Germany
 

opinion: which of these smaller towns are the best to see: Rothenburg, Heidelberg, Stuttgart.

Looking to have a quaint experience. We will also be going to Fussen for sure.

Of the 3 towns you mention, Rothenburg is the only "small" town. Stuttgart has a population of 600,000+ is a large town as is Heidelberg.

Sorry, hit submit at the wrong time! Heidelberg is only around 150,000 population so it is much smaller but still a good size town.

I have not yet been to Stuttgart as larger towns don't appeal to me. While many people like Heidelberg, it wasn't one of my favorites. We have been to Rothenburg numerous times and always enjoy it. There are a lot of tourists that visit Rothenburg but for good reason. It is best to stay overnight as many of the day trippers are gone by mid afternoon.

Rothenburg is the most charming. Heidelburg would be second on my list.

I found Stuttgart ugly and left after one night. Even after driving around the city to make sure I wasn't wrong. Others for some reason seem to like it.

Stuttgart is a large and mostly post-war city. It has quite a bit to offer in terms of culture, museums and shopping, the car museums and an excellent zoo - but it does not have any old-world flair and certainly does not qualify as "quaint". The city receives a lot of promotion here on the forums from a biased ex-local, though, which should be taken with a grain of salt.

Rothenburg...lovely little town. Heidelberg is also lovely, but not exactly a small town. Plan to stay overnight in Rothenburg as it is much more enjoyable in the evenings and early mornings when the tourist buses are not there.

If I had to pick one, it would be Rotheburg.

If I had to pick two, it would be Rothenburg and Heidelberg.

If I had to pick three, it would be Rothenburg, Heidelberg, and Stuttgart.

If you like cars then Stuttgart is a must-see for the Porsche and Mercedes museums.

spark has it, Stuttgart's main if only real attractions are the two factory museums/tours. Other than that it is a little like visiting Birmingham in the UK.

Honestly, i am not a fan of Heidelberg either but given the choices of Stuttgart and Heidelberg, I'll take Heidelberg.

If you stay in the "old town" part of Heidelberg in the pedestrian zone, visit the castle, the old bridge, maybe take a ride on the Neckar river, you can have a "quaint" experience, even though it is a larger place. If your budget allows, check out the Hotel Zum Ritter St. Georg:
http://www.ritter-heidelberg.de/en/ NOTE: This is not an easy place to park but is well suited if you want to walk to the sites.

Rothenburg is also delightful, especially if you stay for a couple of nights and enjoy the less crowded time in the evening.