Can you help with our Germany/Prague/Austria itinerary?

Triberg is really out of the way! But I think they have the world's largest cuckoo clock! Michelin (http://www.viamichelin.com) says it's 157 miles with 56 miles on autobahns and estimated travel time of 3 ½ hours – but you've got lots of places on 2 lane roads where you could get stuck behind slow traffic. From Fussen you need to work your way west to the Black Forest. The suggested route goes across southern Bavaria to Lake Constance (Bodensee) and then up into Baden. You might also go north from Fussen/ Markoberdorf/ Kaufbeuren/ Mindelheim then work your way west. Mindelheim is not far from Landsberg am Lech, which I think is on the RR. All of these routes are through very beautiful countryside and lots of nice smaller towns. (And there are many more travel routes in addition to the RR. Contact German National Tourism for details/maps.) Could you cut out going further north to Wurzberg, or after Triberg do Wurzberg? Relatively speaking, Wurzberg is pretty close to Frankfurt.
Last but not least, north of Mindelheinm is a place called Gunzberg where there is a "Legoland" near-by. Stayed in a Gunzberg once and at the hotel every single family was going there!

Triberg is out of the way but my husband's parents were married there so he really wants to go. I am just trying to figure out at which point we should start heading west. If it is beautiful countryside we don't mind the drive. Some friends did the rr so they recommended it. We want to see Fussen, Augsburg (my grandparents were born here) and Rothenburg. We are open to other routes as well. Would this work? Munich-Augsburg-spend night Augsburg-Fussen- spend night Fussen-Triberg spend night
Triberg-Rotherburg Thank you for the tips!

I would suggest that if Triberg is non-negotiable, then change your overall route moving towards Frankfurt. The Romantic Road is pleasant enough (a little overrated for all the attentin it gets, if you ask me), but it's hardly the only worthwhile way to link Southern Bavaria with Frankfurt and the Mittelrhein area. I like the idea of heading west by way of the Bodensee, then heading northwest through southern Swabia and into the Black Forest. Unlike the Romantic Road, which links together scenic towns but isn't particularly scenic to drive, this would offer you some good vistas along the way. If Augsburg is also non-negotiable, you can visit there easily enough from Munich.

I'd like to second Tom's suggestion. Makes way more sense. I would personally consider taking a day away from Salzburg and adding it to Vienna or maybe Berlin.

Thank you for your suggestions Tom and Sarah!! I think we are going to save Vienna, Prague and Dresden for another trip. We will be taking your route to Triberg and then head to Frankfurt from there. We are really looking forward to it!!

Since we are saving Dresden for next time, can anyone suggest a good place to sleep in between Berlin and Rothenburg? It looks to be a 5 hour drive and we would love to have a stopping point if it gets to be too long of a day.

I agree that Quedlinburg is a great visit, but maybe not so interesting for little kids. If it's warm weather, you might find a better balance of adult/kid attractions in Leipzig or Weimar. Erfurt is really pretty, if maybe not quite as authentic as Quedlinburg-but the street paving is easier (?) for little feet. Don't miss the oldest standing synagogue in Europe, nicely restored as a museum. Just outside Erfurt is the huge (fair-weather) EGApark garden (admission charge), where they could work off a lot of energy while you enjoy acres and acres of gardens. On the other hand, they aren't ready for Buchenwald, beside Weimar ... ... Dessau has the superb UNESCO Woerlitz gardens, with rowboats and vast amounts of space. Nice, informal outdoor restaurants nearby. I haven't been to Bayreuth, but we liked Eisenach. If you post again, please include your revised route, I had some trouble assembling it myself.

Hi Anna: You asked about a place to stay between Berlin and Rothenburg. I don't know the time of year you plan on being in Germany but my wife and I seldom make reservations and we have never had a problem finding a room. This depends on the time of year you plan on going as July and August will be busier. I know you have 2 small children but they will be easier to sleep than four teenagers which we have done. Without a reservations you may feel vulnerable but it gives you great flexibility in return. The secret is to start looking for a room early enough so that you aren't caught looking for some place late in the day when everyone is exhausted. IF you don't require four and five star hotels, and we don't, you will find lots of places so just head out towards Rothenburg and see how things go knowing you will find some place, somewhere.

"can anyone suggest a good place to sleep in between Berlin and Rothenburg?" How about a great substitute for Rothenburg altogether? Quedlinburg and/or Wernigerode at the foot of the Hartz mountains. Quedlinburg even has a night watchman's tour (although I think it might be only in German and Dutch).

Thank you for the tips. Rothenburg is pretty high on our list of places to see so I don't think we want to skip it. It does stress me out to not have reservations but for that day it might be a good idea. This is the plan we are currently playing with 5 nights in Berlin Drive towards Rothenburg hoping to spend time in Nuremberg on the way 2 nights in Rothenburg doing a day trip to Wurburg Spend day in Augsburg then drive to Munich 4 nights in Munich with day trip to Dachau and Nuremberg if it doesn't happen on the way to Rothenburg 3 nights in Salzburg day trip to Eagles Nest 2 nights in Hallstatt visiting Mondsee and St Wolfgang Drive to Fussen possibly taking the "Alpine Road" 1 or 2 nights in Fussen Drive to Triberg taking the route Tom suggested 1 night in Triberg 2 nights in Black Forrest possibly Baden Baden. Day trip to Strasbourg Drive to Frankfurt stopping in Speyer and Heidelberg
3 nights in Frankfurt with a day trip for a Rhine cruise We still have flexibility to add 2 days if needed