Salzburg or Rothenberg?
 

Can only fit one more day trip into our Munich itinerary and want everyone's opinion on which makes the better day? Family of four - wifey and two girls ages 18 and 15.

Thanks, Bob

Salzburg---much larger and more to see.

Both are pretty towns. Salzburg is bigger and easier to get to from Munich (direct train) whereas getting to Rothenburg ob der Tauber requires at least one change of trains - not necessarily a big deal.

What would you do in either town? There isn't a whole lot to do in tiny Rothenburg (which is a beautiful, charming town) besides walk around and explore; you can walk the town walls but that shouldn't take too long. There are a few little museums. In Salzburg you could go on a Sound of Music tour or something (I didn't visit any museums there), maybe even take in a concert.

Both towns will probably be pretty touristy. I just saw Rothenburg last month, and in April it wasn't so bad. Salzburg being bigger can absorb more people I think.

Been to both and have enjoyed both. But probably with the girls, Salzburg might be better. In Rothenburg you can walk the wall, go shopping (especially the Christmas shop), have great food, go to the crime and punishment museum. My favorite thing there is the Nightwatchmans tour. However, if you do a day trip, most likely it would be too late for you to do.
On Salzburg, it too is quaint, has tours and one that really sounds hokey but even our college age daughter loved it when she went, was "The sound of music tour". There are also mountain slides which we did when we were there for a little more physical activity on our tour, combined also with musical sites we visited.

Either town is great to see.
Have a wonderful trip.

Thanks for the great and thoughtful replies. Both towns have a lot of appeal. Maybe leaning towards Salzburg right now as the whole family loves the Sound of Music - that tour would be fun I think.

There's MUCH more to see and do in Salzburg. The Sound of Music tour...be aware that some of the exterior and interior shots of the Von Trapp home were done at nearby Schloss Leopoldskron which is in PRIVATE hands. That gazebo has been moved and was closed down for a time after some "Sound of Music" lover decided to recreate that dance in the movie and fell and was injured.

Salzburg in a heart beat. Rothenburg during the day resembles a Disneyland IME - souvenir shops outnumber regular stores it seems.

Salzburg is a real city not a museum town/theme park.

Salzburg

Salzburg would be my choice.

Sounds like it's almost a unanimous vote for Salzburg. I see from the map that the train station is a good walk from the old town area. What is the best way to get to/from the old town from the train station? Walking? How many minutes would that be at a "family" pace. Public transport?

Thanks, Bob

Take a taxi or bus. The taxi is faster but it will cost more.

Walking should be less than 30 min. It is about 2km from the train station to Mozart's Birthplace.

Thank Sparkchaser. That walk sounds doable in the morning when everyone is still freas - maybe a taxi on the way back in the evening when we're all dragging :)

It's a beautiful walk along the river. Be advised that your 30 min walk might take a bit longer if you walk along the river because of the vendors that you will want to stop and see, but it's part of the experience.

I advise to take a bus to the center as soon as you arrive at the station; it should not be difficult to find one. The zone between the station and the center is relatively uninteresting so I would not spend the best time of the day walking there. The time spared is better spent going up the hill with the funicular.

Salzburg has a fantastic fortress on the heights looming over the old town, a beautiful palace to visit on the opposite side of the river, Mozart's house (fascinating) and the old town itself as well as several great churches one of which has been turned into a restaurant with great ambiance. And is good for 2 days - 3 with the countryside.

Rothenberg is adorable and charming but unless the stay overnight there is much less to see and do. (We saw for about 5 hours - with lunch and a parade) driving the romantic road and that was enough.

I have done both and each is charming but did enjoy Rothenburg ob der Tauber more. We stayed two nights and had a great time in the evening with the watchmen's tour and little cafes. We did the wall walk around the first day and the second we did wine tasting and there was a car show on the square with a market. Our guest house had the best restaurant and lovely host who introduced us to some great wine and food of the region. We just really enjoyed our time there after a Oktoberberfest one year.
Our time in Salzburg was nice but we weren't interested in The sound of music tour or Mozart. We did have a great time at the Shamrock Irish pub.

The above advice to pick Salzburg is good. Rothenburg is very nice, but pales compared to Salzburg IMO.

Definitely walk from the train station to the altstadt. It's a lovely walk, and the route takes you right past Mirabell Palace, then over a bridge across the river, and along the river on your way. Way, way nicer than taking a bus or a taxi. That is, as long as you are able to walk 15 minutes or so.

