* If we can stay closer to the castles than Fussen, is there any place you would recommend?

Füssen is pretty close to the castles. The only places closer are Hohenschwangau, at the base of the castles, Schwangau, and Horn. All have limited accommodations. You could stay in Oberammergau, which is near Linderhof. Wieskirche isn't worth the time to stop there.

* Is there a better place (than Koblenz) you would recommend we base ourselves in, to go to St. Goar and Burg Eltz?
One place to consider is Braubach (www.braubach.de). It's at the base of another never-destroyed castle, the Marksburg, which is far easier to get to than Burg Eltz, and in my opinion, less touristized.

Larryincolorado, the one thing we really liked about Burg Eltz is the fact that it is still lived in by the family. OTOH, Marksburg is the only undestroyed castle on the Rhine which makes it unique also.

wow! you guys are amazing! Thank you.
Just a couple more questions - where could we stay on our way from Berchtesgaden to Mittenwald? (We do not want to drive back to Salzburg and then start driving the next day to Mittenwald.)

Also, we have now decided to cut down a day from Munich. (will drive to Dachau and then to Salzburg from there). Where do you think this one day is better spent?
Any ideas for concerts in Salzburg that we can go to?

Thanks!!

I'm not sure I understand your question correctly.

It's only about a 2-1/2 hour drive from Berchtesgaden to Mittenwald. If you want something in between, Kufstein, Austria is about half way.

http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm...uresize=medium

Well, yes, there are limited places to stay at Hohenschwangau adjacent to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle. But there are limited places to stay everywhere. We stayed one night at Hotel Muller; it scores well on www.tripadvisor.com. You can go to Hohenschwangau in the afternoon and hit Neuschwanstein early before the buses come.

But the OP plans a trip in July. Kinda late for booking the ideal hotel.

As for where to stay near St. Goar and Burg Eltz, any of the small towns along the Rhine or Mosel are nice. We stayed in a castle, the Castle Hotel Schoenburg overlooking the Rhine at Oberwesel: www.hotel-schoenburg.com. Next time I'd stay on the Mosel, maybe at Hans Lipman's in Beilstein, which is much recommnded.

Actually, it's Haus Lipmann in Beilstein. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it is a very nice place.

http://www.hotel-haus-lipmann.com/

We went to Germany for 2 weeks last August. We stayed at Romantic Pension Albrecht, in Hohenschwangau. It is quite close to the castles. We got reservations for the castles first thing in the morning before the tour buses came into to town. One of the rooms had a great castle view. The other rooms had an ok castle view.

We also stayed in St Goar. You can walk to Rheinfels Castle from town.

Staying in Rothenburg is well worth the time. The night watchman tour is a must do.

I second the notion to buy a cuckoo clock in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Otherwise, look for one in Rothenburg... it's known for buying traditional German souvenirs. We're traveling through Rothenburg (staying overnight) and on through Dinkelsbuhl on our drive to Munich. It's very close (35 minutes from Rothenburg to Dinkelsbuhl) and you don't necessarily have to get out of the car. If it looks similar, keep driving. Rothenburg is mostly closed to traffic. Park outside and walk in... all attractions are within 15 minutes of each other. I would limit both Munich and Salzburg to 2 days each, unless you want to see every museum and church. You could add the extra day or two to the Rhine Valley area, and take a boat cruise on the Rhein River. Cologne is also a large city. You may want to add an extra day there. Don't forget about your travel time between cities.

You can't go wrong anywhere in Germany. 3 nights is not too long in Munich, considering you are going to have just flown over and might have jet lag. If you do like museums the Deutches Museum in Munich is one of the best. Do see Dachau. It is close to Munich.
Be aware that the shops in Mittenwald close in the middle of the day.
If your budget permits, I would think about renting a car rather than using the train. There is so much to see outside of the large cities.
Check out Romantik Hotels. Usually small hotels in historic buildings. Most are in your budget.
In Rottenburg is Katie Wolfhart Christmas Shop for Cuckoo. Tourist trap but good selection.
Other suggestions;
Lindau on Lake Constance and a boat ride up the Rhine.
If you can't see everything, you'll just have to go back!

Kvilia-sorry for the late response:

Your idea of visiting the Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt followed by a visit to the Hofbrauhaus pretty much covers the major "downtown" attractions. But there is much more to see and do in that same area - The Frauenkirche is one of the most famous landmarks of Munich. If you're in decent shape, hike up to the spire of the Peterskirche to get awesome views of the Marienplatz just below or gaze out into the distance and catch a glimpse of the Alps. The Dallmayr deli is also in this part of town.

The primo palace in Munich is Schloss Nymphenburg accessible by bus #41. This was the Wittelsbach's version of a Versailles-style hunting lodge. It is immense with beautiful gardens and reflecting pools. You could easily spend hours here. Within the Nymphenburg complex you'll find a variety of buildings each of which served as some sort of royal dwelling at one time or another.

Closer to center city is the Residenz, the Wittelsbach's official home most of the year. It too could keep you occupied for the better part of the day. However, much of the interest both of these palaces offer is represented in their many museums. Like I said, I prefer to enjoy the outdoors, like the gardens and building facades, with maybe a basic tour through the major sights inside the actual buildings.

The one museum that I did greatly enjoy on a freezing snowy January day was the Deutsches Museum. It is dedicated to technology and scientific concepts. Lots of hands-on stuff to play with.

