James

My wife and I will be in Munich for Octoberfest during the last week of September. We have a couple of days left after visiting Munich, and were considering driving (we have rented a car) through the Black Forest or through the Romantic Road region on our way to a departing flight in Frankfurt. We've seen good things about both - any opinions on where we should spend our last days in Germany?

matt

I live in the Black Forest. Nice scenery but not much "to see". I would go to Neuschwanstein castle and drive up the Romantic road. Rothenberg would be nice to visit also.

Steve

James, <BR>Since you only have a little time to travel outside Munich, take the romantic road. Neuschwanstein is great, but our all time favorite is Rothenburg. Here is their site with a good web cam. <BR> <BR>http://www.rotabene.de/webcam/ <BR> <BR>You won't be disappointed, really gives you a good look at the way Germany was hundreds of years ago <BR>

wes fowler

James, <BR>To get another perspective, take a look at these Black Forest websites. The village of Gengenbach is an abolute jewel, moreso since it isn't overrun with tourists as is Rothenburg. Freiburg is a fascinating and historic city, as well. <BR> <BR>www.badenpage.de/gengenbach <BR>www.freiburg-online.com <BR> <BR>Both sites offer virtual tours in English.

Linda

The Romantic Road is more on your route from Munich to Frankfurt, whereas the Black Forest is off your route. Although the BF is a beautiful area of the world, I recommend the RR, simply because there is more to do. I'd definitely do the RR, both for convenience and for the experience.

jack

Have you done a Rhine river cruise from say Ruddesheim (sp?) to St. George? It is a beautiful one day excursion and very relaxing. We boarded at Ruddesheim about 9:00 am or so and spent about 4 hours cruising the Rhine. You can get on and off at the river villages. It is beautiful. One castle after the next all the way. Although it is on the West side of the Frankfort airport, it wouldn't be too far out of your way. I also drove through the black forest. I liked the river cruise much better. The black forest is beautiful scenery but unless you have a specific destination in mind there, you may be bored. <BR> <BR>

traveler

Don't forget Dinkelsbuhl on RR. These little toens are like Grimm fairy tale towns and are a treasure. Stay a nite in Rontehnburg and take the night walking tour of history with the hooded, cloaked guide. RR is better for you given your route. Actually, I'd leave Munich early to see more of the RR. Big cities leave me a bit cold. The lovliest heart of Germany is in the small towns adn villages. <BR>Berlin, munich, frankfort---not for me really.

Pasquale

The RR definitely. Perhaps you could also stop in Freiburg and if there's a market going on, this is the best one we saw in Germany with fantastic olives, pestos, chile pastes, etc. We bought and bought and had plenty for several marvelous picnic lunches. Rutenburg is adorable and that's why so many tourists go there, for heaven's sake. We wouldn't go if it was ugly! And they shouldn't say tourist as if it was a dirty word! <BR> <BR>You might even have time for Heidelberg which is worth a half day, but don't try to walk up to the castle. We did because we couldn't find the transportation, but it would be worth searching for. The walk is long and nearly straight up! <BR> <BR>Also, Wurzburg which is farther north, but not too far from Frankfurt.

jim

RR is a must see -BF is nice too but not much to do.

James

Thanks everyone for your input. Upon hearing this and doing some more research on the side, we have decided to take the Romantic Road from Munich to Frankfurt (with several stops along the way!) We'll have to make a point of hitting the Black Forest on our next trip! 20 days till we arrive at Oktoberfest!!!!!

jw

Hi James. May I add one more little "don't miss" to your list? I've stayed in the tiny, and I mean tiny, town of Harburg on the RR just north of Munich. If you don't actually stop the car, you'll miss it. But it is lovely, with a pretty bridge and a fortress up on a hill. I was the only tourist in sight when I was there. If you walk around, notice the chunk hacked out of the corner of a building to accommodate the wider roads of modern times. In the US, we would just demolish the building, but all those folks did was cut away the very space that the road required. I digress. Anyway, I loved the RR, and found that if you stay along the way overnight, you can explore in the early morning and the late evening when the tour buses have gone home. If you need a small town just outside of Frankfurt (it was our first night when we landed there), try Miltenberg. Have a wonderful trip; I'm envious.

Patti

What is the romantic drive exactly? We are going fromGottingen to Black Forest in Oct. then fromGarmish to Munich at end of the month- would like to know details! <BR>Thanks

carol

Definitely the Romantic Road! I live in the Franconian region of Germany and agree that Rothenburg is a must, although very crowded. Dinkelsbuhl is just as lovely, and less crowded and along the route. From Fussen(Neuschwanstein) in the south to Wurzburg in the north, many lovely towns. Also I am fond of Augsburg.