Yet again revised Germany itinerary. .. . .

I've driven through the Black Forest a couple of times, and I didn't have enough time to stay there as a destination. I would prefer to drive south of Munich into the much more beautiful Southern Bavaria and the Austrian Alps.
I feel the same about Bacharach, as we stayed there twice one night coming south from Amsterdam. It's just a quiet little town (except for the train speeding thru) on the bank of the Rhine.

The Mosel Valley is popular, but I now just prefer to stay in a smaller geographical area (closer to Munich) and see the countryside slower and better.

Hi Jill,

Personally, for me that's too much driving and too many short stays for the time frame you have. I don't think you're going to have much time at all to be out and about. You have 6 different stops in 9 nights.

Do you realize how long a drive it is from Munich to Beilstein? It's roughly 6 hours on highways without the Black Forest "detour". We visited Beilstein in Oct. 2007. Very charming, but VERY small and very quiet. The highlight on the Mosel for us was our visit to Burg Eltz. We spent 4 nights across the Mosel from Cochem in Valwig. We loved Cochem and Bernkastel.

While we found Dinkelsbuehl nice, Rothenburg is our favorite in the area, even though it's "touristy", it's terrific.

For a round trip flying into/out of Munich, I agree with visiting the area's to the "south" of Munich. Salzburg/Berchtesagden, Garmisch/ Mittenwald and Fuessen. Other beautiful area's are the Zillertal, the area around Innsbruck, Zell am See and so forth.

Your itinerary would make more sense to me with a flight into Frankfurt and out of Munich or vice versa.

Paul

Agree with the other poster... Munich through through the Schwartzwald to the Mittelrhein/Mosel is an extremely long day of driving. You won't have time to do anything but drive. The direct route between your end destinations passes through some very similar scenery anyway in the Spessart and Rhön mountains.

Both Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg are no doubt attractive, but if I had to choose between the two, I would pick the former. I simply haven't found another town in Germany that features similar a similar architectural style. You can find towns like Rothenburg everywhere in Germany, though.

In 2007 I spent almost an entire day (and night) in Nördlingen. The highlight for me was a walk along the top (Wehrgang) of part of the wall. Reluctantly, I boarded the bus to my next stop, Dinkelsbühl. The wall at Dinkelsbühl does not have a Wehrgang; I guess they planned on defending it from the many towers built into the wall. I found the rest of the town pretty mundane and left after three hours (I had planned for about four hours). So my advice is, stay in Nördlingen. It's kind of like Rothenburg but less touristy, without traps like the Crime and Punishment Museum or the Christmas Shop.

Jill
this is much more manageable. However, still zig-zags. Black Forest is not a destination in itself, and not on the way. If it were me, since you are committed to starting and ending in Munich, is this: Munich-Dinkelsbuhl-Bellstein-Bacharach-Munich with Salzburg via Munich. I would prefer train the whole way as that is a lot of stressful driving, and not particularly scenic for the most part. You wouldn't really have a lot of time to see any of those places in Mosel/Rhine Valley except through windshield. My two cents.

Any thought of how we could do this itinerary and see some of the area south of Munich. Wonder if possible. We do not really want to eliminate the wine region. We are leaning now toward flying home out of Salzburg, eliminating the backtrack to Munich.

Hi Jill,

In my view, Salzburg to Munich (or vice versa) wasn't a real problem. They're only 2 hours apart at the most.

If you could fly into Frankfurt and depart from Munich (or the other way around), it would help some.

Paul

Yes! Paul's suggestion is excellent. I thought you had already made flight reservations to/from Munich.

Just an idea, as we did a similar trip in Oct. 2007, but we had 11 nights:

Fly into Frankfurt and head right to the Rhine or Mosel for 3 nights
Dinkelsbuehl (or Rothenburg) for 2 nights
Salzburg for 3 nights
Munich for your last day/night
Fly home from Munich.

This works in reverse also.

Paul

I agree with others, you have a fairly hectic schedule planned. I have planned several trips to Germany and found flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich not only a time saver but also a money saver in the end. Bacharach is a favorite of ours, that would be a great place to start. Rothenburg is along the way to Munich, I would recommend staying in Rothenburg and take the Romantic Road driving through Dinkelsbuhl for lunch. Munich and Salzburg deserve at least 5 days combined. I wish I could come up with a suggestion for the Black Forest. I have yet to get it worked into my travel plans. But now I have an excuse to go back.

hi Jill,
We did our first trip to Europe/Germany last September. We rented a car and once you got used to it, driving was fine. Roads in excellent condition. We did a similar loop:

2 nights Bacharach,
2 nights Rothenburg,
2 nights Fussen,
1 night Garmisch,
2 nights Kitzbuhel
1 night Salzburg,
3 nights Munich.
Driving stretches were not too long (I don't think over 3 hours) and in some cases we stopped along the way.
Flew into Frankfurt and out of Munich. I think car rental charges nominal fee, like $25, to return at different airport. Didn't stay in Dinkelsbuhel, but made a quick stop very nice.
I wanted to do black forest too, but it really added too much driving time. It was nice where we stayed 2 nights, less hectic. Good luck with your plans. It took me over two years of tweaking to come up with mine.

Thanks Kathy, enjoyed reading your response~ What is there to do in Kitzbuhel? I know skiing, but anything to do when we visit in May?? Thanks again!

The Alps are generally lower yield in May, because the hiking is more restricted and the weather is usually wet. At that time of year, I wouldn't bother with a daytrip to Kitzbühel.... where, coincidentally, I happen to be right now. I only arrived last night, so I haven't seen that much yet, but this place looks very much like a playground for the rich.

We went to Kitzbuhel at the insistence of someone who has helping with our trip plans. Yes Tom I agree with your assessment. Lots of high end shops but we didn't partake. And coincidently it was rainy when we were there in September. We took the lift to the top of the hannekahm which cleared enough at times so we had a great view. Nice restaurant/bar on top to relax in. Pretty town. The drive from Garmish was breathtaking.

I have driven all over the south of Germany and on to Salzburg a few times and it is a relatively easy, and often beautiful drive. I had flown in and out of Frankfurt (using miles) but it makes a lot of sense to fly into Frankfurt and out of Munich. Dropping the car in Salzburg would most likely result in a huge drop fee . Renting and dropping in Germany should be cheaper. I thought the Black Forest area was beautiful but ...it would not be a first choice for me if I had such limited time.
I have stayed in Dinkelsbuhl a few times and really enjoy it...not as touristy as Rothenberg and a lot more reasonable for the rooms. But, if you do stay there don't miss Rothenberg if you are so close....