I need help planning a southern Germany itinerary. I want to avoid Fussen and the area around the Passion Play, as posts here have me nervous about crowds. I was thinking of flying into Frankfurt, staying on the Rhine for a few days, going to Rothenburg area for few days and then to Munich for three days. I thought we would bypass Fussen area and drive straight to Lindau again for 2-3 days then to the Black Forest area near Hornberg and then back to Frankfurt. I would like to see Singen, Sigmaringen and Hornberg because ancestors were from these areas. Is this too much for 2 weeks? What are we missing? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

My opinion: Skip Munich or not stay 3 days. Go on to the Berchtesgaden area and visit Salzburg while staying in Berchtesgaden. Beautiful area to explore. You could arrive Frankfurt and go directly to Heidelberg. See the castle area and spend the night.Heidelberg is a Short drive from Frankfurt after your long flight. Then go to Rothenburg for a few nights. Drive down Romantic road on over to Berchtesgaden/Salzburg. Back through the Alpine road to Lindau. Up through Black Forest and end trip on the Rhine. If you stay in Assmanhausen or one of the other towns close by on the Rhine it is an easy drive the morning of your flight to drive to the Frankfurt airport, especially if you plan a Sunday departure. Bottom line: we prefer the smaller towns of Germany and not the big ones like Munich. Any other questions, just email me. You should have enough time if you pick and choose your locales and plan it out. We also try to stay in one place about three nights and explore out from there. Changing hotels every night is a hassle and time waster.

I have to agree with Bob about large German cities in the summer. If you'll be there in July or August, you'll enjoy yourself a lot more in the smaller, easier-to-negotiate places. <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, I can't recommend Rothenburg. Nowadays, it makes my skin crawl. I was there in June, and there were so many Americans, I though I was at Disneyland. Thanks to Rick Steves and others, it has become so overtouristed that it's a cliche. Nor can I recommend the long trip across Bavaria to Berchtesgaden, unless you're intent on visiting Salzburg, which will also be quite busy, of course, but is still very special. <BR> <BR>By all means, give the lesser-known Lake Constance area a try! Besides Lindau, travel around the lake to Konstanz, Meersburg and its castle, and the dozens of other pretty towns that dot the lake. I spent a week 2 years back in a small town near Radolfzell and had a great time seeing these towns, biking, and doing day trips by train to the Black Forest and into Switzerland. You'll be among mostly European tourists instead of American hordes. <BR> <BR>Heidelberg is also fairly "big" on the American tourist circuit, but a disappointment, IMHO. The castle makes a great visit, but there isn't much else here in this busy city. Better to go with Bob's other suggestion and spend some time on the Rhine, where there are many smaller towns to explore and savor, such as Braubach, with its Marksburg Castle, Boppard, St. Goar, Oberwesel, and, to the north of larger Koblenz, Remagen (great WWII museum) and Linz. Bacharach may still be do-able, but its popularity with Rick Steves types has caused it to slide on my list of authentic places. In Koblenz, make a left and spend a few days in or near Cochem on the Moselle River, and visit the Reichsburg Castle there, Burg Eltz castle near Moselkern, and some of the wine towns upstream, like Bernkastel or Zell. <BR> <BR>If you spend 5 days or so in the Black Forest/Bodensee area, 5 days in the Rhine/Mosel area, you'll still have a few days for sightseeing in between. I'd suggest travelling through Germany's Castle Road Region, which takes you through Stuttgart and Heilbronn to the north, then along the Neckar River valley, which is full of castles and sights and fairly free of North Americans until you reach Heidelberg. Pay the castle there a visit, then head for the Rhine. From there, it's a short trip to Frankfurt. <BR> <BR>I enjoyed Neuschwanstein in Füssen, but with all the pictures you'll have of really authentic castles from these other areas, no one back home will doubt you've seen it all!

I forgot to give you this really nice website address for the castle road. <BR> <BR>www.burgenstrasse.de/international_version.htm

I would say to spend at least one night in Rothenburg. After the tour buses leave, the town is almost deserted in the evening; take the Night Watchman's Tour. The town is mainly crowded from 12-6 in the afternoon. Lake Bodensee is neat; we stayed at a great place in Meersburg and enjoyed the city and Castle. The Hotel was Zum Schiff, right on the Lake and less than $100 a night with a good breakfast. You definitely need to drive along the Rhine. We splurged and stayed at Rhinfels Castle/Villas for $150 a night, but the views, service and breakfast was worth it. You'll have a great time if you can avoid the crowds. I also recommend avoiding Munich and other large cities, especially if you have a car.

I have to say I disagree with Russ. We recently spent thenight in Rothenburg and loved it. As Terry says, get there in teh evening...but try to get there before sun set. Dusk there is absolutely breathtaking. The view over the valley (?) is splendid. Take the NightWatchman's tour - it's fun and charming. <BR>I agree that it gets very and I do mean VERY- think Disneyworld- crowded during the day. So take a walk around the city -visit the various shops -including the Kathe Wolfhart, tour the criminal museum and the doll museum, take some pictures and then try and get out of there before noon. Rothenburg still remaind one of my favourite cities in Germany! <BR>

I too would not miss Rothenburg, staying inside the walled city was very memorable. I can't imagine southern Germany without the castles, not to mention the Wieskirch which is on the loop. We stayed in the little village just below the castles and the only &quot;crowd&quot; problem was the farmer herding his cattle in the road around our car! The castles lit up at night were beautiful. Loved the Mosel River Valley, don't miss Berg Eltz. We stayed in Brehm. The Black Forest was not that interesting to me, one day was enough...I did get a great clock! A trip to Salzburg would be great...I wish we spent more time there. I don't remember the trip being very long...and very much worth it! We saw castles all over Germany and nothing beats Nueschwanstein, Hohenshwangua, and my favorite Linderhof (actually a palace).<BR>If you want to miss crowds...go to northern Germany which is often overlooked but has beautiful sights and castles too!

Wow...lots of opinions here. Let me just mention that my group of friends spent 6 days in Germany. <BR><BR>We flew into Frankfurt head down towards Heidelburg, Baden-Baden, and drove through the Black Forrest. We stayed the night in Oberkirche. Next day we drove down towards Zurich and went to the Rhein Falls, came back up through Austria and stayed the night in Fuessen. Next day saw the Castles there and headed to Salzburg. Next day headed to Munich for two nights. Next day headed up towards Frankfurt and drove along the Rhein River to see the string of castles from Bingen to Koblenz. We were able to see many things in 6 days so you have a lot to see in 2 weeks.<BR>Nothing wrong with seeing the 'overly' touristy things the first time you visit; that's the whole fun of it. We didn't run into a lot of American tourists either.

Kathy - it is interesting that you want to avoid O'Gau and Fussen because of tourist crowds, but then opt for Rothenburg - probably the most touristy place in all of Germany. I agree with the other posts that indeed Rothenburg is a must see, but I would plan to arrive late afternoon and leave by noon the following day. There are wonderful small towns within an easy drive to the castles which will not be &quot;packed&quot; with tourists. You might even opt for O'Gau as the next Passion Play will not be till 2010. However, I am sure you will enjoy the Bodensee area as well as Sigmaringen with its outstanding castle (one of my favorite German cities) and the small towns in the Schwabische Jura area. If you can be sure to visit Hohenzollern Castle. Have a wonderful trip!