Rhine in November?

Friday, 11/18/16 · Get up early & visit the Neuschwanstein Castle ·
Drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (about a 3 hour drive)

Hotel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2 nights)

Sunday, 11/20/16 – Wednesday, 11/23/16 (3 nights) · Drive to the Rhine
(still figuring this part of the trip out)

I would make the Rhine a one-night stop. Visit Marksburg Castle (unlike Neuschwanstein, a real castle!) and Braubach, perhaps another village or two (Oberwesel, Bacharach?) The area is otherwise pretty dead at that time of year before the Christmas markets are open.

With the 2 nights you save from the Rhine you can undo the damage you've done :) to your itinerary by overlooking the attractive medieval town of Bamberg, north of Rothenburg. Würzburg is also very worthwhile - The Residenz Palace there is a UNESCO World Heritage site too.

Pick up your rental car as you leave Munich, not when you arrive. Parking in the city is very scanty and expensive. Only the most pricey hotels can guarantee you a spot. And it's a difficult city to navigate even with a GPS.

Some of the seasonal businesses in the Rhine close at that time of year, but most of the castles remain open (some are unattended ruins anyway). Marksburg stays open, but the number of English-language tours is reduced to only about two per day. Unless you don't mind the German tour, plan your visit carefully if you want to see it.

I think 5 hours to Brugge is an overly optimistic estimate. You'll hit Köln traffic, which can occasionally get congested, then the Brussels ring, which is always backed up, including the major arteries that feed into it. Also, you'll pay a hefty fee to drop off the rental car in Belgium if you rented in Germany. I see nothing on your Belgium wish list that would be made easier with a car, so you may consider dropping it off in Koblenz or Köln and taking the train from there.

If you decide to keep the car, consider stopping off in Hasselt on the way to Brugge. They hold a wonderful "Winterland" event every year which is part carnival, part Christmas market, and wholly an excuse to eat and drink outdoors. By train, it would take too much time, so don't bother. I also like the Christmas market in the university town of Leuven, which is about a 20 minute train ride from Brussels.

Last December, we visited many of the places you plan to visit and had a great time. One comment re the Rhine: we found the Rhine valley not as pretty during that time of year compared to its summer pictures because much of the valley was brown, rather than green, and a lot of the normally busy tourist towns were closed since winter is an off season for the Rhine. I thus recommend that you only spend 1 to 2 days there, but make sure you visit the Marksburg castle which is still open that time of year.

I hope your overseas flights are free, because that is an absolutely brutal schedule. I got to Shanghai in less time, with three flights. ($199 cruise add-on.) You will feel like vegetables in Venice. Is this your first trip to Europe? If your careers go well, can you imagine returning in the future?

You are doing a lot of moving around, and trusting that you will have enough time to see anything after finding a parking garage and checking into yet another hotel. Do you really need Neuschwanstein and, probably, Rhine castles as well? Do you need both Rothenburg and Bruges on the same trip? No, they're not the same, but look at the travel overhead to see them! Nobody needs 3 nights in Bruges. Will you daytrip to Antwerp or Gent? Paris is worth more time.

Make sure any discount airlines use the airport you expect. Make sure the car has an Umwelt sticker, especially since you're not renting in Germany. Check Christmas market dates. Do you have a chip and PIN card for tolls and unattended gas stations? Would you consider any train travel?

At that time of year you should not spend much time on the Rhine or Bruges, too cold and dark. You should add the time onto cities where it may be nice strolling in the evenings as the sun sets early that time of year4:30-5:00. You need to use the train more, as said, leaving the car in Cologne.

Hi Tim,

This will be our 4th trip to Europe. We've also been to Kenya & Dubai. The flights there are brutal, but we've had worse.

We have checked for parking at all our hotels, all offer them and we know how much each lot will cost.

We also always spend the 4-5 days prior to a big trip changing our body clocks to the destination time.

I would make the Rhine Valley a non-stop in November! I love Germany, and I lived in Bonn in the Rhine Valley for five years, and November is the worst month of the year there! You COULD get three days of short days, cold rain, gray skies, and shuttered tourist towns. Add those days somewhere else, like Munich or Venice, where you only have one full day and one jet-lagged one. I would try to avoid the one night stand in Brussels too.