Everyone has been so helpful so far. I have been doing a lot of research on my own but am kind of stuck. We are going for 2 weeks next fall sometime and want to base ourselves out of 2 places (bringing baby) One place will be Rothenburg but can't decide on the other place, looking for a farmhouse to stay at. One possibility is a great looking place outside of Bad Tolz but want to make sure that there are enough day trips around. Also which airport is best for Rothenburg (I know Munich is for Bad Tolz area) One of my books says it is a 3 hr drive from Frankfurt to Rothenburg while the shell website says 1 hr 28 min from Frankfurt to Rothenburg. I hate the long drives from the airport to the first destination and want to keep it under 2 hours if possible and can't break up the trip b/o the baby. It doesn't matter to me if we do Rothenburg first or last (latest thinking is doing it last but who knows?) Thanks again!!!

The drive from Frankfurt airport to Rothenburg involves about 220 miles and minimally two hours drive time (more if there's a lot of early morning commercial traffic on the road). You might instead want to consider spending your first night in Assmannshausen, a little wine growing village on the banks of the Rhine. It's only 37 miles from the Frankfurt airport and about a 40 minute drive. For reasonably priced riverside accommodations, (about $80.00US for a double room with breakfast) go to www.loreleyvalley.com and click on Assmannshausen, then on the Hotel-Cafe Post. <BR><BR>I've developed a number of driving itineraries for Upper Bavaria that may be of interest to you. They originate from a small inexpensive inn in Hohenfurch, a village on the Romantic Road about 50 miles from Munich. It is a far better location from which to sightsee than Bad Tolz since distances to castles, monasteries, lakes and mountain vistas are relatively short. The inn, Schonach-Hof has a couple of rooms with kitchenettes, refrigerator, stove, sink, tables and chairs that might be advantageous since you're traveling with a baby.<BR><BR>The Bavarian area southwest of Munich is known both as the Allgau and more familiarly as "Pfaffenwinkel" which roughly translates as "Priest's Corner" due to the number of magnificent Baroque monasteries and parish churches.<BR>If you'd like to see what type of scenery you'll encounter, take a look at:<BR> <BR>www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/cneuschwanstein.html scroll to and click on Panorama of the Castle Neuschwanstein. You'll get some idea of the scenery Bavaria offers.<BR> <BR>www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/chohenschwangau.html here you'll find another castle in the same village as Neuschwanstein<BR> <BR>www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/view.html You'll see these where ever you travel in Upper Bavaria. They dominate the southern horizon. <BR><BR>I'll attach the itineraries as subsequent postings.<BR><BR>

ITINERARY II. This is an itinerary for a particularly sunny, clear day. It involves a tour of the German Alps, another castle and a scenic detour into Austria.<BR><BR>Take Rte 17 south from Hohenfurch past Schongau to Peiting. In Peiting, look for Rte 471 (it’s clearly marked) and travel east towards Peissenberg. You’ll see signs for Hohen-Peissenberg, which is where you want to be. Drive to the top of the hill (it’s only about 3500 feet high), park and you’ll get a sweeping, panoramic view of the German Alpine range and eleven Alpine lakes. Return to Rte 472 and continue east for a short distance looking for a road on the right that leads to Bobing and Rottenbuch. The ride to Rottenbuch is in a scenic valley. Stop in Rottenbuch and visit the Gothic basilica built on Roman ruins. The church interior is stunning, yet another example of Bavarian Baroque design. Check to see if the peasant theatre is giving a performance in the evening. You might want to stop back for it, even though it will be in German, actually Bavarian dialect.<BR><BR>From Rottenbuch, take Rte 23 south to Oberammergau, a charming village where a Passion Play takes place every ten years, next in the year 2010. The play’s casts are predominantly villagers. Oberammergau is a delightful walking village with its buildings covered with lovely, colorful murals. Continue on Rte 23, the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (German Alpine Road) to Ettal and follow the Alpenstrasse west to the castle at Linderhof. This is Ludwig II’s castle in a particularly attractive setting. It’s well worth a tour. <BR><BR>Continue west on the Alpenstrasse to the Austrian border at Ammersattel and the town of Reutte where you will pick up Rte 314 and drive east past Heiterwang and Wangle to Lermoos. Just past Lermoos, you’ll find Rte 187; take it north to the border where it becomes Rte 24. Between Lermoos and the border you’ll pass the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest Alpine mountain on your right.<BR><BR>Continue on Rte 24 to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At the train station, there’s a cog-wheel railroad that will take you to the Schneefernerhaus Hotel, 8700 feet up the Zugspitze. From there a cable car will take you to the summit. The train and cable car trip will take about half an hour.<BR><BR>From Garmisch take Rte 23 north to the village of Ettal, an attractive town with an outstanding monastery, the Kloster Ettal. Its history dates back to 1320, but it was significantly remodeled in the Baroque style in the early 1700s. Continue north on Rte 23. It will take you to Schongau and then Hohenfurch.<BR><BR>

