Arriving September 22 into Frankfurt, plan on driving into munich,then to regensburg, then to salzburg then to rotherburg and back to frankfurt. suggestions on routes, where to stay, and how many days in each city, thank you so much never been to germany!

Given all the background info you provided as to interests and duration, I will suggest this.

Go Frankfurt to Rothenburg. Rothenburg to Munich. Munich to Salzburg. Salzburg to Regensburg. Regensburg to Frankfurt. Much more logical.

1 day in Rothenburg. 3 days in Munich. 2 days in Salzburg. 1 day in Regensburg. Thats one week. Multiply by two for each week you have available.

Since you are driving, your hotel choices are endless, and because I don't know your budget, or your tastes, or your desires to stay in the cities versus the country, or the number of people in your party, your choices are endless.

Thank me. No problem. Your welcome.

I agree with born2wonder as to city sequence.

Here are few routing suggestions:

Leave Frankfurt airport on the A-3, east (signed Wuerzburg). Get off at exit 57, head south - along the Main river on the B-469, follow signs to Miltenberg. Stop there and visit a bit in this nice old city. Then continue along the Main to Wertheim. This is where the Romatic Highway (Romantische Strasse) starts.Follow road to Tauberbischofsheim, Bad Mergentheim (nice spa), Weikersheim (nice little palace), Creglingen (famous altar in the Herrgottskirche)and Rothenburg.

After leaving R. get on the A-7 south to where it interescts with the A-6. Follow the A-6 east to exit 53 (Lichtenau). Get off there and take the fairly scenic road to Windsbach,Abenberg,Roth, Allersberg. Get on the A-9 there and head south to Munich. This route helps you avoid the autobahn interchanges in Nuernberg.

After leaving Munich on the A-8 east (signed Salzburg), get off at exit 106 (Bernau), take short detour to Prien and in Prien follow the signs to the Chiemsee, Stock.

In Stock, take boat to the Herreninsel (island) and visit there King Ludwig's Versailles-like palace. The detour incl. boat trip and palace visit takes about 3 hours.

Return to Prien and head back toward autobahn, but stay on the B-305 to Grassau, Marquartstein, Reit im Winkel, where the B-305 becomes part of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (Alpine highway. Reit i.W. is a delighful typical Bavarian village, with major mountains in the background.

Follow the B-305 to Fritz am Sand. Watch it there, the B-305 turns right. Don't go into Ruhpolding. Stay on the B-305 to Schneizlreuth, where it turns left and continue following the signs to Berchtesgaden.

You will enter B'gdn at the RR station. Continue straight and follow the signs to Salzburg.

After Salzburg, head to Freilassing and catch the B-20 and follow the Inn river to Burghausen (beautiful castle, nice old town). From B, take the B-12 and B-299 to Landshut, and the B-15 to Regensburg.

After Regensburg, you can take the A-3 to Nuernberg (visit this city) and continue to Wuerzburg (I prefer it to Nuernberg) and continue to Frankfurt.

Between Wuerzburg and Aschaffenburg the A-3 can get very busy. If so, you can drop down to Wertheim and return to FRA the way you came initially.

Have fun.

Don't know the other two, but the Sacher is hard to beat. (Except for the price.)

Don't forget to factor in jetlag if you plan to drive the day you arrive. The German autobahns are very fast and you could easily end up in an accident if you're not concentrating. You may need to stay the 1st night in a hotel near the airport or catch a train into Frankfurt and stay the night. On a similar thread recently, someone mentioned that hiring a car at German airports attracted an additional charge. I believe it was an additional % of the full cost of hire, not a set fee, so you may want to research that before booking your car.

One place to consider if you have a car is Colberg- we are staying in the castle next week. I'll let you know how it is- it's not far from Munich or Nuremburg.

Since you're already planning on visiting Regensburg, add a day in Passau to the itinerary--charming town up on a hill with beautiful old streets.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH ...i am trying to get the time off from work during this week, since i am an executive at a hotel in new jersey, and this could be our busy corporate meeting month, again thank you so much for all your information

The drive from Frankfurt to Rothenburg is pretty easy, even for the jet-lagged. I would only spend one night in Rothenburg.

You're heading into Munich during Oktoberfest, so hotels might be tricky and expensive. You might consider staying in Augsburg instead.

I like Regensburg, but I love Bamberg. It is a city full of charm and treasures. Have fun.

I agree with speckles that you don't want to be driving a long distance the day you arrive in Germany. On my first trip (of 5) to Germany this century, I arrived at FRA around 7 am and had what would have been a 4 hour drive to the Allgäu in Germany. Fortunately, I took the train, as I fell asleep briefly during the trip. Had I been driving on the autobahn, it would likely have been my last trip, ever.

I have arrived from the states many times and have driven directly from the airport to a destination. Granted you might not want to drive 5-6 hours, but going 2-3 hours shouldn't be a problem at all.

Taking the train will save a lot vs. driving.

You can purchase a SparPreis ticket from Frankfurt airport to Nürnberg for 2 people for €69 round trip. From Nürnberg it is a short trip to Rothenburg. The fare on the Nürnberger Verkehrsverbund is €8,30 each way. A day ticket for two adults is €13,70. That's €27,40 if you choose to stay overnight; €13,70 if you do the trip to Rothenburg in a single day. Each leg, from Nürnberg to Regensburg, Regensburg to Munich, Munich to Salzburg, and Salzburg back to Nürnberg can be done on a Bayern ticket for €25 per day. Travel time is not that long, regional trains are no problems. The total fare for two, then, would be just over €196, about $250.

According to ViaMichelin, gas for that route would be €127, about $160, so if a car rental costs more than $90, it is more expensive.

We stayed in Munich for 3 nights at the Hotel Uhland http://www.hotel-uhland.de/enwelcome.html

The Hotel Uhland was a great value for the money. Very clean room, excellent breakfast.

You might want to consider the Rick Steves "Germany & Austria 2006" guidebook to help you plan your itenerary. His book is very well thought out. We used it on our trip to Germany, Austria & Switzerland last year.

If you need help to plan that trip by rail for only $250, email me at [email protected].

I can't tell from your information how long you are planning on each stop but if you are planning on being in Munich Oktoberfest is from 16th of September to oct 3rd and hotels in Munich are very hard to get now. I had to make my reservations last Sept. You can try hotel.de and hrs.de and see if they have anything.

Also, remember that period is also the time to enjoy Federweisser, a delicious, light and fizzy new wine that you can get only in Germany and only for a short period (late September/early October). Traditionally served with an onion tarte/quiche. If you see it on a menu, don't pass it up!