S Bahn or taxi to Munich Hbf? Car or rail to Rothenburg?

The S-Bahn ride from the airport to the Haubtbahnhof takes about 40 minutes, and you will not get lost. Just watch the station signs.

As far as travelling to Rothenburg, that is a different story. You will have to change trains a few times (like, perhaps at Nuremberg and then at Steinach - it depends on the train) but it is certainly do-able. In 2006 we took the train from Cochem to Rothenburg and had to change more than that (4 or 5, I believe) but it all went well.

But, if you prefer to drive, that is an entirely different experience with its own set of challanges!

One of the things I enjoy about a European Vacation is the availability of train travel. Compared to the dismal offerings of Amtrak in the USA...well, there absolutely IS NO comparison! Take the train, sit back and enjoy the ride and the view.

We took the train from Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and had to change trains several time without any problems.

Print out the timetable from the DieBahn site. It will show you all the changes, arrival platforms, departure platforms and each station stop along the way.

If you decide to take the S-Bahn and regional trains, you can do the whole route on one Bayern (Bavaria) ticket which costs €27 at a ticket machine and €29 at a ticket window. It is good for up to five people traveling together. Read about it here on the DB site: http://tinyurl.com/2dcrb7.

For timetables, go to www.bahn.de and click on "Internat. Guests" for English. After you get summary timetables, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points. In the lower right-hand corner you'll find a "Print view" icon.

We also love train travel in Germany. Plus driving in Germany with jetlag can be hazardous to your health. Things happen fast on German roadways.

You would not want to take a taxi into Munich as it is quite a distance from the airport and expensive.

Nearer to the airport is the Train Station at Freising. A taxi ride there is 15 minutes and 20 euros. There is also a dedicated shuttle bus (#635) that runs every 20 minutes at 2+ euros each. From Freising you can catch the Regional Express going to Nürnberg with connections on to Rothenburg.

If you ride regional trains all the way to Rothenburg, you (up to 5 people) can ride economically with a Bayern-Ticket, I think for 29 euros from the ticket counter.

I am also 60+ and no "whiz-kid". We did all of our traveling in Germany the last two years by train.

We have just returned from driving in Germany. We much perfer that to the train. We are also over 60. I printed out maps on Michilin before leaving. Directions were easy as long as I knew the next town we were headed for. Germany does have a great train system, but we like the freedom of driving. We stayed at Castle Harburg for two nights on the way to Rotenburg, two nights in Dinklesburg and two nights in R-burg. I'll send further info and pictures if you want. I have been to R-burg three times. If you want info on where we stayed I will send it. It rained the whole time we were there! I changed clothes 4 times in one day.

Having done this trip a few times over the years my suggestion is that you take the train from Munich to Augsburg.

From there rent a car and drive "The Romantic Road" from Augsburg to Wurzburg. This is a very beautiful and romantic drive through the most charming german medeival villages. I would stop in Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl, Rothenburg, Creglingen, Weikersheim and Wuzburg, staying a couple of nights in Rothenburg.

From Wurzburg turn in your car and take the train the rest of the way to Frankfurt.

If you have time I would actually take the train from Wuzburg to Mainz, then rent a car again and drive up the Rhine to Koblenz, then take the train the rest of the way to Frankfurt. The Rhine has the most castles in the smallest area anywhere in Europe as far as I know and is an absolutely beautiful drive.

It all depends on how much time you have.

Check out these websites:

http://www.romanticroad.com

http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Central_Europe/Germany

Lyn,
We stayed at the Gasthof zur Goldenen Rose in RS's book. There was nothing wrong with it. Karin did scurry around and was most helpful. The owners were very unfriendly. We will find something closer in next time. Mainly because of the rain. It was a short walk to town, except when it was pouring and cold. Also, I printed out maps on Michielin but made the mistake of using town to town. Next time I will do door to door. We parked on the wrong side and had lots of walking to do to find it.

Of all the places to stay along the romantic road we liked Castle Harburg best. My husband didn't want to leave.
We both lived outside of Wurtzburg. For me it was a place to do laundry! LOL
Speaking of. Underline all Rick's laundry places. We spent $70 on laundry the month we were there!
The Chinese Restaurant Rick suggests was great. Lotus China.

The train can be somewhat confusing but I would take that over the Autobahn any day. Most Germans speak English and can be so very helpful. I even had a nice german lady take me to the ticket window and assist me in buying my "Bayern" ticket for our trip from Munich to Garmisch! Have fun and enjoy!

Lyn,
Lennon is dead-on! Rothenburg is fantastic, but unless you're as well-connected as Rick Steves you'll find that more than 2 or 2.5 days is too much. Dinkelsbuhl is my favorite town in all of Germany. See the Romantic Road.

There are plenty of maps to guide you. And don't worry about getting lost. If you do, just follow signs to get back to the autobahn and voila! you're un-lost. There is a lot of autobahn in that area of Germany, so don't worry a ton.