suze

{ I personally would much rather take a train than drive. }

Then you should do that! Just back up, start over, and plan around what can be done by train of all those places you first mentioned. I'm sure that it is possible to make an itinerary in Germany featuring castles (since that is obviously your interest I would not try to talk you out of that) but arranged by flights then trains instead.

Macross

I booked our last two nights in Freising, close to the airport and where I thought we would go to Regensburg or Landshut for Sunday but after we got there we were so charmed by this place that we stayed. We loved walking around the town and found the best place to eat plus the shops were so nice. The draw was the Catherdral on the hill. I read that the altar art was a Ruebens and had been moved for safe keeping replaced by a copy. This place was like an art museum. I spent two hours there but could have spent more time. The catacombs were amazing. There was a gift shop and the lady let us wander around an area that wasn't open. She was thrilled to have someone ask questions. What a hidden treasure. Anyhow, that is what I love about unplanned travel. Just so much to soak in. The history was a little interesting concerning the WW11 history of this place and we were picking out places we had seen in photos from that era.
Can you fly into Munich? We just spent a week in Garmisch and there is a lot to see and do in that area. Public transportation is excellent there. We spent two nights in Munich and then took the train there. We had a bus pass and used it the whole week even to go have lunch in Oberammergau. The bus stops at Ettal and that is worth a stop but you can take your son up the Zugspitze which is beautiful on a clear day which thankfully we got on Boxing day. You can rent a car there if that would be better for you even for a couple of days.

Flwrhead

bvlenci - I've seen a couple of castles, my son wants to see Neuschwanstein for some reason. I'm fine with that but would rather see older architecture. He's thrilled to be going overseas for the first time (he's 24) and other than that castle and going to Cologne, he's not stated specifically what he wants to see/do.

suze - I'm holding two German Rail Passes for 48 hours and will likely buy them tomorrow. Going for the 7 day consecutive passes, because after adding the cost of petrol to the cost of the rental car, I don't think it's that much more expensive - plus the aforementioned driving in a foreign country, risk of bad weather, etc. I think rail is the way to go. I'm hoping that reaching sites of interest from train stations can be mostly done by foot or cheap bus or taxi.

texasbookworm - I'm working my way through your invaluable trip reports! I'm sure I'll have questions, lol.

Macross - your trip sounds lovely, unfortunately we are already booked (non-refundable) into Frankfurt.

Right now I'm thinking of taking a train directly from the airport to Cologne, stay two nights around there, then head south. Maybe a couple of nights around Stuttgart, day trip to Neuschwanstein, then a couple of nights in Rothenburg and spend the last two nights in Frankfurt. This is a very loose second plan.

Sassafrass

The website I posted was for the OP to get an idea of how to travel and sight see in Garmisch without a car.

Do check costs of individual tickets before investing in rail passes. If every day was a long trip, the passes might be worth it, but often short trips cost very little, so the passes are really costly by comparison.

janisj

>>suze - I'm holding two German Rail Passes for 48 hours and will likely buy them tomorrow. Going for the 7 day consecutive passes,<<

I would forget about the rail pass UNTIL after you actually have your itinerary finalized. Unless you are still doing all these hellacious long distance travel days, more often than not rail passes are more expensive that point to point tickets. (one exception are transport passes in Switzerland)

Lubitsch

It is extremely unlikely that you'll need German Rail Passes. I also wouldn't rule out a car for certain destinations just not for the whole trip. Since you have a perfectly good chance to encounter terrible weather you always should be prepared to have museums and large cities at hand.
As for your itinerary and the new ideas it gets rather worse. Clarify what your sons wants to get out of the trip. Why Cologne? Why Neuschwanstein? The second is a massive geographic outlier, the first doable as a day trip by fast train if it's all about the cathedral. Stuttgart is no base town for Neuschwanstein and staying a couple of nights in Rothenburg in March also strikes me as pointless especially if you'd have to rely on trains.

