Me again--help with itinerary please. We are flying to Frankfurt and we originally planned to go to Rotthenburg then to Triberg. Now we realize we are flying into Frankfurt-Hahn, which is 120 km west of Frankfurt. We are traveling with 4 adults and 6 children. Now we think maybe we should sadly scrap Rotthenburg and go to Baden-Baden and THEN on to Triberg. Any thoughts or advice? We don't want to backtrack to much as we don't have much time. Thanks all.

I'm not sure if you even have this option but I would skip Trier before either of the others, that's just my opinon though. Rothenburg is a really good place to get a "taste" of the Germany we all have pictured in our minds if you've never been here before, but if you have, by all means skip it.

I know a lot of people think Rothenburg is too "touristy", and it probably is, but I love it. It all depends on what you are looking for. Baden Baden is a lovely spa town with a a big casino. I would think children would like Rothenburg better. Depending on the ages of the children, there is a crime museum and toy museum in Rothenburg, which might be of interest, or they may enjoy walking the wall, which encircles the entire town. If you have never been to Rothenburg, I would not miss it.

Tere,<BR>If you want the medieval atmosphere of Rothenburg but without the hordes of tourists and the kitschy tourist oriented shops, consider the village of Gengenbach in the Black Forest. It's about 45kms northwest of Triberg. A truly stunning village, its historic aura and authentic architecture are protected by the federal and provincial governments. For a walking tour, go to www.badenpage.de/gengenbach/ where you'll also find links to a number of charming inns and gasthausen.

Thanks. I think you are right. We just cannot miss Rotthenburg. I think we will have to leave out the Black Forest this time. We will go from Frankfurt to Rotthenburg to Munich to Oberramergau then to Salzburg for a few days. I think we will be less rushed and the kids will be thankful for less driving time. Thanks for the help!

Oops, terribly sorry about misreading Trier for Triberg! Rothenburg is good fun (and yes, too touristy!) We have been twice and still haven't seen it all! Have a good trip. You should consider Wuerzburg too...it's right between Frankfurt and Rothenburg and it has a great Residenz with a huge garden for the kids to run around in and the Fortress offers grand views of the city. Very nice place.

Ditto on Rothenburg. We enjoy this town, tourists and all.<BR><BR>If I read your itinerary correctly you are going to Munich, then Oberammergau and then Salzburg...in that order. Let me suggest Munich then autobahn to Salzburg then the Alpine Road drive from that area through Reit im Winkl and into Garmisch. Beautiful drive.<BR><BR>In the Salzburg area take the kids to the Salt Mine tour in Berchtesgaden. They should enjoy that. This is a good tour to keep in mind if you run into a rainy day (common in Germany) as the tour is all underground.