This is my first post in ages so bare with me I'm planning a quick trip to Germany main focus being Christmas markets! Flying in and out of Munich. My question�I�ve read to really enjoy Rothenburg on der Tauber it�s best after day trippers leave and spend the night. And I�ve also read Nuremberg has the #1 market, im sure everyone has their own opinion. So my plan is to fly into Munich and get train straight on out to R od Tauber spend 2 nights there, train to Nuremberg maybe spend 2 nights there and then in to Munich for 3-4 nights and hopefully have time for trip to Salzburg. Thoughts or opinions?? I�ve been to Munich before but traveling with two that have never been to Germany at all. I appreciate your time!

Hi LHarbar, welcome back ... just noticing your first night will be in Rothenburg odT - I am assuming you will be jetlagged, so this is really only like 1 day and 1 night as the first day will be a washout. That might be OK for your trip, Rothenburg isn't all that big and I notice you don't have a lot of time anywhere else.

Otherwise your trip looks awesome, even if swift. I haven't been to Salzburg so can't comment on that, but I am sure someone else will come aboard to give Salzburg tips.

Lavandula

The plan looks ok. I would advise that you do not make reservations just now.
Two reasons.
There could be some restrictions due to Covid.
Germany announces new Covid measures for fall, expecting another wave of infections
Germany keeping its basic COVID rules through fall, winter | The Seattle Times
and
Public light maybe reduced.
European retailers turn off lights, cut opening hours to save energy | Reuters
Germany dims the lights to cope with Russia gas supply crunch | Financial Times
Having said that I do hope they keep the train fares low.
Germany faces calls to extend �9-a-month public transport ticket | Germany | The Guardian

I think you've got a good plan. We just booked a Christmas trip to Germany, Austria and Italy ourselves, the same trip we'd had to cancel twice due to COVID.

Rothenburg ODT is definitely nicer at night when the bus crowd leaves. I've been many times, and always opt for 2-3 nights there. One day is sufficient if you just want to check out the markets and the town. The criminal museum is also worth a few hours.

Nuremberg has a huge market and draws huge crowds. We've visited a few times and prefer to avoid the weekends. There's a lot more to Nuremberg than the markets though, so you might find that two nights gives it short shrift. The Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgel�nde (Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds) and the Kaiserburg (castle) are very much worth the effort if you have the time.

Salzburg can also fill many days - lots to do there in a relatively compact area and very easy to reach from Munich.

I have a few trip reports posted here that cover these areas at Christmas - they might give you a few ideas.

The Boomer and the Gen-Zer: A trip of firsts

Nurmberg section starts at Dec 13 -

We're here!

“This is my first post in ages so bare with me”

I hope you mean bear with me! It’s very hot where I am right now, but I intend to leave my clothes on. Sorry, humble apologies, but I couldn’t resist. 😂

Enjoy the Christmas markets.

Not sure how you respond but if this is it, touch�! You would be correct! Hot in Alabama as well!

what a fabulous trip report, very helpful! Thank you so much! A tad rushed but have to squeeze it in when we can

Hope you found it helpful. The trip with my niece was more than I'd usually try to fit into two weeks, but she's young and was short on time.

How many nights do you have to work with?

7 nights but they just fill up so quickly I would love to use one day in Munich to go to Fussen and see the castles. I�ve seen them but daughter hasn�t�.I�ve traveled to London and Germany with my niece and it was such special time together

Munich to Neuschwanstein is indeed a very long day, especially by bus tour. I did this with a group of women friends in December 2017, even though I'd been a few times before. Days are so short and the travel day so long that it took the entire day. I chose to not do it with my niece in 2019 for that very reason (same with Hallstatt from Salzburg). So many other things to fill the time. The trip to the Zugspitze from Munich took all day too, but less time getting there and more time to actually visit the top and walk around Eibsee, then poke through the Christmas markets of Garmisch. A better use of time IMO, but it all depends on your specific interests. So much to see and do in the area, it's hard to narrow down.

Seven nights is only six days, so it will pass in a flash.