next week i'll be driving from frankfurt to heidelberg to rothenberg and, thence, to regensburg and, finally, on to munich.

even tho (and maybe because) these are relatively short distances, we'll have time to stop off.

does anyone know of some good stops along the way? we've already thought about schwabing hall but would appreciate some other ideas.

thanks in advance!

Heidelberg to Rothenburg i'd take the route of the Castle Road which follows largely the dreamy Neckar River Valley, going thru several dreamy small towns.

Hi S,

Between ROT and Munich is the Romantic Road.

www.romanticroad.com/default.htm#index

I'd second what PalenQ said. The Neckar River Valley is one of the undiscovered great places in Germany. I'm surprised that the Rhine still gets the spotlight when the Neckar is so close and so picturesque.

ViaMichilen.com as I recall has several ways for you to map your trips, by time, by length, by scenic route etc. You may want to play around with that to see what you get.

Just an hour or so from Heidelberg on the Neckar River is Bad Wimpfen, a beautiful little town that can be explored in a few hours. Take a look at their website (English available):

www.badwimpfen.de

Schwaebisch Hall is a larger town, but has a lovely Altstadt.

Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen on the Romantic Road are also good places to stop for a look around and a few photos.