Traveling thru Germany by car.

Not much time. Too many miles. What time of year?? Oberwesel is castle country - real, intact medieval knights' castles like Marksburg and Eltz (on the nearby Mosel) that you can tour:

www.burg-eltz.de
www.marksburg.de
www.st-goar.de/17-1-.html (ruined but interesting!)

So when you can get a glimpse at centuries of European history on the Rhine, I wouldn't scurry across the country to visit Neuschwanstein, which is a faux castle, built as a private home in the late 19th century, where nothing really ever happened (well, King Ludwig lived there for 6 months, I guess, but how many of us are so fascinated by him??)

Würzburg is great - visit the Residenz there - and nearby Rothenburg is touristy but very unique. I'd also recommend stunningly well-preserved Bamberg, northeast of Würzburg. The Vierzehnheiligen Basilica near Staffelstein north of Bamberg is incredible. If you have any interest in WW II history, Nuremberg is a valuable destination. There's a cool open-air Museum in Bad Windsheim too: http://www.stripes.com/military-life/travel/bad-windsheim-time-travel-at-franconian-open-air-museum-1.102354 All these places are clustered together conveniently in Franconia, an area of northern Bavaria.

That would be a lot to see in 8 days right there. I might forget about driving all the way to Munich unless there's something specific you want to see there.

Agree - way too much to try to see in a limited number of days - and is that 8 full days on the groung - or does it include the day you arrive and the day yuor depart - in which case you really only have 6 days for sightseeing?

I would pick a much smaller area. (And we have done numerous road trips in europe, including several through German and Benelux. Either way more time or way fewer places. Part of the joy is the serendipity of just driving down a local road and finding someplace fascinating - to spend a couple of hours - or most of the day. We never do one night stops - usually 3 is the minimum to see the town we stop in and a couple of other places in the area.)

Hi,

With 8 days that is a lot to try to cover, as the others stated. I would try to limit it to the Rhine, Mosel and Wurzburg, and if it interests you, Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Burg Eltz and Marksburg castle are outstanding. We also liked Cochem, and the Mosel in general, and loved Rothenburg.

We spent 4 nights along the Mosel based in Valwig, just scross the river from Cochem, and 2 nights in Rothenburg.

You are covering a lot of ground but it is doable. The roads are good and Germany is about the size of Montana. The area you described is in the southern half making the area even more compressed. Go to viamichelin.com for maps and travel times. You are talking about things that are 3 to 4 hours apart. If this is a first trip you will get a quick overview. If I decided to cut it down I would skip the black forest, leaving that for another time. Enjoy your trip.

There's ample time for all, but I'd suggest omitting Munchen and Neuschwanstein. The latter is similar to Kim Kardashian in a way: famous, but not much there there. In my opinion, the only reason to see Neu... is to check it off a list. There will always be people who say 'oh, did you see Neuschwanstein?", but usually they're the type who saw it once for 25 minutes on a bus tour. If that's the type you want to impress, go. But if you want to see a REAL castle, a castle's castle so to speak, skip Neu... and tour Burg Eltz and Marksburg, or any of the dozens of castles better than Neusch.....

pja1 is right.

And if you want a castle Neuschwanstein style, visit Stolzenfels, which is just across the Rhine from Marksburg. If you compare the two you will see the difference between a real medieval castle and a 19th century fake.

I would also cut out the Black Forest and instead tour the (rather similar except for the lack of cuckoo clocks) landscapes of Eifel, Hunsrück, or Taunus hills which are adjacent to Rhine and Mosel. Saves you a lot of driving.

I would spend 3 or 4 days in the Rhine/Mosel area, a couple of days in Wurzburg and then a couple of days in Bamberg, one of my favorite towns in Germany. Rothenburg can be done as a day trip from Wurzburg as it's less than an hours drive.

I'd leave anything further south for another trip. We've made multiple trips to Germany and always find so much more to see and do.

Neuschwanstein was never really occupied so it is a bit like seeing a movie set. However, it is the most famous castle in the world. When you visit there you get the bonus of an authentic, lived-in castle, Hohenschwangau next door. Ludwig's family home. Munich is IMHO the highlight of your iteneary, offering charm, culture, dining experiences, beer halls, museums, galleries, markets, parks, and great people. Enjoy your trip.

Bethegler, what's your motivation for the Black Forest?

My impression of it was, "where's Hansel? where's Gretel? where are all the gingerbread houses? all I see is evergreen trees, and lots of them".

re: driving in Germany
If you you intend to use autobahns - i.e. highways, make sure you stick to driving in a proper lane for your speed and use the next left lane ONLY for passing slower vehicles.
Do keep in mind that things happen very fast if you drive 100+mph, even if in a correct lane!

Hohenschwangau is not a castle either, it is also a 19th century palace.

We had better go correct Wikipedia on their listing of "Hohenschwangau Castle or Schloss Hohenschwangau". I always get palaces and castles mixed up anyway. It's like straightening out "bergs" and "burgs".