Thanks, bettyk, for the really good trip report. Years ago we stayed several nights in little Neckargmund and visited hilltop Dilsberg nearby. I think we also walked a trail along the river which included four fortress ruins. Your commentary brought that trip back to mind, and I've made a note of Bad Wimpfen for the future.

Actually, I've noted Hall in Tirol and Iphofen as well. We've followed the same general path, staying in Seefeld above Innsbruck, St. Gilgen near Halstatt, Harburg between Rothenburg and Munich, and Uberlingen on Bodensee. I've never been to the Mosel valley, but your description reminds me that I must put that area at the top of my to do list. Your itinerary sounds just about perfect. Thanks so much for coming back here to tell us about it. J.

Thanks, J. We so enjoyed this trip -- the towns as well as the pace. Except for Hallstatt, most of these places have few tourists, especially Americans. As soon as I can figure out the link to our photos in Webshots, I'll post it here on Fodor's. There are 100 pictures on Webshots out of the almost 1,000 that my husband took!

Topping so others can read your report while they look at your pictures. Any chance you can give us a size comparison of the places you stayed? I love small, and, like you, find places with views of hills and water very appealing. In recent years, I've become addicted to small places in Switzerland, but I have to admit that your report and picture tour are very tempting. J.

Well, the smallest town we stayed in was Beilstein. There are only a couple of hundred residents in this tiny little town situated beautifully on the Mosel River. Not many shops but plenty of gasthauses, weinhauses and restaurants. The ruins of Burg Metternich were very interesting as was the Carmelite Church. I understand there is also a Jewish cemetery. But it is very quiet at night.

The Altstadt of Bad Wimpfen is probably half the size of Rothenburg but it really knocked our socks off! It was my favorite of all the towns we visited. It is also full to the brim with interesting buildings, towers, churches, etc. I'd highly recommend a visit to BW. And, very few tourists when we were there.

Schwaebisch Hall seemed huge in comparison to Bad Wimpfen (we actually parked in a 4 storey parking garage!) Much more spread out, but there is still alot to see in the Altstadt as you can tell from some of our photos. Lots of shops; much busier but hardly any tourists.

Dinkelsbuhl is gorgeous. Maybe a little smaller than Rothenburg but busier since so many locals live and work in the Altstadt. More car traffic. But they claim to have more original structures than Rothenburg and there is a less touristy feel.

Hall in Tirol is also small but with a more modern feel. The Altstadt has a number of very old, beautiful churches and a nice town square. But the mountainous surroundings are the star here! Also, lots of things connected to salt mining and the minting of the Haller Thaler coin.

Hallstatt is one of our favorite places. It really is truly magical in its beauty and serenity. Of course, it's probably not so serene in the summer months but May is never crowded. There are around 1000 residents in Hallstadt. It makes a good base for daytrips to Dachstein and some of the other nearby lakes.

Iphofen, again, is very small but could easily fill a day or so. It was a wonderful little town to walk around as there are a number of medieval towers and gates as well as the old town wall that's still intact.

As a daytrip, we drove to Dettelbach located on the Main River. Primarily a small wine town, we were enchanted with this place. Narrow cobblestone streets with the ancient Brucke Tor and parts of the old town wall. There is also a lovely Rathaus and pilgrimmage church. I doubt that they see many tourists outside Germans from other areas during wine season.

Karlstadt was also done as a daytrip. It was a much larger town and we even saw a few tour buses, altho probably not Americans. There is a very large Altstadt with the longest Haupstrasse I've ever seen! Lots of shops, cafes and some lovely old 16th and 17th century buildings. There's also what appears to be a castle ruin on the hill overlooking the town.

None of these towns would be considered large. Each had its own charm and all were worth visiting.

Thanks, Bettyk. I feel I should contribute something in return, so I'll mention that we've used the little town of Miltenberg as our first night after landing at Frankfurt. Just in case you ever return and are interested in a night-before-departure other than airport hotels. J.

Thanks, J. Any particular hotel or gasthaus in Miltenberg?

I can't help you there, BettyK, because we stayed in a b&b in the days when that indicated spare rooms in a private home. I can't remember the lady's name, but I remember the cherry tree outside our window, because breakfast came with cherry jam just made. If I were looking for a hotel, I'd check out those near Miltenberg's very charming square.

Please don't think I'm comparing Miltenberg to the places you've described. I don't think the old part is as large as the towns you've mentioned, but I could be wrong. It just turned out to be perfect for us. There was a lovely woods area just above the old part of the town. We took walks to recover from jetlag, and the views of the town below plus the fresh air were a treat. J.

On second thought, I just remembered that Miltenberg is on the river Main, so I'll bet there must be at least one hotel overlooking it! The views of the old town from the other side were very pretty. J.

Thanks, J. Sounds wonderful.