jft

My husband and I will be in Berlin for business until June 24 and then fly home on June 28 from Munich . We wanted to tour towns off the Romantic Road, Munich and possibly some sites south of Munich. I am not sure if we should use the train for part of the trip and then rent a car; or fly to ?city and then rent a car. Any suggestions on how we should divide the stay? We don't have much time.
Thanks

PalenQ

You have way too much on your plate - with 4 days and travel time in between I would suggest taking the train to Munich - there is even an overnight train I believe and use Munich as a base - hop to Rothenburg - the highlight of Romantic Road towns and or to Fussen for Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle, the world'smost famous castle probably after Windsor Castle and the number one tourist site in Germany according to the German Tourist Office.

Easily to do both by train - 2 days day tripping - 2 days in Munich itself - driving would take much longer than going by train.

Anyway for lots of goodies on German trains check these info-laden sites: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets that if booked far in advance to get the limited in number ones on each train and which often sell out very early but which can save you a ton over walk-up fares; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

In Bavaria the bargain Bavarian Pass allows up to five I think people to travel all day on regional trains for about a total of 30 euros - and to Fussen you only have regional trains - also can use to go to Rothenburg though taking regional trains there would mean much longer rail time than higher-speed and much more expensive trains - but again you can score deep discounts on those trains as mentioned above.

dugi_otok

Train to Wurzburg, rent a car, drive to Rothenburg for the night(June 24) .

or

Fly to Frankfurt, rent a car, drive to Rothenburg for the night (June 24).

Where do you want to go south of Munich?

bobthenavigator

The Romantic Road is a marketing concept and little else. In your short time skip it and concentrate south of Munich in the castle country.

Aramis

Yeah cause those castles are real legit, right bob?

bobthenavigator

No, but the country is.

jft

I am open to suggestions. I would like to see one castle in a picturesque location- doesn't have to be most famous or even south of Munich. I am open to doing day trips from Munich either by car or transit. The suggestion of flight or train to somewhere and then drive to Munich may work. We can leave Berlin Tuesday after 6 pm as well.

Fussgaenger

"I am open to doing day trips from Munich either by car or transit."

"...use Munich as a base - hop to Rothenburg - the highlight of Romantic Road towns...

Hmmm. It's going to require plenty of ground time, whether by car or train, just to reach Munich. Day trips out and back again only add more vehicle time that you do not have. "Hopping" from Munich to Rothenburg and back is just plain nuts - you'll spend 3 hours in in each direction by car. Taking the train to Rothenburg does NOT make a difference - it's still 3 hours each way - and on 3-4 different trains!

I suggest you stay mostly on the route to Munich and visit a place or two ON that same route. Best bet is probably the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bamberg, 4 hours from Berlin by direct train and right on the way to Munich:

UWH info: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624
Bamberg sights: http://en.bamberg.info/sehenswertes/
Bamberg's castle: http://en.bamberg.info/poi/altenburg_castle-4647/
http://www.neumassoire.eu/wp-content...ixelio.de_.jpg
Bamberg's pubs and brewery-restaurants with local specialties - try the Rauchbier - http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

After 2 nights there, head to Munich for 2 nights - it's 2.5 hours from Bamberg, again by direct train. Nymphenburg Palace:
http://raredelights.com/wp-content/u...g-Palace-9.jpg

jft

Thanks. I will look into the above suggestions.
I like the idea of taking the train to Bamberg -possibly renting a car for a day or two and then heading to munich probably by train.

jft

Or fly/train to Munich and take a trip to mountainous castle area.

annhig

if you drive, the Best Western in Bamberg is a good place to stay - the car park is right underneath the hotel, and is easy to access from the main roads. then it's an easy 10 minute walk into the historical centre. we stayed for 2 nights there and it was about the right amount of time to see the city and its attractions.

there are other nice places on route if you decide to drive - Leipzig, Nuremberg, Bayreuth - but IMO you have to choose whether you want to do a road trip between Berlin and Munich, or go to Munich and use it as a base. You don't have time for both.

Dukey1

As someone has suggested, you are trying to cram a lot into a short period of time.


The smart remark about the legitimacy of the castles...let's start with that. Ludwig basically bankrupted Bavaria with his architectural schemes BUT these days those "schemes" generate lots of revenue and publicity. The largest of the four builds, Herrenchiemsee, which was Ludwig's imitation of Versailles, has a Hall of Mirrors even larger than the one in France! Do your research before you do any trooping off to "castle country."

Rothenburg: used to be THE number one travel destination for Germans; get ready for at least four Christmas stores and a bunch of other "quaint" sites within the walls; IMO you can do it in a day or less; Bamberg you may find to be much more authentic whatever that means).

Munich, the Residenze could easily take up half a day alone; you've got some big decisions to make and one of them may be, how soon can we return.

PalenQ

Rothenburg: used to be THE number one travel destination for Germans>

what do you base this I think very innacurate statement on - Rothenburg has always been a mecca for tour-bus groups of foreigners but not so much for Germans.

PalenQ

Yes that nonsense about 'legit' castles - so what that they are not legit and not like your typical boring castle that's why they are the most popular tourist sight in Germany in the case of Neuschwanstein - I echo Dukey's take on Mad Ludwig's castles - awesome inside and out and read up on the intriguing history of them - I've seen a zillion castles in Europe and Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee are amongst my very favorites -

yes not your typical legit castle for sure but castles with an eclectic look inside and out.

bigtyke

In the Bamberg area, Coburg and Kronach have impressive castles.

PalenQ

I endorse Bamburg as both being a very very cute town and also, unlike Rothenburg, a real workaday town - lovely town and about half-way I would think between Berlin and Munich - good base - good rail service.