Germany/Prague itinerary help
 

Ok, we are traveling with 6 adults, 3 children. We will have a car.
On day 1 I would like to go from Frankfurt, to Nurnberg.(along the romantic road, castle road)
Day 2
Nurnberg to Prague
Day 3
Prague
Day 4
Prague to ??? (heading twords Heidelberg on the castle route)
I need help on hotels in Nurnberg, and Prague and where to stay on the way back to Frankfurt, between Prague and Heidelberg area.

How does this trip sound?
Any great things to see or do in these little towns, that you LOVED???

Any tips etc.. would be great!

THanks,
Jackie

Cramped, crowded, rushed, hurried, hectic. Did I say unenjoyable?

Yikes! Horrible itinerary. First off, how are you fitting 6 aduls and 3 children in one car???....anyway, you need to slow down. There is plenty to see and do in four days around the Romantic Road, specially with kids in tow. So, why compressing Germany and Prague in four days sounds nutty.

It would be 4 nights 5 days. We will have a 9 passenger van.
We might be able to do 5 nights 6 days, but we are worried about the hotel prices.

Thanks,
Jackie

On which days do you fly in and out? Are you flying in and out of Frankfurt?

This is not a lot of time. I would focus on the Rhine and Mosel. Consider basing in one place and day trip to various towns in the area. You may even be able to find a house or apartment that you could rent for a week for everyone and save a bundle compared to hotels every night.

You will kill each other in that van if you spend more than 3 hours a day in it.

Prague is way to far to be practical for such a short trip.

You're trying to do way too much in too little time. Im my experience kids trapped in a car for hours and hours every day become grumpy, whiny and eventually po'd (and who can blame them?). Where's the time to see anything? To do anything? To find your hotels and where to park the van? To orient yourself to each city? (And you have no time to see or do anything in other little towns - you'll just be passing them at about 120 mph).

There's no way you should do Prague without adding at least 4/5 days to this trip. Just stay in Germany with so little time.

Now that we've all had a chance to vent, perhaps you'd like to disclose more. With the little you've disclosed, I am forced to assume that the 9 of you are two (or 3) couples with kids and possibly parents, got a week of vacation, never been to Europe before, somehow got $10K and decided to "see all of Europe", have no specific likes or dislikes re tourism. No idea why specifically Prague, or Heidelberg, or Nurnburg.
Consider that on Day 1 when you land, at least one of the 9 of you will be tired... after all, if one doesn't sleep on the plane, one would be at approximately hour#36 of one's departure day. Nurnberg would be only a blur. Do you realize that half of each day would be spent driving, in order to cover the 1200km route, without even beginning to see the towns and sights OFF the motorway? See www.michelin.com for trip mapping help.
Why my disdain? Well, two years ago my wife and I spent 3 weeks covering the same area you mention covering in 4 days, and we left a lot unseen.
You mention concern about hotel prices...what range are you planning on, or fearful of?
There are scads of great things to see or do, lots of charming little towns, but one can't "love them" at 100kmh on the autobahn. If the goal is to see Prague, then just see Prague. If the goal is to see castles, then exclude other sights.

OK; 6 adults, 1 8-year old boy, 2 boys under 3, 5 days, tight budget.
Scratch Prague, etc.
If it's castles you want, search "Burg Eltz" here in Fodors, a very large castle north of Frankfurt. Also search "castle Rhine" for others along the river. Maybe Wurzburg. Go no further. Lastly, consider pensions, rather than hotels, save 50%

Hi Jackie -

Sorry you got so roughed up, but everbody is right. The rushing and the long distances aside, getting the van in and out of the Czech Republic will be difficult, since many / most / all rental agencies prohibit you from their vehicles there - theft is apparently a bit of an issue.

There's so much to enjoy in Germany. From Frankfurt, you could drive via Wuerzburg to Nuremberg (I would suggest Bamberg instead), then to Rothenburg, then to Heidelburg, then back to Frankfurt. That would make a pleasant 4 or 5 days.

Relax. Prague will always be there. Unless they have another flood.

Gute Reise!

Taking. Taking their vehicles there. Across the border from Germany to the CR. Sorry about that.

Jackie;

Sorry you got hammered but you really are pushing the limit to try and accomplish what you laid out. It's natural tendency to want to see some long lved place once you finally manage to get over there, but it can ruin the trip, leave you bleary-eyed, and turned off of the whole thing.

Driving times
Frankfurt - Nuremberg 2.5 hours
Nuremberg - Prague 4.5 hours
Prague - Heidelberg 6.5 hours
Heidelberg - Frankfurt 1.0 hours

That's 15 hours driving in about 4.5 days, or about 4 a day on average - before you even deviate from a highway!.

You won't hit the Romantic Road between Frankfurt and Nuremberg except for Wurzburg. Travellling any farther south will add at least 2-3 hours to your trip to Nuremberg. The same thinking applies to your trip back to Heidelberg along the castle Route. You will want to leave the main highways to see sights and that will add hours.

If I was planning to see Prague from Frankfurt (7 hours hard driving) I would stay for 3 days minimum and that's
pretty much your trip.

We will be in Germany from March 30th until April 12th. We just wanted to take about 5 days and go on a trip. My brother lives in Germany, and is getting the van. We plan on starting our trip on the 4th of April. We will be taking our time and looking at anything and everything we want. Guess it would be better to take more time, which is no problem.
Thank you for all your comments.

Jackie

Oh,and yes I have been to Germany before, just a long time ago (10 years). My husband and I have been going to "Tropical" places the last few years, and just wanted to go see my brother and his family. He has not been home in 6 years. We do have the money for about 100 per night per room. We have My family of 4, my brothers family of 3 and my MIL and FIL.
Thanks again!

Recognize, if you will, that of the numerous facets of Germany, with limited time one would not (hopefully) visit museums if one was not interested in museums; ditto for castles, cathedrals, wineries, medieval towns, shopping malls, mountains, valleys, etc. Now granted you have 6 adults' interests to consider, but we on this forum can be of little help if you don't narrow your scope by divulging what the adults wish to see other than your brother.

We would like to see Castles, and the medieval towns etc.. My husband and FIL are interested in the history with the camps etc.. (we will be doing at a different time) I did hear Prague had some very interesting parts to it concerning this era. That is one reason I liked Prauge.

Thanks,
Jackie

bumping