hi there and thanks in advance.
can anyone suggest a good spot to stop overnight driving between Berlin and Munich in early January? We are a family with 4 kids 8-15. i think it would suit us to leave berlin in the afternoon/evening and get a few hours under our belt somewhere where we can do something interesting/see something the next morning then continue to Munich. But nothing too difficult or out of the way as the days are short and we dont want to be too challenged in the dark and on the wrong side of the road (to us anyway!).
we will already have been to Wiemar and environs on the way to berlin.
any suggestions gratefully received. thanks, kate

Well, I can't comment on where to stop but if you are spending a bit of time in Berlin you can check out my Berlin trip report with photos, links and maps: http://gardkarlsen.com/Berlin_Germany_trip_report.htm . Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

What about Leipzig or Jena (near Weimar)? Both are on the way, Jena slightly more so. There is more of a country feel about Jena, a university town, whereas Leipzig is a buzzy little city with lots of construction work and new shopping centres, and probably more sights.

Lavandula

I second the idea of Leipzig, but think it is probably still too close to Berlin. Bayreuth would be another idea.

While I haven't yet been there, Bayreuth does look interesting for a large city:

http://www.bayreuth.de/english/touri...ation_357.html

Betty: Shortly after the autobahns A-72 (from Saxony) and the A-9, directl from Berlin merge, is a little spa, Bad Berneck. My wife and I stayed there, coming from Dresden. It's a delighful place. We didn't have reservation, went to the tourist office and they suggested the Kurhotel Heissinger, This was a perfect overnight. We walked through the little Kurgarten, had a great meal rtight at the town square.

The next day we drove through part of the Fraenkische Schweiz (Franconia's Switzerland), visiting a couple of castles and churches. Eventually landed on the A-73, going south to Nuernberg, and back onto the A-9 to Munich.

For the fraenk. Schweiz you would get off the A-9 at the Pegnitz ecxit and take the B-470 to Pottenstein (castle), Goessweinstein (castle, church) , etc. You et on the A-073 at Ebermannstadt. It's really not much of a detour.

Other than that, Bayreuth is also a nice place to stay.

thanks to all. will investigate these suggestions, k

Bamberg, and since you're traveling late, reserve rooms ahead of time. About 3 1/2 hour drive, leaving about 2 hours to Munich. It adds 50km to the trip, but is well worth it. Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I'm doing a similar thing at New Year's - going from Stuttgart to Bamberg then up to Berlin. Have heard so many lovely things about Bamberg I just don't want to miss it.

We were just in Bamberg last month. Here's one of the photos my husband took -- just to whet your appetite!

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/212...11574650CsKCAD

Its stunning Bettyk, can I ask you whether you think one night is enough time there?

Bamberg is a wonderful small city. And it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a lot of history and a great Altstadt.

nz101, since you are traveling there in the winter, one night might be enough to see the highlights but 2 days would be better.

In warmer weather, it's nice to visit the Rose Garden adjacent to the New Residence (also interesting to visit) or sit outside at one of the old breweries. In winter, even the many beautiful churches are freezing inside!!

It's a lovely town that you could take days to explore if you wish.

ttt for later.

When I was reading your original post I thought of Bamberg as well so I will second a number of other's comments. I was just there a few weeks ago (by accident since I couldn't get a room in Nuremberg) and ended up spending the better part of the day there exploring!