Driving Part Of The Romantic Road?
 

We are five Texans that want to spend about 7 nights in one of the most beautiful parts of Bavaria. I am looking at the Romantic Road or some variation. We will have a rental car. After Bavaria, we will be headed by train to Berlin before returning to Texas. My wife and I have been to Germany but the other people have not. Want to see spectacular and the most quaint towns. Would like to include some time in Munich and (re)visit Neuschwanstein. WE all love regional cuisine and bold reds.

* Suggested Itinerary.....
* Must eat restaurants.....
* Must consider quaint inns.....(price is not the major consideration - beauty/quaint is)
* Make sure don't miss.....
* Forget the Romantic Road or Bavaria and head to.....

Our third European vacation for the past year has had to be cancelled because of COVID. Now starting to plan this 4th itinerary for 2022 April/May period. Starting this vacation at Keukenhof and ending in the Reichstag. Thanks for your suggestions.

To be clear as to what the Romantische Straße is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_Road

A good part of central Germany would fit the description given as long as you avoid the large cities. Würzburg and Rothenburg are definite stops;

https://flic.kr/p/7wfpMU
https://flic.kr/p/fhxf6G

Hi Philip,

Michael submits an exhaustive list of the towns on the Romantic Road, I certainly can't add much there. To be clear, the scenery on the road is nothing special or even romantic, it's the towns that are 'connected' in this way that are the drawcard. I have done some of these towns: Füssen, Neuschwanstein, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Augsburg, Würzburg. It was admittedly a very long time ago now, but I remember the room we stayed in in Augsburg had a remarkable feature. It was called the 'Duschtempel' (shower temple) and the room had a glass-walled bathroom with a glassed-in shower angled partly into the sitting area so you could see the person showering unless they drew down a shade. The room also had a loft area and several beds so it would have been suitable for a family, but that shower feature was definitely not family-friendly! (or rather, perhaps designed for making families....?). Rothenburg is very touristy but Dinkelsbühl is an antidote to that - has all the same features but none of the hype. Würzburg is probably the most underrated stop here - the Residenz is quite an imposing attraction. There would be a lot of Fodorites who would have travelled the Romantic Road, certainly more recently than we have, hope you get a lot of responses, and I will help where I can.

Lavandula

Actually if you are looking more at Bavaria instead of just the Romantic Road my tip would be Bamberg - really attractive city, worth departing the Road for. Regensburg is also not too shabby.

Lavandula

Have narrowed down to a few hotel questions. We love local color and outstanding views - and then there is the views and ambiance. Price is always a consideration but not the determining factor.

What hotel is the best in Garmish?

What hotel is the best in Fussen?

Same question for Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Philip

In Fussen, I stayed at the Luitpoldpark Hotel in the center of town. Very nice hotel and room with underground parking. My room had a wooden sauna in the bathroom.

In Rothenburg, I stayed at Romantik Hotel Markusturm. Again, another very nice hotel and room. Excellent food. No elevator but the owner took my bag to my room. Parking in a small lot around the corner down a narrow road.

Suggest you select a hotel within the walls of Rothenburg. Sometimes this isn't clear on the hotel's website, so be sure to watch for it.

I've stayed at all of the following, all within the walls, and all good options.

Klosterstueble - excellent in house restaurant too.

https://www.klosterstueble.de/

Hotel Sonne - they also have a good in house restaurant.

https://www.hotel-sonne-rothenburg.com/

On my recent visit I stayed here, a small budget friendly B&B with parking, within the walls, but away from the busy main street.

https://www.kreuzerhof-rothenburg.de/index.html

I've also stayed in Garmisch a few times, will post the names of the hotels I liked if I can find them.

Several years ago we flew into Frankfurt (direct) and went to Heidelberg (amazing castle and Philosopher's walk) then did Frieburg (great town with an amazing cathedral) side trip to Colmar & Strasbourg France (beau villages), then on into the Black Forest to see Triberg (waterfall!) & Donaueschingen, crossed over into Switzerland for the jaw-dropping Rheinfall, and onwards to beautiful Lindau and Oberstdorf (at the base of the alps and the gorgeous Breitachlamm), then up to Munich, which as so much to see and do from amazing beer halls to the BMW museum, art and some great food. Some ideas for you!

My wife and I drove the Romantic Road in 2014. We didn't exactly use a linear route but distances aren't long and a car gives you a lot of flexibility. Here are my impressions:

- Wurzburg is not a must see in my book. Your time would be better spent in Nuremberg -- allow one day.
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber is fun and well worth a day. It's a little touristy but has maintained a good atmosphere.
- Idea -- Stay in Rothenburg for one or two nights and day trip to Nuremberg (and Wurzburg, time permitting). Find a hotel inside the walls but note that driving and parking there is difficult.
- Dinkelsbuhl is very nice but somewhat similar to Rothenburg and a place you can see on the way to someplace else.
- Ulm -- The Ulm cathedral, although we didn't go there.
- Oberammergau -- Very, very touristy. Maybe worth a stop because of its reputation but get your ticket punched and move on.
- We finished up our drive by spending four days in Fussen. It's a nice town with hiking and biking all around. You can spend a day outdoors, a day at Neuschwanstein and Schwangau, and a day driving around to see Oberammergau, the Weiskirche, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
- This leaves you only a couple of days in Munich, which isn't enough but can get you started for the next trip. Might want to fly home from there instead of Berlin.

Can't advise you on hotels. We used Booking.com (as always) and were very happy with our accommodations. Note that some "quaint" German hotels and guesthouses take only cash.

Ditto on restaurants. But it's hard to go wrong with the food in Bavaria, especially if you like hearty meals with savory sauces and good beer.

As an alternative: Since you're starting your trip in the Netherlands and ending in Berlin, you're going to spend two days traveling to and from Bavaria. You might consider taking your vacation in the Rhine / Mosele Valley and the Black Forest region. Easy to do seven days there and you can add Alsace if you run out of things to do.