Suggestions of things to do in/around Salzburg, Rothenburg, Cologne

If you love beer - you absolutely have to have kolsch in Koln. Since you are there for a work event you probably won't be able to avoid it. But drinking a kolsch at an outdoor cafe with a view of the cathedral is one of my favorite memories from one of my trips to Europe in 1988.

I returned in 2014 and it was just as great as I remember. And the waiters just keep bringing you these little beers until you say no. Its a Koln tradition to buy a round for the bar or for your friends and since its so cheap its a nice way to get German people to say Prost!

I love German pilsners but wherever I have gone in Germany I just ask for the local brew - you can't miss. You might ask if there is a brewery tour - the smaller ones sometimes offer that and its a great way to get to know the beer and the area.

I do love kolsch and can't wait to try this in Koln. Have you seen the Anthony Bourdain episode where he is there? I do love pilsener as well as Weiss beers (really enjoyed those in Nurnberg. Super excited for all the beers!

Wurzberg is definitely worth the short drive from Rothenburg. If you leave early in the morning and return late in the afternoon you should have plenty of time to see the Residence, St. Kilian's Dom, and the fortress. If time is tight, skip the fortress. The view of the fortress from the town is better than the view of the town from the fortress. At the Residence, be sure and check out the chapel on one end -- outstanding place but very easy to miss if you're not looking for it. If you are there on market day on the square be sure to try a Wurzberger Wurst on a Brochen from a street vendor -- my mouth waters thinking about it. Since your son and husband are serious history buffs, they might want to check out a site called thirdreichtruins.com. It has many photos of the places you mentioned at the end of WW II and how the same places look today.

We absolutely loved Rothenberg and wished we had more time to spend exploring it. Definitely take the Nightwatchman's Tour...really a great experience with great stories! My 13 y.o. daughters really enjoyed it! But dress warmly as it will be cold at night. You will want to spend time wandering through the Christmas Market checking out the stalls and eating sausages and drinking Gluwein! The huge Christmas Store can take some time to get through as well (Kathi Wohlfarts). You can also tour the old fortification wall that still surrounds the town. In my opinion you will not be at a loss for things to do there. We stayed at the Hotel Klosterstüble, wonderful place and a great location.

"Have decided to rent a car, as this will be about 1/3 the cost of train passes for the 3 of us (my husband, my 14 year old son, and myself)."

If cost is your real concern, compare the car not to rail passes but to the other less expensive options that German families would use. A rail pass for a 14-year-old is not free. But your son will travel for free when accompanied by a parent on a regular DB ticket. And regional day passes are a bargain.

Salzburg-Rothenburg costs E28 for your family on a BAYERN TICKET day pass. Buy at the station.

Rothenburg-Cologne: Full price for your family is E162 via the scenic Rhine Valley or E216 on the more direct route. But don't pay that. Buy a saver fare ticket in advance for as little as E48 total.

That covers your major travel legs. Your day trips (Wuerzburg, Berchtesgaden) won't cost you more than two Bayern Tickets.

When I add up those fares I get E132 total for 2 major travel legs and 2 day trips. (Perhaps you'll have to pay more for the saver fare to Cologne if the E48 is gone. But even if it costs you E100, your total is E184 by train.)

Rail passes by comparison would cost E529 minimum. No wonder the car looks like a bargain. But gas alone will approach E90 (about half my high estimate of the train) on top of which you'll have rental fees, parking fees, vignette fees for Austria, insurance premiums, and other potential costs (you would not be the first to get a ticket or to be charged insurance deductibles for door dings or scratches.)

None of this means you shouldn't rent a car - do so if that's what you want - but riding the rails will cost less.

Rothenburg: If you are interested in the history of art you should not miss the Herrgottskirche in Creglingen, ca. 20 km NW of Rothenburg, which hosts one of the best works of Tilman Riemenschneider, St Mary's altar in the Herrgottskirche (1 km south of the village):
http://www.herrgottskirche.de/index.php/en/survey/virgin-marys-altar

In Rothenburg you certainly will see the Riemenschneider altar in St. Jakob and probably his crucifixation in St. Peter and Paul of Dettwang below Rothenburg, too. I'm sure you will find the Creglingen altar far superior to those. If you have a car, you can visit Creglingen on your way to Würzburg (the visit of which i'd suggest, too). It will take ca. 30 min longer, since you have to follow a local route to Weikersheim first (which deserves a visit itself, cf. http://www.schloss-weikersheim.de/start/), from where you will switch to the B 19 for the last 40 or so kms.

Inside Salzburg I would heartily recommend 2 specific venues we enjoyed:

The Augustiner Braüstübl - excellent beer and a grand selection of food. if you are lucky enough to visit before 'tourist season' is in full swing it is a real joy. If not it's still fun :-)

A 'Mozart' dinner at St. Peter's church - local musicians performing music from Mozart Operas up close and personal in a banquet room inside the church. The musicians / vocalists were very good and the dinner was actually good as well. If you get there early enough to sit in the second or third row of tables you might get an opera singer in your lap...sorry for the poor quality picture - I assumed we wouldn't be able to bring full size cameras and had to use my phone. The truth is you can take all the video or pictures you want...sigh.

A hour(?) west of Salzburg you have Herrenchiemsee - Ludwig II's mini-version of Versailles on Chiemsee.

Loved Salzburg - Have fun!

On the way from Rothenburg to Würzburg I wold strongly recommend a stop in Creglingen visiting the Herrgottskirche with the Marienaltar by Tilman Riemschneider, one of his master pieces and perhaps the most important pieces of wood cutting art from the 16th cewntury: http://www.vix-architekten.de/uploads/pics/P1000495.JPG

In Würzburg don't forget to visit the "Residenz" with the big staircase and the fresco by Tiepolo and also the museum at the Marienburg which has an important Tilman Riemenschneider collection.