jimkp

In October I have a long drive planned to go from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Cochem in the Mosel Valley. I wanted to get some advice on the best route to take, and also find out if there are any must see sights along the way.

There seem to be some interesting towns around the Nekar Valley (Bad Wimpfen, Schwabisch Hall, Tubingen, Heidelberg). We won't have a ton of time to spend sight seeing because of the long drive, but we will have an hour or two to visit. Are there any must see sights or towns in this area?


Thanks in advance for the assistance.

Cowboy1968

Since your trip is quite long, the list of options for sights is almost as long.

Just some generic warning ahead: You will be driving almost 600kms, and the travel time estimates from route planners like viamichelin.com never take possible delays into account, which can be quite common not only in the areas of Stuttgart and Mannheim/Heidelberg. Driving on regular 2-lane highways (instead of the autobahn) will also cut into your time budget, so I would only pick sights which are close to your route to Cochem.

So you definetely won't have much time to explore many sights, as you assumed.

Besides the towns along the Neckar river which you already mentioned, there may also be the following of interest:

Ulm (minster)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulm_Minster

Ludwigsburg (palace), north of Stuttgart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwigsburg

Marbach, north of Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbach_am_Neckar

Speyer, SW of Mannheim/Heidelberg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speyer

jimkp

Thank you Cowboy for the reply and the info. I know I'll be pressed for time, but I figure I can fit in a 1 - 2 hour break from the drive.

Has anyone visited either Hohenzollern Castle or Lichtenstein Castle?

hausfrau

Hi jimkp, I'm very familiar with the region you're traveling through since I lived in Stuttgart for 2.5 years. All of the towns you listed are worthy of a visit, but since that would entail driving into town, finding parking, and then spending a good while wandering, I agree with Cowboy that it might be too much for your long day of traveling.

On the other hand, visiting Burg Hohenzollern or Schloss Lichtenstein could be a perfect break in your day. I've been to both and they are both spectacular, but Hohenzollern is definitely the more fascinating of the two (and a good deal larger). Lichtenstein is a glorified hunting lodge and is most interesting because of its scenic location on the edge of a cliff, whereas Hohenzollern has a lengthy history as a military outpost and has been beautifully restored as a family retreat. I've only seen tours there offered in German, but you can buy an English guidebook and read along. Even if you don't take the tour, the walk up to the castle from the parking lot is invigorating (there is also a shuttle bus) and the castle's restaurant (I believe it's called the Burgshenke) is excellent!

bettyk

All of the towns mentioned in the Neckar Valley are lovely but worth more than the few minutes you can give them.

I agree with Hausfrau that Hohenzollern would be perfect. We were there in September and loved this interesting castle/fortress. The country surrounding the castle is gorgeous also. We also visited the little town of Hechingen near Hohenzollern.

There are several photos of Hohenzollern and Hechingen in our photo album if you are interested.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/259...11574650KaMSTm

jimkp

Thank you for the replies and the suggestions. I'm leaning towards spending one day less in Garmisch and breaking up the long drive. I would like to see Hohenzollrn Castle from the pictures here it looks like a nice place. I'm surprised it doesn't appear in any of the travel guide books.
I was looking at Tubingen as a place to stay. Can anyone recomend lodging in this area nothing too expensive. I was thinking around 70 Euros for a double.
Is Tubingen a good choice for visiting Hohenzollrn?

Since I'll have more time in this area any other recommendations would be appreciated.

hausfrau

Breaking up the drive is a great idea, and this region of southwest Germany is a beautiful but lesser-known area to spend some extra time. October will be particularly lovely with the fall colors.

Hohenzollern does get an "off the beaten path" mention in Fodor's Germany, but it isn't very well-known among non-German tourists. It's about 25 km south of Tuebingen on the B-27, so Tuebingen makes a good stopover for you. It is a lively university town with a beautiful historic center. I've only made day trips there so I don't have personal experience with hotels, but Fodor's recommends Hotel Am Schloss (www.hotelamschloss.de). I (and I believe a few others on this board) have enjoyed a nice inexpensive meal at Forelle, located at Kronenstrasse 8, right in the center of town.

Just a few miles north of Tuebingen on the B-27 is Bebenhausen Monastery, which is a wonderfully preserved 12th century site. We enjoyed the audio tour, which gives good insight into the day-to-day lives of medieval monks.

If you end up having time, I would also highly recommend both Bad Wimpfen and Schwaebisch Hall as you head north. Bad Wimpfen is the smaller of the two and features an awesome vantage point on a cliff above the Neckar River. It would be pretty easy to stop there for a stroll through the village and a bite to eat. Schwaebisch Hall has a river running through it and one of the most beautiful panoramas of half-timbered houses that I've seen in Germany.
See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hausfra...7603859079991/

bettyk

Again, Hausfrau is right on. We stayed in Tuebingen in September and it's a beautiful town. (You can see some photos of it in that same album with Hohenzollern.) She is the one I believe that turned us on to Hohenzollern.

I found that accommodations were a little on the pricey side in Tuebingen. Our hotel was well located (right next to the town square and Rathaus), so we were willing to spend a little more. We stayed at the Hospiz Hotel. Doubles start at 103 Euros though.

http://www.hotel-hospiz.de/seiten/hotel.html

She is also correct about Bad Wimpfen and Schwaebisch Hall, both of which we visited in 2005.