburg with a stop at the eagle nest instead. I was really looking for a way to include Rothenburg on our Itinerary but just couldn't make it fit since the only part of the trip it would be an option would be when we're in Munich and with how long it would take there and back it just didn't make sense. I'll keep looking but I'm sure I'll find a place that checks some of the boxes Rothenburg does but closer to Munich and without the crowds.

I was really looking for a way to include Rothenburg on our Itinerary
but just couldn't make it fit since the only part of the trip it would
be an option would be when we're in Munich and with how long it would
take there and back it just didn't make sense...
I'm sure I'll find a place that checks some of the boxes Rothenburg
does but closer to Munich...

Welcome to the forum, kalree. I am not sure what boxes you are looking for in your mystery town, exactly. And I don't see why you necessarily have to dedicate an entire day (or longer) to take a round trip from Munich to visit this mystery town if it happens to be on your way.

Sample travel schedules, Dresden > Munich by train, about 5 hours:
8:02 - 13:01
10:10 - 15:04

The 8:02 stops in Erfurt (10:09) and Bamberg (11:15.)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187419-Activities-Erfurt_Thuringia.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g198395-Activities-oa0-Bamberg_Upper_Franconia_Franconia_Bavaria.html

You won't have time to see both, but one should work. Unless you have some critical deadline for reaching Munich, that is. Otherwise, it should be quite simple to arrange for a stopover of a few hours in either town, drop your bags in a station locker while seeing the town, have a nice meal, then finish the final leg to Munich (roughly two hours.) Touring by stopover adds no ground travel time at all - yay.

Unlike touristy Rothenburg, both these two cities are featured on UNESCO's World Heritage list for their cultural and historic importance. 4-5 hours in one or the other won't make you an expert on the town, but you should find your time enjoyable.

I like them both. I’ve been to Rothenburg 5 times, including 4 nights ladt fall. I’ve been to Neuschwanstein 3 times for 5-6 days. More to do in Rothenburg and surroundings. I will say that the first place I visited in Germany was N’stein.

Neuschwanstein is always busy but the crowds are managed quite well. Rothenburg is not that mobbed if you get away from the main square and the street to the Ploenlein.

"We don't need a mountain or lake fix while in Germany." I think you need to reconsider this. You have time for Austria, Bavaria, South Tyrol and Switzerland. August in the Alps is not the US or Canadian mountains. Just think Heidi a little.
Nuremberg for a first stop would be good, but be ready for some warm temps.

MCHPP - I know it is much more beautiful, we're just trying to triage what to see and we don't have any cool castles here in the US either haha!

Additional question for the group. We went to Eagles Nest when I was 6 yrs old and I remember being in tears terrified we'd fall off the edge driving up. I was never afraid of heights. I know now a shuttle takes you. I've tried to search for videos on this journey. Is it still terrifying? :) Are there at least guard rails now?

Russ - Thanks for that information! The reason it would have been a round trip from Munich and not an on the way from Dresden to Munich trip was I was originally planned on visiting Völkerschlachtdenkmal and spending the night in Leipzig on our way to Munich. Since that's no longer the plan, it's feasible to take one of your suggestions on places to visit enroute to Munich.