If this were a sunnier time of the year my recommendations would look different but to have some things to fall back on - you have eight full days I assume with the first your arrival day, very early but also probably a bit groggy. And on the ninth day you fly out, right? So I'd probably go via regional train to Würzburg straight after my arrival. This doesn't tie you down to a specific train. You have Residenz, Fortress Marienberg with its museums and some churches at your disposal. Depending on your energy level you can explore that and for the next one, two days consider day trips via train to Bamberg, Nuremberg, Ansbach and Rothenburg. Nuremberg's Germanisches Nationalmuseum carries you through a whole rainy day.
I see no reason why you shouldn't start a castle/small town drive though obviously a lot depends on the weather. Your destinations could include Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen to the east or Schwäbisch Hall and Schwäbisch Gmünd to the west and end in Esslingen or Tübingen. If weather is bad Stuttgart's museums are your safe haven. If it is good I see no reason why you couldn't tick off e.g. Burg Hohenzollern or the castle at Sigmaringen in a drive or the palace at Ludwigsburg. Have also an eye on the monastery in Bebenhausen. For the last two or three days you could return to Frankfurt either directly via train or via car - either along the Neckar with a visit to Bad Wimpfen or if the weather is worse then do the palaces at Rastatt or Bruchsal plus a stop at Speyer or Lorsch - have again an eye on Maulbronn monastery. You could finally do from Frankfurt on your last 1-2 days day trips to Marburg, Limburg or Seligenstadt in the case of good weather or Darmstadt/stay in Frankfurt with bad weather.

That is a less ambitious but more realistic loop for 8 days which includes up to five UNESCO World Heritage sites and a reasonably healthy mixture of attractions with some museums at hand to fall back on.

Flwrhead

Is the weather really that terrible at the end of March?

Why is relying on trains while staying in Rothenberg a bad idea?

I wish I had some insight as to what my son wants to see and the reasons behind it. I've bought two guidebooks for reference but I don't think he's opened them. I'm a bit frustrated and can't wait longer to plan the trip, so I'm forging ahead.

I greatly appreciate the advice and opinions, and apologize for my unfamiliarity with transportation etc.

janisj

>>Is the weather really that terrible at the end of March? <<

Could be lovely - could be gawd awful - or could be a bit of both.

menachem

Maybe let your son plan as well? Instead of "what do you want to see?"
Your initial plan will make your son hate you after the second day.

Flwrhead

I've asked him a dozen times to help with the planning. He has access to the internet and the guides. I've already said the initial itinerary is trashed. Are you suggesting that we wait until we're in Germany to make plans? Won't that make day-of train tickets extremely expensive? And what if we decide not to stay in Frankfurt the entire time, but have no hotel reservations anywhere else?

Lubitsch

Weather could be terrible, could be nice. No one knows. But you have a higher probability for bad weather than in July. So you have to plan accordingly and have alternatives. Exploring a small town on a day like e.g. today with gently trickling rain and a grey sky is no fun at all.
Rothenburg is at the end of a train line. You have to change trains at least once and you are therefore locking yourself in a remote corner.
I thought your son is so thrilled about this vacation. IMHO he is vacating all rights regarding any planning of this trip.

And no you totally shouldn't leave planning for after your arrival. Though if you follow my advice about a tighter loop then the train journeys can be easily done by regional trains and there is no difference in price when you buy them on the spot. Anyway I've given you some suggestions. Have fun at the drawing board.

Flwrhead

You have, and I greatly appreciate it! I don't mean to make it sound that my son is ungrateful or not excited to be going - after taking German all four years of high school, he has been brushing up via Duolingo. Thank god, because I speak no German!

I love the suggestion of taking a regional train to Wurzburg after arrival, I think once the hotels are booked then we can play the train/car situation by ear and by the weather. Your suggested itinerary reminded me of sites on my want-to-see list when I first started researching.

Macross

Weather, I have been in Germany for most months and it is still better than Florida. I complain about the rain and grey sky but we trudge through it. Nurnberg would be on my list. The Victoria hotel right outside the train tunnel is my pick just for the best breakfast ever. I like rome2rio and might help you with planning. We stumbled on Wertheim on Main one night and loved it. We were picking up our rental car after a flight and it was close so stayed there. We did a loop around including Speyer, Worms and Cochem. That was very scenic driving.
Keep the receipt for last fill up at Frankfurt airport. If the pump doesn't give you one go inside and ask.

I still would rather use train and bus.

Flwrhead

I live in Alabama, so as long as Germany in March is not 80-90 degrees, it will be an improvement over here, even with rain! I've looked at Rome2Rio and bookmarked it, also Seat61 has fabulous info on trains.

suze

suze - I'm holding two German Rail Passes for 48 hours and will likely buy them tomorrow.

I am no train travel expert and have never even been to Germany. But I know that rail passes in Europe are not always a good value. Just because you aren't renting a car, and want to go by train instead, does not necessarily mean any kind of pass is your best answer.

Thank god, because I speak no German

It is possible to travel in European countries without speaking the local language. Lots of people do it.

bvlenci

I have found Rome2Rio to be less than perfect. For trains and other public transportation, I really prefer Google Maps, although for trains, the local railway web pages are usually best.