Germany itinary help

How much time do you have in total? Where are you flying into/out? You could fly into Munich, see the the city and the King Ludwig castles, then take the train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (I guess that's what you were thinking of, spelling is important here as there are many towns with this name and slightly different spelling), then take the train to the Middle Rhine region and see castles there and do a short cruise, then fly back from Frankfurt.

Okay, I wrote my answer before you edited your post with details. This is a busy itinerary for travelling with little kids. I'd try to avoid taking them on a long train trip every day and try to avoid one-night-stays. Considering that your kids are still small I'd add another day to Bacharach to give you time to explore the area and see a couple of castles. Reconsider the night train. It might be fun for the kids - or a nightmare ....
Europa-Park is a bit outside your itinerary this time. Maybe do it as a stop on the way from Munich to Paris?

Your itinerary is already too tight, and Europa Park is out of your way. However, Legoland near Ulm lies along your direct route of travel.

So if we skip the theme park that would give us. Little more time other places. I agree euro park seems out of the way. We did legoland in california so maybe just settle for the zoo inmunich. Is rothenburg ob dre tauber worth it? We don't do museums much since the kids aren't to interested how many days would you allow for Munich. BeaTrix I agree night train would be ad with most kids but our boys can sleep any where. I see your point about our itinary beings little tight. Will hotels get booked up? Could we book as we go at this time of year and that way slow down if we need to?

melissa, I don't think you have time to see both Bacharach and Rothenburg ODT, as the train travel between them will use up a lot of your very short time. Of the two, I'd probably choose Bacharach as that will allow you to take the short trip to St. Goar to see Rheinfels Castle. There's also "somewhat" of a Castle in Bacharach, Burg Stahleck, which is a HI Youth Hostel. It's certainly possible to walk up there and have a look, and perhaps a "cool one" while you're enjoying the magnificent views. You could stay there but might need an HI membership. I'd suggest staying in town as it will be easier to access the trains, restaurants, etc. I'm not a big fan of one night stops, so it would be good to stay two nights in each location if possible (which will allow about 1.5 days for touring). It would help to have some idea where you'll be flying into and starting your trip. I wouldn't bother staying in Füssen, as you can easily visit the Castles as a day trip from Munich, either on your own or with a guided tour. If you go on your own, you'll have to make the reservations for the Castle tour, which are time-specific. If you'd prefer to take a guided tour, have a look at the website for Radius Tours. Happy travels!

Thanks so much for all the replays. This is so helpful. We are thinking the same thing about rothenburg. It would add a lot of train time which is the partthkids don't like. We are taking the night flight from Qatar and arrive in frankfurt at 7 am

melissa, Thanks for the additional information, that helps. It's very easy to get from Frankfurt to Bacharach, as there are two rail stations right at the airport. You'll likely be using the Regionalbahnhof rather than the Fernbahnhof. You'll probably have to deal with one train change in Bingen, which could be only about five minutes so you'll need to be quick! The station in Bacharach is very small and it's not staffed, so you may not even realize when you arrive there. Keep track of your time and be ready to disembark at the appointed time. Have you booked a hotel yet? You can check all the rail details using the www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml website. Cheers!

Thanks that helps. Haven't booked anything but plane tickets yet. Still in the planning phase.

If we skip rothenburg and go directly from Bacharach to Munich can you recommend any stop along the way to break up the train ride.

Because you mentioned a zoo, I'll just note two that are close to Frankfurt, where you fly in. Opel Zoo by Köngistein im Taunus, and the Frankfurt Zoo. Both are pretty good.

Does this plan sound better.. Oct 10 and 11 Bacharach Train to Munich with a stop at the stuTtgart beer festival Oct 12-16 stay in Munich Oct 16 night train to Paris Day trip from Munich -fussen
-possibly salZburg

"Train to Munich with a stop at the stuTtgart beer festival" I assume you mean the Cannstatter Volksfest? That's a good choice for a family with young kids, although you're looking at a pretty long day if you try to fit that in while transiting between Bacharach and Munich. About 2.5 hours to Bad Cannstatt, then 2.5 hours to Munich. But if you're up for it, why not? I actually like the Cannstatter Volksfest far better than Oktoberfest. It attacts a lot of people, but it isn't as jam-packed as Oktoberfest can be. Plus, because it isn't nearly as well known internationally, it doesn't attact all the loud, obnoxious frat boy types that infest Oktoberfest.

melissa, That looks much better. I wasn't clear which day you were taking the train to Munich? The bahn.de website that I linked above will allow you to plan your rail journeys. Trips with the fewest changes will probably be easier for your children. If you need to buy rail tickets in Munich (ie: Munich to Paris), I'd recommend using EurAide. Their office is in the DB Reisezentrum (travel center), in the Munich Hauptbahnhof, or Central Railway Station - counter 1. Cheers!

Hi, I'll comment on the night train on 16 Oct from Munich to Paris... Good that your boys can sleep anywhere. Much easier for them on the CNL night train. I've taken that route (Paris Est-Munich Hbf) on the CNL. It gives you a whole day in Paris once you arrive in the morning.