Southern Germany Itinerary feedback and suggestions for Black Forest

There are some spa towns in the Black Forest, but it's not exactly overflowing with castles or vineyards (vineyards in the forest??) What time of year is this trip? The season will likely drive Black Forest suggestions. The Eagle's nest isn't open year-round, by the way.

And you won't find castles in Füssen. Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, and Linderhof are in this area, but they're all late-19th-century palaces, not castles. For real castles, you would probably do well to spend Day 9 in the Middle Rhine Valley, where there are 40 castles and castle ruins in a 40-mile stretch of river. Marksburg, the only never-destroyed Rhine Castle, has a history of some 800 years and is open year-round for tours except on certain holidays.

Marksburg in Braubach

The Middle Rhine is a major wine region as well: Rhine Vinegrowers

The German wine road cuts through the Pfalz, another wine-growing region, as you travel between the Black Forest and the Middle Rhine Valley. And the Mosel Valley wine region and the Ahr Valley wine region are a stone's throw from the Nürburgring.

Map of German wine regions relevant to your trip (with region names in bold letters)

I'm sure this is obvious but you have cleared driving the Nürburgring with your car rental facility and arranged the right tyres?

Don't you love the planning?! The palaces around Fussen are what most of us think of as castles, though they are much newer (and intact!) than those along the Rhine. We enjoyed visiting them - Linderhof was my personal favorite. Be sure to visit Oberammergau nearby. The wood carving shops there were wonderful.

We love the Black Forest & think that it's definitely worth a visit. There are vineyards - at least around Gengenbach where we have stayed a couple of times. (I love the "neu wein" in the fall - it tastes like juice & I could drink it breakfast, lunch, & dinner! ) Triberg is a cuckoo clock crazy town, but the waterfall is tremendous, & there is a very nice, small Black Forest Museum there also. It's an easy bus ride from there to Furtwagen if you want to see the Clock Museum. We liked the baths in Baden Baden but also liked those in Freiburg & Bad Krozingen as well and they were a little less expensive for a day pass.

A stay in most of the smaller villages in the Black Forest includes a KONUS card which covers transportation in the region - local train, bus, tram - so it's very easy to get around almost anywhere you want to go. We've stayed in Gengenbach & I know from there that it's ~ 30 min to Baden Baden, ~1:30 hr to Triberg. The area is loaded with lovely fachwerk villages to visit: Schiltach, Hauslach, Wolfach, & Gengenbach itself. We also enjoyed visiting the Vogtsbaurenhof Museum in Gutach - train to Hasauch, then bus, or easy 30-40 minute walk to the outdoor museum. There is a sommer rodelbahn next door that I like - fun if you've never done it & like to go fast. We've also stayed in Hinterzarten, a bit further south. From there, it's ~30 min to Freiburg; ~40 min to Bad Krozingen; ~ 10 min to Titisee. It's any easy train to Basel Switzerland from there also.

This website may help with your planning: http://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info. I've found it more useful to go to the German language home page & google translate; seems to be more information than on the English language version. Feel free to PM me if you have questions. We love the Black Forest & head back every chance we get!

HI,

Since you asked for feedback and suggestions, here's mine:
Spend a night in the Berchtesgaden area. You won't be sorry. We've stayed 18 nights so far between these two places:
www.mayringerlehen.de
www.friedwiese.de/enska/isl.htm

With the extra time, visit the nearby Konigsee, Jennerbahn cable car, drive the scenic Rossfeld Panorama Road (just above Berchtesgaden), visit Bad Reichenhall (spa), even Salzburg (which is less than 30 min. away). There's so much more also.

Our pic's at:
www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets/

Ride a Sommerrodelbahn (luge ride) at either Berchtesgaden or Tegelberg (a mile or so from Neuschwanstein).

www.hochlenzer.de/rodelbahn.html
www.tegelbergbahn.de/sommerrodelbahn-tegelberg.html

If Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are must see's, visit. If you know the exact date you want to visit, it's wise to reserve in advance, as Neuschwanstein does get crowded.

www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/admiss.htm

Paul

Although the "palaces" of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee were built by Ludwig in the latter part of the 19th century, Hohenschwangau was reconstructed from an earlier fortress by Ludwig's father in the first half of the century, and Lugwig grew up in that castle/palace.

There are only two authentic castles, Burg Eltz and the Marksburg, on the Mosel and Rhein. The rest are all reconstructions on the site of former castles, or ruins of real castles (or fortresses), like Rheinfels.

If you want to see real castles, you don't have to go to the Rhein; you can make day trips from Munich. Burg Burghausen is an authentic castle and is readily accessible (2 hrs) by train from Munich. Harburg castle is a little less accessible by train (it's a 1 km walk from the train station into town and then a short, steep trail up to the castle, but I did it in 2007).

Thanks everybody! Very helpful. I am researching all the info you shared.

- We are leaving this Wednesday!!
- We do have a separate car rented for The Ring from http://www.rent4ring.de/.

- We have booked our Eagle's Nest tour through http://www.eagles-nest-tours.com/

Thanks Again!