Visit the Black forest while driving from Munich to Lauterbrunnen

Visiting the Black Forest is a big detour off the direct route between Munich and Lauterbrunnen. And you'll need a big van for that crew and their luggage. Maybe 2 cars? Be sure to get Swiss vignette(s) when you get to the Swiss border.
It is over a 5 hour drive by the shortest route, so I doubt you have time for such a detour.

I agree with the previous reply...... visiting the Black Forest is a considerable detour from Munich to Lauterbrunnen. Have you got a specific location in the Black Forest in mind? You'll probably find it easier and more enjoyable to travel that route by train, especially with a large group.

Also as previously mentioned, don't forget to buy the Swiss highway tax vignette as soon as you enter Switzerland..... hefty fines on the spot if you're caught without it. I believe there will also be tolls on that route.

Very valid points. Guess I figured it would be quickest to drive and it looked like Baden-Baden was only 3 hours away but I'm not sure where specifically we would stop in that area. Any other recommended stops or would you suggest just taking the train?

I guess that brings up the question, what were you planning on doing with the car to begin with? Turning it in in Switzerland? Returning to Germany? what is your over all planned itinerary?

Spend three nights in laurernrunnen (definitely hike, check out the waterfalls, and do a luge slide) before driving to menaggio for two nights, and then returning the car in Milan at the airport.

It would be very expensive to rent a car in Germany and turn it in in Italy. The car (van really) cannot be rented in Italy with German license plates, so it will have to be transported back to Germany. You will have to pay the cost of that, as well as loss of rental income while this operation takes place. You will also need to buy a Swiss vignette when you enter Switzerland, but that is only 40 CHF, so it is minor.

Long and short, get a real estimate to rent the proper sized vehicle in Germany and drop it in Italy. Since this is planned for next year, you have plenty of time to come up with an alternate plan if this one turns out to be impractical.

You might think about dropping Germany all together. Fly in and out of Milan. Drive to Lauterbrunnen, then to Menaggio, then back to Milan airport. Or you could drive from Lauterbrunnen to the Black Forest, then to Menaggio.

I'm going to go out on a little limb here and suggest that in the forest itself in the Black Forest is nothing particularly special if you have been to North American forests. Mostly mixed pine and deciduous of middling size and appearance. The towns and culture though are pretty cool.

If you just want to gaze upon some striking nature, then just go to Switzerland. The landscapes there are mind blowing.

Just passing through the Black Forrest "to have a look" is not really worth it. Skip it, or stay there for at least a day.

But Munich to Lauterbrunnen is trivially easy by train, and very good value when booked in advance. In the Lauterbrunnen valley you do not need a car as most ofl the interesting spots are not accessible by car anyway. It is a place for people not afraid to walk a bit.

Then continue to Italy and maybe rent a car there.

As others have said, skip the Black Forest. It’s out of the way. Instead of a very pricey car rental to go places you don’t need one every place you mentioned can be reached easily by train. Traveling by car with that many people would be a headache. Is there a specific reason for Mennagio? Varenna is opposite on the lake from Mennagio and an easy train ride to Milan. You can take ferries from either town.

Alecia,

A few more thoughts......

If you really want to have a short look at the Black Forest and have the time to spare, you could travel by train from Munich to (for example) Baden Baden. It's beautiful smaller city and has sights such as the famous Casino and the Baths. Note that if you did travel there by car, you can't drive right into the city (there are bollards blocking the roads). You'd have to park outside of the town (and probably pay parking), and then take a taxi to your hotel (taxis can bypass the bollards). While there you could enjoy the decadent Black Forest cake. After your visit there, travel to Lauterbrunnen.

Well planned rail journeys would (IMO) be a better option for a large group. That way you wouldn't have to worry about renting a larger vehicle or two smaller ones, insurance costs, Vignettes, Tolls, drop-off fees or parking. Use the Bahn.de website for rail planning. There will undoubtedly be a few changes on the trip, but if each person handles their own luggage, that shouldn't be a problem. If you need more information on the rail options for that trip, I'm sure the group here would be able to help.

gute Reise!

If you really, really want to visit the Black Forest it can be done but it’s gonna be a long, long day. You could rent a car in Munich and drive for instance to Triberg (right in the middle of the Black Forest). Triberg is well known for the typical cuckoo clock and has waterfalls . Then you could drive to Freiburg im Breisgau. Turn in your rental car and take the ICE train to Interlaken and then on to Lauterbrunnen. But to be honest: either skip the Black Forest or spend a night there.

Thank you all for the great advice! I kept using the website Rome2Rio for train routes and for whatever reason, it didn’t show direct routes from Munich to Zurich so I thought a 6.5 hour train ride would take 9 hours instead. That being said, I did find a company with private drivers that also had optional stops along the way which seemed cool. Anyone ever use my day trip before?

We were thinking menaggio over varenna just because it’s closer to lauterbrunnen. We stayed in varenna last year and loved it but thought it would be cool to check out another town. All that said, lauterbrunnen to lake como seems like a hassle via train. Maybe we will just rent a car for that portion of the trip. I’ve heard driving in that region around lake como is amazing. Thoughts?

if you are on a boat on Lake Como you can see the villages, towns and villas from the deck.

If you are in the car you see walls, fences, shrubs and trees, and the occasional shop or business. The road goes right through Varenna.

That's based on personal experience of driving the east side of the lake as far north as just beyond Varenna, ferry across to the west side, and drive to Lugano. Also several boats up and down the lake (most of it, several times).

beware beware of Rome2Rio for anything more than an overview...

Renting a car in Switzerland and returning it in Italy will cost a large surcharge. Only you can decide if it’s worth it.

Well planned rail journeys would (IMO) be a better option for a large group.

I agree with Ken. In fact, I would go farther and say that well planned rail journeys are a better option for any size group in Europe.

I remember, when I was in college, and read "Amerika", by Franz Kafka. Kafka had never been in America, so he imagined it being just like Europe (he had no other frame of reference), except on a grander scale. Hotels in America were just like European hotels except they were larger, had more elevators and more bellmen. In the same way, I think many Americans think that Europe is just like America, except on a smaller scale.

Americans don't seem to realize that, when you are in Europe, you don't have to travel like we do in the U.S. Here almost the only way to get to where you want to go is to use a car. In Europe, particularly in Germany, with trains (or buses) you can get to almost anywhere you want to go.

Whereas Amtrak lists about 500 stations they serve for the entire United States, German Rail, in less than 4% of the area of Europe, has almost 4700 stations. That's 1600 station for every 100 sq km in Germany vs 5 per 100 sq km in the US.

Where I don't agree with Ken is his advice to see Baden-Baden. Baden-Baden and Freiburg, to me, are not the essence of the Black Forest. I remember the first day, in 2000, that I stepped off the train in the small BF town of Alpirsbach. I looked out at the steep, heavily forested hills around the town and thought it must be one of the most beautiful place on earth (and I live in Colorado). Since then, I've spent almost 4 weeks of nights in towns in the interior of the northern BF (Bad Herrenalb, Freudenstadt, Bad Wildbad) and loved it. I've never been in Gengenbach, but I've been in similar towns. If you haven't experienced small town BF, you haven't really appreciated the area.