Day trip to Salzburg OR Rothenburg from Munich?

Having been to both I would go with Salzburg.

Both are beautiful places to me. Both have substantial histories, Rothenburg being a major trading center around 1400. Salzburg is much closer, so I would go that way. BTW, both are also flooded with tourists. Do not count on Salzburg Altstadt being less crowded. It is a beautiful town with a mob scene.

Rothenburg o.d.T. is an attractive town, but not nearly as unique as it is often touted... except for all the trinket stores. See it if it lies along your route, skip it if you have to go out of your way. I actually think nearby Dinkelsbühl is far more unique. I haven't seen another town in Germany where the houses have such a striking painting scheme. Salzburg, on the other hand? Yes, I would go out of my way to visit.

Seconding Salzburg. It's a very easy day trip from Munich, I've done this myself twice.

Hi Shivani, Ready for another Salzburg vote? Loved our visit to Rothenburg, but if I were choosing just one to see, it's Salzburg, no question. Paul

At this point, I assume you're going to Salzburg- the responses seem pretty overwhelming. We haven't been to Rothenburg, but loved Salzburg. The city-walk in Rick's book is awesome, one of our great memories from that trip. There's a restaurant that he mentions in his book that we visited for a drink and loved- St. Paul's Stub'n Beer Garden. It was hard to find, but we had a great time sipping a beer on their covered patio. For dinner we went to Stifskeller St Peter, which was one of the better meals we had in Austria. Interestingly, it's 1,000 years old- but the food is fresh, don't worry! Enjoy!

I've been to both multiple times and I would strongly recommend Salzburg. Not only is it closer, but you can get there by Autobahn faster. On the way, if you have time, stop by Herrenchiemsee. It's one of Mad Louie's castles, built as a copy of Versailles.

Wow, thank you all so much for the quick response and tips... Salzburg it is! So much so that we want to spend more time there:) Just a quick secondary question - u can't stop n park the car on the autobahn right ? Or can u? Cos we may decide to rent a car finally- what route wud be best?
Thanks

Salzburg will fill a day without other stops. If you are just going there and back, it is easier to take the train. It is 2 hours each way on Regional trains. You can use a single Bayern ticket at 29 euros for up to 5 people.

"u can't stop n park the car on the autobahn right ? Or can u?" I'm not sure exactly what this question means. There are plenty of rest stops along the autobahn network. The rest stops could be as simple as a few picnic tables all the way to a full-service stop with petrol stations, restaurants, shops and even a hotel. I'm pretty certain you're not supposed to park along the road itself unless you're having mechanical problems with the car. And it this situation, you're supposed to place a reflector triangle behind the car to warn on-coming traffic.

No no, what I meant was can u stop on the autobahn to take pictures on the way if u like- when u pass by lake Chiemsee etc.. Cos it's an expressway, so can u stop for pictures etc? Or is it just better to take the train?