Mannheim,Rothenberg ob der Tauber,Garmisch?

Looks reasonable to me. I would only worry about snow if you are unlucky enough to drive during a storm. Otherwise, there usually isn't too much snow around Mannheim, and the roads leading to Garmisch (which does get a lot of snow) are usually kept open. A more likely driving hazard will be thick morning fog.

Perfectly reasonable. Mannheim to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, with a stopover in Heidelberg is a no-brainer, and not too many miles. From Rothenburg to Garmisch is longer ...maybe 200 miles between the two .... but still an easy day's drive, even with a couple of stops to see something in between or get a bite to eat.

Thanks for the replies. This message board is great!

Besides the rental charges, gas, insurance, and parking fees, you'll pay for winter tires - usually 10€ - 15€ per day. Compare these costs to travel by daypass on regional trains - 48€ for two for Mannheim-Heidelberg-Rothenburg (Quer durchs Land Ticket) plus 29€ for two for R'burg - Garmisch (on a Bayern Ticket.)

You have a good point about the trains, but with four people and luggage, stopping in Heidelberg, and the possibility of stopping somewhere between Rothenburg and Garmisch, it just seems a lot easier to get the car.

Hi Dianne Be sure to have a big enough car to take all 4 folks plus 4 peoples' luggage secured out of sight in the boot (trunk). If you are bringing much more than rucksacks you may find 4 peoples' luggage may be a tight fit in many cars.

The 4 of us used the Heidelberg station lockers on our stopover there.

Dianne - I hope that when you overnight in Rothenberg you will take the time to take the Night Watchman tour. It's a guided tour of the village, very nicely paced, incredibly interesting and showing you parts of the town you may not see on your own! Enjoy it - absolutely beautiful!

Dianne, as you may know car rental companies charge a service fee of 20% if a car is picked up right at an airport or train station. In Mannheim, however, it's only a 5 Minutes walk from the train station (actually even less than that) to two off-site rental stations: - Europcar, Heinrich-Lanz-St.
- Terstappen, Bismarckplatz Exit the train station, turn right (you'll see the bus and taxi lanes). Walk towards that Subway Sandwich place at the corner. Walk into the street alongside the post office (the street that curves. You cannot miss it.). At the end of that short street you'll see both of those stations listed above. Saves you 20%.

The Night Watchman's tour is wonderful. Unfortunately, according to the website, it in not available from Christmas until March.

No such things as "a 20% fee" for airport pick-ups. Some rental agencies might rent, others might not. Cars rented in Germany (German plates) must be road-worth for Germany. That means they are rented with environmental sticker and, when applicable, winter tires. Also, there is no big deal driving that route in winter, unless there is a storm. It's is safe, roads are well kept and no more difficult that it would be to drive in - say - Georgia or North Carolina during winter. Don't think you need necessarily a train. Part of this board seems to be determined to take travelers off road into rails as if they were the local annoying Greenpeace chapter.

I did exactly the opposite route but in May 2 years ago. (we did Munich to Garmish, Rothensburg to Mannheim (only to car off) and train to Paris! I don't know about the driving or conditions in the winter (except the obvious) and I know Garmisch is much busier now than it was in spring...since it is a ski area. Even if you don't ski I would go up the Zugspitz. Rothensburg is much quieter in the winter I hear...but I love the feel of the town once you ignore the obvious tourist stuff. We did the drive from Rothensburg to Mannheim in 3 hours with a quick stop...again that was in spring and roads may be in different conditions obviously. Make a reservation and go to dinner at the Gasthof Fraundorfer (sp?) some of the best food I had there and the music and dancing of local kids ...and the comradery of the customers (some shared tables and laughs) was great! We made sure to reserve an automatic drive....you must ask for it, they don't keep tons of them anywhere, and the GPS system was a blessing. We were upgraded to an SUV...not common there, but it was excellent for the 4 of us and luggage. And it IS cheaper to rent away from the main venues of airports and train stations! Have fun!

"Make a reservation and go to dinner at the Gasthof Fraundorfer (sp?) some of the best food I had there and the music and dancing of local kids ...and the comradery of the customers (some shared tables and laughs)". Before a few weeks ago, I would have recommended the Fraundorfer more for the atmosphere than the food. But for some reason, in the time since my previous visit, the food has really improved. I would die a very happy man if my last meal consisted of a large bowl of the Fraundorfer's potato soup.