Hi, My daughter and I are debating whether to see Munich or Rothenburg and take a rhine cruise. We only have 2-3 days in either place as we are then traveling to France. Is there really that much to see in Munich? We are not really museum people so other than the Castle and Marienplatz Square, maybe a rhine cruise and Rothenburg town might be more fun. Was wondering if anyone who has been to both places had an opinion. We are going next June to Europe. Thank you, would appreciate opinions!
Posted by
Paradise
7044 posts
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7133 posts
Rheinfels castle is only a ruin since Napoleon blew it up. Fortunately it only cost 5€ to enter, cash only. You can wander on your own. It doesn’t take long to see, but there are good views from the one tower. Marksburg castle was interesting and cost 11€ to enter if I remember correctly. To visit Marksburg castle you must go with a guide. There’s no wandering on your own. The tour lasts about 50 minutes. The only daily English tour is at 1pm. German tour run about every 15 minutes. There are restrooms and cafes or restaurants at both castles.
We spent two nights in Bacharach, it is very small and can be seen in a couple hours. There were much more picturesque towns with timbered buildings in the Alsace area of France. Along the Mosel and Saar rivers, both Saarburg and Bernkastel-Keus were more interesting than Bacharach.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8950 posts
Munich is a major city with all the history and major attractions of a city. Rothenburg is a small village you can walk around the main town center in less than 20 minutes. Rothenburg is worth an overnight but not a 2-3 day stay if thats what you're asking. Your call.
Skipping both to spend more time in the Middle Rhine area is a good idea, especially if you are starting or ending up in France. These places (Munich, Rhine, Rothenburg, France) are not as close as you might assume looking at a map, and you will eat up a lot of time getting from one to the other.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2584 posts
Where are you coming from ? Going to France, the Rhine is closer. 2-3 days is more than I have ever spent at a time in Munich. I do and will spend more time than that in Rothenburg, but on a first trip a day is enough. It s easy to spend much longer than 2-3 days on the Rhine. I have spent about a month over the years and haven’t seen/done everthing I want to.
Posted by
8202 posts
The Rhine area, Rothenburg and Munich are all great places to visit.
With only 2-3 days, minimize your travel. Not sure where you fly into and where your cruise goes.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is special, an intact walled medieval town. You can see it in one full day.
Munich deserves at least three days and if you do Munich, you should visit Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, Garmich and Fussen, which would take a week.
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thank you all for the advice. It seems I cannot do all these places in 3 days. And most of you seem to think the Rhine takes precedence over Rothenburg. Maybe I need to rethink which place to go to and not cram 2 or 3!
Posted by
1032 posts
The Rhine is a river and an area. Rothenburg and Munich are finite. You will have to narrow down what you mean and want to see with “the Rhine”.
Posted by
Columbus, USA
346 posts
I want to throw a curve ball in here. Thinking of our trips and the places we have seen, we really loved Colmar (in France) and Strasbourg (also in France) and then Frieburg im Breisgau (in Germany) those three places feel like you have just stepped out of a fairy tale. Lots of fun shops, beautiful things to see, and really yummy food. We stayed in the Blackforrest and did day trips to these places. Plus it is on the Rhine, so while you won't see the castles of the Northern Rhein, you will see some very charming places. We even stopped and saw a ship go through the lock on the Rhine. If you are in to pottery I also highly recommend a stop in Soufflenheim (about 40 mins north of Strasbourg) -the Alsatian Pottery is so beautiful. It is a pretty small town but there are like 10 pottery shops there.