nvl325

Working on a preliminary itinerary for early summer- hubby and me, along with young adult daughter before she meets up with her friend in Frankfurt.

Thinking about a week or so in Vienna, then train it to Fussen (via Salzburg?) Then up the RR to Frankfurt, via train- no car rental/driving for us! I understand from reading some posts that the RR is not actually a road, but a state of mind. Just kidding! But can we head up to Frankfurt by train, maybe stopping a night or two in a couple places?

And- I just realized with this plan, we haven't been to Munich- can't miss that! Ideas?

BTW, we're much better at several nights in fewer places, rather than moving every couple days. Thanks!

treplow

To get from Salzburg to Fuessen, you will have to go through Munich, and to go from Fuessen to Rothenburg, you will again have to go through Munich. From Rothenburg to Frankfurt, you will have to go through Wuerzburg. So, you can stop over in Munich either way.

Next: From Salzburg to Fuessen (if you do that trip in one day), or from Fuessen to Rothenburg (again, if you do that in one day), you can use the Bayernkarte/ Bavarian Ticket, a discounted day ticket where the 3 of you can travel on the same ticket for EUR28. Two limitations: On weekdays, you can't start your trip before 9AM, and you can only use Regio (not IC, ICE or EC) trains. To check the connections see www.bahn.de. There is an English language version of this website of the Deutsche Bahn (German RR).Be sure you enter the city names correctly. Rothenburg is "Rothenburg o.T.", Fuessen is "Fuessen". You have to weigh the EURO saving from the Bayernkarte against the time savings from using faster trains. You could also use the Bayernkarte pasrt way from Wzbg. to Frankfurt, but it probably isn't worth the hassle.

Rothenburg is really the only easily accessible town along the Romatic Road, and that requires one change of trains between Munich and R..

Unles you are determined to spend the night in Rothenburg, you could spend a few nights in Wuerzburg, and take a day trip from Wzbg. to Rothenburg. Still on the Bayernkarte. Wzbg.is an intersting university town, with a gorgeous palace in the city center and a great real historic castle overlooking the city (as opposed to the Fuessen Neuschwanstein faux castle, that was built after the White House in D.C.) It's Disney that put Neuschwanstein on the map.

swandav2000

Hi nvl325,

Another option would be to take the regular bus that serves this route. You can stop as often as you like, and the bus company will help you arrange tours and hotels, if you'd like. It only runs in the summer, from May to October. Here's a link:

http://www.touring-travel.eu/?id=6&L=2

Have fun!

s

joannyc

I know you mentioned no rental car/no driving for us but are you adament about it?

Why not rent a car after arriving in Fuessen? Driving in Germany is very easy. You don't need to drive 150kmh, just stay in the right lane on autostradas with the trucks, except to pass them. Then, immediately, return to the right lane. Germans are among the most polite drivers that I've seen.

Many of the roads along your path can be 2-lane roads with lovely towns to stop off. I think you'd be missing so much of the beauty of Germany if you don't drive it.

I traveled for over 2 weeks in Germany, all by car upon leaving Munich, as a single female. And, I am very glad that I had that opportunity. If I hadn't a car, I never would have seen many of the amazing towns, convents, monestaries, castles, etc. that I did. You just can't get to them by train without much difficulty and expense.

You can pick up a car in Fuessen and drop in Frankfurt without a drop fee. Car rentals in Germany are about the cheapest around. Check kemwel.com for good prices. If you pick up in one country and drop in another, you typically incur large drop fees... but not always, so also check pick up in Vienna or Salzburg and drop in Frankfurt.

Have a wonderful trip!

Russ

Numerous towns that dot the RR are accessible by train, among them:

Rothenburg Nördlingen Weikersheim Augsburg Landsberg Würzburg
Donauwörth Harburg

But there's no compelling reason to stick strictly to the RR
when there are so many other interesting towns that you'll pass by if you do and that lie roughly between Füssen and Frankfurt:

Bamberg Nuremberg Regensburg Eichstätt Weißenburg Pappenheim

The trains serve all these towns and many many others. You can see a map of the rail lines here:

http://www.bayern-takt.de/media/PDF-...Gesamt0608.pdf

Rail travel on the Bayern ticket, at under 30 Euros per day for 2-5 people, is unbeatable, really.

If you have the time, consider moving from Füssen on to Garmisch and Mittenwald, and consider doing the train loop from Garmisch west to Reutte and over to Kempten that takes you through Tyrolian Austria. This highly scenic route takes you near the Zugspitze and is included on the Bayern Ticket. A bus from Füssen connects you to towns on this line.

nvl325

thank you all for the many suggestions- gives me a lot to think about. I think I'll plot the recommended towns and see if a sensible route jumps out at me. A car for part of the trip is something I hadn't considered! But the Bayern ticket also sounds good...