Hi,
I also don't see a need to stay anywhere between Berchtesgaden and Mittenwald.
Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg... Rothenburg! Touristy but beautiful. The Nightwachmans tour at 8 pm is excellent!
You may want to consider staying along the Mosel instead of the Rhine. My opinion, the Rhine was nice but the Mosel is simply beautiful. We loved Cochem as our "base" town. Burg Eltz is very close by.
Again, just my opinion... Marksburg was a great castle, but nothing compares to Burg Eltz and it's setting in a forest. Stunning.

Where to stay closer to Neuschwanstein... Fuessen is less than 10 minutes from Neuschwanstein.

We thought the Wieskirche (about 40 min. drive north of Fuessen) was magnificent!

In response to where to spend the extra day cut from Munich... wow. That's a matter of preference. Either Salzburg (to explore the lake area or Berchtesgaden area), Mittenwald, Fuessen or the Rhine and/or Mosel. Me, I'd stay an extra night in Mittenwald.

If you're interested, our trip report to some of these places with our pic's are at:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35089110

Hope this helps.

Paul

We have stayed on both the Rhine and the Moselle Rivers. I think Paul is right in that the Moselle is prettier than the Rhine. The Rhine is very busy with boat and commercial traffic. The thing about the Rhine is the castles. There are so many.

If you had time to do both, that would be great. But if you only have time to do one, then I agree with Paul that you should do the Moselle.

I'm sure Cochem would make a good base. We have stayed in Beilstein (very small, beautiful but quiet), not far from Cochem, and Bernkastel-Kues (absolutely amazing little town) but further from Burg Eltz. If you are short on time, then Cochem makes good sense.

At Munich we stayed at Hotel Uhland on Uhlandstrasse. Only thing was that the station was not as close but otherwise lovely. Dachau is worth the trip. Can spend days in Munich though visiting the museums....and after an afternoon at the beergarten, well, thats one day gone!

Agree that Rothenburg has more but Dinkelsbuhl is lovely too. We stayed at a BNB outside the walled city run by Kate as I recall. Lovely lady with great english. Check previous posts on Rothenburg. Fodors the book has some great tested dining recos so do consider trying those.

Fuessen was ok - Wieskerche is better. Castles were great.

In Salzburg, we loved the sound of music tour and would do it all over again! Great city to walk around and eat a nibble here and there...from the sachertorte to strudels!

Bad wimpfen was a delight - but a day is more than enough...cobbled streets and half timbered houses. But do consider doing it another time...

At Baden-Baden we stayed at an apartment and were very comfortable. That was our base to explore the B-F area and also did a trip to Triberg for the cuckoo clocks. Its hard to choose, must admit...

Enjoy!!

I too agree with staying on the Mosel as opposed to the Rhine. The Rhine has some amazing castles and nice towns, but the Mosel is prettier and the towns smaller. We based ourselves in Cochem and were pleased with our choice, although we too loved Bernkastle-Kues and Beilstein. We were not impressed with Koblenz.

Best wishes,
Tracy

Cuckoo Clock: A few tips on the clock to avoid buying one that you could get as easily in the US.

1. The shiney gold chains will not stay that way. Buy a clock with dull chains and you will be happier long term.

2. Try to find one with carved wooden weights. The clocks in the US are usually the pressed kind that look cheap. The good clock shops will have the carved wooden weights sold separately. You just have to ask. They are not that much more but look 200% better. Americans do not know to ask as they have probably never seen them.

3. Check the inside. Plastic bad. Metal good. Have the seller tell you about the inside and compare to other clocks.

4. Check the clock's roof. Flat, plain wood on the roof is not great. Looks cheap. The good clock will have individual shingles.Some will have a carved look and not individual. Both look much better than flat plywood.

5. How long do you want the clock to play prior to lifting the weights? There are one day clocks and seven day clocks. Ask. If you get the one day clock put it where you will see it daily. Remember that it will have to be hung high to give the weights room to drop.

6. Find out if there is a switch that turns off the cuckoo without turning off the time. You get used to the sound...your visitors will not if staying overnight. Ask for this for sure.

7. Kathe Wohlfardt in Rothenburg has nice clocks. There are also good shops in the Black Forest area as well as Garmisch. Check on shipping instead of carrying it back.

Just do your hmeowork so you do not end of with something that can be bought today in the US in WalMart. The shop owners will educate you if you let them. Otherwise they will let you pick out the one you like that may not be the best clock for the money.

BOTTOM LINE: Why lug the clock home that is sold in your local drugstore?

HOTELS:

SALZBURG: Bristol Hotel. We stayed there in June 07. Great spot, reasonable and friendly staff. Yes, you need more time in this town and the surrounding area.

ROTHENBURG: Markusturm Hotel, Reichs Kuchenmeister. Both reasonable and good value. You want to stay here, not Dinkelbuhl and you want to stay within the walls, not outside the walls of Rothenburg.

The Reichs Kuchenmeister has a good restaurant also and outdoor patio. It is next to St Jackobs church that dominates the city. Easy to find.

HEIDELBERG: Stay in the OLD TOWN area. Good spot is Zur Backmulde. They have a web site.

Good paperback reference book is Kathy Brown's German Inns and Itineraries. We use this to find new places. She also has a web site.