Supermum

Hi Fodorites, I am putting together an itinerary starting in Budapest, then Salzburg, Munich and Fussen. Will be doing a couple of day trips from Salzburg and Munich. I will then have 6 days to fill in between Fussen and Amsterdam. Any suggestions re stops to make along the way? Which are the best towns to visit? We like a mix of cutesy small places and small cities. Will probably include a stay in Rothenburg as part of this trip. We will then take a Baltic cruise from Amsterdam finishing in Stockholm. Any suggestions and accomodation reviews would be most welcome.

sparkchaser

Fussen - Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Nürnberg - Bamberg - Mainz (or Würzburg) - Köln - Amsterdam

sparkchaser

You could skip Bamberg and Mainz altogether if you want more time in Nürnberg or Köln.

Supermum

Thanks so much sparkchaser, great info

Fussgaenger

"We like a mix of cutesy small places and small cities."

Go to Rothenburg if you like cutesy small places that are filled to the brim with international tourists and where English is the lingua franca. Personally I'd skip it in favor of places in that same general area with a less Disneyesque, more authentic character.

Marktbreit - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...breit_BW_6.JPG
Iphofen - http://vgn.de/ib/site/documents/imag...y=90&Confirm=1
Bad Windsheim(fine open-land museum!) - http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/36159948.jpg

Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage city that shouldn't be skipped; great brewery culture too:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624
http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

Mainz is a worthwhile stopover. The Rhine villages north of Mainz are small places you shouldn't miss:

Bacharach: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...arach_BW_9.JPG
Oberwesel: http://s1.germany.travel/media/conte...T_1024x768.jpg
Braubach: http://www.romantischer-rhein.de/upl...ltstadt_02.jpg
Marksburg Castle (tour) in Braubach: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ubach_2012.jpg

Cologne IMO is good for its museums, mostly, and its massive cathedral (which you could see very quickly if the museums don't draw you.)

bvlenci

Will you be traveling by car or by train? If by train, you should look for towns along your route, or not far off it.

If by train, your route will follow the Rhine, so you could interrupt the train journey to take a boat part of the way. Both Koblenz and Mainz are good stopovers for larger towns. You might even want to make a slight detour up the Moselle to visit some of the towns on that river. I really like Trier, on the border with Luxembourg. Further along, Cologne is a good suggestion. Once you get to the Netherlands, you'll pass through Utrecht, which is one of my favorite cities in that country.