ITINERARY III Here’s a third and final itinerary with two options. Both options include an opportunity to see some Alpine lakes as well as the German Alpine range. The shorter itinerary, about 224kms/150 miles, includes a stop at a third lake, Bavaria’s second largest, the Starnbergersee. This is the lake where King Ludwig II drowned, either by accident or as the result of an assassination prompted by his having exhausted the Bavarian treasury with his obsession for castle building. The longer route encompasses 327kms/200 miles and includes a visit to the Austrian city, Innsbruck, the summer home of the Habsburg Emperors. <BR><BR>To begin, take Rte 17 south to Schongau and Peiting and turn east on Rte 472. Continue on Rte 472 until you reach Rte 11 near Benediktbeuern. Drive south on Rte 11 to Kochel and follow the signs to the Freilichtmuseum von Glentleiten. This is an open air museum with over 40 Bavarian farmhouses dating back to the 16th century. There are regular displays of traditional craftsmanship. It is, in many ways, a Bavarian counterpart of America’s Williamsburg, Virginia. Return to Rte 11 and prepare yourself for a series of hairpin turns as you wend your way between the Kochelsee on your right and the Walchensee on your left. Continue on Rte 11 past Wallgau and Krun, where Rte 11 becomes Rte 2. Continue on Rte 2 to Mittenwald, a fascinating town. Mittenwald is famous for its violin and stringed instrument makers and woodworkers. You’re probably not in the market for a violin, but do check out the wooden masks the carvers make for pre-Lenten celebrations. You’ll find a large number of woodworking craftsmen in the town and a wonderful opportunity to pick up a unique souvenir. Now, backtrack on Rte 2 and 11 to just past the town of Wallgau where you’ll find a toll road on your right. Take it for a scenic ride. (It’s actually part of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse but passes through a national forest alongside the banks of the Isar River, thus the toll.) The toll road ends at Vorderriss. continue on it and cross over the man-made lake, Sylvenstein-stausee. Just past the lake, the road will fork. If you take the right fork, Rte 181, you’ll almost immediately cross the Austrian border and begin the longer of the two itineraries. Continue on scenic Rte 181 to the A12 autobahn and take it westbound to Innsbruck, where by all means you should visit the old town with its magnificent buildings and shops with their wonderful old gilded wrought iron signs. From Innsbruck, take Rte 177 north. The route changes its numbering in Germany from 177 to E6, then 2. Take Rte 2 to Oberau where you can pick up Rte 23 which leads back to Schongau and Hohenfurch.<BR><BR>NOTE: It is necessary to purchase a vignette in order to drive on major Austrian roads. The cost is minimal; the vignette is availabe at border crossings or nearby service stations or shops. It costs next to nothing; without it, however, you are subject to stiff, on the spot fines.<BR><BR>If you’d prefer the shorter itinerary, at the fork just past the Sylvenstein-stausee, continue to the left on Rte 13 to Lenggries where you can take a cable car up the Brauneck to its summit at a little over 5000 feet. Here there’s a viewing platform from which to see most of the Alpine lakes, almost the entire German alpine range and the glaciers of the central Alps to the south. Continue north on Rte 13 to Bad Tolz. This is a large town with modern spas and equally modern medical facilities. The old part of town is charming though with its colorful old gabled houses. From Bad Tolz, you can pick up Rte 472 and take it to signs leading to Wolfl and Seeshaupt which puts you on the shore of the Starnbergersee. Drive up the eastern shore of the lake (the scenic route)

The final paragraph above got clipped off. Here it is again:<BR><BR>Continue north on Rte 13 to Bad Tolz. This is a large town with modern spas and equally modern medical facilities. The old part of town is charming though with its colorful old gabled houses. From Bad Tolz, you can pick up Rte 472 and take it to signs leading to Wolfl and Seeshaupt which puts you on the shore of the Starnbergersee. Drive up the eastern shore of the lake (the scenic route) to Starnberg, then pick up the road leading to Weilheim and Peissenberg. On your way down the western shore of the lake, stop at the monastery in Andechs and sample the monastic beer. Andech’s beer is one of the worlds finest brews, available only in the immediate area of the monastery and certainly worth a detour. At Peissenberg you’ll be back on our old friend Rte 472 which leads to Schongau and Hohenfurch.<BR><BR>Finally, I can recommend another inn or two that are centrally located for touring. I would also recommend that if touring Bavaria, you consider the Munich airport for your return flight.<BR><BR>One final thought: Michelin map No. 419 is the ideal map for tracing these itineraries.<BR><BR>Feel free to drop me an Email if you've any questions or concerns. <BR><BR>

