Hauenstein and Lienheim

If its the Rhine Falls that I know and love, the nearest big town is Schaffhausen. Its a really nice place. I wonder if the Youth Hostel I stayed in there when I was but a lad is still there. It was really a fantastic place. I've been back to Schaffhausen several times, but never the Youth Hostel. Shame. Best memory? Collective dinner outside under the trees trading travel stories.

To me it doesn't make sense to stay in Hauenstein then travel 4 hrs to Fuessen, only to drive 3-4 hours each way back west to Lienheim (near Schaffhausen?). You could go south from Hauenstein through Stuttgart to Lienheim, then cut east past the Bodensee/Lake Constance to Fuessen. In that case, stop in Meersburg to see the ancient castle, lunch in Lindau, and take the ferry (with car) across the lake for great views. If you're staying in St. Goar overnight, the next day you can drive through south each of the towns, then spend the night in Meersburg, then drive to Fuessen the next day. Personally, if you're flying all the way over here, it's worth a stop into the little towns just to see them and take some pictures. Also a note on the traffic between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, watch out for rush hour times, it can get really congested.

Thanks Kathy, I am starting to think the same thing. I was just trying to see the Romantic Road too. Perhaps that is better saved for another time. I am currently trying to map out a route from St. Goar to Hauenstein, to Baden-Baden, to Freiburg, to Furtwagen (clock museum), to Lienheim, to Schaffhausen (Rhine Falls), to Konstanz, Lindau, and then finally Fuessen. Since I was going to allocate 4 days to the trip from St. Goar to Fuessen via Hauenstein and the Romantic Road, I guess I could just as easily break this trip up into the four days. This trades off the Romantic Road for the Black Forest area, but hits the two small towns that are historic for me. The drive from Lienheim to Fuessen appears to be very scenic, especially from Schaffhausen to Lindau. So perhaps the 4 hours trip (one way) would be very pleasant, regardless of how many stops or touristy places we see along the way. We have a car rental for the whole 14 day trip from Frankfurt to Munich, and have yet to book hotels/lodgings, so at this point the itinerary seems flexible. So, excluding the Romantic Road, the trip would approx be 3 days in the Rhine Valley (around St. Goar), 4 days in the Black Forest area, and the remainder 7 days in the Fuessen/Reutte/Munich area. Those 7 days give us a few days to take day trips... or just wander around the area.

I always enjoy Rothenberg and romantic road, but skip it this trip. Enjoy Black forest and Rhine falls area

After the drive from St. Goar to Hauenstein to Lienheim, the Romantic Road will seem like "Why did we drive out of way to see this?" From St. Goar to Hauenstein, you'll probably be driving along A61. Some interesting towns along the way include Bad Dürkheim (known for its spas, wine and Wurstfest), and Neustadt an der Weinstraße (more wine and an historic castle associated with the revolutions of 1848). I don't remember anything about Hauenstein (I drove past it once), but in the next town to the east, Annweiler am Trifels, looked pretty interesting. Two castles sit high on the mountains above the town. I believe one of them has some historical significance, but I'm not sure what.

Remember, Robert, (good plan by the way) that if you drive on the Swiss side on any motorway (Autobahn) your car will need a current Vignette (it'll cost CHF40 at the border, or €uro equivalent as you approach - big fines if caught without - same price for 15 minutes or 14 months) on the window, and same thing applies if you enter Austria and travel on the Austrian Autobahn, much cheaper because you can get one for a week or a few days. So, if you go at all around the Swiss side of the Bodensee you will need both because at the east end of the lake there is a little Austrian bit too before you're back in Germany. BTW - I love both sides of the lake. And you might even try the car ferry which goes across the lake at nearly the midpoint.

Well, after number crunching, and map searching, I think that I will try a modified version of the "Best three-week trip by car" that is shown at the beginning of Rick Steve's German 2011 book. It closely mirrors what I described above, and the abbreviated version shows a two week version. However, since I am wanting to spend a week in the Fuessen/Reutte area, I will stop at Munich, and take the path from Trier to Baden-Baden through Hauenstein. Also I will make sure the trip from Freiburg to Fuessen will pass through Lienheim. Has anybody driven from Schaffhausen to Fuessen? What is to be avoided or definitely included? I thought about crossing Lake Constance at Konstenz, and then down to Lindau. Now to decide on which towns to stay in on my way from the Rhine Valley through Mosel, Black Forest, and east to Fuessen. I am thinking Boppard, Trier, Baden-Baden, and Schaffhausen. Fuessen and Munich are already givens during the last week.

Thanks! I knew about the road fees for Austria, but not for Switzerland. I was hoping to take the ferry across Lake Constance, but I am not sure it is permitted under my car rental agreement. There is something in it about ferry crossings.