Early Spring Travel to Germany/Switzerland/Austria/France

Hi Tami,

A few questions to make helping you easier:

Where are you flying into and out of?
What do you want to see along the RR? The RR isn't romantic, it's just a road. Some of the towns along it are very nice, but not the road itself.
Your post says Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France... the Dolomites are in Italy. Just the ones that you mention are a lot (impossible?) to cover in the time you have. If you could be a bit more specific it would help.

Paul

My daughter lives near Kaiserslautern, in Germany, which appears to be about an hour from Rothenburg, so here goes, in no particular order, but should give you an idea of what we are trying to see: Rothenburg, Romantic Road to Fussen, Lindau & Lake Constance, Zugspitze, Hallstatt, Gimmelwald(unless you just can't do it that time of year), Olang Valey (Dolomites,Italy) Switzerland (not sure where) and France. We aren't big on seeing the major cities, more wanting to experience the culture. We have friends in France (Dijon) who want us to stay for a few days, then parents of an exchange student who lived with us 2 years ago who live near Bern, Switzerland, who would like us to stay a couple of days. My daughter au pairs for an American/British Family in Germany, so we are appreciative of a few places to stay. We wondered about making a big circle (through the Black Forest then over to France, then to Switzerland, down to Italy, then Austria, and back into Germany. My daughter really wants to see Tuscany, and my husband would love a day or two in Rome, but I haven't figured out the mileage and we don't want to be so hurried that we need a vacation when we're done! From Steve's Book (Europe through the back door)it sounded like we could find B&B's when needed. We host different countries in our home every year for a major dance festival in our area, so love the experience of getting to know people. If we had more time, we'd see friends from Belgium and Slovakia too! I hope this gives you an idea of where and what we are looking for. Thanks for taking your time to help!

Thanks for responding! I can't believe how hard it is to estimate how much time is needed to see all of these places we're interested in! I'm sure we can't see it all, but we would appreciate any insight. We aren't the kind of people who need to see all of the museums, churches, etc. We love the outdoors and the thought of stopping in small towns to meet people and stay in B&B is very appealing. I can go on mapquest and it all seems relatively close. The RR just seemed like a great way to get to Austria from where my daughter lives (or down through the Black Forest) to Dijon. Our friends there want to show us the local sights, then we were going to head to Switzerland to stay with more friends near Bern. After that, we are footloose and fancy free! We fly in and out of Frankfurt.

As the previous poster stated, the Romantic Road is somewhat of a misnomer: actually it is a highway built upon an ancient Roman trade route which was heavily traveled, especially during the Middle Ages. I believe the modern name was actually coined by travel agents or promoters, if I am not mistaken.
While it IS dotted with lovely medieval villages (like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Würzburg and the like, and DOES lead by Neuschwanstein, there are long stretches of Blahhhh in between.
I would NOT recommend it as a ''scenic drive'', but rather pick a few of those lovely towns along it, as destinations, no matter from what direction you get there.

Don't bother going all the way to Gimmelwald at that time of year. You may hit the tail end of the ski season, but more likely, the locals will be in the pastures working the cattle, and all the businesses will be closed. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect weather to provide any hinderances at that time of year.

Echoing others, come up with a solid list of destinations and perhaps we can advise you on the feasability. I think your overall plan might be overly ambitious for the time you allotted.

Oh, and about the Romantic Road... it IS scenic, it just isn't any more scenic than several other roads in that area of Germany (well, except for the view of Neuschwanstein at the end). Travel it only if you have a specific interest in some of the towns along the way.

Tami:
If you go to www.viamichelin.com you can get maps and driving directions that include times and distances.

I agree that it is hard to estimate sight-seeing
times. As well as travel time. And we can
NEVER see it all, but we still try, don’t we?

Traveling through and staying in small villages
is always our joy. We stay with families where
we can because it adds such an exciting dimension to travel.

Often we drive around searching for a zimmer.

When we can’t find one we seek a B&B.

I have driven that area in April and don’t
remember any problems with weather conditions.

But you should be prepared for anything.

I always find flying into and out of Frankfurt
best because I believe that auto rental tax is still
lower in Germany.

And I find the terminal there easy to navigate
with the RR station in the basement when I
travel by rail.

I agree too that the Romantic road does not
describe it. People are attracted to the name
without knowing what it is like. It is, after all,
just another undistinguished road.

If you haven’t already rented your car, I can
suggest sixt.com as my favorite. It is a German
agency and has always met my expectations and
made changes for me without additional cost.

Tami,

I don't like to be the "lone voice of dissent" here, but IMHO you're trying to fit too many stops in quite a wide geographical area, into what appears to be a two-week trip. Given that you'll be stopping for "a couple of days" in both France and Switzerland to visit friends, your travel time is actually about 10-days. In addition, with your daugher wanting to "see Tuscany" and your husband wanting to spend a couple of days in Rome, I'm not sure you'll have time to visit everything on your list (however, perhaps someone here knows a way it can be done?).

As you intend to use a rental Car for getting around, there will also need to be adequate allowance for travel times between destinations. Note that if you're going to drive in Italy, an International Driver's Permit is mandatory, and of course there are tolls to consider and the always present spectre of ZTL zone infractions and tickets.

While this Itinerary may be feasible, I believe you WILL need a "vacation from your vacation" if you try to fit all these stops in!

I suspect you'll have to reduce the number of places you want to visit, and limit your trip to cities that are relatively close. As you'll be flying to and from Frankfurt, you'll have to allow time to get back there also.

A rail & drive package might be a better choice for such a short trip? The "fast" trains travel much faster than cars, so are a better option in some cases.

Good luck with your planning!

Tami,

One method you might consider would be to make a list of all the places you want to visit, listing these in priority from most important to least important. With that information, the group here might be able to suggest a good, realistic plan for you.

Just a thought.....