I am trying to plan a trip for our family (2 adults, 2 boys - ages 12, 14) to southern Germany for Christmas and New Years.

I will quickly give my thoughts - as of now - and I respectfully request ANY advice other Fodorites have to offer on town, length of stay, hotels, day trips, other options, etc.

A couple of things -

We plan on flying into Frankfurt, then taking trains to most of the other places - except for flying from Munich back to Frankfurt.

We need 2 rooms and for this trip, and I want to keep the cost under about 100 euros per night, per room (so, under 200 euros per night total). I'm hoping that will include breakfast.

We like to stay in the main part of town - willing to pay a little more for the convenience of being right in the heart of things.

We love strolling around Christmas markets and prefer smaller towns to big cities (eg Salzburg vs Vienna).

Okay - the plan, so far.....

I am thinking of starting off in Heidelberg on Dec 20 and staying a few days to visit the Xmas market and explore the city. Probably leaving the 23.

Next, I was thinking about being in Bad Wimpfen over Christmas (23-26). Don't know if there is enough to do there over the holiday - maybe staying longer in Heidelberg and doing some day trips would be a better idea.

I was thinking of a quick (1 night - maybe the 26 or 27) stay in Stuttgart - mainly to see the Mercedes Museum (teenage boy thing!).

Then I was thinking of hitting the Alps - staying around Garmisch-Partenkirchen. MIght want to go skiing one day and definitely trips to the various Ludwig castles.

Debating whether to stay in the Alps or go on to Munich for New Years - any thoughts?

Finally, a couple of days in Munich, mainly for the Olympic stadium and the BMW museum and factory ("boy thing" again).

I plan on flying out of Frankfurt on Jan 3 or 4.

As you can see - I am VERY open to ideas and suggestions. We live in a Muslim country (low-key - but still Muslim) and we really want to get the feeling of Christmas. Plus, this is really the first year I think my boys can enjoy New Year's celebrations (without falling asleep) - so I want it to be something fun for all of us.

I need to get this planned and booked in the next couple of week, so any advice would be appreciated!

I'll give you my thoughts and bring this back up to the top. Hopefully you'll get a few more replies.

All in all, though, your plan sounds fine to me. We live in S. Germany, and I've visited all of the places you mention except Bad Wimpfen. Two days is plenty of time for Heidelberg, my husband really enjoyed the Mercedes museum (the 3 girls and I stayed home), and we absolutely love Garmisch.

If you've never been to Rothenberg, you may want to consider that. Yes, there are plenty of tourists, but its really a neat place to visit. And if you stay overnight, a lot of the tourists leave at the end of the day. My older kids (11&13) were facinated by the display of medieval torture devices at the criminal museum, and we all loved the Night Watchman's Tour.

Since we usually drive everywhere, I don't have lots of experience with the train. I would wonder, though, how well Ludwig's castles are served by the train. Maybe someone else will know that. Still, driving in Germany is really easy, and it gives you a lot more flexibility than the train does.

Sounds like you're planning a great trip! Good luck!

The markets in Bad Wimpfen are on weekends only. Checking the calender, you will miss the markets there. The market is very nice in Bad Wimpfen, the stalls are placed along the streets instead of a square. I don;t know if you would find enough there to do over the Christmas holiday. Regardless of where you go, Christmas is a 2 day holiday (25-26) in Germany so everything will be shut. I agree with Mindy, you could reduce the time in Heidelberg. I would recommend that you try the market in Augsburg near Munich, I have heard very good things about it. I came so close to stopping there but chnaged plans on the way to the city. I would say the Munich would be the place to celebrate (slyvester-New Years in Germany) I think that there would be a lot more goin on there, celebration wise. Try the new years tradition of melting lead and pouring in into water for a prediction of the new year outlook. Then you may be able to take a quick trip to Salzburg for there market. Be sure you have reservations for a hotel over both Holidays, especially Christmas.

All christmas markets in Germany close at the Dec 23.

Museums might have reduced opening times during the public holidays arround xmas and new year(Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 26, Dec 31 and Jan 1).

Years ago we had a wonderful time after xmas in a Sporthotel, somewhere in the Black Forest. It would be like a spa in the woods, with pool, cleared walking trails and cross-country skiing.

You might want to try something like that after Christmas, when many of the in-town things will be closed. Try a web search with Sporthotel Schwarzwald.

You would be wise to contact the local tourist offices about renting a vacation apartment in places you plan to spend 2-3 days - much more room, cheaper, and some hosts actually do breakfast if you don't want to bother with the kitchen. Though most will be in suburbs, it is possible to find a "Ferienwohnung" in/near city centers. Both private owners and some hotels have them, but the TI will have a fairly complete list and perhaps a brochure or website to refer to.

Instead of doing Heidelberg first, I would suggest a visit to Mainz and nearby Ruedesheim after landing - both are near the airport, and the Christmas markets there are outstanding. Mainz' market is quite large, and very well attended - a great place to stroll and mingle - while Ruedesheim's is small-town gorgeous and most atmospheric. (Heidelberg is very do-able as a daytrip from Mainz - drive, or travel on a "Rheinland-Pfalz" family daypass, about 24 euros total. Or you could make Heidelberg your Christmas day city before hitting Bad Wimpfen.)

Mainz would be the more lively place to stay, but it may be a bit harder to find apartment accommodations there than in Ruedesheim - I'd check into it soon. There is an Ibis Hotel in Mainz a short walking distance from the market for budget accommodations - around 75 Euros/night double - if you want to go two rooms. (The Ibis is just 1.5 blocks from the Mainz Sued train station in case you are daytripping out from there to Ruedesheim or Heidelberg - very convenient.)

Bad Wimpfen is lovely, but probably far too small for 2-3 days when the town is completely "dead" - you'll probably find a bit more to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, even though the shops are closed, in a larger city, like Heidelberg, where going for a stroll will still be entertaining (train station cafes and hotel eateries will at least be available.)

Other Mainz possibilities: For a location near the market and the old town center, besides the Ibis, you might also look into the Hotel Stadt Coblenz (older place with a family set-up, two adjoining rooms, for about $100), the Hotel Schwan, or the Hotel Hof Ehrenfels - I haven't stayed at these places but know their location, having spent much time in Mainz, and all are just steps from the action and probably in your price range.