Hi,

We land in Frankfurt on 1 April and leave
Frankfurt 9 April

So we have 7 full days and we'd like to cover as much of Germany as possible.
( we plan to leave austria/switzerland for another trip)

So I'd appreciate any tips on whats a must-see and whats the fastest way to get between places.

Heres a tentative plan:

Day 1: Rhine, Bacharach

Day 2: Romantic Road, ROttenburg

Day 3: ?

Day 4: Munich

Day 5: Dachau

(fly from Munich to Berlin)

Day 6, 7: Berlin

Would anyone suggest Black-forest or Reutte?

Whats the best/fastest way to get from Berlin - Frankfurt?

Whats the best/fastest wat to get from Munich - Berlin?

Thanks!

In 7 days you may be pressed to see it all so I suggest you go to Rothenburg the first night. You can go to the Rhine but it is not at the very top of my list.

From there skip the Black Forest for this trip but go South to Fussen to see the castles. circle back through the alps to Oberammergau, and Linderhof then to Munich for a couple of days (Dachau is a suburb).

OH I love that suggestion Aisle.
Black forest is cool IF you know what you're looking for. If not you'll drive for 6 hours wondering where the forest is.

I'm with Aisle. I am not very impressed with the Rhine, either. I like the suggestions about Fussen, the castles, the Alps, Linderhof, etc. I also like Würzburg, if only for the Residenz and the wonderful "chapel" that belongs to it.

I'd suggest a visit to Bamberg, which is a lovely little town. Burg Eltz, along the Mosel, is my favorite castle. But I'm getting carried away here with things you don't have time to see.

It sounds like you'll be observing the interior of some vehicle most of the time rather than experiencing Germany. You might be able to have a good experience with only two days in Munich, but Berlin? Most plan 4-5 days.

You need to get more geographically focused. I love the Rhine and Mosel region, but given what you've chosen, I'd suggest sticking to just Bavaria. It's a huge place. The Bamberg suggestion is a good one. Start there, head to Rothenburg, then Munich. That's enough. Do a daytrip to Dachau from Munich. Or maybe daytrip to Fuessen, to see the castles there if that's your thing, or to Garmisch if you want a more Alpine experience (Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak.) Andechs Monastery is another nice (and quick) outing from Munich.

You can do THIS itinerary either by train or by car, but if you base in Munich for daytrips as suggested, the train will help you avoid wasting time in big city traffic. You could do Frankfurt-Bamberg-Rothenburg-Munich by car easily enough.

With just 7 days, that's what I'd do.

okay, can i ask why not the rhine? not that i've ever been, but it is part of my upcoming itinerary & just curious as to your reasons to omit it...hope i don't hijack your thread sunkara, but i couldn't help myself

I found the Rhine rather boring.

atlantagrl:

The Rhein has been the single most disappointing event of my 6 visits to Germany. History it has got, sure, but it is big brown commercial waterway loaded with barges that is double tracked with rail lines on each side.

There is nothing quaint about the Rhein on any level.

What I thought the Rhein would be, I found in the Mosel - a beautiful, serene waterway surrounded by small towns, vineyards.

I will never again plan any part of my vacation to involve the Rhein.

Atlantagrl, I would strongly recommend the Rhine. Even if you just spend 1 day on it, you will not be disappointed. Focus on the area between Boppard and Rudesheim. Our 3 hour cruise of this area is 1 of my favorite travel memories of my life. We spent the night in a castle hotel above Kaub and walked through the vineyards in the evening. The view from on top is incredible. In my opinion, a trip to Germany w/out seeing the many Rhine castles is a mistake.

I have not been to the Mosel and so cannot compare the two.

Bob;

Where else have you been in Germany? There are dozens and dozens of better preserved and more interesting castles in Germany than those hugging the Rhein. And, they are almost all in a far more enjoyable environment.

I've been to Germany twice, (Europe 4 times), and saw as much as you can in a few weeks. I agree that the castles on the Rhine themselves aren't that special (although I am partial to ruins for some reason). I just really liked the area and think that it is beautiful. I would not recommend spending too much time there, on both my trips it was just 1 day. To each his own, I guess. Alot of people tell you to skip Heidelburg, Neuschwanstein, Rothenburg, etc, I just can't imagine going to Germany and missing those. Kind of like going to the Louvre and skipping the Mona Lisa. I suspect alot of people are like me and if they are lucky enough to go to Europe they feel like it might be their last time and want to hit the highlights.

We stayed one night at the Auf Schoenburg Castle Hotel in Oberwesel on the Rhine River and found the area enchanting. Because the Hotel sits high above the river, you get a lovely view of the surrounding area.

Since we wished we'd had more time to visit some of the other cities on the Rhine, we are planning to stay 3 nights in Bacharach in May.

We did spend 3 nights on the Mosel River last year and loved it also.

I agree with the negative comments about the Rhine. The appeal just misses us completely...as I passed through Bacharach yesterday, I thought, this is the place where so many people want to visit? I guess I just don't get it. The Mosel is much more attractive, IMHO, if you want to do a riverside setting. But to each his own.
Re Reutte, keep an eye on the weather. They're still in full winter mode there. And if there is a sudden warm spell in the next couple of weeks, you may run into flooding problems...yesterday I saw several places where the Rhine and Danube had already overflowed their banks.
Normally, I would agree with the assessment to skip the BF and go to the Alps south of Munich, but your time frame makes it a bit iffy. In this case, the BF might be a better bet.
I know you want to see as much as you can, but your itinerary still strikes me as too ambitious/exhausting.

Forgot to add, Reutte was one of the places hard hit by last summer's floods. If they get smacked with a spring flooding from melting snow, visiting in early April simply won't be the best plan.

We were planning on staying in Bacharach at the Hotel Kranentrum, would it be better to stay in Kaub. What was the name of the hotel you stayed at?

agree with aisle too. The Rhine's fine, but what's really lovely is the Mosel area, and Burg Eltz. One of my regrets was that we stayed overnight in the somewhat charmless town of Bachrach rather than a town on the Mosel.
I'd definitely start my trip in Rothenberg as well, and end it on the Rhein, doing a big circle, with Bavaria on the 2nd or 3rd day. To tell you the truth, I'd also leave out Berlin, maybe venturing into Austria instead...you're so close once you're in Bavaria, which would make your itinerary much easier than trying to fit in Berlin.
Good luck.

Suze1, are you asking me? Anyway, we stayed at a castle hotel called Burg Gutenfels in (or above) Kaub.
My memory is that Bacharach was slightly more attractive. The negatives to the castle stay were that it was somewhat isolated, it would be a little difficult to pop in and out. It was ok for us as we were done for the day. Also the staff was somewhat non-existent. However, it had the effect of making you feel like you had gone back in time. The view from there was incredible. If I went again I would probably stay in a hotel right on the river as there would be more to do at night. But I would not trade the experience of staying in a castle one time.

If I was to stay in the Mosel Valley instead of Bacharach is there a good hotel recommendation someone could give me.

It's obviously also better to cruise the rive from the Mosel Valley that from Bacharach, is that right?