We are trying to decide between driving the Romantic Road from Frankfurt to the south of either area then going through Bavaria to Salzburg and flying home from Munich. We will be traveling in late Sept./early Oct. of this year.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Dave
Dave,
I cannot personally address your question. But there was a long thread in mid-October 2008 addressing this very issue. Go back a few pages to October and you should be able to find it. I remember the thread because I was undecided about where in Germany to go. The consensus was Bavaria, but I'll let you read the opinions for yourself.
If you do the Romantic Road, you actually enter Bavaria almost immediately as you head east from Frankfurt - Bavaria starts just after Hanau.
You don't say how much time you have, an important factor.
You're decision will be made by comparing apples to oranges - it depends a lot on your preferences.
If you choose the Black Forest, that means you're more probably more interested in outdoor activities - maybe some hiking, mountainbiking, that sort of thing. There are lots of mountains, some dramatic train rides, several attractive half-timbered towns. I spent close to a week there this past June and had a wonderful time, but I wasn't looking for history, art, or that sort of thing on this trip.
If you choose the Romantic Road, you're probably looking for old world towns and a cities, historical sites, and a lot more international tourism. Würzburg and Rothenburg are really worthwhile, and many of the other towns are too. The RR itself provides pleasant scenery, but nothing any more noteworthy than the rest of Bavaria. I would encourage you to avoid sticking only to the RR, which can become an unromantic parking lot because for some reason, people think it's only the RR towns that are worth visiting. In fact, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Weissenburg, Eichstaett, and several other non-RR towns are more visit-worthy than the average RR town and less overrun with tourism.
I would caution you that you should avoid Munich during Oktoberfest if you don't plan to make an event of it - it's a very crowded and expensive time to be there.
My opinion of the Romantic Road is, drive it if you are interested in visiting any of the towns that lie along the route (Rothenburg, Augsburg, Fuessen, etc.). But despite the name, one of the most brilliant pieces of 20th century travel marketing, in my opinion, the scenery along this road isn't particularly unique, especially for that region of Germany. That's not saying that the scenery isn't pleasant- it is- but no better than a dozen or so other roads that run south to the Alps. So, if you want to stop somewhere along the way, drive it. Otherwise, take the more direct route to Salzburg, the vistas will be just as beautiful.
If it were me, I would take the Romantic Road option. I have traveled in both areas. For me, the Black Forest scenery was very similar to what we have here in Washington State- lots of forest with a beautiful waterfall. Going down the Romantic Road and visiting some of the villages was , for me, a more unique experience. Having said that, we actually did not stick completely to the Romantic Road- we just got off at some towns and went down it for awhile to "experience" it. My husband did get a kick out of driving through some of the towns where the streets were so narrow. If you can, you could go all the way to Fussen and see the castles there. Our expereince in the Black Forest was getting off the autobahn and driving up through the middle of it. Germans love the Black Forest because it is so different from anywhere else in Germany. But for us, it just felt like we were driving around home. We did explore some of the towns and I am not saying we did not have a good time. It's just if I had to pick one... The good news is you can't go too wrong with either choice.
I agree with Tom. The Romantic Road title is a mis-nomer. It is no different than a dozen other highways through Europe. Don't expect too much!
Choose the towns you want to see and forget about the name of a route. Rothenburg, a walled city, is the only interesting town I can recommend in that area.
Thanks everyone for your comments. It's difficult to decide where to go. Guess we will have to return another time to see more.
Happy travels.
Since you're traveling late Sept./ early Oct., I'm guessing you want to hit Munich for Oktoberfest. I would also guess that you don't yet have your flight tickets. If so, I'd suggest that you fly round-trip Frankfurt so you can do an itinerary that includes both the Black Forest & Romantik Road. One I've done a couple times is to first explore the Black Forest, then cut over (from Freiburg) to the southern end of the Romantik Road to see the Royal Castles, then continue to Mittenwald, down to Innsbruck, and on to Salzburg. On returning from Salzburg, stop at Munich for Oktoberfest, then go west to Augsburg and then north up the Romantik Road to see Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl, Rothenburg & Wurzburg. You might even save some money with a round-trip Frankfurt vs the open jaw.
You have a lot of time before your trip. Don't just make a knee-jerk decision that you need a car. Explore the public transportation option. You don't really need a car.
I have spent 14 weeks in Germany since Sept 2000, most of it in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, including several weeks in the Black Forest and a five days trip last fall on the Romantic Road (Wieskirche to Würzburg). I have never used a car. Trains in that area are great and what you can't get to by train, you can get to by bus.
BTW, the real Romantic Road (romantische Strasse, www.romantischestrasse.de) goes from Würzburg to Füssen. The Frankfurt to Würzburg leg of the Romatic Road Coach is only to start it in a more accessible place.
