Arrive FRA (non-negotiable; had tickets to FRA) and Drive to Munich. Stay in Munich from Thursday 11/25 - Sunday 11/28. Leave Munich in the AM on Sunday and drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen OR Mittenwald OR Fussen (BTW, How do I type the umlaut? haha!). Stay in GP or M or F from Sunday 11/28 through Tuesday 11/30. Leave Tuesday morning and drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Stay in Rothenburg from Tuesday 11/30 through Friday 12/3. Depart from FRA on Saturday 12/4 around 11:30 AM........Thoughts on where to stay in the G-P/Fussen area for maximizing castle time, relaxation, and ice skating? Thoughts on which area is best for a 3-night stay...Rothenburg or the Fussen area? You guys are SO helpful!
I love Rothenberg. If you have a car 3 nights there will also give you time to drive to nearby villages (Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen etc) or towns (Augsburg). If you think you would prefer three days of Mountain scenery choose Garmisch, you can drive from there to a lot of nearby villages, peaks etc. Personally, I dont think you need a car in Munich for such a short stay. Train from Frankfurt to Munich, and pick up your car at the end of your Munich stay. To mew Fussen is a little bit of a one-trick pony, you also are in the foothills, rather than in the Alps as you are at Garmisch
Brian: Thank you so much! Have you stayed in Garmisch? Do you have any opinions about Mittenwald?
To type ü, hold down the <alt> key and type the numbers 0252, on the number keypad. ö is 0246 and ä is 0228. € is <alt> 0128. Simple.
I would not recommend driving from Frankfurt to Munich after a transatlantic flight. Traffic around Frankfurt and Munich aren´t particularly pleasent, and as the other poster noted, a car in Munich is more of a hassle than a benefit. For my favorite lodgings in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Google the `Fraundorfer´. For ice skating, the Olympic ice rink sits very close to the main train station.
Kirsten: Yes we have stayed in Garmisch, a couple of nights, I believe it was the Post Hotel in the middle of town. We spent most of one day just walking around, looking at the buildings and decorated murals; you can also go up the mountain by ski lift. We drove from there to Mittenwald, nice little village, in a scenic area, but at that time seemed a little more "touristy" with violin makers and (as i remember) cuckoo clocks. Well worth a visit, but I am glad we stayed at Garmisch. Oh yes- in the evening at Garmisch the cows come home from the meadows through the middle of town
(BTW, How do I type the umlaut? haha!). You can also use the Character Mapy to cut and paste it. And Lee, do you know the code for the eszet?
I can get that one: the eszet is alt 0223.