I'm trying to plan our itinerary for our trip to Europe and I just stumbled upon the Romantic Road in Germany. It sounds beautiful and I'd love to see all (well not all) of the castles! The only problem is that our trip to Europe is in mid-March. From what I've found, the bus tour only runs from April through October. Is our only other option renting a car and driving? What are the weather conditions typically like that time of year? Does anyone think this is a bad time of year to travel the Romantic Road?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Rental car is the best option any time of year. Most find the bus and train schedules inconvenient. Moreover, these forms of transportation may allow you to connect some of the dots along the Romantic Road (e.g., Rothenburg, Dinkelsbuhl, etc.), but will not allow you to really explore the route itself. With a car you can stop as you please, even if it's miles from any town. I'm not sure about weather and driving conditions in March. The fields will likely be bare -- in the spring they are filled with bright yellow rapeweed flowers, which are used to make industrial oil. My best guess is that the area looks something like the Ozarks in the winter. Others on this forum may be able to offer a more reliable assessment.

DH and I were in Rothenburg in March a couple of years ago. The weather was cool, but not uncomfortably so. We dressed in layers and were just fine walking around all day (walked the wall around the city, visited the church, museums, shopping). The advantage to traveling in March is that nothing was very crowded. Also, we got some marvelous photographs in the morning fog looking down from the city walls. We dislike driving in unfamiliar territory, so we took the train from Frankfort to Rothenburg and then from Rothenburg to Berlin (as well as a few other cities in a big circle around the country).

I made the drive in early March 2001 and it was cool and ladylawyer42 (??) is correct about crowds, there aren't any to speak of. Having a car will give you a little flexibility in accommodations if you don't mind a little driving.

We drove through the Romantic Road about a month ago (the Thanksgiving week) when I was in Germany, and while there was some snow on the ground, the weather was comparable to Michigan (where I live). I think renting a car would be your best option. There are charming little towns along the road with shops, restaurants, and pubs ... so having a car gives you the freedom to stop and explore as you please. While I have never been there in March, I think driving on a road with the Bavarian Alps as your scenary would be beautiful any season of the year! Have a wonderful trip.

We just got back (last night actually) from Germany, stayed 2 nights in Rothenburg. It is gorgeous!!! We drove down the Romantic Road to Austria, staying near Fussen and Reutte afterward. The roads are in excellent condition and having a GPS system in our rental car made it a breeze. This drive is long, very pretty and there was more green than I had expected in December. We ambled through the hills and valleys, getting a bit anxious as the time wore on (daylight is over by 4:00 p.m. there right now) so we switched to the highway after a while, stopping in one town at a brewery for lunch. I think this trip would be nice in March. The weather would be a bit warmer than we had last week but we also had the experience of the Christmas Market in Rothenburg and some crowds there. I did hear the town is quieter in January and February but should start getting busy again in March. Definitely check ahead to see what's open before you make any final plans. Rothenburg caters to tourists as does the Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau castles but some things may be closed. The climate there appears to be warmer than the Northeast where we live so I also would guess spring flowers would be in bloom when you were there - it sounds awesome! Have a great trip.

I know I am going to step on someone's toes here but this is just to be helpful. Whoever named the romatic road did a great PR job. The villages are romantic and picturesque. The road is small and not that picturesquen until you start getting into the alps on the Southern end of it.

The villages, Rothenburg, Dinkelsbuhl, etc are worth seeing. When you get to the Southern end you can off the road a bit to go by Oberammergau, Schloss Linderhof, Ettal Monastary, Wieskirche and on into Schwangau (or Fussen) to see Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. You can get from Rothenburg to the south on the autobahn also.

In Mid March as you go toward the montains you can get into some snow but most of the roads are well maintained and you should be able to get through ok in a car. If you do decide to rent a car contract Bob Bestor at Gemutlichkeit (Gemut.com) to see what he can come up with for you. He has always treated us right.

The German tourist office began promoting the "Romantic Road" in the early 1950s in an attempt to stimulate tourism after WWII.

From the website, http://www.romantic-road.info/html/introduction.html

"The road itself was “invented” in 1951 by the then mayor of Augsburg Ludwig Wegele. He contacted the mayors and tourist offices of the other towns with the aim of creating a work group that was to encourage tourism in the area. After all, Germany was still suffering from the effects of the Second World War. The chosen common denominator was “romantic”."