Hallstatt to Reutte to Schwarzwald

Hi Meg, Basically, your overall route goes from east to west. Going south from Hallstatt to Reutte? You'd basically be going west. By saying you want to include Trier on this trip, do you mean Trier, Germany, which is on the Mosel? Sorry, your plan isn't too clear to me as to your routing. Where are you departing from... Munich, Frankfurt? Paul

Sorry for the confusion...we are making a loop starting in Munich with the furthest point east being Hallstatt. We have specific places we want to see and so my question is more about the value of side trips and scenic routes for the time we have. For side trips, Leichtenstein takes us further south than we need to go. So I am wondering if other travellers have found the attractions there worthwhile. For scenic routes, I know traveling back roads will take more time than backtracking or bee-lining it to the autobahns but would imagine the drive through the mountains of Austria will offer spectacular views (thinking of going south of Hallstatt to Innsbruck and then up to Reutte) rather than going back through Salzburg and taking the autobahns back towards Reutte from the north. I threw in the part about Trier to say we've got two weeks but we are not staying solely in Bavaria. Thanks for your speedy reply. I hope this clarifies a bit!

If you're willing to drive through the country side, here's a few ways to go.....
From Hallstatt you can hop on the A10, to 311 to 165 to 169 onto the A12. From there you head up through Imst to Reutte. This is extremely scenic, although slow going as the road is smaller and you can get stuck behind a tour bus or tractor. From Reutte, head back south through Imst then west on the A12/E60 to Liechtenstein. You can get a passport stamp there for 2Euro, that's always fun to have. Stop there for lunch, just to say you've been there. This is scenic as well, but a little hard driving, there's lots of tunnels. Also tolls, so keep change handy. From Liechtenstein you have two ways to get back on track northward to Trier. You can continue on the main highway E43 to A7, which is pretty quick going if traffic is decent. Or you can go the more scenic way, around the Bodensee (Lake Constance) either northside or southside, then head up the A81, A8, A5, etc.. Once you're on the A81, head up past Mannheim to Trier. Frankly, once you've done the beautiful trip from Innsbruck to Liechtenstein, I'd skip the black forrest.

Interesting route...I hadn't thought of skipping the forest as a trade off. Thanks for the advice!

The direct Autobahn route from Reutte to Trier takes you through the Schwäbische Alb region and the Pfälzerwald, as well as skirting the Odenwald. Going through the Schwartzwald would represent a very long detour for very redundant scenery.

More interesting ideas...thanks! We were thinking of the highways here when trying to map a route there. One side roads in the US I've found you get better scenery and a chance to absorb more local flavor. What I'm hearing here is that tradeoff may not be as necessary in Germany. Again, many thanks!

"One side roads in the US I've found you get better scenery and a chance to absorb more local flavor." Same here, it's just that it will take too long to drive from Reutte to Trier along secondary roads. The scenery isn't too bad from the Autobahn, though. And now might be the time to mention... nobody except Rick Steves and die-hard Rickniks are impressed with Reutte. With so many better options in the region, many us are scratching our heads as to why Mr. Steves recommends this town and leaves out so many other better options/

Well, this is a forum for ideas and I'm open...what do you recommend in the region besides Reutte?

Because you'll have a car, I would recommend Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Oberamergau, Nesselwang, Oberstdorf or even Füssen.

We left the hotel Petrisburg in Trier yesterday. You couldn't ask for a nicer place to stay, and the breakfast is marvelous. Gentle 20 minute stroll down the (steep) hill into town is worth it.

Thanks for the tips on towns and the hotel in Trier. Certainly gives me lots to go back to the books on and consider!