Germany Itinerary so Far

Hi Wendy! For a first trip, this isn't a bad start. From my perspective and based on my experiences - those day trips are the ones that you might want to scale out. And what I mean is that when I was in Rothenburg, I had the best of intentions of heading to Nurmberg for an afternoon - but I found that all I really wanted was to wander around Rothenburg some more and spend some time hanging in a beer garden or taking in the beautiful scenery (not rushing off to another town). But you may have youth and unbounded energy on your side.

May I suggest:
Berlin - 4 nights

Dresden - 2 nights

Munich - 4 nights (day trips to Fussen and Dachau are both easy to do from here)

Rothenburg - 2 nights

Rhine - 3 nights

Fly home from Frankfurt

Hi Amy,
Thanks for the suggestions. We really want to see Bavaria. But are trying to stay away from Munich because of Oktoberfest. Any other suggestions on where to stay around there?

Do you think we need to spend more time in Rothenberg? I was thinking on the day we we leave Rothenburg if we left later in the day we would have enough time to see the town.

You know Wendy, you don't have to go to Munich. You can visit all these other towns and cities in Bavaria instead. Perhaps Würzburg or even pop down to Salzburg. Bavaria is filled with beautiful places, as is almost anywhere you go in Germany.

Instead of going to Dachau which would mean staying in or very near Munich, spend an extra day in Berlin and go to Sachsenhausen and Ravensbruck. Both Dachau and Sachsenshausen are very similar to each other. Ravensbruch is a bit different as this is where the women were held.

While in Berlin, I would definitely plan on a day in Potsdam, as the palace - Sans Soucci, is so very pretty as is the entire huge park that it is sitting in. The town itself is interesting too.

Sept. along the Rhine is fun and beautiful as many of the towns have wine festivals. Frankfurt even has a nice one that lasts two weeks and presents 600 wines from 30 vinyards. It is located right near the Alte Oper, one of the worlds prettiest opera houses.

Thanks Jo for your response.
Where would you suggest staying in Bavaria that we could do day trips from? I would like to spend a few nights or more.
We are trying to plan making a city/town a home base for a few days and doing day trips to what we want to see.

Avoiding Oktoberfest....understandable, but if you change your mind - join me for a beer. I will be there!

I think Jo's suggestion of substituting Salzburg is an excellent one. I have not been there, but I have only seen/read people rave about it.

As for Rothenburg, I would plan on two nights. I like to schedule a little downtime in my trips - and I think Rothenburg fits that need. You arrive on day 1 and get settled in just in time to get the lay of the town, eat dinner and get to the Watchman's tour. Day two you can spend Walking the fortified walls, taking pics of the landscape, going to the Christmas Stores, hiking to the top of the tower and going to the Crime and Punishment museum. Ending your day in a beer garden with a good german sausage dinner. By the way, I found the Crime and Punishment museum absolutely facinating. I think I spent 2 hours in there even though it is a small museum.

In lieu of spending a night in Fussen/Reutte - I might suggest you look into Innsbruck/Hall. Maybe read up on these, but my impression is that Innsbruck/Hall might be more enjoyable and you can day trip to see King Ludwig's castle.

Soooo, how about:

Berlin - 4 nights

Rhein - 3 nights

Rothenburg - 2 nights

Insbruck/Hall - 3 nights

Salzburg - 3 nights

Fly home from Munich (you can likely take a train directly to the airport from Salzburg and avoid the city all together - just a guess though)

Wendy,

If you want to see the castles, they are worth it, stay in Fussen. We stayed at Suzanne's B & B in Rick Steve's book and loved it. Town is fun, beautiful area and wish we would have been there longer.

Wendy - As for Rothenburg, I think two nights is plenty. I did it exactly as Amy has suggested and it was plenty of time to see the town and enjoy it. And the Night Watchman's tour is so much fun! If you do consider Salzburg I think you would enjoy it too. I went there as a day trip from Munich and I wish I had more time to spend there. Have a great trip!