amor

Good evening all! Looking for some feedback on our proposed itinerary for Germany, is going to all these locations doable?

Day 1 fly into Frankfurt, spend day/night in Mainz.

Day 2 pick up rental car, drive to Dinkelsbuhl/Rothenburg. Spend night in Rothenburg.

Day 3, 4, 5 Munich. Day 3 is necessary in Munich for a business stop.

Day 6 Friedrichshafen for zeppelin ride, spend night in Meersburg. (this stop is a must do, bribed DH with zeppelin ride to get him to go on trip)

Day 7 Drive through Black Forest, stops and overnight town TBD.

Day 8, drive to Trier (also necessary, visiting family)

Day 9, Trier, possibly go to Kolbenz and down Rhine towards Bingen.

Day 10 Depart Trier for Frankfurt airport for midafternoon flight.

My big concern is days 7 and 8. I don't think one day is enough for the Black Forest, although I don't want to skip it. Would we be better off just driving straight through to Trier and spending more time there? I like the idea of stopping in Titisee for a hike, but fear we aren't giving ourselves enough time to do it justice.

Thanks for your input, A

jgwagner4

Personally I think you are trying to cram too much into your trip and will spend more time in the car than you will want to.

Since you have to do Munich and Trier I would skip the Black Forest for this trip and go straight to Trier. From there you can do day trips to the many sites in the area including Burg Eltz, and possibly Marksburg. This way you have an excuse (like you really need one) to plan another trip.

My wife and I tend to spend three weeks at a time in Germany and usually base ourselves out a single location for 4 days or more and check out the whole are before moving on. We find it more relaxing and we believe we get a better feel for the area.

bavariaben

I think you have an excellent itinerary considering all of your 'must do', family visits and time constraints. I see no reason for you to skip the Black Forest. It is a natural next stop on your travel loop. It is a nice ride from the Bodensee area and will make your drive easier on Day 8 to the Mosel. There is no reason you can't stop in Titisee for a hike, then drive through the center of the Schwarzwald and overnight in Triberg or Gengenbach. Along that route (B33) you will pass by the Vogtsbauernhof open air museum near Gutach and if you have the time I recommend a short visit. If you depart after breakfast on Day 8 - you will be on the Mosel easily by lunchtime (provided traffic and road construction cooperate).

Russ

I agree that you're covering an awful lot.

Mainz is nice but is in the wrong direction. I'd suggest taking the train to Würzburg on Day 1 and picking up there the next morning. That way you'll also have more time in Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl on Day 2.

Agree w/ previous poster on Black Forest. But it seems that you would have time to at least stop in Titisee for a walk around the lake. Trier itself is very worthwhile - spend more time in that area.

Trier is a good distance from FRA. Leave yourselves plenty of time for traffic, car return, etc. or stay closer the night before.

wolfmisc

I think your itinerary is perfect, considering the short time you are in Germany. If you havent booked the car in Mainz yet, a town southeast of Frankfurt as Aschaffenburg or Wuerzburg would be better. Both are easy to reach by train from Frankfurt and have car rental stations too. And they are on the way to Rothenburg.
Koblenz isnt worth a visit, so better go straight to Bingen or other places on Rhine. But the tour up there and back to Trier is a lil bit stressy. If you have not been there before, Luxemburg or the towns along Mosel should be an alternative.
I dont agree with the other post. I stayed in Trier for a longer time and always made it to Frankfurt in 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Its only about 150 or 160 miles to go.

bettyk

A lovely place to stay in the Black Forest is Gengenbach. We were there last year and really enjoyed it. It's small enough where you can see everything in a short period of time. We stayed at the Hotel Sonne. It's right in the middle of the old town and priced right.

http://www.sonne-gengenbach.de/index.html

treplow

Mainz is indeed in the "wrong" direction from FRA. Suggest Miltenberg for the first night. It is about 75km from FRA, a delightful old town on the Main river, with castle, etc. Have stayed at the Jagdhotel Rose, at the beginning of town, as you come from the Stockach exit of the FRA-Wuerzburg Autobahn A-3.

You will love the Zeppelin ride. I have done it. Be sure to also visit the Zeppelin museum at the Friedrichshafen harbor. Try to do it before the zeppllin ride, for its information value.

Since the Black Forest is really on your way from Lake Constance to Trier, you should decide beforehand if you want to take the "high" road (Schwazwald Hochstrasse) or the road that takes you through the valleys. In my opinion, the latter is more interesting.

A nice place to stay between Lake Constance and Trier is Speyer, a city with lots of history, a famous cathedral and nice old town. From there drive to Neustadt and der Weinstrasse. The name of the Strasse (in that case a scenic route) says it all: Places from where come good and well known wines.