Four of us are planing a week's holiday in Schloss Sommersdorf near Ansbach, Germany for early October. The castle is our base for day trips by car in the area. Munich is our point of arrival and departure.

We're seeking info on points of interest in nearby towns and villages. The ones I can identify include:

Sommersdorf (pop. 170)
Ansbach (I understand this is the nearest larger town, app. 30 minutes away)
Dinkelsbuhl
Wurzberg
Nordlingen
Bamberg
Feuchtwangen
Ulm
Weikerheim
Ornbau
Bergoberbach
Merkendorf
Wolfram Eschenbach
Duerwangen

Any info re the above or other villages/towns in the area?

I have been to the following and feel they are all worthy of a visit:

Dinkelsbuhl
Wurzberg
Nordlingen
Feuchtwangen

We will be visiting Bamberg in September but it is definitely worthy of a visit as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I have not been to any of the other towns on your list.

Bamberg is the No. 1 highlight in your list.
http://bamberg.travel/www_tks/bamber...268_89_7_f.htm

Ansbach's baroque palace, residence of the Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach, is worth a closer look.
Sights of Ansbach: http://www3.ansbach.eu/cda/showpage....40&language=uk

"Wurzberg" does not exist, I suppose you mean Würzburg (alternative spelling "Wuerzburg" if you cannot type the ü).
http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/index.html

Dinkelsbühl(Dinkelsbuehl) and Nördlingen(Noerdlingen) are two well-preserved old towns. Both are IMHO as good as Rothenburg ob der Tauber but not as overrun.

Wolframs-Eschenbach is an off the beaten path gem hardly anyone here will ever have heard of. You'll be surprised. A cute little town with many historical buildings. Hometown of the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the one who wrote Parzival.

Weikersheim has a beautiful renaissance/baroque palace and garden. http://www.schloss-weikersheim.de/en...me/268240.html
I'd also like to mention nearby Bad Mergentheim: http://www.bad-mergentheim.de/Welcome.1367.0.html

Also within reach: Weißenburg, Schwäbisch Hall, Crailsheim, Ellwangen, Nürnberg, Bad Windsheim, the Altmühl valley, the wine villages in the Main Valley (Volkach!), and the inevitable Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

For most locations, information can be found on the web with addresses of the type www.name of place.de; in case this does not work, try Google. Corect spelling is needed. Small untouristy places may have their websites in German only but you'll find at least sone photos to see what it is like.

... and here are my own travel tips on Ulm: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/329f/

quokka - Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is a terrific reply and more info than I expected. Also, thanks for the tips on how to find info on the non-highlight places on my own. Your overview of Ulm is wonderful.