ITINERARY I. To visit two of Bavaria’s most famous castles, I’d suggest an early start from Hohenfurch to arrive at them before the tourist buses from Munich do. From the inn in Hohenfurch return to the Romantic Road (Rte 17) and head south, passing through Schongau and Steingaden to Hohenschwangau. Its about 45kms/28 miles. Leave the car in the special park at Hohenschwangau. You can walk from the parking lot to Schloss Hohenschwangau, one of the few Bavarian castles that someone actually lived in for an extended period of time. Queen Marie, the mother of King Ludwig II lived there for many years. Following the tour of the castle, walk back to the center of the village where you can either take a bus from the Hotel Liesl or horse-drawn cart from the Hotel Muller to Neuschwanstein. Take one or the other; you can walk to Neuschwanstein but it’s a very steep and lengthy climb. After touring the castle, you might want to walk up the Pollat gorge to the Marienbrucke, the bridge that spans the gorge. From there you can look down on Neuschwanstein castle, a most impressive view. Return to the village and your car by either the bus or horse cart. Check the website: www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/cneuschwanstein.html for information on the castle.<BR><BR>The tour of the two castles, coupled with the drive time from Hohenfurch should take about three and a half to four hours. You might want to stop for lunch in the village or drive a short distance to the town of Fussen for lunch.<BR><BR>Following lunch, from Fussen, pick up Rte 16 going towards Markt-Oberdorf. This drive on the western shore of the Forggensee, is highly scenic. Drive on Rte 16 for about 12km/7miles and look for a road on your right and signs for towns named Langenwald or Steingaten. Take the road leading to Langenwald and Steingaten (it has no route number) and continue through the town of Steingaten for about 3km/2 miles. You’ll see signs for Wies and Wieskirche and a road leading off to the right. Take the road to one of the most stunning sights in all of Bavaria, the Wieskirche. With its pale yellow exterior walls and red roof, it looks rather commonplace from the outside though commanding in its highly rural setting. Enter and encounter the extraordinary artistry of the Zimmerman brothers, two masters of Bavarian Baroque.<BR><BR>Return to Steingaden and take Route 17 north to Schongau, then back to Hohenfurch and the Schonach-Hof, your inn. I’d suggest you sit outside in the beer garden by the fish tank laden with trout. Have a beer, regain your energies and walk up to the church in town and prepare yourself for two surprises. The church, the Parish Church of the Assumption, offers some lovely Baroque artwork in its interior. To the rear of the church is a small cemetery, visit it. You’ll find it to be immaculate and laden with plants and flowers that suggest the work of a full time highly skilled gardener.<BR><BR>You may have noticed a building alongside the road in the pastureland behind your inn. It’s a Gothic chapel, St. Ursula’s and dates from 1492. I don’t think it’s open to the public; at least it hasn’t been on my visits.<BR><BR>I think this itinerary, if taken at your ease, will constitute a fairly full day’s activities. If you find, after visiting the castles that you have time to spare, you might want to consider a boat ride on the Forggensee. The boats are available at Fussen. <BR><BR>

Hello, Dawn. Wes' suggestion for the Pfaffenwinkel as a southern base sounds sound if you'll be touring a lot by car. If you're looking for a farmstay in the area, try www.uadby.de, click on the English option, and search Oberbayern/Upper Bavaria, then Pfaffenwinkel. I think there's a place in Hohenfurch itself, and 5 pages of places in other nearby towns.<BR><BR>It's a long drive from either Frankfurt or Munich to Rothenburg. I know you're set on Rothenburg for the week, but if you want to avoid the long drive from Munich airport or your southern base, I'd suggest changing your northern base to an area mid-way between Munich and Rothenburg, then daytripping to Rothenburg from there. The Altm&uuml;hl River region is one such place. Take the A9 north from Munich and turn off northwest near Ingolstadt, like you were heading toward Rothenburg, but stopping in either Eichst&auml;tt, Pappenheim, or Weissenburg. Weissenburg is an old walled town in the spirit of Rothenburg, but it's a real town, with real people, not just merchants of tourism as you'll find in R'burg - a much more authentic spot for a week's stay, in my book. Pappenheim is very small but very picturesque, right on the river, with its own castle on a hill in the middle of town. Eichst&auml;tt is a beautiful place if you want to stay somewhere slightly more city-like. From any of these lovely towns, daytrips to Rothenburg, W&uuml;rzburg, Bamberg, N&uuml;rnberg, and the other towns along the Romantic Road (N&ouml;rdlingen, Dinkelsb&uuml;hl) are very do-able.<BR><BR>If you have to fly into Frankfurt, I would not drive 37 miles west to Assmannshausen when your destination, Bavaria, lies to the east. This will obviously make your drive the next day much longer. Try Wertheim, W&uuml;rzburg, or attractive Weikersheim (also on the Romantic Road) for an overnight stop closer to your target.