jh0507

Please help comment on my itinerary.
I am 30 and my husband 34. We are looking forward to driving the Nurburgring and Autobahn. We have never been to Germany and looking forward to seeing our heritage. Thinking about seeing my grandmother's family in Steinach in Thuringen- taking some German lessons as they do not speak English.
Many thanks!

April 2008-

Wed April 9- Flight leaves 7:40pm from New York
Thurs 10- Flight arrives Frankfurt at 9:45 am. Stay 2 nights at the Frankfurt Intercontinental.
Sat 12- leave early for Nurburgring. Drive the ring. Stay the night at Dorint Hotel right on the track.
Sun 13- drive the ring in the morning. Leave Nurburgring and drive down the Rhine. Stay the night at Castle Hotel Auf Schoenburg.
Mon 14- Drive to Stuttgart. Tour BMW etc. Stay the night at Hilton Garden Inn Neckar Park.
Tues 15- Drive to Baden Baden. Stay night at Belle Epoque.
Wed 16- Drive through Black Forest. Stay the night in Villingen-Schwenningen. Where should we stay?
Thurs 17- Drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Stay the night where?
Fri 18- Drive to Munich. Stay 2 nights at the Holiday Inn Munich City Centre.
Sun 20- Head Berlin. Stay overnight in Bamberg at Hotel Restaurant St. Nepomuk und Gastehaus Molitor.
Monday 21- Arrive in Munich. Stay 2 nights at Berlin Marriott Hotel.
Wed 23. Flight departs from Berlin at 9:30 am

Russ

Suggest that on Sun 4/13 you ferry across at St. Goar, just north of Auf Schoenburg, and tour Marksburg Castle: www.marksburg.de . It's the only never-ruined castle on the Rhine, w/a good tour. Return to the west bank of the Rhine via the ferry opposite Boppard (nice city to visit before heading south to Oberwesel.)

Russ

Your trip, by the way, involves A LOT of driving; you're probably alright until about Munich, but I'd consider dropping the car in Garmisch and using the train for the rest. A car into / out of Munich and Berlin is a waste of time and effort, and you might enjoy the change; Bamberg is well served by train too.

Aramis

jh

It's pretty ambitious - Frankfurt through the Black Forest, Alps and up through Munich to Berlin in 12 days of traveling.

These are personal comments;

I would cut Frankfurt down to one night as it seems to be only a rest stop before you get started - the night is better spent elsewhere on the trip.

The Nurburgring looks tp be a critical planned part of the trip so i will leave it alone - if it is scheduled and can't be changed, that impacts moving the one night in Frankfurt. Perhaps you could consider moving to somewhere just out of Frankfurt close to Nurburgring that is more interesting for both nights?

Your next 5 nights are all one-nighters;
Rhine
Stuttgart
Baden Baden
Black Forest
Garmisch

Yikes is all I can say. Most people in here would suggest one night stops with that kind of distance between them is a chaotic blur. Check out your driving time between Villingen Schweningen and Garmisch - thats over 4 hours without stops and you will be stopping along the route, for sure.
Munich Bamberg is 2.5 hours and Bamberg Berlin is 3.5 When are you planning on seeing family in Steinach if you drive that on successive days?

Clea

jho5o7, That is a lot of ground to cover for 12 days. Look at a good map to determine the distance you will travel. IMO, you will be spending most of your time in the car. the drive from the Rhine to Stuttgart is 5 hours, from Black forrest to Garmish maybe another 5 hours. I would skip Baden Baden for a full day in Stuttgart and skip Garmish and add one night to Munich. Allow yourselves some time to explore the cities you are visiting. Driving in Germany is very different than the US both on the Autobahn and in the City centers. Traffic signs are different and most drivers can not handle a car safely at high speeds without some practice especially with drivers flying past you going 100mph.

Clea