This is my second question that I have...
After visiting the Rhine Valley and a castle or 2....we will be on our way down to Bavaria. Could go either route...Romantic Road or directly to the Allgau for hiking and finding a lake for the boys to swim in.
Suggestions?
Thanks
It sounds as if you will be driving. If that is the case, I'd consider taking "the road". The "road" itself is nothing to write home about, but there are many really neat towns along the way. You can start in Wurzburg, move on to Rothenberg, Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl, and Weisekirch (sp?). In fact you could even start at Messpellbrun which is south of Frankfurt. I lived in that area so let us know if you need more info.
Put the Romantic Road in perspective- it's a bunch of attractive (but not as unique as advertised) towns strung together on a series of routes that roughly parallel the main Autobahn link between two of Germany's most popular regions for tourists- the Mittelrhein, and southern Bavaria. The road itself is not any more scenic than a typical rural secondary route for that area of Germany.
But, you're headed from the Mittelrhein to the Allgäu anyway, so depending on how much time you allot, it makes perfect sense that you might want to explore some of the towns along the way. Most tourists head directly for Rothenburg, which is pretty but a little too overrun with souvenir shops and tour buses for me. I prefer Nördlingen and Dinkesbühl, personally.
For hiking in the Allgäu, Oberstdorf would be my choice for a base. I'm not sure if there's a swimmable lake in the immediate area, but you're not far from the Bodensee. On a good day, the clear blue water and backdrop of the Alps couldn't be more scenic.
Oberstdorf would be my choice for hiking, particularly in the Kleinwalsertal region of Austria, which is only accessible from Oberstdorf.
There is a small lake (Auwaldsee) outside of Fischen, just down the valley from Oberstdorf, but I don't know if it is suitable for swimming (might be too cold). There is a very large lake outside of Immenstadt, at the end of the Iller Valley. Google Maps seems to show some swimming beaches on its shores. There is also a public swimming/spa place with pools (Wonnemar) in Sonthofen, but the dress-code in some of the areas might not be appropriate for children.
Speaking of public swimming pools/spas, there's one in Oberstdorf. The pool section is well separated from the nude spa section, so if you have a problem with your kids seeing the human body in it's natural state, don't worry.
If you want to skip the "Romantic" road and pop the kiddoes into water or onto a trail, you can do that. Despite the big push it gets in the blue book it isn't mandatory.
