It's our first anniversary and my husband's never been to Europe-so I want to make this great! He doesn't relish the idea of being a car the whole time but I want to try and get a lot in. We leave our work portion of the trip (Bonn) around noon on a Thursday, then head out by car down Rhine, stopping briefly along the way, then east toward Rothenburg. (can I make it Rothenburg in time to overnight there? Not sure how long we'll spend if we just stop in Bacharach/St. Goar and then drive straight to Rothenburg..?) That would mean Friday we drive romantic road. Is it pushing it to try and drive the entire romantic road in a day? (starting at Rothenburg and spending the night in Fussen or somewhere in that area.)
i was thinking Friday - romantic road, Saturday see castles or Zugspitze/linderhoff and then drive back to Munich to spend the night there. Then Sunday a day trip by train to Salzburg and return Munich. Then Monday all day touring Munich.
We depart Munich airport on a Tuesday.
Just writing it out I'm getting tired. Any advice what to cut out or how to make it better?
Posted by
Austin
203 posts
If I were planning your trip, I would suggest spending the Thursday night in St. Goar or Bacharach and exploring a castle. You're practically newlyweds; find a quaint hotel and have a romantic dinner with lots of wine. (Our group has been married 30+ years, and that's what we did!) I would get up and drive to Rothenburg and look around. Trying to see the whole Romantic Road sounds stressful; I would just pick one city (Rothenburg). On my trip we spent 1/2 day exploring a small geographic area near the Rhine: not ambitious, but fun nevertheless.
Perhaps I would drive on to Fussen and spend Friday night there. On Saturday I would see a bit of Bavarian scenery and then drive to Munich, arriving in the late afternoon. I would spend Saturday night at a beer hall. There's plenty to do in Munich, or you could take a 1/2 day trip to Dachau. Your choice. This gives you 2 1/2 days in Munich. If you don't feel like going to Dachau, take the Third Reich Walking tour in Munich. Have fun!
Posted by
Austin
203 posts
Several weeks ago I spent four nights in Europe after my husband's business trip to Cologne (not far from Bonn), and we didn't get further than Rüdesheim on the Rhine. The couple we traveled with had never done "back door" traveling before; they had such a good time that they want to go back to the Rhine next year...I think your trip is pretty ambitious which might be perfectly OK. However, think about what your husband likes to do. If he likes to explore castles, consider spending the night in St. Goar and spend some time at the castle. There might also be time for a short Rhine trip. Just driving on the Romantic Road and not having time to explore any towns doesn't sound too great to me. Keep in mind that finding your way in and out of a town, finding a place to eat, and figuring out where to park can all be somewhat stressful. If your husband likes technology, don't miss the Deutsche Museum in Munich. What to cut?--I would suggest saving Salzburg for next time.
Posted by
OP
Silver Spring, MD, USA
2 posts
Thanks very much! My husband just reiterated his dislike for the "box-checking" blitz trips.. so if we cut-out Salzburg, how would you reorgonize it? Leave it as is and leave two days for Munich (maybe one half day for Dachau?) OR would you advise us to take more time and overnight somewhere in between Rhine area and Rothenburg, then spend Friday day heading down the Romantic road and just stop-over in Rothenburg (i keep reading to stay the night and see this Night Watchman's tour!) We'll be there in two weeks by the way.
Also, any advice on where to stay the night in Garmisch/Fussen area. I think we may have to decide which thing to see Zugspitze/Linderhoff or the Ludwigs castles - also Rick writes about Ruette- is that somewhere I should look into considering my itinerary? Maybe a good less touristy place to spend the night?
Thanks again, I can't tell you how much time I've spent mulling this over!
Posted by
White Bear Lake, MN, USA
479 posts
Stephanie, I'm about the only one on this forum that doesn't mind the Blitzreise. And I think you're trying to pack in too much. I wouldn't go any further than Rothenburg in that amount of time. Spend at least 2 nights in Bacharach and see Burg Eltz. Then spend the rest of your nights in Rothenburg.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
If your objective is to put decals on your suitcases and impress friends as to what world travelers you are, the trip sounds perfect. However, it you actually want to see something, it's all wrong. What are you going to do, wave at things as you go by? I have done everything you are proposing, but spent a lot more time enjoying it.
There is plenty to see on the middle Rhein alone. Go there and fly out of Frankfurt. I spent half a day in St. Goar, 70 min on the boat to Bacharach, several hours there, also another half day in Braubach and in Koblenz. All worth seeing, and I never got to Mainz, Rüdesheim, Burg Eltz, or the Mosel.
Rothenburg is worth at least a day. The Romantic Road is just a road, two lane, clogged with truck and farm traffic; you will spend all day traveling it and see very little.
Munich is worth far more than one day.
Take my advice - go for quality, not quantity. You can't see everything; don't try.