rothenburg: a good base?
 

My family of 4, mom, dad and 2 young adults will be visiting Germany in June 2007. We would like to visit some towns along the romantic road.

We are thinking about staying 3 nights in Munich and 4 nights in Rothenburg. Would these 2 locations make good bases for visiting other interesting towns? Do you have any suggestions for other towns to visit? We will have a car.

Thank you! Laurie

I think both towns would make good bases. I especially like Rothenburg at night and in the morning before the crowds of day-trippers arrive.

Rothenburg is close to Würzburg and Nürnberg, and there are other interesting medieval towns along the romantic road. I always recommend the Residenz in Würzburg because it is a really gorgeous example of baroque, much more elegant than Linderhof or any other of Ludwig's confections.

Laurie,
While I certainly appreciate the desire to stay in one town for several nights, due to the linear nature of the Romantic Road route I might suggest that you stay 2 nights in Rothenburg and 2 nights further south. We did a 5-day/4-night trip along the route in December and stayed in a different place every night (Wuerzburg, Rothenburg, Augsburg, and Hohenschwangau). There is so much to see along the route, and the driving takes longer than you expect because it is basically narrow country roads much of the way.

Some of the other really beautiful towns include Noerdlingen, Dinkelsbuehl, and Landsberg. Also, if any of your family are interested in castles, Schloss Harburg is worth a stop (near Noerdlingen). Another fun alternative would be to stay at Burg Colmberg, a castle hotel about 11 miles from Rothenburg. We stayed there and drove into Rothenburg to walk around in the evening after the crowds had left and then had dinner.

Hi L,

I agree with Peg.

2 nights in RodT and 2 nights further south.

You can check driving distances at www.viamichelin.com

You might find this link to the Romantic Road helpful:
http://tinyurl.com/rxpyz

((I))

Bookmarking -- heading that way in a couple of weeks!

Laurie,

You say you want to "visit some towns" but other than Munich and Ro-burg you don't say which ones.

I loved Ro-burg when I first visited back in 1970 and still do BUT I'm not sure I would even spend more than ONE night and perhaps a full day there.

The place is fairly compact and even if you do the Nigthwatchman's thing, walking the walls, and, of course going to that Christmas store I suspect that despite the magical quality you can soon tire of the whole thing.

There is MUCH more to see in Munich and beyond IMO and I would be looking further south.

If you are traveling by train Rothenburg is not a good base because it is at the end of a very local line. Würzburg would be a better choice.

I think Munich is a good base for daytrips in Southern Bavaria. Rothenburg is probably not a good base for trips to other cities because of its location. I would choose Wurzburg or even Bamberg as a base instead.

I think that Rothenburg would make an excellent base from which to travel. It is easy to exit by car. It is only 77km to Nördlingen and 69km to Würzburg. Rothenburg has reasonable accommodations and a wealth of good restaurants. It is well equiped to handle the needs of a tourist.

The only thing that I might consider is taking a train when you visit Würzburg. The four of you can travel there and back on a Bayern Ticket for 25 euros and you do not have to worry about parking in Würzburg.

Your plan sounds like a winner to me.

Regards, Gary

I would spend 2 nights in Rothenburg, visiting Nurmberg, Wurzburg, and Bad Mergentheim. Then head south on the RR stopping at Dinklesbuhl, Nordlingen, Landau, and spend the night in Fussen. From Fussen you can visit the famous Ludwig Castles, Mittenwald, and the Zugspitz.

While in Munich you might consider driving south to the Berchtesgarten area, esp. if you are interested in WWII history.

Yes, Rothenburg and Munich make good bases. From Rothenburg you can radiate out to Wurzburg, Nurnburg (my keyboard doesn't do umlauts), Bamburg; en route between you would cover Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, Donauworth - and I would carry on down as far as Landsberg am Lecht then approach Munich via Ammersee and Starnbergersee (staying a night somewhere around Herrsching?); then using Munich as a base for Fussen, Hohenshwangau, Linderhof, Tegernsee, Berchtesgaden, Regensburg and so on. (Not that you would manage all these in a 4-night stay, but it gives an idea of the choices).

Thank you all for your advice! We would like to visit Dinkelsbeuhl, Wurzburg and Nurnberg from our base in Rothenburg.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

Laurie

I feel obliged to finally make a comment that I have been bottling up for some time.

Why is it that everyone here seems to think it necessary to stay IN the town they want to visit with all the attendant drawbacks of higher prices, sharing accommodation with other tourists rather than seeing the German lifestyle at close quarters, and access and parking problems.

For many years my partner and I, who use a hire car, have deliberately avoided seeking accommodation in the target towns in favour of Ferienwohnungen (holiday flats) in one of the outlying villages.

The advantages are that (1) there is no need to book ahead as even small country roads always have a plethora of signposts referring you to places with good standard (German Tourist Board-approved) accommodation (2) one can almost without exception use public transport for the few kilometers into the town itself (3) there are always pubs with good standard fare at hand (4) one is meeting and making friends with a typical German family who will be at pains to make your stay a worthwhile one, and with whom one may subsequently stay in touch after returning home.

I agree, of course that major towns and cities do not lend themselves to this approach. But otherwise I am sure that our journeys are culturally enhanced by it.

Harzer

Harzer, you make a good point. Thanks to the US Army, I lived in Germany for 6 years with a car and often stayed in small villages. We usually rented rooms in Bed & Breakfast houses (Zimmer Frei), small Hotels Garni or Gasthäuser. I agree with your positive points but there were a couple downsides.

First, usually there was a greater requirement for language skills. Most city hotels have someone that can speak English. B&B houses were often Germany only. That help me with the German university classes that took while stationed there. But, many tourists do will not have had the opportunity to study the language to that degree.

Second, I do not know about Fereinwohnungs but B&B's sometimes have unspoken house rules. At one in Austria I went out to the car at 9:30 one night to get something. When I can back in the landlady had come down in her nightgown in a tizzy. She had heard the front door open and feared the worst(?). I got a good tongue lashing. Luckily, most of it was beyond my skills in the language.

For the most part, I agree that staying in small villages can be a culturally rewarding experience. But, Rothenburg seems a bit of the best of both. It is easily accessible and has a wide variety lodging options including small Hotels Garni outside the wall. And, you have access to a full array of restaurants at night.

Regards, Gary

Hi Laurie: I know you didn't ask for this info but if you have any desire to stay in a ferienwohnung (apartment) near Rothenburg, we stayed at a super nice apartment in a small town about 15 km from Rothenburg. We had a 2 bedroom, kitchen, living, dining room combo and bathroom for a very reasonable price. If you have any interest I'll post more info later.
Susan

Susan, I'd like to know the name, address and number of that apartment (and contact info). Thanks!

Thanks, Susan. I would also like to have information about the apartment near Rothenburg. Is there a website?

Thanks for sharing! Laurie

Thanks for your supporting remarks, Gary.

I, of course, see the need to rely on my knowledge of German as a plus when I take this sort if accommodation. And I would do the same in those countries where my knowledge of the local language is superficial (e.g. Spain) or non-existent (e.g. Hungary).

Harzer

check www.rothenburg.de