Three will be traveling including a toddler. Our airline arrives in Frankfurt the 12th at 8:30 pm. Leaves the 19th at 8:30 a.m. We'd like to visit areas around Rothenburg and Fussen.

Upon arrival, what should we do? Catch a train to Wurzburg is my first thought. How much is it? I looked at the German rail site and it's 50 Euro and the Bavaria train site 30. I've been to Frankfurt airport before so know where the station is but never with a child. Should we rent a car from Frankfurt? Is either city safe at night?

Should we rent or take the train? We looked at the 27 Euro deal and the price of a car (about $50/day from autoeurope's site + gas). The train seems less but from reading the forum posts, seems like it might be a hassle to some of the areas, like Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl.

We will have one luggage, two carry-on, a backpack, stroller, and if we drive a car seat (this is an old/extra seat we have... we plan on tossing it after the Asia trip if we don't drive in Germany). We have a lot of luggage because we have 2.5 weeks in Asia visiting families. We will leave the luggage at the airport if we do the train/bus route so add another 3 Euro/day. But, if you think it'll be hard to do laundry along the way, we'll haul the luggage.

I want to make the savings worthwhile... not money pinch but then the trip will be less enjoyable. I am a natural money pincher so sometimes it's tough to splurge, even if the difference is $5

So far, I have this itinerary in my head:
Frankfurtt - Wurzburg upon arrival
Day 1: early in the morning head to Rothenburg
Day 2: same hotel but visit Dinkelsbuhl
Day 3: Fussen and stop here and there along the way
Day 4: Castle, stay the night in the area again
Day 5: Not sure... Augsburg?
Day 6: Spend the night in Wurzburg/Frankfurt
Day 7: Fly out

Thanks!

Take the hire car!

Frankfurt is a great airport the train station is inside the terminal - it's a bit of a walk but still very doable.

German rail travel is excellent but with luggage and a child a car would have to be easier and it gives you a lot more freedom. Addidtionally train travel does add up very quickly especially if you haven't booked a long way in adavance. If you have your SAT NAV you can't go wrong ( or buy one with europe on it - I still think it would be cheaper than lots of train travel)

Rothenberg is super and as a walled city no cars get in so there is plenty of parking in the area. We stay just outside the city walls in a super B&B recommended in another guide book! It is quiet in the evening, has parking and is easy to find.

Fussen and the surrounds - (excuse my spelling) but Garmich and Ooblerhamgeau are also woth the visit which you could bo with a car.

Wurzburg is ... always a disappointment. We used to pop down there to the PX and then remember that the town was nothing special when compared to other German towns. Still at this time of year it's not unpleasant.

As for is Germany safe at night... I can honestly say I have never felt unsafe anywhere there, be it 2am on the reeperbahn, 11am on travelling alone on the autobahn or travelling on the trains from Munich to berlin.

You haven't mentioned staying in Munich or visiting Dachau or popping over to Innsbruck (austria) all are worthwhile if you haven't done them before. But the most important thing is to stop. Have an Eis and beer in one of the city sqaures wherevr you are, enjoy the sunshine, the history and the people.
it's all great!

I just can't let this thread go by without registering strong disagreement with the assessment that Wurzburg "always a disappointment" and "nothing special." We lived in Bavaria for about 2 years and think it is well worth a visit.

If you don't have information about the Romantic Road already, you should pick it up when you get to Germany
As always, it depends on what you are interested in.
Rothenburg and dinklesbuhl are rather similar, both very, very touristy. Rothenburg is definitely the more spectacular of the two. We liked Nordlingen with its circular town wall. I remember a good playground next to them.

If you have a car, there are plenty of other stops along the way. I love the sculpture of Tilman Riemenschneider and recommend the altar of the Herrgottskirche in Creglingen.

The Alps are beautiful in good weather. On a really nice day the trip up the Zugspitze is spectacular and worth considering even for a "money pincher."
on your way north, Augsburg is a very interesting city, full of historical sights. I also like Bad Wimpfen in the
Neckar valley.
For your last overnight, I think Mainz is more pleasant than Frankfurt, and it is near the airport (there are many train connections)

>Is either city safe at night?
You may want to take some extra care in Frankfurt downtown at night, but with the surveillance cameras, it's not such a big problem anymore.

Thank you for the replies. I was a bit concerned that I might not get any since I didn't select "Germany" and it got posted to the general Europe forum.

I think the car might be the best route for us at this time since even the train/bus can add up too. It's always been easy before, no child and just one bag but now it's baggages, stroller, and carseat. Plus extra safety.

We're not too fond of very touristy places but sometimes I guess there's a reason why it's so touristy, because it's a must see. Since it's really our first time seeing Germany, we'd probably be more on the "tourist" end. But we'd like to see a lot of the quieter.

Actually for Fussen, I was thinking of staying in Garmisch. I saw the Edelweiss Resort, we qualify, but I rather stay in a German guesthouse with a good breakfast.

I left Munich out because we didn't want to pack too many stops, I thought the Romantische Strasse would be plenty. We do want to see the city and really don't have to visit all the sites. Maybe we can swing it. So maybe in the I don't know day I can put Munich in there?

Since we'll be in a car, should be get more hotels and not have two main base stay?

Thanks again!!!

Is there a way to move this post to the Germany forum? Or should I just start a new thread and link to the original?

Hi SC,

There is only one Europe board.

No need to repost.

I also suggest a car for your visit.
See www.autoeurope.com
www.gemut.com
www.navacarhire.com

This might be of use to you:
www.romanticroad.com/default.htm#index

Welcome to Fodors! There's no Germany forum. All the threads go to the Europe forum. You're doing fine. Just keep adding to this thread so all your info says together.

Here's a site that a lot of travelers to Bavaria find very helpful. Ben is a frequent contributer to this board. His site is noncommercial.

www.bensbauernhof.com

Thank you for the links and the posting info!