Count me among those that liked Rothenburg better but it is too far for a decent day trip. Salzburg is beautiful. You can not go wrong with it. Both are tourist traps for good cause; they are very appealing.

Again- thanks for all of the great replies. Both sound like great side trips from Munich and we are now thinking to rearrange our itinerary a bit to do both. It will just mean one less day the stay in Munich and chill out. I'd hate to miss either one of them...

Both are tourist traps for good cause; they are very appealing.>

Rothenburg is a tourist trap par excellence - sadly overrun with tour bus groups in season.

I would never call Salzburg a tourist trap - at least not in the same connotation as Rothenburg - Salzburg is a vibrant city whose locals I'm sure would object to it overall being called a tourist trap. In many ways a real vibrant commercial town - quite the opposite of the museum town of Rothenburg (and not saying Rothenburg ain't nice it is in spite of the legions of tourists in a very compact area and souvenir stands outnumbering it seems bona fide shops.

I agree with PalenQ - Salzburg is much more of a very interesting medium sized city than a tourist trap. What draws people is the fascinating design of their old city, and how well preserved it is, plus things like its classical music scene and its relationship to "The Sound of Music".

It's true that much of the old city is pretty touristy with shops, cafes, bars, etc. But there is much more to Salzburg, and it is well worth a visit.

Perhaps Dachau, since it's a Munich suburb?

Dachau I hope is not the tourist trap it once was!

If you get to Salzburg, book tickets to the Marionnetten Theater. They do operas with marionettes that ares so lifelike, they are amazing. The do "The Sound of Music" now; it is the only one done in English. For those done in German, there are precis in English. I have seen all of those operas except "The Sound of Music" because it hadn't begun yet when I was there. The entire "Sound of Music" thing is mostly for English speaking tourists. The Austrians don't care.

From Munich, it is not far to do an excursion to Bertchtesgarden. If you drive there, look for the signs to the Kehlstein Haus. That is what the Germans call it. Hitler's headquarters were on top of the mountain and the views are gorgeous. Unfortunately, the musem aspect of the place is played down and it is basically a location for nice photos and a meal at the restaurant.

I have never spent quality time in Munich. When I was in Salzburg, I went to Munich for the day to see the Science Museum. It was miserable weather and I didn't make it to the Hofbrauhaus. For that there will have to be a home exchange in Munich someday.

<i>If you get to Salzburg, book tickets to the Marionnetten Theater. They do operas with marionettes that ares so lifelike, they are amazing.</i>

I would not do this and instead do the Mozart dinner at the
St. Peter Stiftskeller in the altstadt. It's a 3 course period dinner featuring the "best of" Mozart performed by a string quartet and two opera singers. http://www.mozart-dinner-konzert-salzburg.at/

If you want marionettes, go to Prague. The marionettes at the National Marionette Theater in Prague do an outstanding "Don Giovanni".

Thanks for all the great replies. It looks like we'll be going to both Rothenburg and Salzburg on separate days. When we return I'll let everyone know which one we preferred and why.

I cannot comment on the relative merits of the Salzburg Marionnetten Theater versus the Prague Marionnetten Theater, as I have never been to Prague, but I have seen similar marionette opera performances in other places in Europe and enjoy them wherever they are. Remember that they use recordings for their operas, so you are not choosing specific singers when you choose where to do your marionette opera--as you may do when deciding to attend a "people" opera.

The Salzburg Marionnetten Theater tours the US every few years and I have seen them also at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The current program can be found here:

http://www.marionetten.at/programme/programme

The Salzburg group will tour the US and Canada in October-November 2014. A list of cities is announced here:

http://www.marionetten.at/repertoire-en/tours

I am delighted to see that Washington, DC, is on the agenda, but I might be away during the performances.

The Prague Marionette Theater website is here:

http://www.mozart.cz/

Just to remember that Berchtesgaden is much closer to Salzburg than to Munich.

But Berchtesgarten can be easily done as a day trip from either. I was disappointed that there really is not a museum dealing with the devastation created by the Hitler regime at the top. Berchtesgarten is all about the view and the restaurant--and not too much about Hitler. There is a museum down below, but I did not have the time to see it.

Remember, when you get to Berchtesgarten, you have to take the bus transport to the top of the mountain and cannot drive your car. You have to come and go when the bus does.